We toured United's fanciest Airbus jet yet, which will fly 5 all-new routes to Europe in 2027. See inside the A321XLR.

Business Insider reporters toured United Airlines' new Airbus A321XLR, which will launch to Europe in December. Taylor Rains/Business Insider We toured United Airlines' new ultra-premium Airbus A321XLR at the UK's Farnborough airshow in July. The jet has doors in business class, privacy dividers in premium economy, and a snack bar in coach. The A321XLR's international debut is set for December, with new routes to Europe starting in 2027. United Airlines' newest Airbus jet is easily the airline's fanciest narrowbody yet. Adorned in a blue-and-white livery and packed with 150 new luxe seats, the Airbus A321XLR underscores United's continued push to court higher-paying travelers as demand for greater comfort grows. Most notably, sliding doors are now offered in Polaris business class — an increasingly common feature in newer premium cabins and something long requested by many of United's most valuable flyers. Meanwhile, during a tour of the jet at the UK's Farnborough International Airshow in July, Peter Wolkowski, United's director of onboard products and partnerships, told Business Insider that premium economy is particularly popular these days. "It's that nice buy-up from economy, where you can get more space and nicer amenities, as well as that opportunity to rest," he said. "We are making a conscious effort to increase the size of the new Premium Plus." Coach also got upgrades, including a self-service snack bar and "extra elbow room" seats for an added fee, a sign the airline is investing in economy, not just its highest-paying customers. On Tuesday, United announced that its first international A321XLR routes will be from Washington Dulles to Amsterdam and Dublin, beginning December 1, 2026, with tickets going on sale Thursday. The airline plans to use the aircraft on five all-new routes to Europe starting in 2027. It will replace aging Boeing 757s, mostly on transatlantic routes. With its up to 11-hour range, the jet is well-suited for far-flung Europe routes because it can reach destinations that don't have enough demand for a widebody but are too far for most other narrowbodies. Here's what passengers can expect onboard. The A321XLR will launch in December, with new routes to Europe slated for spring 2027. The A321XLR will be used for five all-new routes to Europe in spring 2027. Taylor Rains/Business Insider, United Airlines After flying select domestic routes from September and then making its international debut in December, United said the A321XLR will fly five all-new routes to Europe next year. Service from Newark, New Jersey, to Luxembourg is expected to begin in April, followed by Ibiza in May, and Marseille and Valencia in June. It is also set to fly from Washington Dulles to Toulouse starting in April. Business class is essentially a mini living room. The 20 Polaris seats were in a 1x1 configuration. Pete Syme/Business Insider The 20 large business-class loungers each convert into a lie-flat bed up to 78 inches long, with a 19-inch television, a remote control, several charging ports, a cubby, and Bluetooth connectivity. Closing the door cocoons the seat into a cozy, private little suite. Wolkowski said the design underwent two rounds of overnight sleep trials, with customers spending the night in a mockup of the new seat while experiencing simulated service from flight attendants. "Every part of the layout, the detail, everything you see, is very thought out and intentional," he said. "From the labeling to the control panel being right at your fingertips." The privacy doors weren't easy to certify. The door will be usable from day one, Wolkowski said. Pete Syme/Business Insider The doors' added complexity during emergency evacuations created certification challenges, and the A321XLR requires an additional flight attendant. Wolkowski said that the A321XLR doors are fully certified and will not be locked open at launch. Unlike the A321XLR, United's new Boeing 787 Polaris privacy doors were locked open at launch but can now be closed after the Federal Aviation Administration certified the design in early August. Premium Plus is now more private. The divider extends out further. Pete Syme/Business Insider United added a large privacy divider between the window and aisle seats in its upgraded premium economy cabin, and there are no middle seats on the narrowbody A321XLR. The 12 plush, deep-reclining loungers also have a 16-inch seatback screen, a footrest and legrest, extra table space, and elevated linens and meals. Premium economy demand is booming. There is a lot of legroom. Pete Syme/Business Insider Wolkowski said premium economy is increasingly popular with flyers as a cheaper yet amenity-rich middle ground between coach and lie-flat business. He said Premium Plus is the fastest-growing cabin on the company's 787s. Coach has Bluetooth connectivity and Starlink. The coach cabin makes up the other half of the plane. Taylor Rains/Business Insider United has been offering Bluetooth on select planes for years, so it's no surprise the A321XLR got the feature. The airline is also rolling out Starlink across its fleet; it has launched on regional jets and some 737s and 777s. You can pay extra for more elbow room in coach. The blocked middle seat is unusual on US airlines. Half of the cabin is premium. One row of United's Economy Plus extra-legroom cabin will have the middle seat blocked, giving aisle and window passengers extra table space and more elbow room. The extra-fee seat is similar to the "Eurobusiness" seat on European carriers such as Finnair and KLM. Economy has a self-serve snack bar. The walk-up snack station wasn't stocked, but expect items like chips and cookies. Pete Syme/Business Insider United removed several rows of coach seats to add a snack bar in the back galley. The walk-up perk, already on the airline's CRJ550 and A321neo, will be available to all passengers, who can expect complimentary items like water, soda, and chips. The entire cabin has custom mood lighting. Wolkowski said mood lighting helps passengers adjust to time zones. Taylor Rains/Business Insider Wolkowski said United developed custom lighting scenes to help passengers combat jet lag by illuminating the cabin in specific hues during specific phases of flight. For example, a blue-and-white scene, intended to resemble shooting stars, is for boarding. There are also darker hues for bedtime, and orange and pink hues for daytime and meals. Bigger overhead bins mean fewer gate checks. The ceiling scene is meant to resemble shooting stars. Pete Syme/Business Insider United said its A321XLR will feature larger overhead bins designed by Airbus as part of its Airspace XL cabin. These will accommodate more roller bags and reduce gate-checking during boarding. The same bin design is already in service on United's A321neo aircraft. Editor's note: This story was originally published in July 2026 and updated in August 2026. Read the original article on Business Insider

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