United Airlines Left With Unused Lie-Flat Seats After MAX 10 Delay
United Airlines is stuck with hundreds of lie-flat business class seats it had planned to install in its Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft. The airline originally intended to use these seats on premium transcontinental routes, but due to regulatory delays, the plans have been scrapped.
In an interview with CNBC, United CEO Scott Kirby mentioned that the seats 'don't fit on other airplanes,' leaving the carrier with no clear plan for them.
United had initially planned to use these lie-flat seats on its 737 MAX 10 aircraft, but it shifted its plans to the Airbus A321neo instead. The airline has built a dedicated subfleet called the 'Coastliner' for premium transcontinental routes, which features 20 United Polaris lie-flat suites and 129 economy seats.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is now expected to serve primarily as a high-capacity domestic aircraft, replacing the Boeing 757-300. United has 167 firm orders for the 737 MAX 10, making it the type's largest customer.