United Weighs Fate of 167 Boeing Max 10 Cabins as Hundreds of Lie-Flat Seats Sit Stored
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 23
United Weighs Fate of 167 Boeing Max 10 Cabins as Hundreds of Lie-Flat Seats Sit Stored
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 23
Summary
Hundreds of lie-flat seats bought for United's Boeing 737 Max 10 fleet remain in storage, forcing the airline to decide whether to keep, redesign or repurpose a cabin plan first mapped out in 2018.
Summer 2027 is now the expected delivery point for United's first Max 10s, after certification slipped more than six years from the original 2020 target.
Boeing's delays stemmed from an anti-icing system redesign and broader safety and manufacturing scrutiny; the company won approval for the smaller Max 7 earlier this month and expects Max 10 clearance soon.
United has already shifted some transcontinental premium strategy to Airbus A321neos, fitting a 'Coastliner' subfleet with 20 Polaris suites and premium economy seats, but those interiors do not directly fit the Max 10.
The decision matters because United has 167 Max 10s on order and had once planned to use the jets on profitable coast-to-coast routes.