The first step between the loading bridge and the plane is, for many people, a magical moment.
Long-awaited vacations start to feel real and the bottleneck that takes place as passengers wait to sit down and stow away their hand-held luggage is justified by looking around at the plane's interior and imagining what kind of flight you're going to have.
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Over the last few years, many airlines have spent a lot of time and money redesigning their cabin interiors to compete with one another. The dollar amount that North American airlines spend on designing their cabin interiors is expected to rise from $11.1 billion to $16.7 billion.
United Promises an 'Overhead Bin For Everyone's Carry On'
As one of the country's "big three" airlines, United Airlines (UAL) has spent the last two years retrofitting the interiors on its narrow jets.
In the summer of 2021, the Chicago-based airline announced that it had ordered 270 new Boeing (BA) and Airbus (EADSF) planes and was redesigning the interior on many of its narrow-body jets used for domestic travel.
Promising passengers larger overhead bins and more modern lighting, chief executive Scott Kirby made bold claims of combining "friendly, helpful service with the best experience in the sky."
While United initially hoped to have 100 of its planes redesigned by the end of 2023 in a project it called "Next," problems with the supply chain caused some delay in the plans. A spokesperson said that only 60 would be ready on time in the last earnings call.
That said, the first plane with a redesigned interior has emerged and is ready to take off for a flight. Over the May 14 weekend, several United executives posted images of the first redesigned plane. The 25-year-old Airbus 319 has been retrofitted to have blue overhead lighting, new 10-inch and 13-inch monitors and, in what the company has been touting particularly stronger, sleeker compartments for those who feel that there isn't enough space to stow overhead luggage.
'Supply Chain Shortages Across The Board,' Says United
"Flying this weekend on an United Airlines Airbus 319?" United Executive Vice President Linda Jojo wrote a LinkedIn post. "Maybe it will be on our first aircraft that has been retro fit with our Signature interior! Yes — an overhead bin spot for everyone’s carry on."
"Be sure to be on the lookout if you're on one of our A319 flights," Brett Albright, who heads solutions and recovery for United, wrote on Twitter.
Similar changes will be done on up to 100 of the narrow-body planes but will take time to implement. The rollout of the A319 was a way to show how the airline wants its planes to look even as it deals with delays and shortages of necessary equipment.
The redesign is also meant to fall in line with what customers have been asking to see aboard their flights. The retrofitted planes will have more AC power and USB ports as well as high-speed Wi-Fi on planes that previously didn't have it.
"The reality is the supply challenges across the board whether it be [inflight entertainment] systems, chips, seats and many other things are just more challenging than they’ve ever been in our business," Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer, said during an earnings call at the start of May.
