United Airlines is making a change that should improve the passenger experience on some of its smallest jets.
The airline is beginning installation of new, larger overhead bins on dozens of its Embraer 175 aircraft, the Chicago-based carrier announced Tuesday.
The changes will mean more space for passengers’ full-size, rollaboard carry-on bags — even on shorter-hop regional jets.
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If you hate having to gate-check your rollaboard luggage or despise waiting on the jet bridge for your valet-tagged bag when flying on a small plane, this is good news for you.
By the end of 2024, United expects to complete these retrofits on 50 of its 76-seat Embraer jets operated by regional airline SkyWest, which flies shorter routes under United Express branding.
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SkyWest is a big player for United at its Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Houston and Chicago hubs.
United may expand the larger overhead bins to as many as 150 of its Embraer 175 aircraft by the end of 2026. (United’s regional partners fly both 70- and 76-seat configurations of the Embraer 175 jet.)
United’s move to add more overhead bin space to regional jets is part of a much larger plan to expand and overhaul the airline’s fleet as part of its “United Next” campaign launched in 2021.
The carrier has hundreds of new jets on order — though production delays at Boeing will likely delay the timing of new aircraft deliveries.
United has also planned retrofits to its existing mainline fleet aimed at modernizing the passenger experience. That includes a pledge that all mainline jets will, in the future, have enough space for every passenger to bring at least one carry-on bag on board. That’s on top of other upgrades like entertainment screens and Bluetooth connectivity at every seat.
With this latest announcement, the carrier is also promising improvements to its smaller regional aircraft. That should make the travel experience more seamless for passengers who fly on United Express jets operated as SkyWest into the airline’s biggest Midwest and West Coast hubs, particularly as the airline — like its largest competitors — announced hikes to its checked bag fees in recent weeks.
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