A United Airlines plane takes off from San Francisco International Airport on Nov. 7, 2025.

In the latest air travel news, United Airlines plans to add “Relax Rows” of rows of three seats converted into lie-flat beds on long-haul flights of its wide-body fleet and to convert one-class, 50-seat regional jets into two classes with 41 seats; a Transportation Security Administration official said officers’ no-show rate is reaching 50% at some airports and hundreds have quit, creating the longest lines in history; the government has deployed hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports to help out, but they aren’t trained to handle TSA equipment, so they’re mostly just standing around; a new report on a potential sale of JetBlue Airways names three possible airline buyers; United’s CEO said the airline will cut capacity by 5% this summer because of rising fuel costs; some Middle Eastern carriers struggle to resume service but most airlines are still avoiding the war-torn region; United starts selling the first seats for its next-generation 787-9s on two domestic routes out of SFO next week; the Star Alliance airlines opened a connection center at LAX; and SFO’s latest runway closure is scheduled to begin March 30.

Air New Zealand introduced a seating option in 2011 called Skycouch, which allowed purchasers to convert a row of three economy-class seats into a lie-flat bed. Since then, a few foreign carriers have offered a similar option, but no U.S. airlines have — until now. United said this week it will start selling what it calls the Relax Row on long-haul flights. The three seats in a Relax Row have adjustable leg rests that fold up at a 90-degree angle “to create ... more room to sleep, stretch out or watch a movie,” United said. The first ones should become available next year, and by 2030 United plans to offer Relax Rows on more than 200 of its 787 and 777 wide-bodies, with up to 12 Relax Rows per plane, in a special section located between economy class and Premium Plus (premium economy). Customers who book the special rows will get extras like a mattress pad, blanket, two additional pillows and a plush kids’ toy, the airline said.

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“The United Relax Row is ideal for families traveling with small children, solo travelers and couples who want the value of United Economy but with a little extra comfort,” the airline said in a news release Tuesday. A photo issued by United suggests that an adult and a child might lie comfortably on the “bed,” but throwing a kid into the space with two adults might be a bit too cozy. United didn’t say which routes would be the first to get the new option, or how much it might cost, but View From the Wing notes that Air New Zealand customers who book a Skycouch pay surcharges (in addition to coach fare) that start at $100 each for three people in the row, $300 each for two and $499 for one.   

United said passengers who book a Relax Row, available on select Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 aircraft starting in 2027, will receive a mattress pad, pillows and a stuffed toy.

That was one of several product announcements from United this week. The company also confirmed reports that appeared in SFGATE and other outlets early last month that it plans to put a “subfleet” of specially configured new single-aisle Airbus A321neos called Coastliners into service exclusively on its San Francisco-Newark and LAX-Newark routes starting later this year, offering a mix of Polaris suites, Premium Plus and regular economy seating. A similar version of the A321neo is to be deployed starting this summer on routes to Europe and South America, replacing 757s.

United said it will also introduce the CRJ450 — “a reimagined and redesigned version of the CRJ200” (an aircraft that View From the Wing’s Gary Leff called “the most hated regional jet in America”). The CRJ450s will be on routes out of Chicago and Denver starting this fall, the airline said, and capacity will be reduced from 50 seats in one class to 41 in two classes. “This will be one of United's most........

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