United Airlines will become the first airline to outfit their Embraer E175 fleet with new, larger overhead bins. The first 50 aircraft will be retrofitted by the end of 2024, adding capacity for up to 29 more bags per flight.
On Tuesday (March 26, 2024), United Airlines announced that they will install new, larger overhead bins on their SkyWest Embraer E175 fleet, which will provide added space for customers’ carry-on bags. By the end of 2024, the new bins will be installed on 50 76-seat E175s, adding enough space to accommodate an additional 29 bags, with over 150 aircraft to be retrofitted by year-end 2026. United will become the first airline to offer this enhancement on their E175 fleet, and the carrier estimates it will eliminate the need for one million passengers to gate-check bags on over 150,000 flights annually. The new bins will also have braille and tactile placards for enhanced accessibility.
In Tuesday’s announcement, United Airlines’ Chief Customer Officer, Linda Jojo, said,
“Customer sentiment for the new overhead bins and signature interiors has been extremely positive. By helping to eliminate the need to gate check bags, we are seeing an increase in gate and boarding satisfaction. This is just the latest way we're working to create an industry-leading experience for all our customers – whether they're on an international or regional flight.”
Currently, over 200 United mainline aircraft have been equipped with overhead bins large enough to accommodate every customer’s carry-on bag, and the carrier is in the process of retrofitting their entire domestic fleet. SkyWest is the largest Embraer E175 operator in the world, operating over 700 daily departures to more than 140 destinations as United Express.
At United Airlines, ‘Good Leads the Way.’ The airline operates the most comprehensive network among North American carriers with U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United and United Express operate over 4,000 flights per day to more than 350 airports across six continents. In 2023, United carried more than 150 million customers, becoming the world’s largest airline as measured by available seat miles (ASMs). Shares in the company’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., are publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol ‘UAL.’
Source: United Airlines/PRNewswire