United Airlines A321neo First Class Review

I first flew on United's new A321neo's by accident. I was flying to EWR (Dec '24) and my flight from SAN to LAX had mechanical issues, and I wasn't going to make my connection. They put me on the last flight of the day thru ORD and when I boarded this beautiful looking almost empty aircraft I was confused. As someone who has flown well over 2 million miles with United, I know their interiors very well and this did not look like anything I had seen on United. The First Class seats looked completely different (much nicer) than anything I had seen on United (even the updated seats from their newer Max's). As I walked to my seat (I was in Economy) I asked the flight attendant what kind of planes is this? Proudly, she said; "Our new Airbus 321 neo" (I wasn't even aware UAL had taken any deliveries of these jets). I had the entire exit row to myself. I was very impressed with not only the leg room, but also, the seats & IFE (Inflight Entertainment) screen. This experience was motivation to book a few flights in First on this new aircraft. I was lucky enough to fly to/from ORD to SAN this year (2025).

I have been waiting to review United's First Class for a while now, but so many of their older B737's still have the same seats and interiors from the Continental days (w/DirecTV) I hoped it wouldn't be relevant in the near future. Their B737max 8 & 9's have newer seats, which are nice, but the neo's seats are even an upgrade from them and an enormous improvement from the old B737's. United is slowly refurbishing their narrow-body fleet (A319's, A320's & B737's) in a program they call "United Next" with the same seats as the A321neo. I think I read somewhere where they hope to be finished by the end of 2026 (I think that may be slightly ambitious).

Besides the improvement with the seats, United's A321's have the larger overheads where you can place your bag on its side allowing for more carry-on's. The plane also has enhanced lighting to create different moods. There are five rows in First in a 2x2 configuration (20 seats). I sat in the bulkhead (1A &1B) on two flights and 2E on the other (seat letters AB & EF). Each seat appears to be in a fixed shell, but the entire back does recline. Despite the bottom moving forward when reclining, if the person in front of you reclines, their seat will invade your personal space (reclines 5"). Seats 5A&B have limited reline (3") due to the Lav being behind those seats. The legroom is ok at 37". I felt more room in the bulkhead seats, but I also tend to prefer these seats, besides not having a forward seatback recline into your space, it's also possible to pass from the window seat without the person in the aisle needing to get up (not the case in rows 2 thru 5). That said, someone who is tall or has long legs may not like the inability to stretch their legs under the forward seat.

The seats are blue leather with adjustable headrests and are a generous 21" in width. Besides the look of a fixed shell there is also a small divider between each set of seats. The truth is it doesn't provide that much privacy, but I do like this feature very much. Below the center armrest are a couple of nice storage areas. Just in front of the armrest is the power plug. There are two USB outlets on the bottom of the tv monitor (I think USB A&C). The tray tables are sturdy and have a device holder that flips up. They are located in the outer armrests. Under the center armrest is a wireless charging pad. I couldn't get it to charge on any of the flights, I took the cover off my phone, and it started to charge, however, it slipped off the pad because of lack of traction. I must admit it could be user error as I couldn't get my phone to charge on other aircrafts with wireless charging pads either. Assuming they do work this is a great addition.

United's Boarding process leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I find it annoying. They're very organized with the Group 1 & 2 lanes in the boarding area, but for someone that purchases a First Class ticket, you may not board until the end of Group 1 with several groups boarding ahead of you. People in need of assistance, families and military are fine and the usual procedure. But United also boards their Global Services members and their 1K Members before Group 1/First Class. I am ok with Global Services as there are only a few and AA & DL do the same. But there are usually several 1K members on-board and if you happen to be towards the end of the line of Group 1, you are losing overhead space to someone that may have been upgraded or even just places their bag in forward overheads. I certainly do not begrudge anyone that gets upgraded, and truthfully, I am probably just envious that when I had 1K status (for over twenty years) this benefit was not in place then. I used to think the same when they took food orders based on status. I am happy to see American has started to board First Class ahead of some pre-boards and Group 1.

As you board and one of the few good holdovers from Covid is United still has a basket with sanitary wipes available as you enter the aircraft. Sometimes they also have earbuds and coloring kits for kids in the basket. However, and one of the many victims of Covid, is there are no longer pillows or blankets at your seat (may still have on red-eye flights). Unfortunately, this is not just a United policy, rather the norm on domestic First Class flights. Typically, you will receive a pre-departure beverage (PDB) of Water (usually not served cold) or Sparkling Wine. Of all the flights I took on the A321neo, one didn't have a PDB, but that is not customary. While it doesn't bother me, I know others cringe that the Sparkling (and water) are served in a plastic cups.

Shortly after take-off a very nice hot towel is handed out (wasn't handed out on most recent flight). The quality of the hot towel is what you would expect on an Asian or Middle East Carrier. The flight attendant also takes drink orders and meal orders (or reconfirms selection) after take-off. You can pre-book your meal on United within 5 days to 24 hours before departure. Typically, there are two or three choices onboard, but pre-order usually has a couple additional choices. From their hub cities they have special meals not available on most routes. I ordered the Newark Steak on one flight from ORD (not sure why Chicago doesn't have a dish dish). Of all the improvements over the years this may be my favorite. A great way to eliminate passenger ire from not having a meal they like, having more choices for those that may travel frequently, and it cuts down on waste. The only menu you will ever see domestically is the one they send five days before departure. You can order online or from their app. United's catering has been much maligned over the past few years and for good reason. It wasn't just the taste of the meals, but the presentation too. My personal opinion is the meals are ok, they just aren't presented as well as Delta's or AA's First Class meals. That being said, they certainly are not as appetizing as they were ten or so years ago.

Unlike Delta, United does serve a small ramekin of heated premium nuts (also has a pretzel of two in there) before the Lunch/Dinner meal service. The ramekin is very small (whereas AA's are generous in size). Besides the Beef, I had a Grilled Chicken dish (I think same dish twice) on the A321neo flights. They were all served on a single tray and were nice and hot (an old pet-peeve of mine that UA's meals were often served lukewarm) The tray included a Roll (no longer in a wrapper), Side-Salad, and the same Dessert of a paper cup of Magnolia Bakeries Banana Pudding. The Pudding is good, but I'd prefer a little variety. I have flown on several other United flights recently and had similar meal experiences. In fact, the catering and service will be the same on all their North American flights that aren't designated as United Business (LAX/SFO to EWR) or on a Regional Jet. I just don't know if they upgrade the meal service on longer trans-continental flights (like SAN to EWR). I have had Breakfast on other flights and again, there is a larger choice on the pre-order menu. I do not think they put as much into their Breakfast's as Lunch/Dinner (as with most airlines). On every flight there is a selection of Wines and Beverages (both non & Alcohol - I don't drink so I am not much help here).

As nice as United's new seats are their IFE system is equally impressive. They have installed 13-inch 4K screens (the Economy screen isn't much smaller) on the A321neo with Bluetooth connectivity. The clarity is noticeable, and it is a massive improvement from their B737's with DirecTV and those tiny monitors. So, while the service is the same on the A321neo, B757, B737, A319 & A320's the hard product is very different. It may take some time, but they will replace other aircrafts monitors with these same screens. There are 100's (if not 1000's) of programs to choose from. From recent films to classics, sitcoms, reality shows and some international programs as well. The headphone jack (if not using Bluetooth) is located below the power plug and while the TV is touchscreen there is also a handset under the center armrest. Besides the programing there is also a moving map as well as other features (can order food and check weather to name a few) The moving map is stellar. It is very interactive and even has live movement of aircraft on the ground at the airport (I watched us taxi for 30 minutes at ORD)

In addition to the seatback entertainment, United still has access to Private Screening (own-device entertainment) through their Wi-Fi. Most, if not all the programming is the same, but there may be a few differences. The one thing that UA's new system does not have is live TV. United has made accessing Wi-Fi very easy. Messaging is free for everyone. For Mileage Plus members it is $8 per flight to access Wi-Fi and $10 for non-members (you can sign up and get the Mileage Plus member rate). Even better, T-Mobile customers receive free Wi-Fi on domestic flights (to Canada, Caribbean & Mexico as well. The Wi-Fi speed is ok. Wouldn't call it high-speed, but it certainly is much faster than it was a few years ago. Now, that may change in the future as they have just started (Oct '25) to install Starlink on their Regional fleet as well as their B737-800's. This will be free to all Mileage Plus members. United says they hope to have Starlink installed in their entire fleet within the next few years. The neo's yet to be delivered may come with Starlink, while the ones they currently have may get installed later rather than sooner. Both IFE & Wi-Fi are available from gate to gate.

There are four Lav's on the A321neo with one in the front of the aircraft and another behind seats 5A&B (plus two in the rear). Nothing noteworthy about the lav's other than they are clean which is expected on a new plane.

The A321neo is really an upgrade for United and a positive look into their future. While AA took their seatback screens out Delta and United are retrofitting their fleet with the latest technology. I don't mind using my own device, but nothing beats a TV in front of you. Most of United's flight attendants are friendly and helpful, but like most US Carriers (actually not just US Airlines) their service is inconsistent at best. Now, if they can match their soft product to their hard product on the A321neo then "Good would lead the Way"