- Relax Row turns three economy seats into a lie-flat ‘bed’
- It’s coming to Boeing 777 and 787 long-haul flights starting in 2027
- You get three screens and eight power ports on top of the added comfort
Beyond offering another Starlink test flight and confirming that over 340 aircraft with faster, free Wi-Fi are flying daily, United Airlines also formally showed off its recent, next-gen Elevated look. That new cabin was originally teased in 2025, but we saw the next-generation Polaris seats — and the even roomier Polaris Studio pods — as well as Premium Plus, Economy Plus, and standard Economy offerings in person. Suffice to say, the screens and ports don’t disappoint.
However, much like Steve Jobs or Tim Cook, United Airlines also held back a “one more thing,” and it’s sort of genius. The Relax Row, as United calls it, will arrive on long-haul flights operated by Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft beginning in 2027, and it might be the biggest change to the airline’s economy class in quite some time.
Similar to Air New Zealand’s Economy Skycouch, United’s Relax Row will let you book an entire trio of seats — essentially a row — outfitted with special leg rests that come up to fill the floor space and turn the three seats into a sort of sky bed. The airline is pitching it to singles, couples, and, maybe most importantly, families, with images showing a parent and two kids, comfortable and cozy, on the Relax Row mid-flight.
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(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
You won’t just be roughing it on the equivalent of Economy Plus seats with a leg rest popped up, either. United Airlines will offer the Relax Row with a mattress pad, bedding, two pillows, and, if kids are on the reservation, two stuffed animals that look adorable.
Additionally, you get the most screens — even more than what Polaris Studio affords — as you’ll have three 13-inch 4K OLED panels. But the real game-changer here might be power and ports. You’ll get two standard wall plugs and two USB-C ports per seat, for a total of eight power sources.
That bests the two USB-C ports, wireless charging pad, and AC outlet you’d get in Polaris or Premium Plus. And while you likely wouldn’t need more than, say, three ports, it’s a notable perk beyond the ability to stretch out and lie fully flat. That means you could charge laptops, tablets, a Nintendo Switch, earbuds, or headphones, and still have room for your phones. Pretty handy.
The big advantage here is that, for long-haul routes, the Relax Row should be a more affordable way to get comfortable without spending a ton compared to Polaris Studio, Polaris, or Premium Plus. United Airlines hasn’t shared exact pricing, but essentially, you’ll book three seats, with the Relax Row as an added cost on top. It’s expected to be comparable to Economy Plus and less than the more premium options.
If the pricing is right, it’ll be a bit of business class for the rest of us. That said, the cost will almost certainly vary by route and aircraft configuration, with the latter affecting availability and the number of Relax Rows installed.
For now, it’s a really exciting addition to United’s seating lineup — and a first in the United States. The only real comparison is Air New Zealand’s Economy Skycouch, which has proved popular enough to stick around. Based on a quick search around the time of publication, the SkyCouch costs between $499 and $1,000 and is also installed on 777 and 787 aircraft.
Much like the airline’s rollout of fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet, we’ll need to exercise some patience until 2027, when United Airlines is ready to formally debut the Relax Row. For now, though, let’s hope we see more “one more things” from the airline in the near future.
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