United Continental is to spend $550 million on upgrading its fleet, with improvements to include more flat-bed seating.
The US giant is to add flat-bed seats on an additional 62 aircraft from next month, bringing the total up to 185. Advanced broadband WiFi is to be installed on more than 200 aircraft and streamed wireless video will be introduced to Boeing 747-400s.
The carrier will upgrade 26 B767-400s with Economy Plus seating offering extra legroom. The aircraft primarily serve transatlantic, Latin America and Hawaiian routes.
The changes come in addition to the 25 new aircraft – including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – the airline is to introduce to its fleet next year.
President and chief executive Jeff Smisek said: “We are making very good progress building the world’s leading airline. “When we announced our merger, we committed to building an airline that our co-workers would want to work for, our customers would want to fly, and our investors would want to invest in.
“These product enhancements announced today, coupled with our unbeatable route network and loyalty programme, will provide an unsurpassed travel experience for our customers. We are planning many other product enhancements, both on the ground and in the air, which we will announce in the future.”