United tests lie-flat seats on 737 Max for longest US routes

United Continental is experimenting with lie-flat seats for its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 10 jets, which the airline plans to fly on its longest domestic routes. The carrier is working on seat designs and has completed an initial round of testing on one model, President Scott Kirby said Tuesday. Test on a second seat are slated for this fall. United is planning to use the Max 10, the biggest version of Boeing’s upgraded 737 aircraft, to expand its luxury cabin offerings on cross-country flights beyond Los Angeles, San Francisco and Newark, New Jersey. The single-aisle jetliner will serve as a replacement for the carrier’s aging 757 planes in the trans-continental market, where business travellers are willing to pay a premium to stretch out. “Trying to fly from Denver to L.A., I think you would have a hard time making the economics of lie-flat work,” Kirby said. “But would Newark to Seattle work? Probably. Would San Francisco to D.C. work? Probably. We think there is demand, but it’s almost exclusively trans-con demand.” United has 28 lie-flat seats in business class on its small fleet of 757-200s. The planes serving the Los Angeles-Boston route will all offer lie-flat seat options in October, a company spokesman said Tuesday.<br/>