United to expand roomier seat option to Continental

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United Airlines said Thursday it intends to retain its Economy Plus seating section. That means the roomier seating option now available on all United mainline aircraft and many of its larger commuter jets will be rolled out on Continental Airlines aircraft that are part of the fleet of the merged carriers.

Chicago-based United said it will start outfitting Continental aircraft with an Economy Plus section beginning in 2012 — a project that could take two to three years to complete. Eventually, United will offer some 40,000 Economy Plus seats on about 700 mainline aircraft, as well as larger regional jets.

First introduced in 1999, Economy Plus is a section of seats at the front of United’s economy cabin that offer up to five inches of additional legroom. The seat pitch (space between seats) in the Economy Plus section is typically 36 inches, compared to a 31-inch pitch in the rest of the economy cabin. Domestically, United is the only major carrier to offer such a seating option.

Since it began introducing its a la carte pricing menu to passengers a couple of years ago, United has charged a premium for Economy Plus seats. The carrier’s most elite frequent fliers get a seat in the more spacious seating section at no extra cost.

United and Continental merged last October. The two carriers are expected to formally integrate operations sometime this spring.