Canadians on major airline could soon be able to buy out middle seats for extra comfort

Flying economy can be cramped and uncomfortable, so one airline has come up with a solution that could make flights more roomy, but passengers will have to pay extra.

On Tuesday, United Airlines announced a new offer for travellers who book Economy Plus on the carrier's new Airbus A321XLR aircraft — an empty middle seat so you get extra elbow room and access to a shared table across the open seat.

"We're investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin," said Andrew Nocella, United's executive vice-president and chief commercial officer.

The airline expects to include the new Economy Plus option on its entire order of 50 A321XLR and said it's exploring offering these seats on other types of aircraft in the future.

So, what will these seats look like?

According to the carrier, one row will have large, custom-designed tables stretching from armrest to armrest across the open middle seats. It said this will give passengers sitting in the window or aisle seat extra space to stretch on longer international flights.

The table in the middle seat will be permanently fixed, with a soft leather-like covering, and two indentations for cups. United said the extra arm room is in addition to the three inches of additional legroom already offered in Economy Plus on the XLR.

This new offer is in addition to United's all-aisle access lie-flat seats, which it announced in March, which allow passengers to book economy seats that can turn into beds.

"The XLR is our newest aircraft and not only offers all-aisle access lie-flat seats in United Polaris but now also includes seats in Economy Plus with extra leg and elbow room. Our customers are going to love all these new options," stated Nocella.

United said it expects to be the only U.S. airline that will offer the empty middle seat option, which will be for sale later this year. The carrier said it will share more details about the new seats, including the price, before they go on sale.