To clarify, I was talking about "economics" from the airline's perspective, not the overall economy--I've clarified that in my OP. Apologies for the miscommunication.
That said, my concern still stands that this could be extended into some form of "market research" to see how the market responds to non-flatbed seats on the transcons, once we have some semblance of a functioning air travel market again. I just wanted to raise this point while setting aside the economics of UA's current situation (which probably justifies the move in the short term).