economy plus Archives - TravelSkills

United upgrading new “Premium Transcontinental Service”

May 31, 2017

Hot cookies in business class on United 757 between SFO EWR (Chris McGinnis)

Responding to new creature comforts its competitors are offering on prime transcontinental routes, United said it will introduce hot meals for Economy Plus passengers and will add San Francisco-Boston to its premium transcon network, with flat-bed seats in the front cabin on all flights.

In doing so, it will eliminate its longstanding premium branded service product known as “p.s.,”and refer to the new product as simply Premium Transcontinental Service.

The airline said that effective July 1, in-flight food and beverage service for passengers in its extra-legroom Economy Plus seating on Premium Transcontinental routes (Newark-SFO/LAX and now Boston-SFO) will include a free hot entrée, dessert and fruit, pre-arrival snack, and alcoholic drinks.

The upgraded flights are available for booking today. As with United’s premium flights into Newark, elite level members of Mileage Plus can use their status to upgrade to Economy Plus. But status won’t get you into the cozy confines in those big seats at the front of the plane– you have to pay for that. Checking today, the cheapest round trip business class nonstop between SFO and BOS is running at about $1,200. Economy class is is about $450.

United will have flat bed business class seats like this on all between SFO and BOS starting in July (United)

Its new Boston-San Francisco schedule will use mostly 757-200s. But it will also have 777s on the route (“the market’s only widebody service,” United noted), including early-morning departures from both cities, an 8:30 p.m. departure from Boston and several red-eyes from San Francisco. “The most popular timings in peak periods will operate with widebody Boeing 777 aircraft including 8 a.m. service from San Francisco and an early evening Boston departure, ideal for business customers traveling at the end of the work day,” United said.

Back to the upgraded food offerings… “Sample menu selections include savory roasted chicken with a smoked barbecue sauce and butternut squash tortellini with sage cream sauce. Dessert options will include New York’s favorite sweet treat, cheesecake, as well as a chocolate brownie and fresh seasonal fruit,” United said.

Seatmap on United 777 SFO-BOS in August

In recent weeks, both Delta and American announced free meals for main cabin passengers in transcontinental markets. Delta said it would offer the amenity on a dozen coast-to-coast routes, while American limited it to JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO. The difference in United’s announcement: Delta and American are serving up free cold meals to all economy passengers; United will offer hot meals, but only to those with Economy Plus seats, not all main cabin passengers.

By adding Boston-San Francisco to its premium transcontinental network, United is promising flat-bed business class seating on all flights in that market. The flat-bed battle for SFO-BOS customers started when JetBlue expanded its premium transcontinental Mint front-cabin service to BOS-SFO; then Delta announced it would jump back into the Boston-San Francisco market on June 8, offering two flights a day using 757-200s configured with front-cabin flat-bed seats.

United said that in addition to flat-bed seats, its SFO-BOS business class service will provide duvets and pillows from Saks Fifth Avenue; new amenity kits, also from Saks; a signature Moscow Mule cocktail; hot towel service; and seasonally refreshed cuisine from a network of celebrity chefs.

After suffering through years of flying on United’s oldest, tattiest 757s on frequent trips to Boston, this is great news– mostly because those 6-7 hour slogs are so painful. What do you think of the new service? Which airline will you likely fly between California and Boston? Please leave your comments below.

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Reader Report: United Economy Plus on new B777-300ER

March 13, 2017

United’s Economy Plus on the new Boeing 777-300ER packs ’em in at 10-abreast (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United has done a great job promoting the posh Polaris business class product on its brand new Boeing 777-300ER jets. But what’s going on behind the curtain in economy class is probably more important to a larger group of flyers.

This week we heard from a TravelSkills reader who flew Economy Plus between Newark and San Francisco on the new bird and sent us some thoughts on the experience.

First a little background: United currently has two Boeing 777-300ERs and says it will put a total of 14 of its new 777-300ERs into service during 2017. The aircraft will be configured with 60 Polaris business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; 102 Economy Plus seats in a 3-4-3 layout; and 204 regular economy seats also in a 3-4-3 layout. Yes, that is 10-across, which seems to be the emerging economy class standard on new B777s at many carriers, including Air France, American, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar, and SWISS, among others.

United is rumored to be considering a “true” premium economy seat since both Delta and American have announced their intentions to do so. But there is nothing definitive from United so far. For now, Economy Plus on United is an economy seat with three extra inches of legroom.

If you have not read it already, here’s our first look at all three classes on United’s B777-300ER.

First three rows of United Economy Plus on a B777-300ER- does not appear that bad when it’s empty (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Between now and May 4, United will fly a B777-300ER between San Francisco and Newark six days per week. Late last month it deployed a second B777-300ER on SFO-Newark which means there are now two flying the route (but only through March 8). On March 25, the aircraft will replace a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route (also serve by Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines).

Here’s United’s B777-300ER on Seatguru.com

So, what’s that Economy Plus section like? Here what our reader (who asked to remain anonymous) had to say:

I’m a regular reader of TravelSkills based in SF (thanks Chris for the interesting and helpful columns!) and after your post, I decided to try to new 777-300ER for a flight from EWR to SFO [5-6 hours]. Business class looked great, but I flew in Economy Plus, so here’s my review from the cheap seats.

Pros: The lighting is great. The seats are new and outfitted well (including power at every seat). Wifi actually worked pretty well on this flight.

Economy Plus on United’s B777-300ER has 34 inches of pitch (Chris McGinnis)

Cons: The economy seats are just too narrow, making the flying experience miserable. I’m not a large person, and I’ve generally enjoyed UA E+, even on long trips. (For example, I flew on a UA 787 Dreamliner SFO-SYD last month in E+ and thought it was actually quite nice.) But my experience in E+ on the 777-300ER was awful.

I found it very difficult to work, and my neighbors and I got to know each other much better than I think any of us would have wanted. You are literally pushed up against the next passenger. Admittedly, my flight was full, and I expect that it would have been a very different experience with an open seat next to me. But with high load factors these days, you can’t count on an open seat next to you.

34 inches of pitch in United Economy Plus- 31 inches in regular economy (Chris McGinnis)

Bottom Line: I understand that United is going to add these planes to its SFO-Hong Kong route and other long haul flights. I flew SFO-HKG on a UA 747 last year, and I thought it was fine (although a bit aged and admittedly not nearly as nice as United’s 787). But I absolutely would not fly a UA 777-300ER in E+ on a long route [14.5 hours] like that.

In fact, based on my experience yesterday, I will actively avoid the UA 777-300ER in E+ on any route and would pay a premium to take a different plane, make a stop, or take another carrier to avoid these absurdly cramped seats.

Economy Plus rows 19-22 just behind business class and in front of a bank of lavs (Chris McGinnis)

Thanks for your Reader Report! If you would like to contribute a Reader Report to TravelSkills, check out our Reader Report guidelines.

If you have not read it already, here’s our first look at all three classes on United’s B777-300ER.

Have you flown in a 10-abreast configuration on a B777 yet? Would you fly in United’s? Please leave your comments below.

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First look inside United’s newest jet: The Boeing 777-300ER [PHOTOS]

February 14, 2017

United’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER arrives at SFO for the first time (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week United put its newest bird, the Boeing 777-300ER, into service. Starting Thursday, February 16, the new 777 will fly domestically between SFO and Newark. With a United fare sale that started today, you can try out the new plane for as little as $252 round trip in March (that’s cheap!), but you’ll pay about $3,000+ in business class.

Right now, there’s only one United jet flying with the Polaris seats— the one you’ll see pictured below. While United has begun marketing all its business class tickets as Polaris, you’ll only find the seat on the B777-300ER for the time being. United will get 14 of these birds from Boeing this year.

A window seat in United’s new Polaris cabin on B777-300ER (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Note the staggered configuration of window seats on United B777-300ER- best seats are closest to windows on odd numbered rows (Chris McGinnis)

Bulkhead center seats (rows 1 and 9) are the best choice for tall travelers- 80 inches long in full recline! (Chris McGinnis)

If you are on another type of aircraft, you’ll get United’s old business class seat, even if your booking and boarding pass say “Polaris” which has been confusing to many TravelSkills readers. That’s because you are getting the Polaris “soft product”- which in airline terms means the food and beverage service (such as the wine flights or bloody mary cart), pillows, blankets, new amenity kits and white teddy bears (currently selling on eBay for $80!)

Passengers on the first Polaris flights get cute teddy bears along with new amenity kits (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The “hard product,” meaning the reconfigured cabin and new Polaris seats will roll out slowly. Between now and May 4, United will fly the B777-300ER between San Francisco and Newark six days per week. On February 22, United gets another new B777-300ER which it will also deploy on SFO-Newark through March 8– which means there will be TWO Polaris planes flying the route for a short period of time.

Interested in flying on the new plane? When booking your SFO-EWR flight on United, click on “Detailed View” or “Details” and look for “Boeing 777-300ER.”

On March 25, the new aircraft will make its international scheduled service debut, replacing a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route, where United’s Polaris seat and service compete with two of the best in the business: Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

TravelSkills was at SFO to welcome the shiny jet and its payload of travel media invited along to try out the new Polaris business class seats. This flight operated as a charter and was not available for purchase.

A few observations about the B777-300ER after my brief tour and chat with a few of those on the media charter:

>Length of seat and comfort vary in the new Polaris cabin. Window seats offer the most privacy and best views, although with some neck craning, you can get a view out the window from some window-side aisle seats (even numbers). Due to the staggered configuration, an odd-numbered window seat should be your first choice. See B777-300ER layout on SeatGuru here.

>The bulkhead center business class seats (rows 1 and 9) are a remarkable 80 inches long in full recline— that’s enough room for a 6’8″ passenger! I’m 6 feet tall and had to point my toes to touch the wall in a regular mid-cabin window seat. The seat feels a little narrow, but in the few minutes I was in it, I was comfortable, and I’m sure I’d sleep well on my side snuggled in with a bear, a big pillow and a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket (plus eye shades and ear plugs!)

Chris lying flat in a new United Polaris seat (Photo: J Guerin)

>Economy class is configured 10-across while United’s other 777s offer 9-across seating. I was prepared for the worst when I ventured beyond the curtain, but when I tried the premium economy seat, I was impressed with the seat legroom (34 inches pitch). Granted, I was seated alone in a center seat, but it just did not seem that bad. Time will tell what it’s like to be jammed into a center seat with two large passengers on either side. But the seat, the access to power, the seatback screen and knee room all seemed okay to me.

>There’s a clubby Economy Plus section (rows 19-22) just behind business class, the first row (19) of which are probably the very best economy seats on the plane due to the legroom. Plus this cabin is protected from the larger economy class cabin by bank of lavatories. Economy Plus row 24 offers a lot of legroom, too, but proximity to the lavatories could be a problem, and there’s a limited view out the window and no storage space for take off and landing.

Club-like Economy Plus rows 19-22 just behind business class and in front of a bank of lavs (Chris McGinnis)

10-abreast economy class on United’s new B777-300ER- that’s a LOT of middle seats! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>You can tell where Economy Plus ends and regular economy begins by looking at the color scheme of the seats, as well as the placards in the overhead bins. Regular economy was pretty tight (31 inches pitch), but I had a couple inches in front of my knees when the seat in front was not reclined. That would disappear as soon as the person in front reclined. (See below) Out of 10 seats across four are middle seats, six are windows or aisles.

Knee room – 31 inches- in regular economy class on United B777-300ER (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Knee room – 34 inches- in Economy Plus on United B777-300ER (Chris McGinnis)

Economy Plus on United’s B777-300ER has 34 inches of pitch. Seats are 17 inches wide (Chris McGinnis)

There are two crew rest areas on this plane. One is upfront for pilots, the other is accessed by a secret door by the rear galley and contains six soundproof sleeping berths for flight attendants. This get-away-from-it-all space is cherished by crew, especially on those 12-15 our transpac long hauls!

United said it expects to put all 14 of its new 777-300ERs into service during 2017. The aircraft will be configured with 60 Polaris business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; 102 Economy Plus seats; and 204 regular economy seats.

So what do you think about this big new bird? Please leave your comments below!

–Chris McGinnis

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United offers amenity options bundled with Economy Plus

December 31, 2015

Chart summarizes elements of Economy Plus options packages. (Image: United)

United Airlines is the latest major carrier to quietly roll out new bundled fare add-ons that will give customers extra amenities with the purchase of an Economy Plus extra-legroom seat, offering them a discount compared with purchasing everything separately.

Called United Travel Options packages, they are only available to persons who book and purchase their flights on United’s website.

The packages come in two types; Economy Plus Essentials, which includes Economy Plus seating and one standard checked bag; and Economy Plus Enhanced, which provides an Economy Plus seat, one checked bag, a United Club pass for that trip, extra award miles, and Premier Access benefits (dedicated check-in and security line access, priority boarding). The cost varies by route.

United said that the Essentials package provides a savings of up to 20 percent, while the Economy Plus Enhanced deal offers savings of up to 25 percent. The Enhanced package provides 500 extra award miles for travel within the 48 continental United States or 1,000 miles for other trips.

Customers who select Economy Plus seating during flight selection on United’s website will see the available Travel Options packages displayed on the Review Trip itinerary page. They are only offered on United-operated flights., not on code-share partners, and they are non-refundable unless the ticket is canceled or refunded according to standard fare rules.

United has created an FAQ page on its website detailing the specifics of the new packages.

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United refreshes PS flights SFO-JFK [infographic]

March 18, 2013

Business class on United’s “refreshed” B757 P.S. flights to JFK (Photo: United Airlines)

Today United launched its first “fully refreshed” Boeing 757 P.S. (Premium Service) class flight between Los Angeles LAX and New York JFK. The newly refurbished plane could appear on the San Francisco-JFK run as soon as this week.

United says that there is no way to choose a newly configured flight just yet– but by June, seatmaps on its website will be updated to show which flights are new…or not.

United has 13 P.S. configured Boeing 757s and offers 46 PS flights each week between SFO and JFK… but it’s going to be a while until all are refreshed. Here’s United’s disclaimer:

United anticipates launching more reconfigured aircraft into service in June. Until then, most flights on these routes will offer the traditional p.s. service. United expects to reconfigure the entire p.s. fleet by the end of the year. Until the project is complete, the airline will operate these flights with a mix of aircraft.

The fully refreshed interior offers 28 flat-bed business class seats, replacing the 12 angled lie-flat and 26 reclining seats in the premium cabins on the traditional p.s. fleet. The new configuration also features 48 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 66 seats in United Economy. In the older aircraft, all economy seats were Economy Plus– this means that coach travelers without status will have to pony up cash or miles to get into the roomier seats.

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The reconfigured p.s. aircraft will offer travelers:

New Seats:In business class, 180-degree flat-bed seats, which offer up to 6’4″ of sleeping space and more storage.
Inflight Entertainment: Access to personal on-demand entertainment featuring a newly designed interactive touchscreen and more than 150 hours of programming. Individual monitors are 15.4″ in business classand 9″ in United Economy.
Inflight Dining: New dining optionsand wine selections recommended by Doug Frost, United’s Master Sommelier.
Inflight Connectivity: Gogo inflight Internet service. The aircraft also features power outlets and USB ports in every seat.

Here’s an infographic about the new interiors created by United:

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Airline News

February 18, 2011

TICKET editor Chris McGinnis

CHRIS PREDICTS: BIG RISE IN AIRFARES. You can kiss all those rock bottom, dirt cheap fares that we’ve seen over the last few years goodbye as the economy warms up and demand rises faster than anyone expected. Add in higher fuel prices due to instability in the Middle East and airlines’ new-found discipline around capacity increases, and you’ve got the recipe for BIG fare increases, especially this summer when demand peaks. So far this year, airlines have been successful in pushing through several fare increases targeting mostly business travelers. So get ready for a pricey ride this year, especially if you are flying on routes where there’s no low-fare competition. If you’ve got summer plans to fly during July or August, it’s probably time to go ahead and buy tickets now…you’ll find prices already extraordinarily high, but they won’t be coming down. For example, we priced summer round-trip coach fares to Europe from ATL this week, and they are already averaging around $1200.

SKYMILES EXPIRATIONS EXPLAINED. This week Delta ditched the frustrating, consumer un-friendly (yet widespread) practice of putting an expiration date on miles earned. Until now, SkyMiles members had to show some sort of activity in the program at least once every 24 months, or face losing their earnings. While this is not much of a problem for the frequent traveling TICKET reader, it does come into play for less frequent-flying retirees sitting on big banks of miles or those who may have moved away from a Delta hub. When Delta starts scrapping with Southwest later this year, you can bet it’ll pull this arrow out of its PR quiver since Southwest Rapid Reward miles expire after 24 months of inactivity. And don’t think that this is permanent– Delta once promised its Frequent Flyer miles would never expire (remember?), and it they changed the rules. It could always happen again!

AIRTRAN+SOUTHWEST. We’ve hammered our contacts at both AirTran and Southwest to get the scoop on when the proposed deal will close and the Southwest Red Bellies will soar over Atlanta skies. But no one is saying a peep as long as antitrust regulators are snooping around. Stay tuned! All we’ve heard is that the deal could close in “late spring.”

Delta borrowed the Economy Comfort idea from SkyTeam partner KLM

DELTA’S NEW ECONOMY COMFORT. As hinted late last year in The TICKET, Delta has unveiled its newest class of service on international routes and dubbed it Economy Comfort. This small subset of rows at the front of the economy cabin will be available on more than 160 Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 international aircraft. Similar to United’s Economy Plus, passengers in these rows (designated by a special headrest cover) will pay a small premium to sit here and will benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom and 50 percent greater recline than standard Economy seats. (We’re a little concerned about what it may be like to sit behind someone with 50 percent more recline…but we’ll see…) The buy-up fee will average between $80-160 each way, but Diamond and Platinum Medallions (and up to eight people traveling in the same record) will have complimentary access to these seats. Customers who purchase full-fare economy tickets will also have access to these seats but Gold and Silver Medallion members on discounted fares will have to pay a fee. Delta’s Economy Comfort section has one additional benefit that United’s Economy Plus does not: free booze. All Delta international passengers enjoy free beer and wine, but Economy Comfort and Business Elite passengers have a complete open bar. On a similar note, the “New United” announced that it’s popular Economy Plus seats found on both its domestic and international planes will be a permanent part of the combined operations of United and Continental going forward.

BIG SPRING BREAK. With Spring Break just around the corner, Americans are opening up their pocketbooks and investing in travel. According to an AOL survey, 72% of respondents said they have more (31%) or the same amount (41%) of money to spend on spring break this year compared to last. So get ready to share your airport and airplane space with the shorts and flip-flops crowd if you are traveling anytime between early March and Easter (late, on April 24 this year).

PFC’s COULD RISE. Part of President Obama’s new budget plan could bump up ticket prices later this year. Currently, airport Passenger Facilities Charges (PFC’s) that airports use to fund improvements, are capped at $4.50 per segment. The budget proposal would move the cap to $7 per segment, potentially adding $14 to the cost of a nonstop round trip, $28 for one-stop roundtrips.

FREE FLYING FACEBOOK. From February 1 – 28, Delta, AirTran and five other airlines’ customers can access Gogo Inflight Internet to connect to Facebook without purchasing a flight pass, courtesy of Ford Motor Company. Just fire up your laptop or smartphone inflight and click on the ad from the Gogo landing page. And if you’ve not done so already, be sure to LIKE The TICKET’s Facebook page.

AIRTRAN OVERSEAS. AirTran cranked up its new flights to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic this week—and will add new daily flights to Bermuda from Baltimore/Washington beginning April 7 and from Atlanta on May 26. AirTran now flies to sandy destinations such as: Aruba, Cancun, Mexico, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Nassau, Bahamas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

SkyTeam lounge at London Heathrow

LOUNGE ACCESS FOR GOLDS. Remember that as of March 1, all SkyMiles Gold Medallion members are welcomed into the fold of SkyTeam Elite Plus meaning they gain access to all SkyTeam lounges overseas (even when flying coach). Since this is a new alliance-wide policy, confrontations between uninformed lounge staffers can be expected so always carry your Delta SkyMiles Gold Medallion card.

FEEDBACK? COMMENTS? Email us or leave your comments in the space below!

DELTA FLEET ENHANCEMENTS. Delta has announced the expedited retirement of more than 100 regional and aging mainline aircraft from its fleet as capacity growth is trimmed. Rising fuel prices have played a role in the move. First to go will be the remainder of the DC-9 fleet over the next 12-18 months. By late 2012, those gas-guzzlers will be long gone (good riddance). Also on the chopping block are the 26 Saab 340s (buh-bye!) inherited with the Northwest merger. The remainder of cuts comes from the removal of about 60 50-seat CRJ-100s, which is certain to bring applause from frequent travelers tired of the cramped Barbie Jets. This news comes on the heels of Delta’s recent request to review a narrow body replacement for its fleet to begin later in the decade. Keep watching The TICKET for any major aircraft orders that may be on the way.

CANADA’S SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. A new interline agreement is now in effect between Delta and Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet. The partnership is similar to that launched recently between Delta and Brazilian carrier Gol permitting passengers to connect between the two carriers’ flights, but SkyMiles earning/burning potential is not part of the deal yet. Calgary-based WestJet handles a third of Canadian domestic flying.

LEAK SCANNER IMAGE, GO TO JAIL. Even though the TSA insists that new body scanners cannot capture and store images, two U.S. senators propose criminalizing the dissemination of airport full body scanner images. Chuck Schumer (NY) and Ben Nelson (NE) are hoping to add an amendment to the aviation spending bill that would prohibit anyone with access to the images from copying and distributing them. If they do, they’ll face fines of up to $100,000 and a prison term.

ANDROID APP. If you’ve been feeling left out of the Delta smartphone app craze because you’ve got an Android device, your wait is over. Now, in addition to Blackberry and iPhone app, Delta’s Android app is ready for downloading from the Android Market. With the app, you can get your flight status and gate info, search schedules, get eBoarding passes, check SkyMiles balances and even set a reminder about where you are parked at the airport. Eventually, these apps could help customers stuck in winter weather situations, allowing them to view and choose flight alternatives.

HEY JAVA JUNKIES. Delta has announced a partnership with Seattle’s Best Coffee (a subsidiary company of Starbucks) to serve their coffee on board. This premium coffee brand will be served in all three classes worldwide. Quietly, Delta conducted actual taste tests aboard select flights with passengers to determine which blend would have the best taste at altitude. The winner? Level 4 (based on a scale of 1 to 5 of roast intensity). Level 4 will begin appearing on Delta mainline and Delta Connection flights in March. (We’ve just learned to travel with a handy pack of Starbuck’s VIA, a TICKET sponsor, to avoid the possibility of bad travel coffee!)

SEPTUAGENARIAN. Delta recently reached its 70^th birthday serving Atlanta and celebrated with a big bash. As “Georgia’s hometown airline,” Delta deployed a new Boeing B777-200LR and christened it the “Spirit of Atlanta.” It will fly mainly on routes between ATL and Tokyo, Johannesburg, or Dubai.

NEW LOOK, BUT… The SkyMiles booking tool at delta.com may have a new look, but feels as clunky as ever. Delta made a big splash about new options to filter, modify, and sort flight search results. However some available flights are now hidden unless searching by schedule (rather than price). Also, the site still displays crazy itineraries priced at 375,000 for a Business Class ticket. To be fair, Delta does offer some “low-category” mileage tickets around the globe, especially when traveling with partner airlines, but they can never be found on delta.com due to the consistently poor search engine. As always, to score the very best award deals you have to call a Delta agent. (And remember, you don’t pay the fee for the call unless you book a ticket.)

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