The Details
- Flight: UA1949
- Aircraft: B737-900
- Class: Domestic First
- Seat: 3E and 3F
- Route: Houston (IAH)-Indianapolis (IND)
- Distance: 933 miles
- Duration: 1hr 53min
- Departure: 8:16 PM
- Arrival: 11:08 PM
The Preflight
After arriving in Houston on the Lufthansa B747-8I, my wife and I had a six-hour layover. We could breeze through customs thanks to Global Entry and quickly re-cleared security with our TSA PreCheck. We were back airside within 30 minutes of deplaning.
Thanks to our AMEX Platinum Cards, we both had access to the Centurion Lounge in Terminal D. We briefly spent some time there but it was overcrowded with no tables or seating for two together. I had hoped to take a quick shower but the shower room was not in service during our visit. The Centurion Lounge was a big disappointment, so we went to one of the many United Clubs at IAH.
We ended up at the United Club in Terminal E. There was a decent amount of sofas and tables available compared to the packed Centurion Lounge. While the food was not as good as the AMEX Lounge, it was passable.
Fifteen minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin, my wife and I left the United Club and made our way to gate C4. Boarding began on the dot at 7:15 PM.
Our B737-900, registration N35407, was a 21-year-old aircraft that originally flew for Continental Airlines before merging with United. While it had been updated with the newest livery and a fresh coat of paint, the interior was the same old seats from over a decade ago. United continues to operate a fleet of 12 B737-900 aircraft (not the B737-900ER variant) which we all delivered in 2001.
The Flight
United Airlines has a total of 20 Domestic First class seats on board their B737-900s arranged in a 2-2 configuration across five rows. We picked seats 3E and 3F on this flight halfway through the cabin.
These Koito-manufactured seats were ancient and showed their age with worn leather and deflated seat padding. The pitch was 36.7 inches with a width of 20 inches. Originally installed in 2001, these Koito seats were withdrawn from the market in 2010 due to safety concerns and decertified. Funnily enough, United continues to fly this seat 14 years later.
There was a small cocktail tray in the armrest between the seats along with the IFE control panel.
Each seat also had a smaller retractable cocktail tray within the center console. Each passenger also had a 110V outlet. There were no USB ports.
Underneath the center console was a small storage space. The cabin was filthy with leftover nuts in this space. It clearly had not been cleaned since the last flight.
The decently sized bi-fold tray table was stowed inside the left-hand armrest.
We each also had a small personal entertainment screen with a map and DirectTV.
No pre-departure beverages were offered on this flight today. We both didn’t mind as we were exhausted from a full day of traveling. My wife and I promptly fell asleep before pushing back only to briefly wake up as we took off at 8:16 PM.
There was a beverage service offered on this flight in addition to a snack basket. Before January 1, 2024, United offered a full meal service on this flight (flights above 800 miles). However, after January 1, 2024, that is no longer the case. Since the advertised distance is 844 miles, it is under the new meal service cut-off of 900 miles.
We landed in Indy at 11:08 PM and had a quick taxi to the gate A23.
This was a disappointing Domestic First flight with United from Houston to Indianapolis. The seat was ancient, dirty, and lacked any meaningful service besides a beverage service. I would not pay a premium to fly this route over economy.