Category: United Airlines

The Details

• Flight: UA2480
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 4F (switched into 4A)
• Route: San Diego International (SAN)-San Francisco International (SFO)
• Distance: 466 miles
• Duration: 1hr 17min
• Departure: 7:28AM
• Arrival: 8:45AM

The Preflight

I was dropped off at Terminal West 2 at San Diego International Airport at 6:00AM for my 7:49AM departure flight to San Francisco. United and Delta operate from the newer (west) side of Terminal 2 while American and Alaska Airlines operate from the older (east) portion of T2.

There was quite a few people checking in this morning and both Premier check-in counters were busy. Luckily, there was no one in the PreCheck lane and I was airside within five minutes of dropping my checked bag off.

I made my way to my favorite lounge at SAN, the Airspace Lounge, located between the East and West parts of Terminal 2. I had access due to my AMEX Platinum card.

The lounge was pretty empty with only four other passengers. Due to local COVID-19 restrictions, all of the food was delivered to you and not self-serve. Seating was spaced out to maintain social distancing.

I ordered an excellent Americano which was brought out in a to-go cup. One perk of using the AMEX Platinum card to access this lounge is the fact that each guest is given a $10 food voucher. I used my $10 to order a hot bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich ($6.50) and a large bottle of water ($3).

Ten minutes before boarding was scheduled to begin I made my way towards the gate. I passed by a gorgeous Delta 757 headed to Atlanta.

The gate area was not crowded and seats on the benches were blocked off for social distancing.

Our plane was a B737-800, registration N12218, that was delivered to Continental Airlines in 1998.

Boarding began exactly at 6:59AM with Global Services, Premier elites, and First Class passengers. United’s 737-800s feature 16 first class seats in a 2-2 configuration. These first class seats are the ex-Continental Airlines seats which have been around for almost two decades. In my opinion, the newer Slimline seats are more comfortable.

Each seat features 37 inches of pitch with 20.5 inches of width. The seats definitely felt very worn and well-sat in.

There was also a small seatback IFE screen at each seat. The screen was definitely outdated but I still appreciated having a screen at all. Live DIRECTV was available on this flight.

I loved that I was able to watch the flight map unlike on other competitors 737s…

There was large literature pocket behind each seat as well which easily fit my laptop.

The legroom was not bad despite the presence of a medium sized-box.

The right armrest had the IFE controls as well as a small storage space.

The left sided armrest was where the tray table was located as well as the recline button. Each seat has a very generous five inches of recline. Despite being in the last row I had more than enough space to recline.

The tray table folded in half and had an indented cup holder.

When fully folded open the tray table was fairly massive.

Upon boarding each passenger was handed a small sanitizing wipe.

We pushed back 10 minutes early at 7:39AM. Next to us was a fellow United 737.

After a very brief taxi to the runway we blasted off for San Francisco. There was a lovely view of Terminal East 2 with an assortment of United, Delta, and Alaska planes.

The view of San Diego Harbor and the beaches was magnificent.

I connected my laptop to the United Wi-Fi and loaded up a very detailed flight map.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, United has cutback on their inflight service. For domestic flights under two hours and 20 minute, United offers each first class passenger a small snack bag. On flights over two hours and 20 minutes, United offers either a snackbox or sandwich.

Once we reached 10,000 feet the flight attendants came through the cabin offering each passenger a pre-packaged snack bag. In it were a sanitizing wipe, water bottle, and two snacks.

Next was a beverage service and I had a Bloody Mary.

There was a fairly thick marine layer over much of the Southern California coast today.

It cleared up as we passed over the Northern California coast and Big Sur.

There were clear skies in San Francisco for our landing approach.

After landing we had a brief ten minute taxi to the gate. Thanks for the ride!

This was a perfectly fine short intra-California flight. I appreciated the small snack bag and drinks for a early morning departure. However, when compared to American Airlines newer B737-800 I would have to say United comes in second.

The Details

• Flight: UA248
• Aircraft: B777-200
• Class: Domestic First/Business
• Seat: 4A
• Route: Denver International (DEN)-Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
• Distance: 918 miles
• Duration: 2hrs 3min
• Departure: 5:50PM
• Arrival: 8:53PM

The Preflight

After arriving on my flight from Chicago I had roughly five hours before my return flight to Chicago. I made my way to the only open United Club at Denver near the B44 gate. COVID-19 has forced United to temporarily close the Club near Gate B32.

Lounge agents behind plexiglass scanned my boarding pass and Club pass and I went up the escalators into the second floor lounge.

The lounge was fairly empty with just a handful of passengers.

Food options included individually packaged stuffed grape leaves.

Mezze sampler with pita, hummus, and tabbouleh.

There were an assortment of chips, cookies, and string cheese.

Most passengers had their masks on. However, a few that were eating had their masks off and then kept them off to socialize…

On the other side of the lounge were sweet snacks including carrot cake.

In addition, there were fudge brownies.

The Club also had bags of parm crisps and pretzels.

There was also a self-serve espresso machine.

The lounge itself was kept extremely clean. Every time a guest would leave a table the staff would immediately spray down the area and wipe it clean.

I had a delicious mezze plate, grape leaves, carrot cake, and parm crisps. The food was delicious and very tasty. There was also an open bar staffed with a bartender.

The Club also had great views of the apron including an A319.

As well as an aggressive looking B737.

With an hour until boarding I decided to explore the airport. Most of the sit-down restaurants and retail stores were in fact open. Almost all travelers and staff were wearing masks.

Our beautiful B777-200, registration N215UA, was delivered to United Airlines back in 2000. United was the launch customer of the B777-200 and currently has 19 of these aircraft in their fleet.

Boarding began on time at 5:05PM at gate B32. Global Services, Premier Elites, and First Class passengers were invited to board first via Door 2L.

The Flight

United’s B777-200s feature 28 first class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. There are also 104 Economy Plus seats and 234 Economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration. This high density B777 is specifically used to fly busy domestic routes between hubs as well as to Hawaii.

I was seated in 4A, the window seat in the last row of the first class cabin.

Each seat is 19″ wide. It also is fully lie-flat and has a bed length of 6’4″.

There was a large IFE screen and a small ledge below the screen. Below the ledge was the foot rest and small storage space.

The IFE screen was fairly responsive and high definition.

In between the two seats were the seat controls. Privacy was definitely lacking without a seat divider or screen between the window and aisle seat.

Below the seat controls was the IFE remote.

There was also a small cocktail tray that popped out from the center table.

Upon boarding, flight attendants in masks handed each passenger a sanitizing wipe.

Below the cocktail tray was a large and sturdy bi-fold tray table. When fully opened up, the tray table was uneven and not horizontal.

Individually wrapped headphones were also waiting at each seat.

As we pushed back at 5:55PM local time the sun was setting across the row of United narrow bodies at DEN.

The taxi to the runway brought up across a row of parked and stored United narrow bodies. For October 2020, United was only flying 46% of its October 2019 capacity.

Enjoy the takeoff!

Service began with a round of drinks. I went with a Gin & Tonic.

In the era of COVID-19, United has reduced in-flight service on all of its flights. For domestic first class flights longer than two hours and 20 minutes departing from hubs (Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco), United offers a choice between a sandwich or snack box.

This flight was blocked at two hours and 26 minutes just six minutes above the cutoff. Dinner was served from a large tray and options included a carved chicken on focaccia sandwich, tomato basil mozzarella sandwich, or the Classic Snack Box.

I went with the carved chicken sandwich which was served cold. It was very dry and borderline un-edible.

I asked the flight attendants if I could have the Classic Snackbox as well. Graciously, the flight attendant brought me a box to have. Inside the Classic Snackbox was a beef snack stick, cheese spread, potato chips, cream crackers, smoked almonds, and M&Ms.

There were some thick clouds along our trip to Chicago.

As we neared Chicago, I checked out the lavatory for first class passengers.

The lavatory was stocked with Sunday Riley products including hand cream and face mist.

It was a clear night in Chicago with some clear city light views on our approach.

The taxi to the gate very extremely quick by O’Hare standards. Thanks for the ride N215UA!

Our flight got in at 9:40PM and the terminal was deserted. As one of the first passengers to deplane, I did not encounter a single other passenger in front of me.

The check-in area was equally empty and slightly eerie. I quickly made my way to the shuttle bus for the economy parking lots and soon was on my way home.

This flight was the first time aboard a B777-200 classic for me. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to sit up front in a lie-flat seat for a two hour domestic hop. With an open bar, food offerings, and friendly flight attendants I would gladly fly the United B777-200 again.

The Details

• Flight: UA2395
• Aircraft: B757-300
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 5F
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-Denver International (DEN)
• Distance: 942 miles
• Duration: 2hrs 15min
• Departure: 11:03AM
• Arrival: 12:18PM

The Preflight

This flight was my first domestic first class flight during the COVID-19 pandemic. I arrived at Terminal 1 at Chicago O’Hare about 90 minutes before departure and found the airport empty. The Premier Access area was desolate and there was only one other passenger in line checking in. The TSA PreCheck line next to the check-in area was empty and I made it pass security in under thirty seconds.

Inside the terminal there were almost no passengers. Most of the restaurants were closed and the ones open were for to-go orders only.

The famous replica dinosaur fossil had been given a very fitting blue facemask.

I love the floor to ceiling glass windows at O’Hare which offers great views of the planes.

There were a few B757s arriving and departing. United was running them on trunk routes between Chicago and Denver and Houston.

Right next to our gate was a B787 Dreamliner pushing back to on her way to Hawaii.

Our beautiful B757-300, registration N57857, was delivered to Continental Airlines back in 2001 making her 17 years old.

Boarding began promptly at 10AM and followed new COVID-19 protocols. The plane was boarded from back to front in economy while Mileage Plus elites and First Class passengers invited to board at any time. Boarding was done via Door 2L and it was a treat to turn left after boarding.

The Flight

All of United’s B757-300 feature the newest iteration of their domestic first class product. These slimline recliners were designed by PriestmanGoode and introduced back in 2015. Each seat has 38″ of pitch and is 20.4″ wide.

There are a total of 24 first class seats in a 2-2 configuration. The seats were fairly comfortable for the short two and a half hour flight with adequate padding.

United opted to not install seatback screens on their new slimline seats. Instead, there are two seatback pockets.

There is also a shared granite cocktail table.

Below the cocktail table was a universal power outlet. Unfortunately, United decided to not install any USB ports. Below the outlet was a small storage compartment which doubled as a bottle holder.

The recline button was located in the other armrest. These new slimline seats feature an “articulating seat bottom” which slides forward instead of reclining to give passengers roughly five inches of total “recline”.

There was also a side stowage bin that was perfect for laptops or tablets.

There was a good amount of legroom and a shared space below the center armrest for storage as well.

In the center armrest was a large bi-fold tray table.

Each tray table also featured a tablet holder.

Upon boarding, all passengers were greeted with masked flight attendants handing out sanitizing wipes.

It was a beautiful day in Chicago with clear blue skies. Love the old school window shades on old Boeing aircraft.

We pushed back exactly on time at 10:50AM and passed by a few widebodies including an ANA B777 and United B777.

The taxi to the runway was brief and then we were on our way to Denver.

Once in the air I connected to the United Wi-Fi. United provides an exceptional flight map with details about both the plane and flight.

Due to COVID-19, United has severely cutback inflight service in first class. Currently, for flight longer than two hours and 20 minutes there is a choice between a sandwich or snack box. This flight was blocked at 2hr39min and theoretically should have received the two options. However, it was mis-catered and all first class passengers were only given a snack bag.

The snack bag contained a Biscoff, pretzels, and small bottle of water. Flight attendants also came through with a beverage service and I had a Bloody Mary.

The flight attendants made multiple passes through the cabin offering drinks. I had a second Bloody Mary.

Most of the route to Denver was spent over clouds.

The lavatory was fairly clean throughout the flight. Nothing special.

As we approached Denver the landscape turned into brown farmland.

We had a very smooth landing. Enjoy!

After a very short taxi to gate B35, I exited via Door 2L and made my way to the United Club.

Thanks for the ride!

This flight was the first time aboard the B757-300 for me and it was a treat to sit up front. Despite the mis-catering, the flight was enjoyable with a pleasant crew and stiff drinks. The slimline seats are not too bad and in my opinion are an improvement over the older domestic first class seats.

The Details

• Flight: UA938
• Aircraft: B767-300ER
• Class: Economy
• Seat: 41K and 41L
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-London Heathrow (LHR)
• Distance: 3,259 miles
• Duration: 7hrs 5min
• Departure: 9:26PM
• Arrival: 10:50AM

The Preflight

For Valentines Day this year my SO and I decided to take a short weekend vacation in London. We got to the airport roughly 90 minutes before the scheduled departure at 9:05PM.

This flight was the first time in a very long time that I would be flying United, which departs from Terminal 1 at Chicago O’Hare. Since we didn’t have elite status or lounge access with United, my SO and I had dinner at Tortas Frontera (definitely one of the best airport restaurants in the nation).

We started off with a Bloody Mary and guacamole to share.

We also split an excellent Chipotle Chicken torta.

Almost all of the international wide-body United flights depart from the C concourse of Terminal 1 connected by underground walkway. Our flight was departing from gate C15. The B767-300ER, N671UA, was delivered to United Airlines back in 1999!

Boarding began exactly at 8:15PM. The flight load was light and so boarding was extremely quick. The doors closed well ahead of the scheduled departure time of 9:05PM. However, we still were held at the gate for about 30 minutes before pushback at 9:30PM.

The Flight

This plane had recently been retrofitted in a High J ( 46 business seats) configuration with 18 rows of Polaris business seats in a 1-1-1 configuration, 22 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and 99 economy seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.

I actually love flying on both the B767s and A330s in economy because of the fact that there are rows of two with window and aisle without middle seats.

We were seated in 41K and 41L on the starboard side of the aircraft. Economy seats have 30″ of pitch with 18.5″ of width.

The seatback IFE entertainment was fixed and the tilt not adjustable. The 30 inches of pitch definitely made the later half of the flight uncomfortable, especially once the passenger in front reclined backwards.

The IFE screen was high resolution and responsive. I loved the detail on the flight information screen.

At each seat was a thin blanket and standard economy pillow.

We had a very short taxi to the runway. Enjoy!

Once we reached cruising altitude the flight attendants sprang into action. Dinner was served immediately and consisted of either “chicken” or “pasta”.

A beverage service accompanied the dinner service. I had a glass of mysterious red wine served in the United blue cup with my chicken dish. The chicken dish was flavorful but very rich and oily. There was also a side salad, cold bread, and bottle of water.

Dessert was a very frozen Lemon Sorbetto.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and my SO managed to sleep the entire flight. I watched a few movies and got about two hours of shut-eye.

Breakfast was served 45 minutes prior to landing and consisted of the tiniest croissant and a plain Chobani yogurt with strawberry jam.

It was very stormy around London Heathrow as we were in a holding pattern for quiet a while.

I managed to catch another United B777 doing the same holding pattern as us at a different altitude.

Eventually, we managed to land which was slightly bumpy.

We arrived at a remote stand and deplaned via stairs… Thanks for the ride!

Once the bus was packed to the brim it departed for the The Queen’s Terminal 2. There was a long line at immigration and about two hours after touching down we finally made it onboard the Tube.

All in all it was a pretty unremarkable and standard trans-Atlantic economy flight. While the seat was average and the food was below average, it was an affordable means of getting from Chicago to London.