United Premium Economy - Anybody tried it?

NickN · #1 9th November 2009, 09:02 AM

I just upgraded to Premium Economy with United for the SYD-LAX and LAX-IAD sectors. Being 6'4" I didn't want to risk the discomfort of a 31" pitch seat for so long.

Can anybody offer any feedback on the product? I understand seat width doesn't change but do they have laptop power in PE?

Sarmad Al-Khozaie · #2 9th November 2009, 10:01 AM

I have tried it before about 2 years ago and from memory it didn't have laptop power charge, that is for a window seats not sure about others.

NickN · #3 9th November 2009, 10:53 AM

It only cost $178 US to upgrade both my SYD-LAX and LAX-IAD flights to Premium Economy so I thought that sounded relatively inexpensive for the extra leg room. No laptop power isn't vital, just nice if they do have it.

Sam Chui · #4 9th November 2009, 01:28 PM

up to 5" inches leg room more than Y, makes a significant difference to Standard 31 " economy seat leg room. I would take it for $178.

NickN · #5 9th November 2009, 01:31 PM

Sam, I did and it was actually $109, the rest was for a PE upgrade on LA-Washington!

Very inexpensive IMO.

danielc · #6 9th November 2009, 09:05 PM

Back in September, I flew a UA 777 from SFO to HNL in Econ+ and then flew back to SFO on a UA 767 in regular economy. The extra 4" is quite noticeable and makes a big difference in comfort. I booked this trip using FF miles and paid $60 each way for the Econ+ upgrade. Unfortunately, I had to change my return date for the HNL to SFO segment, and although they didn't charge to change the award ticket, they cancelled my Econ+ upgrade when I changed the date. Should you have to alter your dates for any reason, you may want to confirm that they will still provide the Econ+ upgrade. I thought it was quite tacky for them to cancel something I had paid for, but don't get me started on United. I think you will find that your upgrade was money well spent as they are still offerring some relatively cheap fares to California and beyond, so the flights should be chocka.

NickN · #7 10th November 2009, 07:38 AM

Daniel, great feedback thanks!!!

I am looking forward to flying PE on the 777 flight to Washington, have never flown a triple before.

Funny you mentioned cheap fares and flights being chockers, it is a little less and 3 months before I go and I noticed on the seat selector on the United website that a good many seats have already been allocated so I assume numbers and bookings are strong. As for the comment about cheap flights beyond LA, I agree!

My entire fare to Charleston return was AU$1450 plus the PE upgrades of
US$178. Comparing this to Qantas, Delta and V Australia the others didn't seem to compete although Delta was not far behind.

It appears to be a great time to travel accross the Pacific and I am glad I am able to take advantage of the fares being so low. Hopefully in the future they won't escalate so much higher that it becomes unaffordable again.

danielc · #8 10th November 2009, 09:09 PM

Nick,
You're welcome for the feedback. One other point you may not be aware of. United domestic flights offer no free food other than nuts and soft drinks. Everything is Buy-on-board and they no longer accept cash so you must have a credit card. Lots of people these days are taking their own food on the plane, which is totally acceptable.

When I flew to HNL I got a great sandwich lunch at SFO and took that onto the plane. Coming back from HNL was a 7am departure so I didn't have time to get anything at the airport so I bought something on board. The flight attendant jokingly asked me didn't I know any better. He thought it quite amusing I bought something so I don't think they sell too much onboard food.

The 777 is a great plane, and United has theirs in 2-5-2 config...Getting a seat in the group of twos is my personal preference.

NickN · #9 11th November 2009, 07:46 AM

Daniel, I had a feeling there was no complimentary in-flight meal, so I will try and pick something up at LAX before boarding as it is quite a long flight.

I selected seat 21A from memory on the 777 I definately wanted a window seat in the group of two seating.

Do you have any advice on decent pre-paid SIM cards that can be purchased upon arrival?

I have a Blackberry, so I will get GSM service with any of the pre-paid carriers over there from what I understand, and their call rates are substantially cheaper than here, and roaming is just far too expensive.

Joe Frampton · #10 11th November 2009, 08:22 AM

Nick, reading through this thread, just be careful with your expectations... This product on United Airlines is called "Economy Plus" with "up to five inches of extra legroom near the front of the economy cabin." (quoting directly from the United website).

The United product involves legroom only, strictly speaking, where as "Premium Economy" on Qantas or V Australia, etc. involve actually different seats (from economy class), a private cabin area with dedicated service, different meal choices, large IFE screens, etc, etc.

That's why the difference was only $178 - although I agree with you (and speaking as a travel agent), still well worth it. United have great pricing to US destinations beyond LAX at the moment - very good value. Just remember when comparing to other carriers that they don't have IFE, etc. Apart from that, they still make a very good *loody Mary!