asiansm flew United Airlines United Business, on a B777-200 Int. Premium Travel Experience Config. 1 (05/05/2012 15:37)

Very comfortable fly. Only the food is not quite up to Business Class Trans Atlantic Standard, may be because it's from London LHR. I had better food on United from other Airports.

UA-29 passengers can use the SKYTEAM lounge in London LHR Term4 and this lounge is excellent and better than UNITED Club.

The service on board is good and comparable to any trans-atlantic Business Class Service.

collie1228 flew United Airlines United First, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (16/04/2012 20:36)

Was upgraded to First, which was great, as this is the old 777 configuration that United can't seem to get updated. A tired, old plane, but first class is nice.

Coming home I was on the same config, and wasn't able to upgrade, so I flew in the recliner business class seat. It really doesn't compare to anyone else's business class and should be a much lower price.

BetteronaHarley flew United Airlines United Economy, on a B767-300 (Int Config) (18/02/2012 19:12)

We flew out of Zurich to Newark back in October, and although I was well aware of the merger between Continental and United, this was the first time on a flight operated by United, using United aircraft and crew.

Our tickets cost about 1000 Swiss francs each, and when I went to check in, they put us in row 34. I asked if we could sit a bit further forward in the cabin (like in the 20s') and I was informed we would have to pay over 100 francs extra as that was an Economy Plus seat with more legroom. We opted not to pay extra and were stuck sitting in row 34, in seats that were so closely jammed together that when the people in front of us reclined their seats, the seat back was practically in our faces. It was horrible. Also, it was an OLD aircraft, at least 20 years old and the IFE was awful -- screens so tiny that it was difficult to watch anything. The crew at least were friendly and professional.

On the return trip to Zurich from Newark, again we were stuck sitting in row 35 in those cramped seats which were useless for sitting let alone sleeping, in that same OLD airplane, with the tiny IFE screens.

I always order a vegetarian meal when I fly and I got my meal out of Zurich, but out of Newark, they didn't have it. I told the crew I booked my meal when I booked my ticket and I got my veggie meal out of Zurich. She asked if I'd confirmed it and I said no, I've never had to confirm it; as long as I check in for the flight, it's always there. She asked if I booked through Continental and I said yes, and she said, Well, THIS is United, you have to confirm!!! WTF???

She offered me the pasta meal, which looked disgusting and I declined as I cannot eat pasta. They offered me NOTHING else to eat -- not even some fruit or a spare salad or anything. I sat through a seven-hour flight without ANY food! The service was as appalling as their attitudes.

Needless to say, I will NOT be flying United again, not even if they offered me a free ticket. As far as I am concerned, they ruined Continental, which was pretty decent. They can shove their Economy Plus, their shoddy service and retire some of those old airplanes along with the nasty old cabin crew members who seem to have forgotten what customer service is all about.

frustratedflyer flew United Airlines United Business, on a B777-200 Int. Premium Travel Experience Config. 1 (08/12/2011 15:23)

The flight left late due the late arrival of the incoming plane and the staff were pretty good at keeping us informed.

Check-in was swift with no queues and priority boarding done properly. The biggest frustration was the IFE which you could see the crew were having problems with before take off with the system restarting and a manual safety demonstration. It was therefore no surprise when ten minutes into the flight they said that the IFE was not working! Not great on an 11 hour day flight.

Food I would describe as OK, drinks good and service better than usual for UA. Arrival was interesting with the crew telling us which baggage belt the luggage would be on. This was changed as we walked off the plane with announcements at the walkway. It had changed again when we got to the baggage hall and changed again when we were waiting there! At least the bags came quite quickly though.

EdwardFerrell flew United Airlines United Business, on a B777-200 Int. Premium Travel Experience Config. 1 (02/12/2011 10:52)

The older 777 is still comfortable in business for daytime flights. Especially row 15 which is the farthest from the galley and the toilets. 15D is the favourite.

EdwardFerrell flew United Airlines United Economy, on a B777-200 Int. Premium Travel Experience Config. 1 (12/08/2011 13:34)

In addition to missing the 2-4-2 configuration when travelling with one companion, ne major complaint on the new UA 777 config is the reduction, in economy, from 4 toilets mid-cabin to only two. What were they thinking??? There were already queues for the 4 mid-cabin and 2 rear-cabin facilities and they've just reduced the number of mid-cabins by half. GEEEZ

frustratedflyer flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B767-300 (new seats) (09/06/2011 16:26)

I was flying on an OLD 767 from LAX to Washington - the red eye taking off late evening and arrive 4.5 hrs later in Washington at 6.30am.

The plane was so old that the some overhead bins would not close and the crew were sticking them down with tape!

The boarding was efficient and the ground staff great. The staff on the plane were surly and not at all warm. They even asked me to close the overhead locker when I was sitting down.

As a night flight I tried to sleep but was knocked numerous times in the night.

There was no meal service and I was woken twice when the crew went down the aisle with water and coffee so there was at least a drinks service.

I was in economy Plus with the extra legroom which I was grateful for but otherwise the seats were tight and uncomfy.

This is one of the oldest planes I have been on in a long time.

mfmattos flew United Airlines United Business, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (09/05/2011 14:56)

I flew Sao Paulo to Chicago on fev/2011. The food was good, but the service need to be better. Business class seat look too old, not confort, and doesn't look like a business intenational class.

I flew back in first class, i did up grade, pay $630, the price was good the seat is fully bad, but dont have pijama, like some arlines, and the entertainment is too old, libe a tape.

sjohnstonisawesome flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (07/05/2011 17:55)

I flew on United back in March. I had a ticket on Economy Plus. I checked in online the night before and I didn't have any checked luggage so I immediately could go to security and I was at my gate within 30 minutes of arriving at Dulles airport.

The gate was crowded but well kept and clean. Almost 50 people had been upgraded to Business class because it was an International plane on a domestic flight.

From my experience, United does this a lot which is nice. Our seats were fairy far forward. Between Business Class and Economy. The airplane was newly renovated so it was very clean. Boarding took a very long time, about 30 minutes, so we were slightly delayed. After a extremely boring safety video, we took off at first in line. The economy plus seat is just a normal economy seat just with more legroom.

The service is the same just it comes a little earlier. The legroom is generous and I had no problem with it. The entertainment system was turned on from the minute we got on the plane. It was a new touch screen system. They had a good amount of TV shows but no big names for free. For a price ($5) you could buy extra programing which included TV shows such as the office, more movies, audiobooks, and ebooks. I didn't buy this so I don't know how it worked.

The flight was normal and the flight crew was normal. Despite out late departure, we touched down right on time. Our bags made it fine. In all, economy plus was definitely worth the price. It is only about $50 more than economy for a cross country flight.

EdwardFerrell flew United Airlines United Business, on a B767-300 (Int Config) (11/03/2011 15:01)

767 Biz class flatbeds. Downside: very narrow for me at 5'10, rugby-build. no place to store those "have-to-hand" items like own headphones or M&Ms. Upside: flying facing backwards is a first and a superior experience. Much less sense of movement. Great for landing.

Upside: the on-demand entertainment and large screen are definitely pluses. Avoid the pair of seats by the galley - the ones offered to free upgraders. Might as well be in the crew as you're nearly in the galley itself

Emiratesa340geek flew United Airlines United Economy (short haul), on a A320 (01/01/2011 23:03)

The flight took off earlier then expected. No over-bookings, and no lines to board. Crew was excellent and we arrived early. LOVE United Airlines ;)

EdwardFerrell flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B777-200 (Int Config 2) (31/12/2010 12:31)

UA 925 - LHR to IAD on the new B777 configuration in seat 20J, Christmas Day

This is the new B777 3-3-3 configuration. However, a few rows, like row 20, a bulkhead, only have two seats so no middle passenger to share with. The bulkhead is a little close but not as close as on the B767 and older B777 configs. The best part: a whole new video-on-demand system with similar capabilities to what is available in biz class - just a smaller screen.

Biggest problem: With the new config, the toilets in the middle of the economy section have been reduced from 4 to 2, partly to make room for a door downstairs for crew rest. What's with that reduction?

Emiratesa340geek flew United Airlines United Economy (short haul), on a B777-200 (US Config) (15/11/2010 00:00)

The flight was AWESOME!

Lots of turbulence but the flight was good.

I will only fly United after my scheduled 9hr.49min. flight from Chicago Ohare(ORD)- Honolulu,Hawaii(HNL)

We got there in 8Hours! :D

EdwardFerrell flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B767-300 (Int Config) (27/10/2010 13:39)

icecool flew United Airlines United Economy, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (07/07/2010 06:56)

Boarding was quite smooth and flight attendants were willing to assist. I sat in the economy class at a window seat (Row 40A). The seat seemed very cramped relative to comparable airlines. It was quite a challenge to fly economy for 10 hours. The food was not too palatable, in fact, some what bland. The in-flight entertainment was quite a disappointment. There was a lack of movies (and of course good movies). No games were available. The personal TV screen behind each seat was the smallest I have ever seen. To put things in perspective, even the A330s of AirAsiaX, the budget airline based in Malaysia have larger personal TV screens behind each seat. The aircraft was generally old and my TV screen was loosely fitted. The seat recline mechanism was faulty. When I sat upright, the seat would automatically move back upright. Overall, there is ample room for improvement, with the exception of the flight attendants' service, which was above average, friendly and willing.

BusinessAsia flew United Airlines United Business, on a B747-400 (new seats) (21/05/2010 11:41)

Not much to complain about on the technical operation of the flight. On time and safe. The new seats on balance are good for sleeping and better than old business for seating. Padding is thin. Don't pick a window seat if your afraid of crawling over your sleeping neighbour.

Upper deck overhead bins are old and unrefurbished which blows my mind. Even Delta has all of the 747 bins updated. If you have more than a briefcase, beg the FAs to put your gear in the closet if you are upper deck. AVOD is great compared to most others with IFE available all the time. The big screen is great and choices are good. My biggest complaint on UAL (and most US flagged carriers) is the service. On this flight I had to beg for a mid-flight snack and the FA made me juggle a sandwich, can and glass that I had to take back to me seat. I apologized to all the FA's out there for inconveniencing them and taking them away from their paper, crew rest or whatever - impertinent customer bastards we are!

MichaelGieleta flew United Airlines United First, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (23/04/2010 22:00)

Very friendly and attentive service. Old-style First Suite seats - clean and comfortable. Busy galley at the front of the first cabin. No cabin curtains at either end of the cabin giving it a purely functional rather than a refined air. Small screen with a limited selection of manually operated video tapes. Pleasant food, handsomely served. Not as formal as the European counterparts and lacking the first-class luxury touches of the leading international carriers. Overall, an agreeable way of getting from A to B.

TravelRich flew United Airlines United Business, on a B747-400 (23/04/2010 21:43)

I flew from Narita to San Francisco on United's new international business class, which rivals some of the best competing products in the air. The seats are 180 degree lie-flat and are comfortable in just about any position. Note that, if you are in a window seat, you will have to step over your neighbor if they are fully reclined (fine if you are relatively tall but awkward if not). The IFE is on a 15" screen and there is a wide variety to choose from though the inconsistent editing of content was annoying (for example, racy TV shows were unedited while some newly released movies were heavily edited). Food was generally good and service, while not up to the standards of SQ and ANA, was friendly.

NEVERHOME flew United Airlines United Business (23/04/2010 19:45)

The "new" United business class configuration is finally making this American based airline competitive. As a United 1K member, I travel quite up to 75% a year and 9/10 times in business class. I urge anyone who travels on United "over the pond" to search for United's new business class configuration -- it's night and day compared to previously. While all the 767's now have these new seats and entertainment system, the 747's and 777's are still in the process of being upgraded so it may be a hit or miss until the last quarter of this year. To summarize, the new configuration allows you to truly feel relaxed when you arrive whether a short trip from IAD - LHR (about 7 hours)or a longer one from IAD - NRT (14.5 hours). Either way, I am very impressed with the new configuration and encourage everyone to "try it out" if the opportunity presents itself.

RobertWillett flew United Airlines United First, on a B747-400 (23/04/2010 18:59)

SYD-ORD March 24th 2010-First time on the new first sites, OK, have managed to catch up with the asian airlines in terms of seating, but the service is still dreadful, same tired old flight attendants, with respect, most need to be put out to pasture and while they are there, lose some weight. Allowed to use Int First Class Lounge at LAX during layover which was nice, no showers but hey, it's an american airline, food on board is plentiful but doesn't reach any great heights

doctorjosh flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B747-400 (new seats) (17/04/2010 12:05)

SYD-SFO-SYD. The planes were old but refurbished. Boarding procedures were relatively organised but it occurs from forward cabin to the back (which doesn't make too much sense and slows the whole process down).

Seats in Economy Plus (which you have to pay for or are complimentary for elite members) have a pitch of 34", which makes the long flights bearable compared to the 31" in their normal economy. Seat recline is okay but not enough to help you sleep comfortably. IFE is limited to just a screen at the bulkhead and a drop down screen at regular intervals. On these very long flights, there'll be 4 recent release movies interspersed with short programmes (TV shows or documentaries). There is no PTV!

Cabin crew were generally ok but nowhere near the standard found on South-East Asian airlines. The food was terrible though. You eat it only because you have no choice unless you want to starve on a 13-14 hour flight! Flights were generally on time. For the price paid, it was good value.

mcgahat flew United Airlines United First (short-haul), on a B777-200 (US Config) (24/03/2010 00:17)

Flight: UA 1 - Chicago OHare (ORD) to Honolulu (HNL) Boeng 777 Domestic First Class

At the Airport: We are Priority Pass members and Uniteds Red Carpet club in near gate C16 is a participating location so we headed there to wait for boarding. United's clubs are not known for being plush but anything is better than waiting at a crowded gate which they often are at Ohare, especially when theh plane is a 777. The lounge has T-Mobile internet but if you are not a T-Mobile wifi customer, Red Carpet Club member or Business or First class customer you will need to pay. The club is large with plenty of space to relax while waiting for boarding. Boarding at this lounge is for international flights only.

The Gate/Boarding: The gates at Ohare really can be a mess as there is usually about three times as many passengers as there is space for passengers. The flight boarded on time and there is two lanes for boarding, one for economy and the red carpet lane for first class, United 1K and Global services passengers.

Pre-Departure: Offering was orange juice and water. The 777 has plenty of overhead in first class so there was no problem stowing our carry on bags. There was a fresh pillow and blanket waiting in the seat when we arrived also, nothing luxurious but standard UA domestic offering.

During Flight: The seat was a standard UA domestic first class seat and while better than an economy seat certainly not entirely comfortable for a nine hour flight. The cabin layout is actually pretty open and with the 2-2-2 configuration it makes is easy to have an aisle seat. The entertainment was three movies on shared screens with one large screen in the middle row and two smaller ones on either side of the first class cabin. XM radio audio is also available. There was two meals on this flight, lunch and then a pre arrival snack. Lunch choices consisted of Mahi Mahi or Chicken with both being very good and I am not a fan of airline food at all. The pre arrival snack was a choice of a sandwich or fruit and cheese plate but we did not have either so can not comment on the quality. The service was actually very good (it can be hit or miss on United to say the least) as the flight attendants made several passes during flight for drink orders and to refill water etc. Definitely a good service offering on this day and the flight attendants definitely put you in a vacation mind set during the flght.

Arrival: If you want a good view it is "typically" better to be on the right side of the plan when arriving into Honolulu. On time arrival if not a little early and a quick taxi to the airport. You will exit the inside part of the terminal and then have the option to take the wiki-wiki (means quick quick) shuttle or walking. I prefer to walk as it is good to stretch the legs and it is only about 5-10 minutes at the most and you can take in the island air. Luggage was off loaded onto two carousels and was actually out within 10 minutes of arriving to the baggage claim.

Summary: A long flight for a domestic configured plane but given it is a leisure market this this about as good as it gets with regards to seat. The service and food was also what you would expect for a first class cabin so overall a comfortable flight on the way to paradise.

FirstClassFlyer flew United Airlines United First, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (24/01/2010 18:22)

Flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Chicago (ORD) on United Airlines, First Class Suite.

Flight: UA949 Seat: 1A, United First Departure: 12:05 Arrival (local): 15:21 Flight time: 9hr 15mins

Chicago is well-served by Star Alliance and OneWorld with flights directly from London on American Airlines, BA and United. Virgin Atlantic also serves Chicago daily.

UA949 is one of three direct United flights from London Heathrow to Chicago (other flights are at 10:05 and 15:25)

Pre-seat selection is possible over the phone or online if booked on United.com Check in allowances are 2 pieces of a maximum 32kg each. Star Alliance Gold card holders are allowed one additional piece of baggage.

Check-in Following Star Allaince’s move to Terminal 1 at Heathrow, check-in and connections across the alliance have become a much smoother affair. Terminal 1 has benefited from various upgrades including new premium check-in counters, a Star Alliance lounge and BMI’s ’Number One Heathrow’ (Renamed the Great British Lounge) lounge.

The check-in process was smooth an efficient. We made use of the dedicated First Class check-in desks for United and we were promptly provided with our boarding passes within a few minutes. There was no queue at the desk. Priority baggage tags were put on the bags and they were the among the first to arrive at the destination.

Premium class passengers have use of the FastTrack lane at BAA’s airports. We made used of the FastTrack lane but I often find that it doesn’t save a great deal of time as fewer scanning machines are allocated to the FastTrack lane so bottlenecks can quickly form and can make it slower than the main security line when times are quiet.

Time taken from landside to airside including check-in - approx 25 mins.

Terminal facilities / lounge Terminal 1 has received much investment ahead of its designation as a Star Alliance Terminal. The Star Alliance lounge serves to cater for premium class travellers and holders of Gold (and sometimes Silver) card holders of the Star Alliance loyalty scheme. A detailed review of the lounge can be found on Seatplans.com sister publication Businesstraveller.com

As we had used the Star Alliance lounge previously, we elected to try out BMI’s new flagship lounge. It’s worth noting that this lounge is somewhat away from the main terminal and it takes around 10 minutes to navigate your way to the lounge through a series of corridors. In fairness to BMI, this is as it is located closest to their main area of operations and the lounge is designed for premium passengers flying on BMI’s international network. However, as a holder of a First Class ticket on a Star Alliance partner, we were granted access to this modern lounge. Access policy has been fluctuating for this lounge and therefore it’s worth checking before hand to see if you will be granted access.

The lounge itself was bright and modern with a panoramic view of the runway. Features include wifi, computer terminals, hot and cold food and a ‘British pub-style’ bar. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Just remember that there may be quite a walk from the lounge to your gate and therefore you should provide sufficient time to get to your gate.

On-board There has been much debate over recent years on whether First class cabins are still feasible in the more cost-conscious world, particularly following the roll-out of lie-flat beds across many of the world‘s airlines business class offerings. Many have concluded that the First class cabin serves as a status symbol and offers a ‘reward’ to regular business class travellers who use frequent flyer miles to upgrade. I would conclude that this may be the case for United’s First Class, with just 6 seats in the first class cabin and 1 reserved for flight crew resting, I find it hard to believe that the costs of having a separate cabin are covered.

Full details of the cabin layout can be found on seatplans.com! I checked before flying and elected for seat 1A as seats A and C - these are adjacent to each other allowing for quiet conversations to be had between passengers (while remaining private) so perfect for two people travelling together. If travelling alone then seat 1K is best for privacy. The seat behind (2K) is usually reserved for the crew rest area and across the aisle is the hard back shell of seat 1C and therefore you have nothing (and no one) to look at.

Seating United has rolled out its new business class product and first class suites across much of its Trans-Atlantic fleet. At the time of writing (Jan 2010) all of its 767 and 747 fleet had been converted and retrofitting of its 46 B777 aircraft was set to commence in February 2010. It’s worth checking with the airline before booking to save disappointment if you want the new seating. While there is limited difference in First Class, the business class product is dramatically different with lie flat seats available in business class in the new cabins.

Changes to United’s First Class Suite are less dramatic when compared to the old suite. The size and format appear to be much the same as older suites but with some appreciated updates. Key features of the suite:

1) Fully flat 6ft 6in bed / 23.5in wide - extremely comfortable and convertible at a touch of a button 2) 15.4 in monitor with 150 hours of entertainment - a big upgrade from the old suite which featured cassette tapes for movies! 3) Noise cancelling headphones - the new must-have premium cabin accessory 4) Ample storage - This appeared to be larger than the old suites although I’ve never had any problems finding room to store my items 5) USB port for data transfer and to review photos - I didn’t use this feature but can see how it could be useful 6) Power supply (110V) for laptop

All seats offer aisle access and are readily accessible.

The seat / bed was completely dynamic allowing a resting seated position for when watching tv, fully seated for dining and full flat bed when sleeping. The suite is truly private and spacious and even the tallest of travellers would find it difficult to complain about a lack of space. When converted into a bed the hard back shell serves as a very robust privacy cover and you can be rest assured that you won’t be disturbed.

The only problem I found with seat 1A was that the noise and lighting from the gallery can be slightly disturbing. Also the First Class cabin toilet is found on the left hand side of the aircraft and therefore there is more traffic up and down this lane. The occasional business class traveller entered made use of this toilet which increased the number of people walking up and down the aisle. I would recommend moving to 2A and 2C for passengers travelling together and 1K for those on their own.

Boarding After priority boarding we were quickly shown to our seat, offered a choice of champagne or juices and were provided with menus, amenity kit and were greeted by name by the purser who offered to take care of any of our needs. Service on board was efficient, polite and non-obtrusive.

One point of note is that the 767 is boarded from the forward doors and therefore all passengers walk past when boarding. Depending on your personality you might prefer boarding later or you may appreciate the gasps of wows when people walk around the corner and see you sipping champagne and relaxing back in the suite!

On-board service It’s often the small things in life that count. I had been supplied with faulty noise cancelling headphones with the wires were sticking out and before I could say anything these were quickly replaced and an apology forthcoming. Having travelled in premium cabins across different airlines, I would say that the biggest distinction between good service and excellent service is that of anticipation of needs. United’s First Class service certainly did deliver on this.

Once we hit cruising altitude our food orders were taken. United does offer a service of choosing when to eat when travelling in first class, while this is mentioned on the menu it doesn’t tend to be advertised by the flight crew - I suspect it is a lot easier for them to serve everyone at the same time. As this was an afternoon lunchtime flight everyone appeared to choose to eat right away.

Flight attendant to passenger was excellent at two or three to one.

Food For starter I elected for a light lobster salad with asian dressing. The salad was well prepared and came with a fair portion of lobster, fresh greens and was accompanied with freshly warmed bread. A great start to what can turn out to be a very filling meal service

For mains, I chose a filet steak. This was well cooked and came with mashed potatoes and seasonal greens. While not quite restaurant quality, it was very good for a ‘restaurant’ at 35,000ft. The only peculiarity is dealing with a plastic knife! However, I didn’t have any problems with the dining and enjoyed my in-flight movie whilst eating.

Dessert included a choice of cheeses (which I didn’t have) and a selection of ice creams and fruit salad. By this stage I was starting to feel a little full and went for just the ice cream and fruit salad! Needless to say, I was quite ready for sleeping after the meal service. Chocolates were also served with tea and coffee at the end of the service and the box of chocolates were left in the galley snack area for the rest of the flight.

A light meal service was offered ahead of landing and included a selection of sandwiches, cakes and teas.

Conclusion United’s First Class offering sufficiently distinguishes itself as a superior class over its business class cabin, although travellers may find it difficult to justify paying a premium and may choose to use frequent flyer points to upgrade to the cabin.

The first class suites are second to none for comfort and offer an excellent sleep. The First Class Suites are available on flights with an international cabin is available on United flights to Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Washington DC and Denver from London Heathrow.

There was a slight problem with my in-flight entertainment and the headphones which meant that we had to go through about 6 headphones before the sound was right. However, the flight attendant was very committed and willing to continue to try headphones until we found one that worked.

My travel tips and recommendations are:

1) Check the aircraft on your routing, only the 767s and 747s had upgraded so far - it won’t make a huge difference on First Class but it means the difference between a flat bed or not in business

2) Choose your seats carefully. 2A and 2C best for travelling couples while 1K offers the ultimate privacy. The seat format and cabin size changes depending on the aircraft - check out seatplans.com for the seat map for your aircraft

3) Consider using your frequent flyer miles to upgrade to First from Business if you have sufficient miles rather than paying the premium

4) Think about the flight times and whether you want to get sleep on the aircraft. Afternoon flights are good for leisure travellers but night flights may be better for business travellers

5) Try out BMI’s flagship international lounge if you are travelling with a United First ticket (Star Alliance Gold holders will not be granted access without a First ticket) out of Heathrow Terminal 1

6) Remember that you can choose to have your meal service whenever you want if the timing works better for you.

7) The First Class suites offer a 110V power supply - UK travellers may require an adapter

8) A word of caution - United’s First domestic proposition has far lower standards than the international product and therefore I would suggest maximising the time on the international routing when travelling across the Atlantic. For example, if flying to Las Vegas, I would recommend flying to LA or SFO and changing rather than taking the shorter transatlantic routing to ORD or WAS and then taking a longer domestic routing.

Overall the flight was top rated and I would highly recommend it. First Class products are an increasing rarity and it is pleasing to see that United has retained the high standards even in difficult climates.

frustratedflyer flew United Airlines United Business, on a B747-400 (new seats) (09/11/2009 03:03)

Was in seat 6H which is one of the better ones on the lower deck of the B747. I would avoid rows 9 & 10 as they are either side of the galley , rather noisy and as you have no middle to the cabin they feel rather squashed in. Service was fine, food OK, AV good but it is really frustrating this seat was designed without any storage other than in the overhead bins.

BWIFlyer flew United Airlines United Business, on a B767-300 (Int Config) (26/10/2009 12:17)

Boarding was announced in the Red Carpet Club and upon arrival at the gate, was able to slip around the long economy boarding line and stepped up to the Red Carpet.

Sat facing forward, with ample legroom and overhead storage.

Pillows, blankets, headsets and amentiy kits were on each seat. Sparkling wine, orange juice or water were offered on the ground. Menus were handed out prior to take-off. The menu options were mahi-mahi, beef stroganoff, cheese agnolotti or express dine of entree salad with grilled shrimp. I took the express option as I have had this menu on UA before (with a limited rotation it seems). Service was VERY SLOW for this overnight flight. Orders were taken about 30 minutes after take-off. Dinner took almost 2 hours to serve in Business. To be fair, First was still being served at the end of the Business Class service.

The in-flight entertainment needed to be reset several times and was inoperable for the first 60-90 minutes of the flight. I wish I would say this was an isolated incident, but I have NEVER been on a newly configred UA plane (16 trips in the last year) that didn't require at least ONE reboot during the flight. The flight attendants tried, but seemed overwhelmed by the whole thing.

Two times I used the lavoratores in the back of business class. Both times they were occupied by passengers from Economy. Very little enforcement of the cabin integrity occurred.

The seats are narrow, but fully-flat and NOT angled. Sleep was fitful for 4 hours, when I was woken 1.5 hours before landing at FRA for breakfast. Which I declined. About 45 minutes before landing I asked for some OJ and was met with a sigh, eye-roll and a glass delivered about 15 minutes later with an admonishment, "We finished service 45 minutes ago and I'm going to need to collect that when I pass back through in a minute."

Some service.

All in all, it gets from A to B and beats the angled seats of most other airlines flying across the pond. However, if the hard product wasn't as good, there would be no real reason to fly UA TATL.

frustratedflyer flew United Airlines United Business, on a B747-400 (new seats) (08/10/2009 03:29)

The new business seat is a massive improvement on the previous cradle seat. I thought I was with a different airline! This was only a short flight between Singapore and Hong Kong but was long enough to try the seat. It has a good length although is a bit cramped for width at the feet. Choose you seat carefully as rows alternate between facing forward and back. Top deck is best if not go for the front cabin on the main deck. Large screen, good and simple IFE.

peoplesonrules flew United Airlines United Business, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (14/08/2009 16:43)

The first and only time i've ever flown business class it was with United's old style business. The seat was not really very good to sleep in but they were better than economy. The IFE was the same as economy, however the food and service was exellent!

peoplesonrules flew United Airlines United Economy Plus (mid and long-haul), on a B767-300 (Int Config) (13/08/2009 17:44)

pretty decent flight, food was average and the seat was pretty average (exept for the legroom). The IFE was pretty rubbish because it you only had a very small screen and the movies/T.V shows were all on a loop, so for an eight hour flight from LHR to IAD, not very good! overall though, an average flight. Not good, not bad.

epiclesis flew United Airlines United First, on a B747-400 (new seats) (10/08/2009 02:34)

LAX to SYD on new first class seats -- fantastic! Roomy and quite comfortable -- excellent cabin crew and service very professional and courteous! Meals were terrific and the in-between meal service just as nice. The flat bed was comfortable and roomy, even when fasten seat belt sign was on! A terrific seat on a terrific flight. AVOD selections were plentiful with good various -- never bored for a minute -- and would have liked perhaps more time in flight to see more! Having the AVOD start even before take was a great bonus! Pre-board was fast and easy, even walked to the gate! United has done a very good thing with these new seats! Service is wonderful!

RobertWillett flew United Airlines United First, on a B777-200 (Int Config 1) (23/01/2009 12:51)

Washington DC-Sao Paulo, at least they had sleeper seats in First now, have put up with the 1070's relic 767 on this service until 2008, but typical american, old attendants, bad service old aircraft,american junk food, still do the od personal screens, need to take a good hard look at themselves, rip off for first cost, are south american passengers second class citizens?

RobertWillett flew United Airlines United First, on a B747-400 (23/01/2009 12:46)

Sydney LAX, old aircaft, old seats, ld flight attendants, ordinary american junk food, outrageous for te fee they charge, felt riipped off, shared busines lounge in sydney with poor old air nz, fraud in any other language to charge first prices for this ancient aircraft and service

antipodes flew United Airlines United First, on a B767-300 (Int Config) (21/12/2008 19:08)

I note from current reports that United are half way through upgrading the cabins for this class of aircraft. Their website is still showing the old seat which is the subject of my review. The seat is for me too narrow the electronics are non responsive and the range of adjustment inadequate when compared with other international first class cabins. On top of these inadequacies the lighting would not switch off and the public address anouncements delivered through the ife system were preceded by a hearing damaging bang. Eating and drinking arrangements were cramped to the extent that cushions, pillows amenities and blankets had to be stored on the flioor. The food was adequate and certainly not outstanding; unfortunately the same can be said for most airline food. I am not able to compare this flight with that offered by rival airlines but I have no hesitation in describing my experience as disgraceful and sleepless.