Flight number

UA2267

Origin

Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX)

Destination

Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Aircraft type

Boeing 737 MAX 9

Aircraft registration

N77578

Aircraft age

>one year

Class of service

Economy

Seat

32A (window)

Though my flight was scheduled for 10:10 and boarding began at 09:30, I did not arrive at Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) until 09:23. I took the Flyaway bus from Van Nuys that Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) offers every 20 minutes and it took nearly 20 minutes to make our way around the entire airport.

The security checkpoint at Terminal 7 was the busiest I had seen on several trips, but luckily, I have CLEAR and TSA PreCheck, so I did not have to wait in any lines. I arrived at the CLEAR kiosk at 09:24 and by 09:26, I had already passed the TSA agent. Three minutes after that, I cleared security and was on the way to my gate.

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Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

At the gate

Preboarding had already begun and my gate was in Terminal 8, also home to United Airlines
flights. The security checkpoint is in Terminal 7 and the walk over to Terminal 8 takes about five minutes, if walking somewhat slow. At 09:33, I arrived at gate 85 where I found that my group was already boarding, Group 2.

The gate area looked recently updated, with seats with cushions similar to United’s onboard product. Most seats were split into pairs with a dividing section in between, and power was available for all seats.

On the aircraft

By 09:38, I was walking down the jetbridge on the way to our ride for the day, a Boeing 737 MAX 9. By 09:41, I boarded, and as I was greeted, the flight attendant handed out United’s trademark alcohol wipes. My seat was near the rear of the aircraft, 32A, and it took a few minutes to reach my seat.

This MAX 9 was delivered to United less than a year ago (and came with the new Signature Interior, which features inflight entertainment screens (IFE) at every seat, Bluetooth connectivity for the IFE, and larger overhead bins which fit carryon bags on their sides. This means that, theoretically, the bins can accommodate one bag per passenger.

In the air

Boarding was finished at 09:58, and by 10:04, we had pushed back from the gate six minutes ahead of schedule. We taxied for about 10 minutes over to runway 25R, and at 10:15 took off directly over the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful, sunny morning in Los Angeles and the window views were amazing. But that did not last long, as, shortly after we turned west and flew over John Wayne Airport, we flew over a significant amount of smoke from a wildfire.

Within about half an hour, we were flying over the Sedona Airport and the surrounding areas, and it was stunning. The photos below show the red rocks. The flight attendants began their service at about 10:36, and it took about half an hour for them to reach me. Today’s service had the quinoa crisps and the snack mix with pretzels, but there were not fruit bars. A selection of complimentary beverages was offered, including Coca-Cola products, water, and coffee.

There was food for purchase, like United’s three snack boxes and a few lunch options. Nearly three hours after takeoff, the crew came by with a second service but only offered drinks.

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Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The flight itself was extremely smooth, and thanks to United’s inflight entertainment, there was plenty to keep passengers busy. The IFE had a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, and, of course, the inflight map. All of this was available, along with Bluetooth connectivity to the system. Though I worked and slept through the flight and did not use the entertainment, I did connect my earphones to see how seamless the process was.

Connecting Bluetooth headphones or earphones to the system is extremely simple. In the bottom right corner of the IFE system, there is a Bluetooth logo. If one clicks on it, all that needs to be done is turn on the setting, and then a device can be paired. I only tested this after landing and playing some music, and the connectivity was perfect.

At 14:19 (Pacific Time), the captain came on and announced he was turning on the fasten seatbelt sign as we were beginning our descent. He provided us with a weather report and said we would be arriving early at Washington Dulles International Airport
(IAD).

Our flight landed at 17:47, 28 minutes ahead of schedule. We then taxied for a few minutes until pulling into gate D11 in the United concourse. The flight was smooth, and, as always, it was a fantastic experience with United. The Chicago-based airline has the best app of any US airline and is providing passengers with a great passenger experience with its new signature interiors.

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