After a long layover in Newark spent in the Polaris Lounge, I flew from Newark to San Francisco on a United Airlines 777-200 in Premium Plus, United’s premium economy product.
United Airlines 777-200 Premium Economy Review
I purchased a one-way ticket from Dubai (DXB) – Newark (EWR) – San Francisco (SFO) – Burbank (BUR) for $1371.05, with the Dubai – Newark – San Francisco flights booked in Premium Plus. I then used 30 PlusPoints to (try to) upgrade both segments. Only the Dubai – Newark ended up clearing (which of course was the more important segment), but I was hoping this segment would have cleared too.
While I was offered a $699 buy-up to business class as late as an hour before takeoff, my upgrade did not clear (and frankly I was not even in the top three on the upgrade list despite being a 1K who purchased a premium economy ticket).
United Airlines 273
Newark (EWR) – San Francisco (SFO)
Thursday, April 6
Depart: 02:35 PM
Arrive: 05:50 PM
Duration: 6hr, 15min
Distance: 2,565 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Seat: 22L (“Premium Plus” Premium Economy Class)
Onboard, I found my seat in the last row of Premium Plus.
Seat
In short, the premium economy product is perfectly acceptable for a daytime flight.
The Premium Plus cabin onboard the 777-200 includes three rows of 2-4-2 seating. The seat itself is very similar in width and comfort to United’s latest domestic first class seat. However, the seat does have greater recline and a footrest. Even in Premium Plus an aisle or window seat is far better than a middle seat.
While the second and third rows of Premium Plus have a drop-down footrest to complement the footrest, the bulkhead row has a larger footrest that flips. I figured that would be the more comfortable option, though having sat in both seats I am not convinced this is the case.
Here are some pictures of the cabin from a previous trip:
The seat includes an upper literature pocket and a tray table that unfolds from the armrest. Part of the tray table flips up to create a stand for a tablet or mobile device. There’s also a power port and USB charger located just below the rear of the armrest and a coat hook beside the monitor.
In terms of bedding, only a thin blanket was offered and no pillow. There were no other amenities as well like an amenity kit or slippers.
The cabin was packed:
Curtains were closed after takeoff to keep us riff-raff out of business class!
Food + Drink
Lunch was served after takeoff, starting with a beverage service (no nuts). No hot towel, either.
I tried something new on this flight and ordered a Kosher meal. That’s because my colleague Dan (of Dan’s Deals) sang praises for Fresko, the Kosher caterer in Newark. I had tried a Kosher meal out of Los Angeles before and it was catered by a Borenstein and I found it quite acceptable, so I had high expectations for this meal.
It arrived fully wrapped, as is required:
But I was disappointed. The main course was a roasted chicken breast with red skin potatoes, mushroom sauce, and a “California vegetable blend.” It was served with a bread roll, sauerkraut-like salad, and coffee cake. The chicken was bland and tasted processed.
To be fair, my trip was over Sabbath (Saturday afternoon) so the meal had been prepared the day before, not same day. Even so, I thought it looked and tasted like a cheap frozen dinner you buy for a couple of bucks at the grocery store. However, it was not a horrible meal…just not the quality of chicken I would eat at home.
It looked better when I removed the black tray (why would I do this? I ask that myself…a little bit of OCD in me).
There was a beverage service before arrival and I was also offered another meal, which included potato chips, Matbucha, pita chips, and muffin.
It was a respectable snack…you do not go hungry on United transcontinental flights.
Lavatory
Premium Plus passengers use the lavatory behind their cabin in economy class. When United retrofitted the 777-200 with new seats it also updated the lavatory. I used the lavatory twice during the flight and both times it was clean.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available for purchase ($8 for a flight pass for MileagePlus members, $10 for non-members) and it worked well during the flight.
The 17-inch widescreen in Premium Plus was very nice and included both touch-screen capability as well as a passenger service unit (remote). Noise-canceling headphones were provided (the same as in business class). I appreciated that Air Traffic Control communications were available (it’s exceedingly rare these days to find it turned on).
United also offers the same content via streaming IFE over its wi-fi network.
It was a beautiful day to fly across the country.
Service
While by no means bad, service was much more like economy class than business class. That’s fair enough to the extent that it is economy class FAs who have to serve the meals in premium economy but don’t expect elevated levels of service when traveling in this cabin. You get a better seat and a better meal…that’s the upgrade.
CONCLUSION
My assessment of Premium Plus has not changed from when the product first debuted in 2019. So how much of a premium is United’s Premium Plus worth over Economy Plus (extra-legroom economy class)? That depends on how full economy class is and how well you sleep on planes. While I cannot sleep on that seat, I certainly enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend it if you are looking for a hybrid between business and economy class. As for me, I’ll still take business class whenever available.
