The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. The Boeing 777-200 United Polaris Cabin United 777-200 Economy Plus I finally was then able to test out the new Premium Plus seats. The carrier plans on letting you book Premium Plus with miles, but it’s still unclear what those rates will be. “We honestly don’t know where the aircraft is at the current time,” he said, laughing. Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Then, after no updates for another hour, the captain came back on. The roll wasn’t heated up, either, and the cookie — the same available in business class — was stale. Unfortunately Premium Plus passengers don’t get access to United’s fantastic Polaris Lounge — in fact, lounge access isn’t included at all, though I was presented with an offer to purchase a one-time United Club pass at a discounted rate of $42, marked down from the usual $59. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Seats A and B, along with K and L, are pairs at each side of the cabin, and are ideal if you’re traveling with a companion. Posted on December 13, 2019 by Mimin . While the product could certainly evolve over time, for now, Premium Plus is a hodgepodge of business class and coach — the seats are closer to what you’ll find in economy, of course, with limited recline and personal space, while some amenities overlap with biz, such as the Saks Fifth Avenue pillow and blanket, select dishware and the full Polaris amenity kit. American Airlines Premium Economy 777-200 Cabin Premium Economy Cabin Verdict Unfortunately the flight attendants weren’t aware that we were supposed to get menus, and later weren’t able to find them, so we were simply presented with a choice of “chicken or pasta.”. In the immediate future, premium economy cabins will only appear on 777-200s in certain international flights. Review of United’s new Premium Plus seat on the 777-300ER. I used the lavatory twice during the flight and both times it was clean. The service situation was redeemed only slightly because one flight attendant who worked my aisle a couple times smiled and seemed to be well-intentioned, though the rest of my interactions were neutral at best. Boarding was slated for 2:25pm — after a short 10-minute delay, we were on our way. There was a legrest and a footrest, and even at 6 feet, 1 inch, I felt like there was plenty of legroom. Wi-Fi was available from the moment we boarded, and rates were reasonable, especially given the length of the flight. Performance was hardly outstanding, but I was able to text, send and receive emails, work on TPG content and more with only a slight delay. About 35 minutes after takeoff, we had our first beverage service. For breakfast, I chose the French toast, which tasted nearly like something you’d get at an actual restaurant, though it could’ve been fluffier. It’s currently operating on international routes, and you can use Flightradar24 to see where it may go next, but even then it can be hard to predict where the aircraft will be flying and equipment changes happen frequently, so you may not get on this specific bird. Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. As with American and Delta’s new seats, United has a 13.3-inch screen. Seat 20 A is recliner-style Premium Economy Class seat with a footrest located at a … Although it was a touchscreen, there was still a handheld controller to navigate the entertainment system, one side a controller for video games and the other featuring a full keyboard. Additionally, this 777 had 50 Polaris seats and 202 in economy — a drop from the 242 coach seats in the two-cabin configuration. On the 777-200, rows 20 through 22 will be Premium Plus — look for a 2-4-2 configuration in those rows even though it will be marked as economy at present. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Over the weekend, we found that the first aircraft to be retrofitted with Premium Plus had finally been completed. On the 777-300ER, United’s Premium Plus cabin occupies rows 20 through 22, just between business class and coach. The aircraft was outfitted with Wi-Fi, but speeds were abysmally slow. When Premium Plus is officially introduced, each fare will come with two free checked bags. Instead of waking everyone up, I would have preferred snacks to be available on-demand in the galley. I arrived at SFO on a flight from Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) in the morning, so there was no need for me to visit the check-in counters at SFO. I was served still water, instead, with both drinks presented in blue plastic cups. Next, I had another appetizer — the crab cake — which was delicious as always. The IFE experience was superb (despite the minor bug or two) with plenty of choices and a large, high-definition screen. It’s been owned by United since 1998, when Boeing delivered it to the airline. Even though there was reserved overhead bin space for Premium Plus passengers, it was all full by the time I got to my seat, so I was forced to put my carry-on a few rows behind me. The United Boeing 767-300ER version presented here is a fully refurbished aircraft. While the presentation didn’t quite match what you’d get in Polaris, the dishware was very similar. While this wasn’t the real Premium Plus dining experience, I was happy with my economy meal service. The American Airlines 777-300ER Premium Economy cabin offers 28 seats set out in a 2-4-2 layout for three rows and a row with just 4 seats in the centre (the center seats don’t all line up with the seats on either side of the aircraft). The AutoSleep app, which uses data from my Apple Watch, will give you an idea of just how much I struggled to catch some shut-eye, despite being absolutely exhausted after a busy weekend at home: Ultimately, the cabin you choose will likely come down to price — for an extra couple hundred dollars on United’s longest flights, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a seat in Premium Plus, but I certainly wouldn’t want to waste one of my precious Global Premier Upgrades for a seat here, especially when it could land me a lie-flat bed on another flight. The 777-200ER, an extended range model, was registered N796UA; if you want to try the new Premium Plus seats right away, you’ll have to book a flight specifically on this aircraft. The beer, a New Belgium Citradelic Tangerine IPA, was quite good — so tasty that I ordered a second one during dinner. Our aircraft was still in the maintenance hangar and needed to taxi to the gate, meaning the flight was delayed. We transferred the required points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United, which converted at a 1:1 ratio, for the reservation. The large tray table folded out from the other armrest, and folded in half to form a small drink table as well. Eventually, though, you’ll see the seats on Boeing 767-300ERs, 777-200s, 777-300ERs and 787-10s. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Seats A and B, along with K and L, are pairs at each side o… We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. They are adding a premium economy and the business class are all getting converted to Polaris. United Premium Plus on a Boeing 777-200. Economy. I was happy that I wasn’t stuck with standard choices like Bud Light or Heineken. Premium Plus customers are prioritized above all regular economy fares — even sky-high “Y” — so I’ll have the best shot at scoring an upgrade, either during the days leading up to departure or at the gate. The aircraft finally arrived at 3:30pm, 45 minutes after we had been scheduled to depart. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. That means that the seats are about 19 inches wide. I’m not sure if this was because I was using it over the North Atlantic, but it was basically inoperable. Unfortunately, United is converting more of their 777 to 3-4-3 in economy. As a result, I’ll earn elite-qualifying credits and redeemable miles as follows, with the Premium Plus segment earning 150% Premier-Qualifying Miles, plus 1.5 Premier Qualifying Segments. American Airlines Premium Economy 777-200 Cabin Also, where the 777-300ER’s Premium Economy cabin is separated from Business Class by and exit row and a block of lavatories, the 777-200 only has a small wall and some curtains dividing the top and middle cabins. Since I was an Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholder, I had access to the Centurion Lounge at SFO. Amex Platinum and Amex Centurion cardholders also receive complimentary access to any Centurion Lounge, which are becoming more and more common. I arrived at Newark about two hours before departure, and asked my Lyft to drop me off at Level 3, home to United’s speedier Premier Access check-in, which is available to all Premium Plus customers. Overall, I found the seats to be pleasant. Overall, the Wi-Fi worked decently well, despite the dismal speed test. Since I was traveling on an economy ticket, I didn’t have access to a United Club or the fantastic new Polaris Lounge in SFO that opened in April. What is included in United Premium Plus? My tray was collected after 30 or so minutes, and a flight attendant came through offering small bottles of water and lemon sorbet about 10 minutes later, before making the rounds to offer coffee and tea 10 minutes after that. The spinach, watermelon and feta salad was fresh and light, though, and the chicken dish was flavorful, even though the meat itself was way overcooked. When fully reclined and with both legrest and footrest extended, I found the leather seat to be quite comfortable. United S New Premium Plus Seats Are Like Mini Recliners Condé . So it will be bad for us peasants and nice for those who can afford it or have the status to upgrade. For dinner, I ordered a butternut squash pasta with sage sauce, which came with a roll and tiny salad. Singapore Airlines: Premium Economy class aboard all Airbus A350-900, Airbus A380-800 and refitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, serving to Europe and United States Spicejet : Premium Economy (Located in the 1st 5 rows and exit rows of all 737s, featuring a 36" seat pitch, priority boarding and baggage handling and a larger baggage allowance, much like the SpiceMAX bundle) Recline was not a whole lot more than in economy. You’ll still find middle seats in the Premium Plus cabin. A few weeks ago, I was flying United direct from San Francisco to Hong Kong. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. I was also thrilled to see that dedicated air vents were available, making it easy to cool down in an otherwise warm cabin. I've read that the Indian/Hindu meals are usually the better meals on United. Trays were collected promptly after the meal, with the flight attendant offering up a big smile, a warm “thank you for flying United!” and wishing me a good stay in Hong Kong. Had I known there’d be sorbet on the way, I would have saved my cookie for later. United wanted $2,582 for the one-way trip the day before departure, meaning our miles were were worth a whopping 8.6 cents apiece. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. I just punched in a randomly selected week this fall for United’s daily nonstop from Newark to Tokyo roundtrip, and the cheapest Economy fare was $1,467. Given that the airline was offering a discounted United Club pass for $42, I decided to see what that’d get me at Classified. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. In fact, the lowest Premium Plus award I could find on this route came in at 79,000 miles each way, some 4,000 miles more than a saver business-class award on the same flight. The aircraft contains United's Polaris, Premium Plus (Premium Economy), Economy Plus, and Economy product as of 2019. Can you imagine?! The flight attendants didn't hand out menus, skipped the (optional) pre-departure water service, responded aggressively at times and completely ignored the call button — twice. About 40 minutes later — roughly an hour and 20 minutes after takeoff — the crew came through with the main meal, starting with another round of drinks. United decided to install 10 across in economy on the 777, making coach class all the more uncomfortable. I appreciated how honest the captain was, though, and he said that we’d be flying on an aircraft with new Polaris interiors, which he and the crew seemed quite excited about. Their new slimline seats are horrible. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. Worst case, I’ll have a larger recliner to look forward to on a long international flight, even if United doesn’t offer the premium service to match. Since Premium Plus seats are sold for now as Economy Plus seats, United elites are able to select those seats free of charge. American has the most aircraft with over 120 aircraft with the new product, although Delta doesn’t even have 30 aircraft with their premium economy product. View the current offers here. While I could have accessed the United Club for free thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status, I opted to walk around and explore for a few minutes, including a quick look at United’s unique “Miles Shop” in Terminal C. My flight was departing from C121, my favorite part of Terminal C, since it’s a bit airier than the rest of the piers. After a quick visit to the kiosk, I headed down one level to the TSA PreCheck area, and I was through in just under five minutes. Storage was incredibly limited, however — aside from the literature pocket above, all I had was a small compartment to the side of the seat. I was only flying with a carry-on, so I didn’t need to check a bag. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Naturally, I wanted to review one of the first flights, so I booked a ticket on United’s longest Premium Plus flight to date, from Newark (EWR) to Hong Kong (HKG) on March 31, the day after the airline’s long-awaited launch. You can select content using the touchscreen, or the simple wired remote. Later in the flight, the same flight attendant came through with cups of water. Sitting upright was quite comfortable too. View our latest valuations here. I was impressed with United’s new Premium Plus hard product. I had heard good things about legroom at the bulkhead, so I grabbed 20L, a window seat on the starboard side. Premium Plus was exactly $600 more, a … You’ll still find middle seats in the Premium Plus cabin. Seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, compared with 2-3-2 on the Dreamliner and 2-2-2 on the 767. See, Premium Plus awards were absurdly overpriced, the “little” pillow United removed from business class, a dedicated Premium Plus amenity kit is on the way, Check your American Airlines accounts: 2021 rollover elite miles, dollars and segments now posting, Travel industry reconsiders political donations following Capitol siege, Hilton Honors cuts status match requirements in half for 2021, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. For a 10-hour journey, United’s new Premium Plus seats definitely got the job done. I ordered a beer and coffee, an odd combination, I know, but I needed the coffee to power through what I knew would be a long flight. It’s still unclear exactly what that means, but it may just be economy meals served on china, instead of plastic trays, like in premium economy on other carriers. UA does not have a premium economy seat. 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