Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Poor service, no menus, overcooked food, useless leg rest, lavatories shared with coach. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. The Chobani yogurt and fresh fruit were definitely the highlight there. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. While United advertises the seat-back screens as being “up to 13.3 inches” in Premium Plus, bulkhead rows have smaller displays — since they need to be small enough to fold away, they measure roughly 11.5 inches, instead. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. This new cabin, called Premium Plus, will serve as the airline’s first premium economy product and will officially debut as early as the fall. After lunch, I walked the few feet over to gate 121, where our HKG crew was just lining up to board. 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. I was served still water, instead, with both drinks presented in blue plastic cups. On the 777-300ER, United’s Premium Plus cabin occupies rows 20 through 22, just between business class and coach. Posted on December 13, 2019 by Mimin . The United Boeing 767-300ER version presented here is a fully refurbished aircraft. Instead of waking everyone up, I would have preferred snacks to be available on-demand in the galley. Our aircraft was still in the maintenance hangar and needed to taxi to the gate, meaning the flight was delayed. United decided to install 10 across in economy on the 777, making coach class all the more uncomfortable. About 35 minutes after takeoff, we had our first beverage service. True coach seats are in the tight 3-4-3 configuration. Even if I hadn’t visited Classified, waiting at the gate wouldn’t have been bad at all, given the various workstations (complete with USB and universal power outlets) available throughout the terminal now. Additionally, the meal came with fresh fruit, a muffin, yogurt and United’s famous Stroopwafels (which won’t be around much longer in economy). There wasn’t anyone waiting to greet Classified guests, so I wandered back there myself — after making a reservation through the dedicated website, of course. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. 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. United says Premium Plus passengers will receive upgraded dining options and cocktails when the product is officially available for purchase. United Premium Plus includes pod-like seats, more leg room, a private cabin area, and a few extra amenities here or there. In the immediate future, premium economy cabins will only appear on 777-200s in certain international flights. The extra width really did make a difference, something I especially appreciated after six hours in an economy middle seat on a United 777 on my connecting flight from EWR. Boeing 777-300ER (77W) Seat map (60/290) Interior specifications. That inconvenience was easily worth the tradeoff for extra legroom, though — there was plenty in my row, making it easy to get in and out from the window without my neighbor needing to budge. Editorial Disclaimer: 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. (You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards with cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.). Its first flight from the US would be from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG), and we knew we had to be on it. Oddly, there were packets of butter and jam on the tray as well, but there wasn’t any bread served with this meal. 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. The detailed moving map was fully functional, though, and made it easy to follow along with the flight. Overall, I found the seats to be pleasant. Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. United 777-200 Premium Plus Lavatory Premium Plus passengers use the lavatory behind their cabin in economy class. I was also thrilled to see that dedicated air vents were available, making it easy to cool down in an otherwise warm cabin. Even though it was so last-minute, we were able to book this flight with miles at the saver rate. It turned out that the gate crew wasn’t able to get in contact with the United maintenance team. The carrier plans on letting you book Premium Plus with miles, but it’s still unclear what those rates will be. I've read that the Indian/Hindu meals are usually the better meals on United. I had heard good things about legroom at the bulkhead, so I grabbed 20L, a window seat on the starboard side. Storage was incredibly limited, however — aside from the literature pocket above, all I had was a small compartment to the side of the seat. We transferred the required points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United, which converted at a 1:1 ratio, for the reservation. Obviously you’ll want to redeem fewer miles and fly in Polaris in this case. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Cash fares were reasonable, though — for $1,322, I scored a Premium Plus seat on the outbound, and a “W” economy fare back to Newark, which I confirmed in Polaris using a Premier 1K Global Premier Upgrade (GPU) right away. 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.”. The food sounded nice. There was also a full bar where you could order complimentary beer, wine and spirits. Later in the flight, the same flight attendant came through with cups of water. Pros: superb IFE and comfortable seats I could stretch out and sleep in. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. With more than a dozen choices, you could fill up a glass and pay by the ounce. UA does not have a premium economy seat. United S Premium Economy Goes On Today Business Traveller. It’s up to the pilots to enable it, though, and unfortunately they must have decided to keep it off for this flight. 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. United apparently told flight attendants that they can offer a pre-departure water service in Premium Plus if time permits — and time definitely seemed to permit on this flight, though we were never offered a drink. Going forward, if an upgrade isn’t available to confirm at booking, my strategy will likely be to purchase a seat in Premium Plus then apply a GPU to waitlist for biz. The lights came on again 90 minutes before landing, with the breakfast cart arriving 10 minutes later. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Row 20 did in fact offer a ton of extra legroom, and turned out to be a great pick, even though there wasn’t any floor storage during taxi, takeoff and landing. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. Wine, beer and alcoholic beverages are included, so I asked for a Scotch and sparkling water to start. They are pretty similar to domestic first class seats and are pretty much identical to American’s and Delta’s new premium economy seats. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. I grabbed 21K, an aisle seat. Premium economy is rolling out on reconfigured 777-200s, 777-300ERs, and the new 787-10. 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. Another crew member shouted from the aisle to lower the in-flight entertainment display, rather than coming over to tell us politely — if she’d done that, she probably would have noticed the water sitting out, too. Boeing 777-200 (777) Version 1 (50/226) Version 2 (28/336) Version 3 (28/336) Version 4 (32/330) Seat map (50/226) Interior specifications. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. In the bulkhead, the screen popped out of the armrest; it was in the seatback headrests for the other two rows. Sitting upright was quite comfortable too. April Fools! In fact, I wrote most of this review during the flight without too much frustration, including uploading almost all of the photos you see here — which is certainly more than I’d been able to do with Panasonic Wi-Fi in the past. Unfortunately, United is converting more of their 777 to 3-4-3 in economy. The new seats will be present on most 777s and all their brand new 787-10 aircraft. The Premium Plus section was cordoned off into its own minicabin, making me feel a little like I had more privacy. 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. No pictures? Then, after no updates for another hour, the captain came back on. Since row 20 is against the bulkhead, my IFE display folded out from the center console, and couldn’t be used during taxi, takeoff and landing. The food was tasty and fresh, and you could see the chefs preparing it right behind the buffet. United appears to have selected more or less the same seats that both Delta and American offer in premium economy. It’s been owned by United since 1998, when Boeing delivered it to the airline. Even with the discount, I don’t think it’s worth it, though. 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. For now, the premium-economy product will only be available on United 777s flying select international routes. 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. Review United Airlines 777 200 Premium … 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. United calls its new product Premium Plus, but there wasn't anything premium about the service, with the crew simply treating the forward three rows as an extension of the economy cabin. 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. After finally nabbing a seat, I moseyed over to the buffet and filled a plate with a healthy portion of veggies. I just had such a hard time getting comfortable — the seat didn’t recline enough, the leg rest was a joke and the pillow was too small to provide much support. (This feature, unique to United and known as Channel 9, wasn’t working for me, although the IFE did warn me that it would be limited on transatlantic flights.) Summer travel season brings hordes of tourists to Paris, and our flight was no exception. The touchscreen was responsive and passed the TPG IFE test (of which I am the proud inventor) since no furious tapping was needed to select my entertainment. I’ve flown a few other premium-economy products, and this seat definitely beats Air France’s. Other US carriers Like United, American Airlines ’ and Delta ’s premium economy services offers 19-inch-wide seats (actually, Delta’s are 18.5 inches) with lots of legroom, amenity kits, free alcoholic beverages, and meals served on fancier plate ware. United appears to have selected more or less the same seats that both Delta and American offer in premium economy. See, United elites are able to select those seats free of charge, gives expanded access to United award availability, Saks Fifth Avenue bedding (like in Polaris business class), 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. It did cut out for about three hours as we approached the North Pole, however, which is to expected given the lack of satellite coverage there. 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. 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. Had I known there’d be sorbet on the way, I would have saved my cookie for later. American Airlines Premium Economy Routes are international, Hawaii and Alaska flights. What is included in United Premium Plus? Seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, compared with 2-3-2 on the Dreamliner and 2-2-2 on the 767. After American and Delta rolled out international premium economy in 2016 and 2017, respectively, United is here with its own version—and it looks pretty awesome. While this wasn’t the real Premium Plus dining experience, I was happy with my economy meal service. While the presentation didn’t quite match what you’d get in Polaris, the dishware was very similar. Price-wise, though, Qantas’s premium economy is more expensive relative to economy — running at nearly three times the cost. 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. Additionally, this 777 had 50 Polaris seats and 202 in economy — a drop from the 242 coach seats in the two-cabin configuration. Without menus to reference, we were told the options were an omelet or cereal — again, the entree was presented in foil. They have an economy plus seat which might give you up to 5" more legroom. Boarding was slated for 2:25pm — after a short 10-minute delay, we were on our way. The flight attendant looked for a second, saw a bourbon and handed me that. So it will be bad for us peasants and nice for those who can afford it or have the status to upgrade. 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. A few weeks ago, I was flying United direct from San Francisco to Hong Kong. I easily fell asleep and snoozed in this position for hours. I asked if there were any other Scotch options, since I had seen Glenfarclas listed on the sample menu. You’ll still find middle seats in the Premium Plus cabin. American Airlines Premium Economy 777-200 Cabin Premium Economy Cabin Verdict Cons: Wi-Fi was abysmally slow. Over the weekend, we found that the first aircraft to be retrofitted with Premium Plus had finally been completed. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. I used the lavatory twice during the flight and both times it was clean. The roll wasn’t heated up, either, and the cookie — the same available in business class — was stale. Although not massive, that’s a significant boost over economy’s 17-inch width. Those who aren’t elites will be able to reserve a Premier Plus seat with regular Economy Plus pricing. Since I was an Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholder, I had access to the Centurion Lounge at SFO. That means that the seats are about 19 inches wide. 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. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. That means that the seats are about 19 inches wide. …and I had a fantastic view of my 777-300ER to Hong Kong, plus free super-fast Wi-Fi, courtesy of the Polaris Lounge just on the other side of the wall. The seats will a 2-4-2 configuration in rows 20-22. All of the programming began with a Bonvoy ad, believe it or not — the same one that aired during the Super Bowl — but you could skip ahead easily enough. She was offering water, though, and gruffly barked “yes or no” — as in, are you taking a cup of water, because that’s what we’ve got. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. United Airlines initially rolled out its Premium Plus option on its Boeing 777-200s (V5), with the premium economy seats eventually becoming available on the carriers’ 777-300ERs, 787-10s, and 767-300ERs (V3).