Houminer

Off the topic of LY but I believe that the FT's on this board might have the best answer.

Which is worse in Y - UA TLV-EWR or AC TLV-YYZ?

Thanks

joshwex90

Assuming the following factors are irrelevant: price, connections, status/FFP, and YYZ versus EWR, then here's my take:

• Seat comfort is a wash
• UA has better seating options with E+ (caveat: because it costs money to non-Premiers, you have the reverse that in "E-," it's more packed than on AC)
• AC has better IFE
• UA has slightly better Kosher food ex-NA (both are equal ex-TLV)
• In-flight service depends on the crew

Overall, I would prefer UA because I'm used to them and know their ins and outs, assuming those are all you care about. The above factors though may play a significant influence

clubman

Although I haven't tried it myself I know there are terrible reviews of AC's Y on the 787 (as with BA too).

simba8

I havent flown UA, but I have flown the AC flight in Y.

• Seat comfort- The aisles are slim. Leg room is fine. Issues with their armrests being tiny, shared, and the buttons can be pressed easily by accident. I find the seats to be too narrow. Anyone with a medium to large frame may not find the seats to be comfortable since you are squished in your seats. The seating configuration of 3 3 3 is not so great for a 10+ hour flight when you have to get up multiple times to move around for other people every time someone needs to get up etc. It is tolerable-and not bad- just not comfortable.
• Food- I have low expectations for food onboard a flight these days-I didn't particularly notice a difference in food between LY and AC.
• Service- IMO- AC provides a great international flight service compared to US based airlines(could be a bias that I have).
• Aircraft- Its new, clean, mood lighting or whatever didn't really notice. Very quite. No empty space to gather or chat or anything with anyone else on the flight.
• IFE - Nice. Lots of options.
• Preboarding- Zoned. And pretty strict about it as well.

IM not sure what Aircraft UA flies so I cant compare it really.
Not that this matters to your question, but the AC flight is faster than the LY flight from YYZ

sand372

Flown both a few times, I think what people said is basically it...
Almost the same, I am a big guy and for some reason don't remember AC being so tight.
I think Economy plus and Wifi is the big plus on UA side...
AC is of course the 787...

Simba8: Are you sure about the 3-4-3? I remember 3-3-3 and also saw the same on Seatguru and i don't think it's possible to have 3-4-3 on the 787...

simba8

I stand corrected- 3:3:3:
Made the correction, thank you!

joshwex90

I have yet to do AC on the 787. My comments were about AC in general before the 787, and everything but seat comfort should be the same. IFE remains the same on AC

Houminer

Thank you everyone for the replies.
I have A3*G and no status on AC or UA.

What are the chances of paying for E+ at check in?
I guess the price is higher for AC than UA since this is premium economy.

simba8

Premium economy on ac is very nice. It is pricey. I believe you could "upgrade" at check in, but the cost would be substantial as its a different fare class, and not the same as an upgrade fee to lets say a preferred seat in Y (which is nice leg space).

yul36

You can often find E and N discounted PY on AC very reasonable priced, often less expensive than the higher tiers of Y. UA is flying the sCO 777-224s on the route. IFE choice on those planes is excellent. E+ is not unreasonable for the up-tic. . AC 787 IFE is newer and Hi Def, but choice is not as good. You can buy the better Y seats at time of booking, if interested. These are the bulkheads and exit rows. Kosher food on AC is way better from Canada than UA from the US where to call it dog food would be insulting to the canine world.
My friends who fly LY 3 or 4 times a year complain about the lack of lie J lie-flat from YYZ. They say the Y experience has a lot to do with the crew. Personally I would prefer the 2-3-2 config of LY but since I am *Gold not likely I would fly them.

benberg2013

Have you tried getting a status challenge with UA? Show them your A3 gold card, they should give you gold for 3 month, and if you get 12,500 EQM within those 3 months, they will let you keep the gold status.
http://statusmatcher.com/company/united-airlines

joshwex90

Considering you have *G but no status with either of them, then the FF perks should mean little in terms of choosing one over the other.

Depending on the fare you're on, you may have better earning options, but I doubt it.

You can pay for E+ on UA from booking. The more you wait, the less likely you'll be to get it because at T-24, UA silvers get it for free and will take the available seats. This is one benefit over AC though, the option at all, as it will be substantially cheaper than PE. BUT, all you're getting is a few extra inches of legroom. There is no increased level of service.

UA won't match *G. You need OW or ST status (or status from an unaffiliated airline)

sds1493

But OP could of course match A3 to a not *A airline, and match that to UA.

joshwex90

That used to work. Now, not as well. They require a list of recent flying, so matching A3 to another program may show status but not flying activity.
UA also doesn't match "promotional status."

entropy

If you want Premium Economy vs. E+, PE is way better (essentially domestic F seats).

otherwise, both Y's are no fun for 12 hours.