agjil

Hello,

I am flying SEA-IAD on a 10:40 pm departure red-eye flight in a few days.
The flight was booked by my employer, and somehow I ended up with booking class Y.
Since I have a Y fare class, I'm debating whether to upgrade to F using miles.
I don't have a lot of UA miles, but I have plenty of AC miles, and from the star alliance upgrade award chart for AC, I see I need to spend 10K miles to upgrade a Y fare class to F for this route.
Do you think it's worth the upgrade for 10K miles?
The deciding factor for me is the ability to sleep.
The plane is a 737-900: would I be able to get much better sleep in the F seats compared to the Y seats?
They're both reclining seats, so I'm skeptical F will help me getting better sleep, but I'd like to ask the UA ffs.
Also, just out of curiosity, does UA offer any kind of food service in F on red-eye flights?

MatthewLAX

Yes, I think the difference is quite substantial, even though you certainly will just have a "domestic first" seat. I would pay the 10K.

pizzabox

Definitely go with the 10K miles, really cheap and you'll get at least 2875 miles back for Y + any elite bonuses. Lucky that you got booked in Y by your employer! The additional miles + copay for non elites are really high on lower tier economy fares. As far as food, just a snack on transcon according to UA app on the flight. I took HNL-LAX red eye 739 in F, slept through everything but some crazy turbulence in the middle of it.

cmculp

We assume you are not a United elite as the Y would be an instant upgrade (assuming availability). You will sleep much better in F - the 737-900s are not that comfortable in back (and occasionally have no E+ if recently put in service). If you get a brand new 737-900, you won't have any entertainment either.

In the old days (pre-complementary premier upgrades), I seldom upgraded the east-bound red-eyes unless I had E-500s expiring. You will sleep better in F, but I slept plenty well enough in Y.

There is always a snack in F on this flight. Something just shy of a full meal. Last week was a cold chicken plate. And, of course, plenty of so-so wine.

And - you might get a good TOD buy-up offer.... if so, post it.

PV_Premier

10k miles is a respectable value for t-con redeye. add me to the list of yes voters.

personally (if allowed by your employer) i would also call in and ask about the upfare to discounted F. it might not be that much $$ and if your employer doesn't have a policy against it you can just pay that out of pocket and it might be a better value.

scosprey

If it's anything like LAX--IAD's redeye food in mid-June of this year, look out. It's a crappy cold plate--that certainly isn't what you should expect--for even domestic first class. (See my post#802 under the "Let's Eat..." thread.) I've even written Customer Care after I got back about how bad it is. Apparently, other posters wrote, they've been serving up this c%€p for years. I was in 2A on a 75. I slept maybe 2 1/2 hours total. Should have gone with 4A, or 4D. Will know better on next redeye. Flight left LAX at 11:15.

sh76us

I find a bulkhead or exit E+ window seat almost as good for sleeping as domestic F. But I'm assuming you're not premier or you'd get a Y-up, so E+ is an extra fee. If the other choice is an E- seat, then 10k for F is a no-brainer, IMO.

lovenola

I would without thinking twice

Duke787

Agree with this. Provided you aren't in an E+ seat (bulkhead / exit row / window) it's worth it. That being said don't expect that being in F is going to make a huge difference in your quality / ability to sleep. The actual F seat is definitely a big improvement over Y, and on daytime flights having the extra space is quite welcome, but for domestic redeyes it's going to be rough no matter where you are and while the extra space is nice it doesn't do much in the way of providing you great sleeping space (read it's not a barcalounger or a lie-flat). The flight isn't long enough for full sleep cycles and you still have to find a way to sleep in a reclining seat, though you can get some free wine to help with that.

kmfdm91

I vote for 'no'...assuming you aren't stuck in a center seat in E- now.

The cold plate is a joke, as is service in F (you'll probably get just as good FAs if not better in Y - if you are awake)...

The seats on the 737s are very uncomfortable, but I'd rather take a seat in Y/E+, drink a beer or two and fall asleep.

I value 10k RDM too much to waste it on a red-eye upgrade (even transcon). I'd rather use those 10k RDMs for a fun (nicely routed) 700mile trip - say DCA-ORD-YUL than for a cold plate of food and surly service with free drinks and TV (if you are lucky).

If it was on a widebody (yeah right with COdbaUA) or the PMCO 752 flat beds, but on this jet - I'd say - keep the 10k.

-jeremy

Mats

I've flown in Economy Plus and first on this flight. I've slept in both, but first has these advantages:

1. It's usually quieter. Screaming tends to be limited to the main cabin... Unless a poor kid is really having a rough flight (and his or her parents are no doubt having an even rougher time.) Noise-canceling headphones or earplugs are a must for either cabin.

2. It's usually darker sooner. Although an eye mask helps, the lights often go out sooner in first class.

3. The seats aren't great, but you'll have a blanket. Bring a pillow if you like. You'll still be able to stretch out. Think of it as very good economy class on a very good day.

4. Boarding is easier. I pack very lightly, but I've never had to check a carry-on when flying up front.

10,000 miles is worth it to me, especially if there is any uncertainty about scoring Economy Plus.

leonidas

I would definitely do it for 10k miles.

fly747first

^^^^^^^^

GBadger

Put me in the "no" camp. I sleep just as well in E+ as I do in F (and sometimes even better). The food is nothing to write home about, and assuming you can sleep, the flight will be over without noticing it in either case.

halls120

Same here. I can sleep in domestic F. I can't sleep in domestic Y unless I get three open seats across.