Originally Posted by
truncated
Be careful when booking NH from the west coast: LAX/SFO-NRT is operated by their 3-4-3 77Ws, only LAX-HND is 9-across (2-4-3) for now. Of course UA's SFO-NRT is the 10-across 77W and LAX-NRT is the 9-across 789, so they're as bad as NH if not worse, but this kinda reduces the difference between the two airlines, especially with E+.
Overall though — NH will have significantly better food and service, UA has wifi and much better IFE selection, seat will be a wash unless you're on LAX-HND, but getting *G and E+ on UA might swing it for me (especially if you can get SFO-HND on the 772)...
Oh interesting. LAX-HND (NH105/6) is the flight I was looking at. The midnight departure is slightly better than LAX-NRT in terms of fighting traffic. I didn't realize they used different seat configurations.
SeatGuru claims the 2-4-3 config is still 16.5" seat width though. Is that just a mislabeling from the 3-4-3 config?
Originally Posted by
pushmyredbutton
Based on the OP's reasons for wanting to go with UA for *G and E+, I'd say these reasons alone are enough to pick UA. I've done both NH/UA TPAC multiple times, and I've grown to appreciate flying UA more. You're right that the service generally tends to be better on NH, but in Economy, I don't really find that matters much anyway. Economy food is about equal, and UA has a superior beer selection if you appreciate that. Plus with E+ access, UA is the clear winner with space. I find the AVOD to be better on UA too. Oh, and I usually find the NH cabins uncomfortably hot and stuffy.
I flew UA1/2 last month and found the service and food decent enough. I liked the chicken and rice dish at least. Plus earning *G gets me into United Clubs; I fly through SFO enough that it probably beats sitting in front of Peet's for two hours each time.
Seems like most people here are leaning UA, so I'll probably stick with that (or maybe put my parents on NH and fly UA myself?)