One of the best airplane meals in domestic J I’ve had was on a 2 hour flight from SYD to LST. Was a cheap upgrade too (about A$250). VA also runs great lounges.
Downsides? I liked QF a bit better for last minute business travel, generally more flexible and less strict about last minute changes. But UA’s connections to domestic QF flights seem to always be really bad.
I also liked crediting DL flights to VA as the status points accrued quickly with Comfort+ or domestic First Class DL tickets.
Overall this is great news for UA flyers especially who want to get to places like BNE, MCY… or like LST or BWT.