bocastephen

Depends on the aircraft...

PMUA 747 upper deck - much better than AC
PMCO 777 business first - much better than AC
PMUA 777/747LD - probably the same or worse than AC

Keep in mind UA has far more IFE options on their system than AC, and the food in Business is better by a mile.

PLeblond

On what planet do you live???

HerpaYvr

Not sure why people are complaining about the HD seats as Calvin continues to say that this strategy has been very successful for the AC turnaround and now all of the 787-900 will be HD to make routes more profitable.

Because people buy these tickets they must be enjoying this experience

All of the HD seats is simply motivating me to loose weight which is good and perhaps look at surgically altering my physical body to better accommodate these seats, now that's loyalty!!!

Spot planes

I have 2 families (7 members altogether) just flew AC's B77P HD from HKG to YVR. Their last experience flying AC HKG-YVR was the old B77W, so they expected the same. I have never heard them complaint about AC seats until this time. They swear those seats were the WORST seats ever and swear not to fly AC again.

They brought AC tickets because they did not know about the B77P HD seats. Now AC lost 7 more pax to CX.

AC HD seats are still new to AC, once people find out, I am sure those will flock to better products offered by the competition.

gglave

They're not enjoying the experience, they're just unwilling to pay for a better experience.

Dorian

Don't listen to the above, it is flat out wrong.

rankourabu

You are posting this deep in AC loyalist territory.
Remember, AC is the best airline in North America.

Dont bother.

Dorian

Oh come on....those were insane comparisons. I literally laughed out loud.

yul36

Is not! I have flown on all of both carriers aircraft and other than the food which is average on both in my opinion the Pmco aircraft win hands down.

Transpacificflyer

I can only comment on the Asian routes and I disagree vehemently.
I consider the UA B777 2-4-2 config a ripoff and I assume the 4 seats is where UA sticks its upgrade coupon pax. Nothing is worse than being squashed in that row. I had the misfortune of looking back on those poor suckers on a few flights. My experience with F class on UA out of ORD was depressing. It was no better than J on AC. AC food was superior to UA on all of my flights. If you ever had the UA dried out entrees on the Asian flights you will understand my opinion. The only thing better on UA is the wine. The IFE is no better than AC's, although the Japanese routes did offer a wider selection of Asian films than found on AC.

I am unhappy with AC, but as much as I criticize the airline, I try to be fair. It is ridiculous to compare the garbage offered by UA to AC. IMO UA is a 2*- 2 1/2* airline and it caters to a clientele who haven't a clue as to quality, and are afraid of anything that isn't produced in an institutional kitchen specializing in saturated fat, sodium, imitation flavours and mystery ingredients. UA might as well contract out its catering to Jack in the Box or Popeye's Fried Chicken. I anticipate that one day UA will offer a hotdog casserole with jello pudding cups to its J class pax and call it "retro gourmet" dining.

AA_EXP09

where would UA put their I class PAX then?

margarita girl

I've only flown in UA J using upgrade certs and since I'm upgraded several months ahead of time, I can pick whatever seat I want, and have never had the misfortune of sitting in those 4 middle seats. I hate the 2-4-2 configuration but the seats are far more comfortable even in the upright position than any AC seats. I always wake up with aches and pains after sleeping in an AC pod. Not so on UA flat beds.

The Asian vegetarian food on UA is outstanding. I would say their economy AVML is better than what I get in J on AC.

I have no delusions about UA being anything but a mediocre airline, but they seem to recognize that too. I get what I pay for, unlike some other airlines.

why fly

No hes not? UA 747 upper deck is light years ahead of AC seats! ^
you need to get out and try other airlines

RCyyz

My $0.02 on UA J vs AC J:

• As others point out, the 2-4-2 config on UA is pitiful vs the 1-2-1 on AC. I also find the front / back seating on UA detracts from a feeling of privacy.
• UA IFE is way better than AC. I rarely use AC IFE because I find there's nothing interesting. I almost always use UA IFE.
• UA 747 upper deck is something I like very much. It's a much better 2-2 config upstairs and I like being up in the hump.
• UA J seats are still on the narrow side, but nowhere near as tight as AC pods which I find are just downright squishy around the shoulders and in the foot rest.
• AC food is OK, UA food is OK too. In general I somewhat prefer UA food but it's not a huge difference. That said, the UA ice cream sundaes are a fun treat that I always enjoy.
• Upgrading on UA carries the usual R-space challenges, but at least it's do-able in a consistent fashion unlike AC where you pay big bucks for a Flex fare with no guarantee that you'll get anything other than a seat in the back of the bus.
• UA J fares are often less than AC J fares. Sure there's the inevitable transfer in the US, but that's typically a small thing compared to the price difference.

One other point with UA - buy a J fare (or even a P or Z fare) and subject to availability you can upgrade to F using points. Granted UA F is nothing compared to a real F product, but it's much better than UA J and AC J as well. The UA F pods are quite nice with lots of space both for sitting / sleeping and for storing your bits (iPad, iPod, headphone etc).

Clipper801

The only thing that I don't like about UA 747 upper deck is the size of the overhead bin. It would not fit a standard size cabin trolley bag. You have to leave it in the closet at the landing as one climbs up the stairs.