Observations on CO vs. UA mid-con F product
Jan 19, 2011, 4:55 pm
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Observations on CO vs. UA mid-con F product
Had my first mid-con flight in UA F in several years and thought I'd post a few observations on the product compared to CO's as I know there are plenty of people on this board that are taking more UA flights these days.
Flight was ~8am LGA-DEN on a 752 (24 seats in F). Key observations:
- UDU cleared at 72hrs on a very cheap fare
- LGA departure process is pretty painless (lounge is good, no line at security) until you get to the gates themselves - several flights leaving from a very small area = almost stepping over people to get to the red carpet
- No offer to hang coats until the very end of the boarding process because they couldn't find the hangers. By then, most people had already stuffed theirs into the overhead bins.
- Water / orange juice offered pre-departure (doesn't make a difference compared to CO's policy for morning flights like this)
- Seats are, in a word, awful. The under-seat storage space is very small compared to the CO seats. The seat pitch certainly seems a lot smaller than CO's 737s or 753s, and the seats recline to such an extent that if your neighbour in front reclines fully there is literally no room to move. You can't reach your bag at your feet, and you would have to perform serious acrobatics to get out of your seat. I looked around to make sure this wasn't just a problem with my seat and saw several other people with a similar predicament.
- The other issue with the seat is that they are extremely low. The headrest, even in the fully raised position, digs straight into your back. I'm not particularly tall (5'11) so this must affect most people.
- Breakfast was close to inedible. There was a block of something egg-related that had an overpowering taste of butter, and some dried out sausages. A tiny bowl of fruit was on the side, and a yoghurt. The FA came around with a nicely presented tray of croissants, handed one over with tongs, and I discovered that they were stone cold and almost stale. Certainly not what I was expecting.
- IFE is standard for a UA 757, old-school monitors over the centre aisle. Very poor picture quality.
Overall the experience was very mediocre. We left on time, and arrived 25min early, so I have no complaints about that, but there is a huge gap between the CO and UA products on routes like this. It will certainly be interesting to see how this is reconciled in the coming year.
Hopefully people find this useful!
Flight was ~8am LGA-DEN on a 752 (24 seats in F). Key observations:
- UDU cleared at 72hrs on a very cheap fare
- LGA departure process is pretty painless (lounge is good, no line at security) until you get to the gates themselves - several flights leaving from a very small area = almost stepping over people to get to the red carpet
- No offer to hang coats until the very end of the boarding process because they couldn't find the hangers. By then, most people had already stuffed theirs into the overhead bins.
- Water / orange juice offered pre-departure (doesn't make a difference compared to CO's policy for morning flights like this)
- Seats are, in a word, awful. The under-seat storage space is very small compared to the CO seats. The seat pitch certainly seems a lot smaller than CO's 737s or 753s, and the seats recline to such an extent that if your neighbour in front reclines fully there is literally no room to move. You can't reach your bag at your feet, and you would have to perform serious acrobatics to get out of your seat. I looked around to make sure this wasn't just a problem with my seat and saw several other people with a similar predicament.
- The other issue with the seat is that they are extremely low. The headrest, even in the fully raised position, digs straight into your back. I'm not particularly tall (5'11) so this must affect most people.
- Breakfast was close to inedible. There was a block of something egg-related that had an overpowering taste of butter, and some dried out sausages. A tiny bowl of fruit was on the side, and a yoghurt. The FA came around with a nicely presented tray of croissants, handed one over with tongs, and I discovered that they were stone cold and almost stale. Certainly not what I was expecting.
- IFE is standard for a UA 757, old-school monitors over the centre aisle. Very poor picture quality.
Overall the experience was very mediocre. We left on time, and arrived 25min early, so I have no complaints about that, but there is a huge gap between the CO and UA products on routes like this. It will certainly be interesting to see how this is reconciled in the coming year.
Hopefully people find this useful!
Jan 19, 2011, 5:01 pm
#2
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Very useful. I will be on UA for the first time in Feb., connecting in DEN to LAX from PHL. If I am lucky enough to snag an upgrade, I will miss the warm cinnamon rolls!
Jan 19, 2011, 7:43 pm
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LGA is great (my home airport) - but it can be a bit hectic at the gate.
I think most of us (UA vs. CO flyers) will agree to disagree on the F seat issue. I have no issue at 5'11" with a fully raised headrest - I actually bring it down a bit. I like the ability to tilt it and to move the wings - something sorely missing on the CO seat.
Call me crazy, but I had just as much trouble getting out of a CO F seat by the window when the ones in front were reclined. Probably due to the fact that UA's aren't an upright 90 degrees when you first sit in them! And I've never heard of anyone complain about underseat storage space in UA F
No one will disagree with you on the food - as I've said all along, that's one of the best aspects of the merger, UA's food being brought up to CO standards (assuming $misek doesn't make a mistake with this one).
I think most of us (UA vs. CO flyers) will agree to disagree on the F seat issue. I have no issue at 5'11" with a fully raised headrest - I actually bring it down a bit. I like the ability to tilt it and to move the wings - something sorely missing on the CO seat.
Call me crazy, but I had just as much trouble getting out of a CO F seat by the window when the ones in front were reclined. Probably due to the fact that UA's aren't an upright 90 degrees when you first sit in them! And I've never heard of anyone complain about underseat storage space in UA F
No one will disagree with you on the food - as I've said all along, that's one of the best aspects of the merger, UA's food being brought up to CO standards (assuming $misek doesn't make a mistake with this one).
Jan 19, 2011, 7:58 pm
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I hope UA's service and presentation standards stick around, though (nut ramekins, tray linens, no drink charges).
Jan 19, 2011, 8:28 pm
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Just my opinion, as a 1K..
I suppose you could say the same about IAH. When I was there last month, it was pretty crazy.
Happens occasionally. On 9/10 flights that I take, coats are always hung. FWIW, the crew on my CO MCO-IAH did not hang coats for any of the pax in F.
+1
When I flew CO, they did ask what we wanted, rather than just saying OJ or water. I'd love to see PDB become the pax choice, rather than OJ or water..
Compared to the CO 753 seat, I would much rather take the UA seat. I had no padding, a broken headrest (that did not move up), and a general feeling of sitting in CO Y.
I've heard many people talk about the headrest. I am 6' 1", and have never had any problems with the UA headrest. For me, they are extremely comfortable. I do dislike having to lower it for take-off and arrival, but that's such a short amount of time, that it's not too much of a bother.
I do give CO a +.5 on this issue. The "breakfast sandwich" that I had was on such a small bagel, that I was surprised that it qualified to be a breakfast item.. The hot cinamon roll was excellent, and I do hope that Chelsea takes over some of the UA catering..
Seems like CO has the same issues. On the 753, we had tiny screens with very poor quality. I could barely see the picture from the one that was two rows from me. IIRC, they are much smaller than the UA CRTs..
Seems pretty similar the service I got on CO.. No "life" from any of the FAs. They were probably the least friendly people that I have ever met. Compare that to the wonderful UA FAs that smile.
When I flew CO, they did ask what we wanted, rather than just saying OJ or water. I'd love to see PDB become the pax choice, rather than OJ or water..
- Seats are, in a word, awful. The under-seat storage space is very small compared to the CO seats. The seat pitch certainly seems a lot smaller than CO's 737s or 753s, and the seats recline to such an extent that if your neighbour in front reclines fully there is literally no room to move. You can't reach your bag at your feet, and you would have to perform serious acrobatics to get out of your seat. I looked around to make sure this wasn't just a problem with my seat and saw several other people with a similar predicament.
- Breakfast was close to inedible. There was a block of something egg-related that had an overpowering taste of butter, and some dried out sausages. A tiny bowl of fruit was on the side, and a yoghurt. The FA came around with a nicely presented tray of croissants, handed one over with tongs, and I discovered that they were stone cold and almost stale. Certainly not what I was expecting.
Overall the experience was very mediocre. We left on time, and arrived 25min early, so I have no complaints about that, but there is a huge gap between the CO and UA products on routes like this. It will certainly be interesting to see how this is reconciled in the coming year.
Hopefully people find this useful!
Hopefully people find this useful!
Jan 19, 2011, 9:55 pm
#6
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Yeah... sounds like a UA 757 . You could've just described the SFO-OGG flight (exact same equipment is used on that route)... United First on a non-p.s. 757 does feel a bit cramped. However, the seats are far more comfortable once you move that headrest up away from your shoulders.
I can't count how many times I've been served that breakfast. The eggs are okay though IMO (considering this is airplane food). If I haven't had protein in the morning, this omelet will definitely suffice. The sausage does look terrible. The potatoes, okay for airplane food. I like having a bowl of fruit though and yogurt is also provided. Overall the food is meh, but it's tolerable if you have low expectations.
The only domestic route on United that I really care about being upgraded on is the p.s. route (JFK-SFO or JFK-LAX). The food is significantly better, and the seats are last generation comfy business class recliners with insane amounts of pitch. United First is a slight step above p.s. United Business, but mainly for the more private cabin and purser (and slant lie-flats). JFK crews are top-notch.
As a UA 1K, I really look forward to trying out CO's domestic first product. I've heard good and bad. I have flown CO EWR-PVG in BusinessFirst though, and I'm very impressed. I really hope we all end up with the best of both airlines. Have low expectations and remain hopeful.
. You could've just described the SFO-OGG flight (exact same equipment is used on that route)... United First on a non-p.s. 757 does feel a bit cramped. However, the seats are far more comfortable once you move that headrest up away from your shoulders.I can't count how many times I've been served that breakfast. The eggs are okay though IMO (considering this is airplane food). If I haven't had protein in the morning, this omelet will definitely suffice. The sausage does look terrible. The potatoes, okay for airplane food. I like having a bowl of fruit though and yogurt is also provided. Overall the food is meh, but it's tolerable if you have low expectations.
The only domestic route on United that I really care about being upgraded on is the p.s. route (JFK-SFO or JFK-LAX). The food is significantly better, and the seats are last generation comfy business class recliners with insane amounts of pitch. United First is a slight step above p.s. United Business, but mainly for the more private cabin and purser (and slant lie-flats). JFK crews are top-notch.
As a UA 1K, I really look forward to trying out CO's domestic first product. I've heard good and bad. I have flown CO EWR-PVG in BusinessFirst though, and I'm very impressed. I really hope we all end up with the best of both airlines. Have low expectations and remain hopeful.
Jan 19, 2011, 10:01 pm
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Good! It wasn't sold for tens of dollars.
I have never had my coat hung on a CO flight.
I find the UA seats more comfortable. Not a full 90 degree upright and a bit more plush. I have never heard a complaint before this about UA underseat room either.
UA breakfasts aren't the greatest. If you want a good breakfast, fly Air Canadia.
Agreed. CO offers higher quality meals, but UA offers a bit more in meal quantity. Hopefully $mi$ek merges the two into a change we will like.
- Seats are, in a word, awful. The under-seat storage space is very small compared to the CO seats. The seat pitch certainly seems a lot smaller than CO's 737s or 753s, and the seats recline to such an extent that if your neighbour in front reclines fully there is literally no room to move. You can't reach your bag at your feet, and you would have to perform serious acrobatics to get out of your seat. I looked around to make sure this wasn't just a problem with my seat and saw several other people with a similar predicament.
- The other issue with the seat is that they are extremely low. The headrest, even in the fully raised position, digs straight into your back. I'm not particularly tall (5'11) so this must affect most people.
- The other issue with the seat is that they are extremely low. The headrest, even in the fully raised position, digs straight into your back. I'm not particularly tall (5'11) so this must affect most people.
- Breakfast was close to inedible. There was a block of something egg-related that had an overpowering taste of butter, and some dried out sausages. A tiny bowl of fruit was on the side, and a yoghurt. The FA came around with a nicely presented tray of croissants, handed one over with tongs, and I discovered that they were stone cold and almost stale. Certainly not what I was expecting.
It depends on the length of the haul. CO's food tends to be better on longer hauls. On shorter hauls, I find that UA does better (UA hot sandwich vs. CO cold plate, or UA snack basket vs. CO pretzels).
I hope UA's service and presentation standards stick around, though (nut ramekins, tray linens, no drink charges).
I hope UA's service and presentation standards stick around, though (nut ramekins, tray linens, no drink charges).
Jan 20, 2011, 12:53 am
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But since you mention it - IAH B - sure. IAH C or E - definitely not. Seriously - if you want cheerful FAs - don't fly any legacy US airlines. Fly VX. I've yet to meet a wonderful UA FA that smiles though - he/she must be out there somewhere!
Quick, the bandwagon is leaving ^As a relevant data point, for my CO EWR-DEN flight CO is offering me a "tens of dollars" upgrade for the bargain price of $394.
Out of how many flights? I can remember one or two flights ever where my coat wasn't hung on a CO flight. We all have our experiences
Jan 20, 2011, 12:55 am
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You said that you "Hopefully people find this useful!", so I was just pointing out a few things.. Not trying to start a UA/CO bashing thread.. We have enough of those
Jan 20, 2011, 12:57 am
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Jan 20, 2011, 2:45 am
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It depends on the length of the haul. CO's food tends to be better on longer hauls. On shorter hauls, I find that UA does better (UA hot sandwich vs. CO cold plate, or UA snack basket vs. CO pretzels).
I hope UA's service and presentation standards stick around, though (nut ramekins, tray linens, no drink charges).
I hope UA's service and presentation standards stick around, though (nut ramekins, tray linens, no drink charges).
I agree, UA does have a better First class product compared to CO Business First.
Jan 20, 2011, 7:41 am
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Jan 25, 2011, 12:30 am
#13
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In the past 3 weeks I have flown 8 segments in CO F and 5 in UA F... Well one UA flight was on a 777 in J...
On CO the F seats I am using to compare are the 737s and for UA the 757s..
My observations...
Seat
UA F seat blows CO's seat for me... For CO, I have to slouch a little to find the sweet spot, because the top part curves towards to you, so for a tall person like me my back is against the part that curves towards you... Not comfortable.
UA's F seat the back is much softer compared to CO's and the headrest is a lot nicer... The only downside to the UA F seat is when the headrest is down, but I never had any issues with the FA when my headrest is up.
Recline on both seats are the same, however UA's seat is more comfortable than CO when the seat is in the upright position, which is nice particularly when you have to put your seat up for arrival.
UA's tray table SUCKS... It just flaps all over the place, because it does not use the middle armrest as a foundation or support and often the tray table is not level... Most of the time mine is slanted from front to back and on one flight I thought my drink was gonna slide off of the tray if we hit a turbulence.
UA's armrest is nicer than CO's... It is covered with soft plush leather, which makes it easier to put your arms on opposed to CO's plastic armrest...
Inflight entertainment
Easy one there, CO is far better with DTV....
Food
CO food is better than UA no doubt and the omelet I had on ORD-DEN was absolutely disgusting... Tasted like it was cooked a few months ago then put in storage. I liked the potatoes on UA though and it would be nice to have some kind of side... Country fried potatoes or something... On CO no need to have an omelet and gnocchi... Replace the Gnocchi with the potatoes or a nice side. That is personal preference though, but Omelet, nice piece of ham, country fried potatoes with the usual fruit bowl, yogurt, and the delicious cinnamon bun is my ideal F breakfast
One area UA blows CO out of the water is redeye meals... UA has a full fledged meal service on red eye flights while CO has the cold plate... On redeyes you get two sandwich choices [chicken presto or tomato something sandwich] with a bowl of soup and warm cookies after the meal... Prior to arrival, they will bring the snack basket which has sun chips, bananas, biscoff cookies, etc.
UA seems to have better wine selections and the Syrah I had was really good...
Flight Attendants
I think CO's FA is more efficient and consistent than UAs, but UA's FAs are more friendly... It took a long time for my meal to be served on UA...
Full PDB service on CO vs OJ/Water on UA... However, on LAX-ORD we had full PDB service ^
Other Little Details
When the pilot goes out of the cockpit to use the bathroom on whatever the front galley on UA turns into a conair like scene... The FAs will pull out a fence and when the cockpit door opens the galley light goes dim which is creepy... I'd rather if they stick with the cockblock where they pull out a cart and block the path into the galley.
UA, if you want to save some $$$ on weight, get rid of the phones in the middle armrests in F... Nobody uses them any more
I will have a couple more flights in UA and CO F in the next few days, so is there anything you want me to compare then let me know
On CO the F seats I am using to compare are the 737s and for UA the 757s..
My observations...
Seat
UA F seat blows CO's seat for me... For CO, I have to slouch a little to find the sweet spot, because the top part curves towards to you, so for a tall person like me my back is against the part that curves towards you... Not comfortable.
UA's F seat the back is much softer compared to CO's and the headrest is a lot nicer... The only downside to the UA F seat is when the headrest is down, but I never had any issues with the FA when my headrest is up.
Recline on both seats are the same, however UA's seat is more comfortable than CO when the seat is in the upright position, which is nice particularly when you have to put your seat up for arrival.
UA's tray table SUCKS... It just flaps all over the place, because it does not use the middle armrest as a foundation or support and often the tray table is not level... Most of the time mine is slanted from front to back and on one flight I thought my drink was gonna slide off of the tray if we hit a turbulence.
UA's armrest is nicer than CO's... It is covered with soft plush leather, which makes it easier to put your arms on opposed to CO's plastic armrest...
Inflight entertainment
Easy one there, CO is far better with DTV....
Food
CO food is better than UA no doubt and the omelet I had on ORD-DEN was absolutely disgusting... Tasted like it was cooked a few months ago then put in storage. I liked the potatoes on UA though and it would be nice to have some kind of side... Country fried potatoes or something... On CO no need to have an omelet and gnocchi... Replace the Gnocchi with the potatoes or a nice side. That is personal preference though, but Omelet, nice piece of ham, country fried potatoes with the usual fruit bowl, yogurt, and the delicious cinnamon bun is my ideal F breakfast
One area UA blows CO out of the water is redeye meals... UA has a full fledged meal service on red eye flights while CO has the cold plate... On redeyes you get two sandwich choices [chicken presto or tomato something sandwich] with a bowl of soup and warm cookies after the meal... Prior to arrival, they will bring the snack basket which has sun chips, bananas, biscoff cookies, etc.
UA seems to have better wine selections and the Syrah I had was really good...
Flight Attendants
I think CO's FA is more efficient and consistent than UAs, but UA's FAs are more friendly... It took a long time for my meal to be served on UA...
Full PDB service on CO vs OJ/Water on UA... However, on LAX-ORD we had full PDB service ^
Other Little Details
When the pilot goes out of the cockpit to use the bathroom on whatever the front galley on UA turns into a conair like scene... The FAs will pull out a fence and when the cockpit door opens the galley light goes dim which is creepy... I'd rather if they stick with the cockblock where they pull out a cart and block the path into the galley.
UA, if you want to save some $$$ on weight, get rid of the phones in the middle armrests in F... Nobody uses them any more
I will have a couple more flights in UA and CO F in the next few days, so is there anything you want me to compare then let me know
Last edited by golfingboy; Jan 25, 2011 at 1:14 am
Jan 25, 2011, 12:37 am
#14
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Other Little Details
When the pilot goes out of the cockpit to use the bathroom on whatever the front galley on UA turns into a conair like scene... The FAs will pull out a fence and when the cockpit door opens the galley light goes dim which is creepy... I'd rather if they stick with the cockblock where they pull out a cart and block the path into the galley.
UA, if you want to save some $$$ on weight, get rid of the phones in the middle armrests in F... Nobody uses them any more
I will have a couple more flights in UA and CO F in the next few days, so is there anything you want me to compare then let me know
When the pilot goes out of the cockpit to use the bathroom on whatever the front galley on UA turns into a conair like scene... The FAs will pull out a fence and when the cockpit door opens the galley light goes dim which is creepy... I'd rather if they stick with the cockblock where they pull out a cart and block the path into the galley.
UA, if you want to save some $$$ on weight, get rid of the phones in the middle armrests in F... Nobody uses them any more
I will have a couple more flights in UA and CO F in the next few days, so is there anything you want me to compare then let me know
It's harder to jump over the fence on the 757, than if they just used a beverage cart..
IFE wise, UA blows CO of the water on the 753s. The IFE on those birds is terrible.
Jan 25, 2011, 1:10 am
#15
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For the fence, not a bad thing, but just creepy...