Thunderroad

Great video! Thanks for putting it together.

Seeing a hefty but by no means obese guy in one of your Y cabin shots, I shudder at the thought of how little shoulder room the seats there have. No economy flights for me on it, I'm afraid. And given the possibility of a downgrade on upgraded travel, I think I'll stay clear of the 787 unless I'm on a revenue J ticket.

colortv

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks, I appreciate the comment. After flying ANA 787's in Japan this summer, I was excited to try the United version. I must say it left me cold. The galley at door 2 totally blows the "wow factor" of the high ceiling arched entry Boeing intended. You definitely feel "wow" when you enter an ANA Dreamliner. The ice cold blue color scheme United uses makes the cabin dreary compared to Qatar and other airlines.

I love all the techie stuff like cabin pressure, more stable flight, higher humidity, big windows, quiet engines. And I'm all about saving fuel. But after considering those goodies, what I really want is a comfortable seat. I sat with my arms tightly crossed because that guy's arms and elbows were all over my space and the guy on his right.

UA's economy seats have a nice pitch, at least in economy plus. But the width of a 787's fuselage doesn't work with 3-3-3 seating as United (and many other airlines) are going with. The seats fit tight and my video proves it. The aisles are narrow too. You WILL bump into aisle seat passengers when you walk back to the lavatory.

The 787 is a twin aisle but just feels packed compared to a 777, 747, A380. I didn't feel that packed feeling with ANA's comfy 2-4-2 seating and more cheerful interior colors. I normally fly economy class and I won't seek out a 787 with 3-3-3 economy seats. I've already booked a UA 787 LAX-NRT in April and I'm not excited about it. Fortunately I'll connect to a Thai A380 from NRT-BKK.

I've got Boeing blood in my veins because my Dad worked for Boeing for 50 years. I've been following the 787 since Day 1 and loved my ANA experience. UA disappointed me.

Bear4Asian

First, a great video, the best I've seen showing more than just the glossy marketing stuff.

I too have been following the 787 for years with great anticipation to fly ASAP. As a 220 lb, 6ft plus person who flies to Asia @ 4 times a year in E+, I'm very disappointed in United's coach seat. It looks like flying 14hrs in coach would be a painful experience. I'm very, very disappointed.

colortv

Thanks for your nice comment.

Before my recent LAX-IAH 787 roundtrip, I excitedly booked a UA 787 in April LAX-NRT. After the uncomfortably tight squeeze on one leg of my IAH trip, now I'm concerned about the long haul to Narita. I booked 16L window, the first E+ row. Even though E+ legroom is nice, rubbing shoulders with the person next to you stinks. Check out the lady at 1:46 in the center section aisle seat (gray sweater with white collar). Her shoulders are obviously spilling over into the seat next to her.

I've flown hundreds of times and love flying. Even the budget airline AirAsia has been fine. But I never disliked a flight more than the UA 787 leg with the large guy next to me. Sitting for 3 hours with your arms tightly crossed is no way to fly. On a long haul, I'd be very upset.

I can't blame the airplane. ANA did it right with 2-4-2 in economy, at least in the configuration I flew on. The seat seemed just right for an economy class seat, quite comfortable. It seems most airlines who have ordered the 787 are doing 3-3-3 in economy. The fuselage is just not wide enough to cram in 9 seats across. It's painfully obvious in my video that's one very packed cabin.

A friend who frequently flies business class on SQ's A380 LAX-NRT has no intention of switching to UA's 787 Business First after watching my video.

I've made a few other videos about my airline experiences you might enjoy.

ANA 787 Dreamliner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4i5tyzsmQc

First Singapore Airlines A380 flight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ68Tu-pIj4

Emirates A380 First Class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1OqqQ8hBXk

InterFlyer

Yeah, this is just great, I booked a trip from SFO to IAH about 2 months ago, saw that it was on the 787 so immediately burned my regional upgrade in it. Upgrade has been confirmed weeks ago. Fast-forward to flight date (today) and when I go check in the aircraft has changed to 777-200, is there any way for me to "recall" that regional upgrade? This absolutely sucks, I usually use those for longer flights, but wanted to go on the 787...

ElliottMB

Not sure whether to put this in the other 787 thread, but I'm looking for some advice for my upcoming Dreamliner trip this Saturday, IAH-LAX (12/15). I am currently seated in 27C (the exit row and last row of E+). Due to the recent issues with the 787, I am guessing there could be a chance the aircraft would be swapped for a 777 or 767, in which case 27C would turn in to a regular E- seat. Should I hedge and pick a 'real' E+ seat, such as 20 or 21C, just in case, or stick with what I have?

Also, I have applied a miles upgrade for this itinerary, which has cleared on my first leg (BOS-IAH). However, it has not cleared on the second (IAH-LAX). Is it too late to remove the upgrade on the first leg so as to get the miles back if it doesn't clear? Also, what do you think my odds might be? by the seat map, there are still 12 BF seats showing on the seatmap (I know this doesn't track the actual availability).

Thanks for any and all help!

kenhawk

Excellent video - the best I've seen of a 787! Thanks for sharing.^

colortv

I don't think UA 787's row 27 have a window if that's important to you. Since you're in an aisle seat, maybe that's not important to you.

Thanks..I appreciate your comment.

Thunderroad

Some very useful commentary to complement your fine video. I noticed you took a brief shot of the elbow of the fellow in the middle seat taking up the thin armrest next to yours. Granted, all economy seats are kind of cramped unless folks are small and slim, but the 3-3-3 UA 787 alignment really seems to make it even worse. I can't say it's a surprise that UA went with this option, but it creates a real disincentive to fly on a plane that passengers might otherwise prefer.

ElliottMB

I actually switched to 16J, looks like it has decent legroom and first off out of Y which will be nice. Also great video!

colortv

Glad you enjoyed the video.

I specifically included that elbows shot to demonstrate the very tight fit of the 3-3-3 arrangement. What you don't see is rubbing shoulders, even more annoying. I was lucky to have a slim lady on one leg of my LAX-IAH roundtrip and was acceptably comfortable. Not comfortable at all with this larger fellow in the middle seat. He was a teenager, not obese, and tightly shoehorned into his seat and very much in my space and the fellow on his right side.

The a/c power port for the window seat passenger is under the middle seat. I couldn't plug in my Macbook Pro's power brick because this fellow's leg was up against the under-seat power outlet. What should have been a handy feature was not accessible. Why no power port at each individual seat? It's inconvenient to intrude on another passenger's space to use the under-seat power port.

Another weirdness: when my iPhone 4S was plugged into the USB port for charging, the mapping of the iPhone touch screen was totally off. Touching "photos" activated "stocks," "camera" activated "calculator," etc. As soon as I unplugged the iPhone from the power port the phone worked normally, plug it in again, same problem.

When I was able to use the a/c power port to charge my Macbook Pro on the other leg of the trip (with the slender middle seat passenger), I experienced the same iPhone touchscreen issue when the phone was connected to my Mac's USB port. The computer itself seemed to work normally. There's apparently something non-standard about the power, at least on this 787. I haven't experienced this issue on other aircraft with a/c power and USB ports.

Eracine

Through FT I got the following advice: Just call them and ask to move the upgrade request to only apply to your IAH-LAX segment. They should be able to put you back in Cattle class for your first leg, so you should get your miles back if it doesn't go through for the second leg.

Did that in my case (I, too, got my first leg upgraded - and they were able to "downgrade" me). The miles upgrade only for the 787 leg seemed to work. (I wrote "seemed" because I was on 1737 today, which got swapped for a 777. Given the higher number of 1st class seats - 50 vs 36 on the 787 - I managed to get my UDU, so now the open question is whether the system will recognize that and credit me back my 20K miles...)

lovejapan

ColorTV, if any consolation, ANA have now gone 3-3-3 for their domestic configuration and it looks as though they could do the same on their next international 787-8 delivery.

WBrinegar

Flew the 787 (3904 aircraft) on 11/13/12 from LAX-IAH.

Lots of ooo's and aaahs from the FF crew. Tried to poke my head into the cockpit to see the new technology they have been talking about. There was a LAX gate agent standing in the doorway. She asked if she could be of help - I said I wanted to visit the cockpit, which she said was not permitted.

The Captain, listening in - said "You can't be serious. This is our highly promoted new plane and you're not going to permit people to see it?"

She said she was advised by her supervisor that it was not permitted - to which the Captain told her that he was the Captain - and he would make these decisions - and promptly invited me thru the doorway.

The Co-Pilot was landing the plane that day - his fourth landing. I told him that he better not bend the ex boss's plane - he was sitting in the back. Larry Kellner - who the Captain went to the back to find him and invite HIM into the cockpit. This was Larry's first 787 visit as well.

colortv

I heard the same. It seems most airlines are going to pack 787 economy like sardines, making this an airplane to avoid at least for long haul travel. I've seen pics of Qatar and other 3-3-3 787s and they don't look as dreary as UA. Perhaps it's United's cold and uninviting dark blue seat fabric instead of brighter warmer colors? But the tight seat fit just doesn't cut it. I've flown many budget airliners in USA, Europe, and Asia and never felt as cramped as I did on UA's 787. E+ legroom was nice, but I don't like rubbing shoulders with a fellow passenger with no solution other than tightly crossing my arms. If you're in a window seat, you're up against a wall. If you're in an aisle seat, you're likely to be bumped by someone walking by due to the narrow aisles.

I'll take a 777-300ER or A380 any day. The new tech stuff on the 787 does not overcome a tight uncomfortable seat in a narrow tube.