FlightNurse

Some people would disagree with you on the seats. But it's all a mood point since it's being done anyhow. I personally do not like the BF seats, narrow foot well, having to crawl over your seatmate to get out...

So why use a 3 class bird and marketed as just F, but I guess since UA does nothing special for the F passengers as far as service goes, the expectations are low...

NewFlyer13

Please forgive me as I am new to this forum and have not figured out how to use it yet.
I am wondering if you can answer a question for me? Do you allow passengers to keep the blankets that they use during the flight?

Thanks,

New Flyer

WineCountryUA

Welcome to NewFlyer13
No they do not, not that some have taken the blankets.
Blankets are cleaned and then re-used.

RdFltErr

Question: My last two p.s. flights were on birds with the older config. However, when I checked http://www.united.com/web/en-us/cont...mservices.aspx the plane numbers of the planes I was on were not in the list at all.

For example, today I am on p.s. via #5757, but that number is not in the list for reconfiguration.

Does that mean that:
a) They are using different/new planes for the retrofit while continuing to fly the older birds? And they will convert the older ones into regular planes later for use on other routes?

b) They are reducing the number of actual planes on the p.s. flights, and thus, reducing the number of p.s. flights?

I am curious because I was thinking if it is option b, then the combined (though small) reduction of total business/first seats plus less overall flights may make upgrades significantly harder.

And after flying the NEW configs once, I also believe they will gain more popularity, at least if people agree with my opinion that the newly reconfigured seats are totally awesome.

Again, just curious on all this if anyone knows if there's an actual reduction in fleet size. 15 planes doing 2 trips a day each across three airports = each airport having 10 flights a day, yes? Is that what it is now?

edcho

Some are existing PS planes... some are non-PS planes. Some existing PS planes will be converted back or be sold off (as they are retiring many 752s).

I don't believe so but you can count for yourself at the United Fleet Site (as well as see which planes are going to be retorfited as well as which will be retired):
https://sites.google.com/site/unitedfleetsite/

DaviddesJ

What do you mean "across three airports"? There are only two p.s. routes: SFO-JFK and LAX-JFK. On a typical weekday, UA has 6 p.s. flights LAX-JFK and back, and 8 p.s. flights SFO-JFK and back. That's 28 flights/day, but planes will average more than two flights in 24 hours (it's entirely possible to leave LAX at 6 am, arrive JFK at 2:30 pm, leave JFK at 4:00 pm, arrive LAX at 7:00 pm, and leave LAX at 10:30 pm, for example). With spares, 15 planes is enough to service this schedule.

As was mentioned above, it's not surprising that the planes they are converting to the new p.s. configuration are, in many cases, not the same planes that have the old p.s. configuration.

RdFltErr

SFO, JFK and LAX.

I was doing the math based on how many departures I see on the schedule from each airport. But calculating by route works too :-)


Ahh OK, that is helpful and what I was wondering. So it actually sounds like they have an extra plane or two even.

Yes at 3 trips per day, I get it now and it makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

weirdlyndon

Plus, prior to the retrofit, UA only had 13 aircraft dedicated to p.s. So net increase of 2 aircraft with this change.

PTahCha

2 data points from this weekend:

1) On our outbound flight JFK - SFO, no issue with seat assignment in (former) F. Did notice that the class of service switched from R to F about 48 hours out.

2) On the return, noticed that the magical computer had switched our seat assignment of 1A/1B to 1B/2D. Went to the United Club and asked them for help. However, since most F seats were occupied, we moved ourselves back to 5A/5B so we have 2 seats together. The agent mentioned that she had to move us back to R or J to grab the business class seats.

nyctravis

As I was worried about previously, I just passed T-24 for my JFK-SFO-SEA flights tomorrow morning and am not able to select a seat in rows 1-3 at check-in and as previously indicated. I still have my favorite seat, 6C (other than row 9) in C, so it's not all bad, but I wanted to sleep and was hoping for 1-3. Not sure if GA will allow me to change at the airport.

I decided to book the return on Delta. Direct SEA-JFK anyway on a very nice 763 with new C flat bed and 1-2-1 config. Cost $1,400 one-way but I get the seat I want. I would have rather given that to UA, though.

I'm still hoping at JFK tomorrow I can snag a seat in 1-3 but as a silver I'm not sure how far I will get.

Kacee

That's a great price. UA's RT ps fare from SFO is about $3600 for the P fare and $4200 for the Z.

skip1421

So if I understand it right, if you are a 1K and book SFO/LAX-JFK on the P.S. service and use a RPU to upgrade into "Business" and its an old configuration you would have access to picking the old "first class" as long as they are available? I'm looking at a trip in early september so pretty far out.

Thanks!

WineCountryUA

that is correct -- but the new business configuration for most is better than the present F, so hope for a config change.

cerealmarketer

Datapoints...

Upgraded with RPU at booking, was able to select 3 cabin first seat, with 'F' booking code eventually showing up.

Then day of departure I decided to switch to an earlier flight.

Agent on the phone said 'I have 1A for you' but when I went to get a boarding pass it kicked me to row 10. No way to select rows 1-3.

Agents at counter said 'ask at the gate to wait list for it but you are entitled to it as a 1K'

Go to gate - agent claims I can't do a double upgrade. I push back and he says 'I'll have to force you in there' and I get 3D.

See that someone is in 3C and no one in 3A/B. So go to kiosk and it does not let me see rows 1-3.

Log into the app, and it lets me select 3A.

Oh United....always making you earn with force whatever change you want...

nyctravis

Similar situation with my flight last week. As a silver, I knew I couldn't select 1-3 until T-24 (don't like that, but fine, I was aware). At T-24, couldn't select a seat in 1-3 as was outlined previously and I was worried would happen. Got to JFK very early and TA says "oh you should be fine-plenty of seats open in 1-3, but I can't do it. Ask in the lounge-they will do it."

I stop by gate first, no GA there. I get to UC, and they say they can't move me to 1-3, "only GA can do this, but not yet. You have to wait til 1 hour before departure." Eventually this becomes "you can only do this at 30 min prior to departure." By this time, I was partly defeated and telling myself that I really am ok with my seat in 6C but it became a matter of personal mission. Hard to explain, but I know you many of you know what I'm talking about!

Head back down to the gate. A few GA's show up and I happened to get immediately behind a DYKWIA pax who was being rather unpleasant, etc. Not boding well. My turn. I ask very humbly and politely about 1-3. GA says they will need to discuss with another GA and to wait nearby. I overhear discussion of "this is a 3-class flight-that's an upgrade that will require payment of fare difference or supporting it with miles, etc." I heard the first GA reply with "but it's just J to J" but GA #2 was not having it. GA #1 seemed very nice and I didn't want to have the two of them argue especially with some difficult pax they had earlier, so I just said no worries & thanks for checking. As I was about to board, GA #2 stepped away from the area. I give GA#1 a quick last ditch glance and she catches my eye and quickly waves me over and gives me a new BP for 1B. ^ I thanked her profusely and quickly moved on. I wish I got that GA's name to send in a nice comment.

Although ultimately successful, I definitely don't want to go through it again. I ended up returning on DL & it was night and day different between ps, too. The FA's seemed genuinely happy and eager to help (not that many of the UA ps FA's don't). Soft product excellent compared to ps, and gave out amenity kits with Tumi bags which I couldn't imagine from UA. Westin duvet made me reminiscent of when that was with UA. Flat bed was about the same width, but felt much longer with plenty of wiggle room at my feet/toes, and the 1-2-1 config on a 767 was wonderful. The only thing I missed was Channel 9!