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Update on our Airbus Reconfigurations (Seats, Entertainment, Channel 9, etc.)

View Poll Results: How do you feel about the new RECARO seats UA is installing?
I love them
1.83%
They are okay
9.57%
I am indifferent
6.31%
I don't really like them
20.98%
I hate them
48.07%
I've not tried them yet / no opinion
13.24%
Voters: 491. You may not vote on this poll

Old Jun 3, 2017, 1:01 pm
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Update on our Airbus Reconfigurations (Seats, Entertainment, Channel 9, etc.)

Old Oct 25, 2013, 1:47 pm
  #796  
nnn
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Francisco
Programs: All-Around Kettle
Posts: 3,286
Originally Posted by UA-NYC
I rode in row 7 on my flight - bulkhead shouldn't have any less depth seatwise than other non-exit row seats, yet it felt WAY short to me.

I think it's just a function of (poor) seat design.
Too bad. Glad I bought one of these (per suggestion in this forum):

http://www.tempurpedic.com/cushions/...eatcushion.asp
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Old Oct 30, 2013, 12:08 pm
  #797  
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO
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Just flew the reconfigured A320 from ORD to SFO. Window E+ seat (10A) somewhat OK aside from narrow armrests (I wouldn't want to be in a middle seat). Seatback pocket restricted as others have pointed out, and less vertical space under the seat in front. I was shocked there was no audio, and no mention in Hemispheres magazine that I could see. FA was clueless about what was going on.

I take it from prior comments that there is no 110V plug yet? When that is introduced, where will it be located, and will each seat have one?

Summary: The removal of communal video and Jeff's silly commercial is no loss. The removal of Channel 9 audio is a downer. And I won't be using my own device to access wi-fi, video or audio that carries an upcharge.
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Old Oct 30, 2013, 12:31 pm
  #798  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: IAD
Programs: UA GS, 1MM; Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 561
Due to a plane swap, I just had my second agonizing experience on this Hell-Plane.

I wish i had packed a tape measure, to confirm my observations.

I was in 21A, which may be worse than all the other E+ seats besides 21F.

The height of the seat bottom from the floor is lower than the normal Airbii, and a consequence of this is that your thighs are not parallel to the floor, instead, they angle up, and this is quite uncomfortable.

Second, the level of the tray table and most importantly the arm rests are too low to comfortably settle into the seat.

Why they are 'selling' the 'more headroom' angle, when there are very few 9 foot tall folks flying,a nd needing the extra space i dont know...


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Old Nov 3, 2013, 11:41 am
  #799  
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Posts: 57,253
I'm currently on my first Airbus since they've started gutting them. This aircraft (#4286) is an old Ted bird with Wi-Fi ^ no other IFE and instead of the gray Recaro Y seats, it looks like they are old seats with blue leather seat covers instead of the cloth covers. is this just an interim step?
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Old Nov 3, 2013, 11:56 am
  #800  
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Originally Posted by halls120
I'm currently on my first Airbus since they've started gutting them. This aircraft (#4286) is an old Ted bird with Wi-Fi ^ no other IFE and instead of the gray Recaro Y seats, it looks like they are old seats with blue leather seat covers instead of the cloth covers. is this just an interim step?
Bizarre - take a pic for us if you can.
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Old Nov 3, 2013, 12:46 pm
  #801  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
Originally Posted by halls120
I'm currently on my first Airbus since they've started gutting them. This aircraft (#4286) is an old Ted bird with Wi-Fi ^ no other IFE and instead of the gray Recaro Y seats, it looks like they are old seats with blue leather seat covers instead of the cloth covers. is this just an interim step?
There's one like that flying around. I've been on it a few times. They were trailing leather back in the pmUA era. Very nice plane.
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Old Nov 3, 2013, 1:07 pm
  #802  
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Originally Posted by tuolumne
There's one like that flying around. I've been on it a few times. They were trailing leather back in the pmUA era. Very nice plane.
I'm not sure the people without tablets or laptops they can use to access the Internet would agree with you.
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Old Nov 3, 2013, 2:10 pm
  #803  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
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Originally Posted by fivevsone
The height of the seat bottom from the floor is lower than the normal Airbii, and a consequence of this is that your thighs are not parallel to the floor, instead, they angle up, and this is quite uncomfortable.
The height is actually perfect for me. I do have a short inseam (pants with a 29" inseam, which is the shortest they go, need to be turned up for me), and I find that "normal" height seats are too high. When I have a laptop on my lap, the keyboard tips away from me. With these seats, it's perfectly flat.

Second, the level of the tray table and most importantly the arm rests are too low to comfortably settle into the seat.
I had an open seat next to me, so I didn't use my own tray table, but the arm rests were fine too. I guess you can't fit everyone.

I will say that the seat bottom padding was definitely not enough for SFO-BOS.
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Old Nov 3, 2013, 3:56 pm
  #804  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
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It got WiFi - it didn't get the new seats yet.
Each thing happens on its own timeline.
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Old Nov 5, 2013, 6:48 pm
  #805  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
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No IFE and now no channel 9. Just flew on an A320 and was very disappointed. And, the wifi was incredibly slow, like the dial up days 15 years ago.
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Old Nov 5, 2013, 7:38 pm
  #806  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
The lack of non-wifi entertainment (and what appears to be a path to no free AV) is a downer. (as is the loss of CH9) Believe or not a significant portion of the traveling public does not have wi-fi AV device.

110VAC, new bins, wifi (for internet access) ^^

new seats -- need to wait and see
That significant portion of the traveling public, will most likely not be complaining on 'channels' which the powers that be deem significant any longer.
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Old Nov 11, 2013, 7:04 am
  #807  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Originally Posted by RockinRon
I flew one of these last night SFO-CLE and totally agree it was miserable. I too sat in the exit row and the seat was BRUTAL. I usually sleep like a rock, especially on red eyes, but not today. My butt still aches and I got off the plane almost 6 hours ago. Valuable lesson learned - avoid these planes as much as I do RJ 135 and 145s. I can only hope I get a survey for this segment.

Totally unrelated to the seats, but the aircraft was so hot I and the people around me were sweating. We asked the FAs to turn down the heat but it didn't seem to help much. Coupled with aggressive, noisy FAs, this is one of the worst flights with UA I've ever been on.
I flew 19 hours this weekend on a 777 (804 SIN-NRT-IAD) in seat 24H and was not as sore as I was from the 4 hour flight on these hell birds. Not to be overly dramatic but I thought of that a few times while I was flying. Looking at future reservations I see I need change some reward travel away from these planes.
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Old Nov 11, 2013, 8:10 am
  #808  
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Originally Posted by RockinRon
I flew 19 hours this weekend on a 777 (804 SIN-NRT-IAD) in seat 24H and was not as sore as I was from the 4 hour flight on these hell birds. Not to be overly dramatic but I thought of that a few times while I was flying. Looking at future reservations I see I need change some reward travel away from these planes.
Based on the poll, among 80 flyers who have experienced them, 90% agree with you

(cue someone coming along and saying "FT isn't representative" or something like that)
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Old Nov 11, 2013, 1:56 pm
  #809  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: California
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
Based on the poll, among 80 flyers who have experienced them, 90% agree with you

(cue someone coming along and saying "FT isn't representative" or something like that)
Well, I just added my vote along with the rest in hating this seat. Took my first flight with these seats last week IAD-LAX in an exit row and it was the most uncomfortable flight I can remember, simply terrible.

And for those that do start to cue the "FT isn't representative", the primary topic of discussion from everyone in the rows around me was about how uncomfortable the seats were; they couldn't all be on FT.
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Old Nov 11, 2013, 6:09 pm
  #810  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
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I cannot believe that United was once proud of having Channel 9 and now is going toward nothing. This differentiated United from the other airlines.

These seats are so bad that if its not a Boeing (for mainline flights), I probably won't be going. I sat in one from EWR to BOS recently and would rather have sat in a UA* seat. I know that is saying a lot, but these seats were horribly uncomfortable. Also there was no more Channel 9, audio, or video on this plane. What enhancements!
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