whitywhitytw

Thank you everyone! I know what to do now.
@bmwe92fan: Yes mine will be ANA Business Staggered. I got a window seat

Merlin666

We are travelling YQR-LIH at the beginning of March and it looks like the upgrade to United First for the return (UA825 and UA556) seems "reasonable" at about double the cost of what I have paid for the economy round trip so far. I have done this trip a few times in econoy and never enjoyed it, but well we survived. Still I am wondering if it's really worth the extra cost as it seems that seats are not flat and may not have a foot rest either. Also as these are overnight/early morning flights I am not sure about meal service either. If you have done these flights in First please share your observations to help me make the decision. Thanks.

transportprof

I've flown the 757 in F LIH-LAX and SFO-LIH this month. It's the same aircraft type that flies to DEN. You'll get a leather reclining seat with 38 inch pitch. No foot rest. No personal entertainment.

Not conducive to sleeping, but more comfortably than Y, unless you are in row 1, where leg room is curtailed. If you're flying with one companion, there is something to be said for having your own row. If you're solo, then sharing the row with another person will narrow the gap between Y and F further. F catering is abominable - the food is actually better in the coach buy on board menu.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

No foot rest. Domestic First seat. Return flight might have a cold-cut plate. Drpp-down CRT monitor over aisle showing crummy movie you wouldn't pay money to see or rent. The $ you pay will be mostly for a domestic first seat vs coach seat on a red eye flight.

Buy an E+ seat and blow that money on Kauai - helicopter tour of Napali Coast, etc.

DutchRyan

Does anyone know if UA blocks seat 2A in GlobalFirst from IAD-FRA on a 777-200? I have a flight 10 months away and that seat is occupied. I find it highly unlikely that anyone else has already booked this flight in first.

StingWest

Since the trip is fast approaching, you can tell by the seat map how full things are in economy! If coach is packed, and you have the $$ to spend, then do it and have a little more personal space. To me the food doesn't matter that much - it just depends what the little extra space is worth to you. If you're on a budget, then just spend for an E+ seat and be done with it.

Boraxo

Hard to say without actual $$$. As a 1K with free checked bags and priority boarding my over/under is somewhere in the range of $50-100 per person. I place a high value on having extra seat width but as others have noted the legroom and seat recline is nothing special beyond what you get in E+ or exit row. I don't value the meals and drinks very highly, and I don't think you get directv over water (don't value that highly either given the limited channels).

If you are flying E- and have to pay to check bags, then the calculation might be higher.

We are flying SFO-OGG in June and will be using miles to fly in exit row seats. I can't justify the large premium for 5 hours of F on these planes.

Kacee

It's not unlikely at all. Award bookings are frequently made long in advance.

But yes, UA will often block seats in the F cabin for pilot rest. I believe it depends on the version of the 772.

mmack

If you can get a seat in E+, esp an exit row they are very comfortable. The F product to LIH does give you a bigger seat/ larger overhead bin for stuff. The food is average. FA can be very nice. For red-eye type flights they are not very comfortable.

transportprof

The overhead bins in F are no larger than in Y. There might be more space in them per pax, depending on how many crew bags are stored there. On my recent flights, F bins were just as overstuffed as Y, due to those crew bags.

emaij

My family of 4 is flying to eastern Canada soon. The first leg is SAN-IAH. When I bought the flight ($233/ticket), I was offered an upgrade on the first leg at $119 per ticket. Since I have no status on United, and would otherwise be in the very back of the plane, I seriously considered it. The flight is about 4.5 hours and we have 2 little kids with us (2 and 6). I was trying to find someone else's analysis in terms of whether it's worth it, but so far have failed. Worth it?

cfischer

if it's a meal flight then I might consider it, especially compared to E-. SAN-IAH is not a 4.5 hr flight ... more like 3.

If you plan to check bags then definitely because you will get the F allowance even if only 1/2 flights are in F.

Now I also understand why IAH-SAN is such a tough upgrade ... was the ONLY one the other day on a 739 as a 1K w/ RPU.

Kmxu

This ($119) is a good deal. A shorter flight, LGA-ORD, asked for the same amount for my no-status son a week ago. I thought that LGA-ORD offer was good at that time.

miasmal

Only you can answer that question, because everyone's opportunity costs are different.

SAN-IAH is about 3 hours flight. Tack on additional 30 minutes for waiting in line and on the plane - 3.5 hours. $119/3.5 hours = $34 per hour.

Supposing you could get all 4 seats upgraded - is your family's time worth $34 per hour per person?

Aside from getting into Group 1 boarding and pre-departure drinks (and maybe food if your flight is during appropriate hours) ... is the cost worth it?

JBord

It really comes down to personal value. By the way, your time on the plane may be 4.5 hours, but likely flight time is closer to 3.0 - 3.5, if that matters to you at all.

I recently paid about the same for a 4 hour flight from ORD-SEA. The ONLY reason I consider paying for an upgrade on domestic flights is for the bigger more comfortable seat. As a previous poster mentioned, if you're going to check bags, it will offset the cost of the upgrade by a little too.

I wouldn't even consider things like meals. They're not very good, and chances are you'll still have to bring on your own food for the kids anyway. Usually I buy something better in the airport even when there's a meal on my flight.

In terms of your original question, I would say if I saw a F ticket for SAN-IAH for $352 (your 233 + 119) I would jump all over it!