stimpy

I've been doing a fair amount of transcons during the pandemic. NYC-SFO and NYC-LAX. I have both DL Plat and UA Gold. Both airlines have widebodies. In fact I'll be on a UA B787 for tomorrow's transcon. While DL costs a bit more, the complimentary upgrade to Eco + means at least drinks are included. The other great thing about DL is that they also have complimentary upgrades to Delta One flat seats. Several times during the pandemic I've gotten upgraded all the way to these seats from a main cabin eco ticket. You can't do that on UA.

OTOH on UA you can spend 10,000 miles to get up to Premium Plus which is sort of like old domestic first. Which is a good deal if you are mile-rich versus cash-rich.

On both airlines I've been able to buy really cheap business class tickets like 5 months in advance. At least that was the case at certain times during the pandemic including for traveling the last two Thanksgivings.

Kacee

The DL suite on the 767 sucks only slightly less than it did before they were refurbished. Still way too narrow and coffin-like. AA IMO has the best product on these flights, and also the most generous upgrade availability.

Repooc17

​​​​​​763 being operated mostly between JFK and SFO is not great. I like its 764 (mostly between JFK and LAX) better than any Polaris for the wider seating and space.

econ

Yeah, I was including EWR since OP also mentioned 777/787, and because the widebodies have already disappeared from JFK months ago,

dkc192

Yes, the DL hard product on the 767 is not great, but as a solo J traveler, I'd still take it over the AA A321T hard product (2-2 configuration) any day.

Kacee

Yes, AA is 2-2 in J, but incredibly comfortable, with considerably more room than UA's layout on the 752 and really good cushioning.

In any event, I usually find my way into the F cabin

Syzygies

I also wrote a friend who flies United all the time. He has multiple conversations with United personnel to the effect that widebodies were being moved this fall from EWR/JFK SFO to new international routes.

I realize it's too soon to nab $590 biz fares on this route, but the loss of business singles is more concerning. I believe that I'm the early bearer of bad news.

He did say that in 2024 United will be phasing out the 757-200s for A321 XLRs, and those will have premium economy and Polaris pods. Dunno if that's already above; my post got moved into this thread.

stimpy

They may be narrow, but they are a darn sight better than an eco+ seat. And if you are in row one, the foot area is not narrow.

findark

With the 28J 752 fleet gone (RIP), does UA have the frames to operate p.s. with only 752s? I guess they can afford to dedicate more of the 16J frames while international flying is still a bit down, but I would still be somewhat surprised.

lrdpenn

What is the difference between the AA and UA seat? I agree with you, but haven't been able to figure out why (it must be more than A321 being slightly wider.) I personally like the AA bedding a lot more than UA, especially on transcon; that could play a role.

econ

Compared with the 752s, the AA seat is much newer, in better shape and less worn down. Even a slightly wider A321 makes a big difference in footwell space, most noticeably in the window seats. And yes, AA provides full bedding in J, a big step up from what UA currently offers.

Repooc17

I don't even bother with submitting PP anymore on 752s. Last few flights I have had the exit row seats all to myself - perfectly fine having the poor man's business seats.

Honestly, I would rather be in 752 Y cabin than J.

Kacee

The space between the seat pods is variable, and AA elected to space them farther apart. The slightly wider cabin does give them more room to work with; I don't think that fully explains it either, though we'd have to see all the measurements to know for sure.

PTahCha

AA.com does not give any specs on the pitch or length of Flagship Business on A321T, but according to to Seatguru, the bed length is 75", with width of 19".

Compared to UA on 757, the bed length is 76", with width of 20.6". So they are basically the same seats. I think what makes the difference is the slightly wider cabin on A321, which creates a sense of spaciousness.

theNYCpro

Last moth I booked UA2069 EWR-LAX for April 30 in Premium Economy, but it looks like they swapped 777s and now have me in Economy+. Obviously that happens, but now it's not letting me change to other E+ seats without charging me. That's an error, right?

Edit: I booked through chase into R, but it looks like they changed it to Y. I should have recourse with either Chase or United, no?

Edit 2: Called United direct and they switched me to an earlier flight in R. Thank you for letting me scream into the FT void!