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Premium Transcon Service SFO/LAX<>EWR flights - Questions and Experiences

Old Oct 23, 2015, 6:29 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Update 2017: United p.s. is now called Transcontinental Service. This service is available on flights between EWR<>LAX, EWR<>SFO, and BOS<>SFO.
Cross Country Comfort: Introducing United Airlines New Transcontinental Service

Originally Posted by United POLARIS FAQ
How does the switch to United Polaris affect United p.s. Premium Service transcontinental flights?
On December 1, 2016, BusinessFirst service on p.s. transcontinental routes became United Business, and now features our custom Saks Fifth Avenue pillow and duvet. Previous p.s. features did not change other than the new bedding.
The first PS flights to/from EWR started 25 Oct 2015
United offers transcontinental travelers the features and comfort of long-haul international flights. Customers enjoy modern aircraft interiors with all-new seats, inflight Wi-Fi, free personal on-demand entertainment at every seat, in-seat power and USB ports.

United also provides:
* Premier Access check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage handling;
* United Club access;
* up to 6 feet, 4 inches of sleeping space in a 180-degree flat-bed seat; and
* pre-departure beverages, hot towel service, multi-course meals and a pre-arrival snack.
E+ passengers -- hot meals and drinks included
Travelers in Economy Plus on our premium transcontinental flights now enjoy more than just extra legroom theyll also receive a complimentary hot entre, fruit and dessert, as well as their choice of free alcoholic beverages, including our featured cocktail and more.
Aircraft 757-200
Original config 28 lieflat BF / 42 E+ / 72 E-
Everything You Want to Know About Where to Sit on a 757-200 (pmUA Domestic and p.s.)

Re-purposed TATL config 16 lieflat BF / 45 E+ / 108 E-
Consolidated "Seats on International 757"

other lie-flat aircraft will be used on the route, such as
Everything You Wanted to Know About Where to Sit on 777-200 HD (28BF,102E+,234E-)
Everything you want to know about where to sit on the 787-10

FAQs
Are all flights on these routes lie-flat, etc?
Yes -- all non-stop flights from SFO/LAX to/from EWR and SFO<>BOS are configured as such regardless of aircraft used. All scheduled aircraft have a lie-flat premium cabin.

Are these CPU-eligible flights?
No -- no CPU on these flights. It will take RPU/GPU/mileage+copays to upgrade. Generally, these are "hard" upgrades.

Are TODs / Cash upgrades offered?
Yes, $298 cash OW upgrades are regularly offered.

Archive: Premium Transcon Service SFO-EWR/BOS, LAX-EWR flights-Questions&Experiences {Archive}
Cross Country Comfort: Introducing United Airlines New Transcontinental Service
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Premium Transcon Service SFO/LAX<>EWR flights - Questions and Experiences

Old Oct 23, 2022, 12:35 pm
  #91  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,068
Originally Posted by as219
Looking at flights in early 2023, and I'm noticing that 787s and 777s have almost entirely disappeared on on EWR-SFO/LAX routes. A harbinger of things to come? (or is it just me...)

God these flights will suck if all that premium capacity goes away...
They are already shifting some of the 787s/777s away from premium transcons starting in November.
physioprof is offline  
Old Oct 23, 2022, 9:42 pm
  #92  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bloomfield, NJ
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Originally Posted by physioprof
They are already shifting some of the 787s/777s away from premium transcons starting in November.
There will absloutley nothing premium about the market at all.......I think back to the meal service pre pandemic.....it was actually premium.

So sad.
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Old Oct 24, 2022, 6:41 am
  #93  
 
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Originally Posted by JerseyCityS
There will absloutley nothing premium about the market at all.......I think back to the meal service pre pandemic.....it was actually premium.

So sad.
Forget the food. If they replace widebodies with 752s on these routes, premium seating capacity is going to crater. Today, for example, 5 of 7 EWR-LAX flights are on 787s/777s. If all of those become 752s, that would be a >50% reduction in premium capacity to say nothing of the loss of P+.

I get that widebodies may be more profitable when deployed elsewhere, but this is crazy. So after losing JFK, UA responds by slashing premium trans on capacity ex-EWR?!? Am I missing something here?
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Old Oct 24, 2022, 10:27 am
  #94  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,476
Originally Posted by physioprof
They are already shifting some of the 787s/777s away from premium transcons starting in November.
My May 2023 LAX-EWR ~9AM still shows 781.
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Old Oct 24, 2022, 11:07 am
  #95  
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Originally Posted by Colin
My May 2023 LAX-EWR ~9AM still shows 781.
That particular flight departure time (of the day) should keep the wide body but in general, what's showing now for a future date is not etched in stone, especially 6, 7 months from now.
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Old Oct 24, 2022, 11:23 am
  #96  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
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Originally Posted by Colin
My May 2023 LAX-EWR ~9AM still shows 781.
Yes, hence my use of the word "some".
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Old Nov 9, 2022, 3:39 pm
  #97  
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 253
Looking at this winter i see 757s consistently on BOS-LAX/SFO again. There's lie flats offered everyday, but not every flight. Huge upgrade. I am guessing they have more slack with JFK going away. Will BOS-LAX/SFO go back to a "premium" transcontinental route again? Lounge access, real pillows/ blankets and noise cancelling headphones would be such a nice amenity upgrade.
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Old Nov 9, 2022, 4:21 pm
  #98  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
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Originally Posted by lunchtime
Looking at this winter i see 757s consistently on BOS-LAX/SFO again. There's lie flats offered everyday, but not every flight. Huge upgrade. I am guessing they have more slack with JFK going away. Will BOS-LAX/SFO go back to a "premium" transcontinental route again? Lounge access, real pillows/ blankets and noise cancelling headphones would be such a nice amenity upgrade.
My $0.02 says UA will definitely resume "premium service" on the BOS route again. I am surprised it hasn't been started by now. My guess is early 2023 fwiw. I personally didn't mind it not being PS service as I fly this often and did occasionally score a CPU on the route, that goes away with PS.

Last edited by nomad420; Nov 9, 2022 at 4:27 pm
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Old Nov 9, 2022, 5:19 pm
  #99  
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Originally Posted by lunchtime
... I am guessing they have more slack with JFK going away. Will BOS-LAX/SFO go back to a "premium" transcontinental route again? ....
Probably not while UA is still thinking about returning to JFK -- perhaps if all hopes of that is dashed, then BOS is a likely successor.
UA will / should avoid turning BOS on again only to turn it off.
Maybe a better chance if the A321a become a reality and UA has more available right-sized aircraft.
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Old Nov 9, 2022, 6:12 pm
  #100  
 
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Only BOS-SFO was a ps route pre-covid, not BOS-LAX.

I doubt this indicative of ps returning to BOS. UA often has excess 757s in the winter that it has allocated to transcons for years. Other examples are EWR to PHX and SAN, which are also again partially 757s on the winter schedule.
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Old Nov 10, 2022, 5:50 am
  #101  
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Originally Posted by lunchtime
Looking at this winter i see 757s consistently on BOS-LAX/SFO again. There's lie flats offered everyday, but not every flight. Huge upgrade. I am guessing they have more slack with JFK going away. Will BOS-LAX/SFO go back to a "premium" transcontinental route again? Lounge access, real pillows/ blankets and noise cancelling headphones would be such a nice amenity upgrade.
BOS-LAX has never been PS. There was a time where both flights were 752s, now it looks like a mix of 752/739 and some days with 1 flight a day. Near impossible UA will make this a PS route.

BOS-SFO is inching closer ... got 1 752 back a few months ago, now it looks 3/4 in January. Seems tantalizingly close to just make it a 752 route and I can't figure out why they have 1 752 on LAX-BOS where they could use that frame to complete BOS-SFO. At least now the red-eye is back as a 752 most days ... so back to UA for me on that route
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Old Nov 10, 2022, 8:23 am
  #102  
 
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Originally Posted by lrdpenn
Only BOS-SFO was a ps route pre-covid, not BOS-LAX.

I doubt this indicative of ps returning to BOS. UA often has excess 757s in the winter that it has allocated to transcons for years. Other examples are EWR to PHX and SAN, which are also again partially 757s on the winter schedule.
Not only that, BOS-SFO was quietly dropped as a premium transcon service route at least a year before covid.
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Old Nov 10, 2022, 8:47 am
  #103  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
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does UA provision LAX-EWR J w/ same pillows+blanket as long-haul Polaris?
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Old Nov 10, 2022, 9:55 am
  #104  
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
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Originally Posted by lrdpenn
Only BOS-SFO was a ps route pre-covid, not BOS-LAX.

I doubt this indicative of ps returning to BOS. UA often has excess 757s in the winter that it has allocated to transcons for years. Other examples are EWR to PHX and SAN, which are also again partially 757s on the winter schedule.
I dont think thats a relevant data point. Those are planned, set seasonal 757 routes. Just using a plane that would be sitting around. The flat beds end with a short season.

BOS is scheduled out with flat beds. Next summer every single bos-sfo flight is scheduled as a flat bed. When they will have the lowest 757 capacity peak summer
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Old Nov 10, 2022, 11:59 am
  #105  
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Originally Posted by Colin
does UA provision LAX-EWR J w/ same pillows+blanket as long-haul Polaris?
Yes, gel pillow, regular pillow, and the duvet.
physioprof is offline  

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