Oct 29, 2018, 2:14 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
UA has started installing Premium Plus / Premium Economy seats in 772s and 773s. Other long haul aircraft will also be receiving these new seats.
For 77x it is a 2-4-2 (vs economy 3-4-3) with 3 rows - 24 seats
For 76x it is believe it will be 2-2-2 (vs 2-3-2) with 3 rows ( and maybe a partial row) - 22 seats
For 78x it is believed it will be 2-3-2 (vs 3-3-3) with 3 rows - 21 seats
UA has not yet started selling this new cabin but has restructured its fare class -- which appears to be in preparation of selling the new cabin (and removed 3-class F)
In the meantime, the Premium Plus cabin is being treated as an extension of E+ and those with E+ access can select the new seats.
In many cases UA is initially using an interim seat maps, such as https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1926142-interim-772-seat-map-polaris-potentially-premium-economy-2018-a.html
Things start to firm up about 2 days prior but last minute changes can happen
For 77x it is a 2-4-2 (vs economy 3-4-3) with 3 rows - 24 seats
For 76x it is believe it will be 2-2-2 (vs 2-3-2) with 3 rows ( and maybe a partial row) - 22 seats
For 78x it is believed it will be 2-3-2 (vs 3-3-3) with 3 rows - 21 seats
UA has not yet started selling this new cabin but has restructured its fare class -- which appears to be in preparation of selling the new cabin (and removed 3-class F)
In the meantime, the Premium Plus cabin is being treated as an extension of E+ and those with E+ access can select the new seats.
In many cases UA is initially using an interim seat maps, such as https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1926142-interim-772-seat-map-polaris-potentially-premium-economy-2018-a.html
Things start to firm up about 2 days prior but last minute changes can happen
Real Premium Economy is Coming [Update: UA studying "Real" Prem Y in domestic market]
Jun 28, 2018, 3:27 pm
#766
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Jun 28, 2018, 3:31 pm
#767
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Jun 28, 2018, 6:41 pm
#768
formerly 1984SW
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(Seat 31J is $202, and seat 40J is $224,BTW.)
Jun 29, 2018, 9:43 am
#769
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(bolding added by me)
Ah, that could well be. RIGHT NOW they haven't done it.
Still, with the revenue management tweaks that UA has at their disposal, I'm still surprised they don't do it for one airplane. They could always refund the "surcharge" if it swaps out to a non-PE airplane. I guess I've just become way too cynical that airlines are out for every drop of blood (i.e. revenue) at every opportunity.
Ah, that could well be. RIGHT NOW they haven't done it.
Still, with the revenue management tweaks that UA has at their disposal, I'm still surprised they don't do it for one airplane. They could always refund the "surcharge" if it swaps out to a non-PE airplane. I guess I've just become way too cynical that airlines are out for every drop of blood (i.e. revenue) at every opportunity.
Making temporary changes to software systems is never done lightly. Anytime you make changes, you have to go through a QA cycle (or at least I hope United does), you effort is better spent on getting the mods for selling PE reservations right the first time.
So for a few months, there are going to be some really happy campers on some flights. Now the interesting fact will be the unhappy campers from those rows, who have their seats disappear when a PE equipped A/C is swapped in for there normal 10 across 777.
Jul 2, 2018, 12:18 pm
#770
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They will be REALLY unhappy when they are assigned E- middle seats (with special emphasis on groups wanting to sit together that booked E+ seats up front that are split up) on the 3-4-3 config.... this config sucks (and the flight attendants I have spoken to working these flights hate the config as well).
Jul 4, 2018, 6:34 pm
#771
formerly 1984SW
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Anybody interested in a Premium Economy seat on a domestic flight on N796UA? Currently it's scheduled to operate UA1995 / 06JUL / ORD-EWR.
Jul 24, 2018, 1:21 pm
#772
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Has United announced a timeframe of when all aircraft will be equipped with PE? I believe Delta recently announced that all of their wide-bodies will be upgraded before the end of 2020, or was that 2021.
Jul 25, 2018, 7:11 pm
#773
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Jul 25, 2018, 7:43 pm
#774
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Sep 19, 2018, 12:42 pm
#775
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Random tidbit that could have interesting implications: United's sales department is saying that the new Premium Economy booking classes are going to be O, A, and R. This is significantly different than Lufthansa (G, E, N) and ANA (G, E).
Possibly related is that ANA has started publishing R availability to Sabre (ordered in-between P and G). Sabre seems to be categorizing it as business class at the moment, but it's all 0'd out right now.
A makes a lot of sense, but it'll be interesting if using O and R implies any sort of policy change aside from a simple booking class realignment.
Possibly related is that ANA has started publishing R availability to Sabre (ordered in-between P and G). Sabre seems to be categorizing it as business class at the moment, but it's all 0'd out right now.
A makes a lot of sense, but it'll be interesting if using O and R implies any sort of policy change aside from a simple booking class realignment.
Sep 19, 2018, 12:48 pm
#776
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Random tidbit that could have interesting implications: United's sales department is saying that the new Premium Economy booking classes are going to be O, A, and R. This is significantly different than Lufthansa (G, E, N) and ANA (G, E).
Possibly related is that ANA has started publishing R availability to Sabre (ordered in-between P and G). Sabre seems to be categorizing it as business class at the moment, but it's all 0'd out right now.
Possibly related is that ANA has started publishing R availability to Sabre (ordered in-between P and G). Sabre seems to be categorizing it as business class at the moment, but it's all 0'd out right now.
O and A don't seem terribly surprising; I assume O will stay as the *A 3-cabin F award code but there's already precedent for it being used as a PE code (both AC and NZ use it), and A is a no-brainer. They also have pulled all A fares from the domestic market* and indeed just need to implement an IT switchover from 2-class F/Y to 2-class J/Y and the fare structure will fall through in-place from FUA to JUA.
The use of R is a little stranger, given that it doesn't have a history as a *A PE code, and they presumably now have to use something else for upgrades to Business. We'll just have to see.
*and apparently forgot to send the memo to RM, as C is the new A despite much better availability
Sep 19, 2018, 12:50 pm
#777
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They'll have to designate at least one new fare class for upgrades. Upgrades to PE are not going to go into a revenue fare class (though they could still go to RN).
Sep 19, 2018, 1:14 pm
#778
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I suppose they could use PN for all upgrades into J, but I assume they want to keep different target fare classes for GS and non-GS upgrades.
Sep 19, 2018, 1:30 pm
#779
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I would expect close alignment with the TATL JV market, and LH and AC both have 3 revenue PE classes.
Sep 19, 2018, 1:37 pm
#780
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I wonder if O and A will be revenue and R will be upgrades. Otherwise, they'll need two new fare classes -- one for upgrades into J and one for upgrades into P+.
I suppose they could use PN for all upgrades into J, but I assume they want to keep different target fare classes for GS and non-GS upgrades.
I suppose they could use PN for all upgrades into J, but I assume they want to keep different target fare classes for GS and non-GS upgrades.
This is reading tea leaves, but using R for PE might suggest upgrades Y-J will not be allowed, but rather Y-W.