findark

No, when sold as a separate cabin it requires an instrument upgrade (GPU from any Economy fare class or miles+cash).

Acid

I had a chance to try the PE product today on 773 BOM-EWR.

I was uber thankful for the free upgrade once I saw the dense seating on a full flight in regular coach. That said, PE is not something I would pay up to. I spoke to couple others in my cabin and they had similar feedback.

Pros: 1) Mini cabin feels much better
2) Loads of legroom at the bulkhead seats/. Tray tables are huge, some storage space available.

Cons: 1) Seat width didn't feel that wide as compared to the pmCO 772's
2) Audio jack is located in a weird spot under the armrest. Everyone needed to use their cell phone light to find the point in the dark cabin
3) I was not too comfortable with the recline and footrest, i wish the foot rest on the bulk head seats would go up a bit with so much space available. I found the angle too uncomfortable to sleep for long.
4) I feel it could have been a much better product

Any seat in PE is better than Y/Y+. It's just that I don't find it a product I would be tempted to buy-up to.

sierranevada

Just thought I would share (this info maybe somewhere else but I couldn't find it). Just sponsored a friend SFO-ICN with my GPU and found flights that would clear into Premium Plus upon booking for $1384. When I called 1K desk to confirm, rep mentioned that if it was booked in W class for about $200 more, they would still auto clear into Prem Plus but would also be waitlisted for Polaris without using an additional GPU. For the extra $200, it was certainly worth it! To just buy Prem Plus was $1993. I did have to be careful when I went to apply the GPU because they gave 3 options - just upgrade to Prem Plus, upgrade to Prem Plus and waitlist for Polaris or just waitlist for Polaris. So if you do this, read it carefully!

PushingTin

How free was it? Did you use a GPU, or is it just not in the system yet so your E+ became PE? I've done that route more than a few times. My company won't pay for F, but I think they'd pitch in a couple hundred bucks for PE on that route.

Why would you choose not to have the option on get waitlisted for Polaris? Or frankly just for Polaris? If you are on PE on a GPU and are eligible for Polaris, does someone in Y, with a GPU applied for Polaris get higher priority?

sierranevada

That's what I thought also! I would assume that someone who paid for Prem Plus would have priority over someone who "upgraded" with a GPU for business

Acid

I was able to select the seat as a 1K during booking. I've since lost all status. I was moved from PE to an E+ seat at T-3. A quick phone call and the agent was happy to put me back into my PE seat as an exception. PE will be a lot more expensive than coach on this route(not couple hundred as E+ itself is more than 200 for desirable seats)

nomad420

Per other comments, strange set of options. Why not just pick door #2 or am I missing something.
This Prem Plus I still say is a move to get more corporate money. My wife who has Biz or better in her contract for flights over 3 hrs is getting pushed to accept Prem Plus in lieu of Polaris which was the previous standard for her. Also seems like just another way to hang out a GPU carrot knowing that the jump to Polaris is unlikely and UA gets to show they can clear them.

zombietooth

I would never pay for this either. Of course my decision is based on the fact that I get E+ free.

I just flew in PG's "Business Class" a few days ago and found the seat wider than UA's P+ and more comfortable (it had much better padding), and it has 47" pitch. On Bangkok Air I pay for it because the alternative is 31" pitch in Y, and the price is actually reasonable.

I agree with others here that this is a move to allow businesses to downgrade previously J-cabin authorized corp. travel down to P+.

FlyingHighlander

What would be the rationale for UA facilitating/allowing corps to spend less? Are more corps starting the move from J to Y? (Therefore P+ is at least better than Y for UA revenue?)

Kacee

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the goal is to attract higher paying business from corporate customers which will allow PE but not J for long-haul travel. Demand for paid J is increasing; the goal here is squeeze more money out of the no-J crowd. It's an upsell, not a downgrade.

FlyingHighlander

makes sense. I was wondering if that was the case, since I keep hearing the economy is strong/J demand is strong.
Presumably theres also a decent amount of leisure travelers who want PE (such as me for TATL day flights)

Kacee

On routes where fare is comparable, it's certainly a better option than playing the W lottery on an aircraft with 10 across Y, particularly since you get upgrade priority over all economy fare classes.

findark

They are playing a very dangerous game with PE and paid J contract traffic, and I think that's one of the reasons they are keeping the PE cabins small.

Kacee

And not making it too nice. Nothing I've read makes me think I'll be satisfied settling for PE over J.

findark

I think the bed is the pretty clear distinguishing feature, but it's an interesting evolution of "business" class travel over the last 30 years. On my own money, I would want a J equivalent (flatbed) if I need to spend the night on the plane or if the flight is more than ~9 hours; otherwise PE or its hard product equivalent is fine by me. The difference between sleeping in a chair versus a bed is huge, especially on a core flight like SFO-LHR where it's off the plane and straight into the office in the morning.

However, somehow we all managed back in the day with big cushy chairs. At least the service and food was better back then.