Aircraft changes to premium transcon flights; widebody to narrow or nonlayflat
Apr 21, 2020, 10:07 am
#1
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Aircraft changes to premium transcon flights; widebody to narrow or nonlayflat
We were looking to book EWR - SFO flights the last week of May. All the flights are operated by 737-800. Is this temporary? Or Has United really removed flatbeds from the premium transcons?
Apr 21, 2020, 10:20 am
#3
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It's not that the flatbeds have been removed, it is simply that the aircraft have been grounded and smaller aircraft have been subbed in. The -800 doesn't have flatbeds but has the reduced capacity to support the route.
Based on the investor advice given by all three legacy carriers yesterday about a "tough fall," it would not surprise me to see the smaller aircraft stay in place. It's unfortunate, but many are predicting 18-24 months before consumer demand returns.
Based on the investor advice given by all three legacy carriers yesterday about a "tough fall," it would not surprise me to see the smaller aircraft stay in place. It's unfortunate, but many are predicting 18-24 months before consumer demand returns.
Apr 21, 2020, 10:57 am
#6
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What I don’t understand is why they run nearly empty daily wide body flat bed flights from IAD-DEN/LAX/SFO. They could easily do these on narrow body planes.
It appears these flights simply turn around and come back each day.
It appears these flights simply turn around and come back each day.
Apr 21, 2020, 11:03 am
#7
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Apr 21, 2020, 11:19 am
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Apr 21, 2020, 11:25 am
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Apr 21, 2020, 11:39 am
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Apr 21, 2020, 12:54 pm
#12
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Putting UA's short-term economics aside for a second, this is a bad precedent to set IMO, especially if they are still charging PS fares for non-flat bed seats. They might continue doing so once we've come out of the trough in demand to test if the market will support such high fares for a garbage hard product (at least the new F seats on the 319/320/73G/753s are slightly more comfortable and less tired). Hopefully the competition will keep them from doing so, though I imagine this could mark the end of PS on BOS-SFO.
Last edited by dkc192; Apr 21, 2020 at 2:44 pm
Apr 21, 2020, 1:00 pm
#13
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I used PP to upgrade to FC on a 777-200. A lot of empty seats, a lot of space between pax.
Now its a 738 with 16 seats totally full in FC.
At least if they had changed it to a PMUA 757 there would be 28 seats upfront, and more space if they controlled the upgrades.
Alaska is blocking all middle seats in coach and limiting upgrades to FC for social distancing.
Now its a 738 with 16 seats totally full in FC.
At least if they had changed it to a PMUA 757 there would be 28 seats upfront, and more space if they controlled the upgrades.
Alaska is blocking all middle seats in coach and limiting upgrades to FC for social distancing.
Apr 21, 2020, 1:27 pm
#14
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Economics be damned, this is a bad precedent to set IMO, especially if they are still charging PS fares for flat bed seats. They might continue doing so once we've come out of the trough in demand to test if the market will support such high fares for a garbage hard product (at least the new F seats on the 319/320/73G/753s are slightly more comfortable and less tired). Hopefully the competition will keep them from doing so, though I imagine this could mark the end of PS on BOS-SFO.
Now, every time there is a pandemic killing people, trasshing the economy and necessitating a massive government bailout, UA is going to pull flatbeds from a route which doesn't have the demand.
If, as you choose to say, the economy is "damned" then the question of what the seating arrangements are in the premium cabin will be irrelevant soon enough.
Apr 21, 2020, 1:35 pm
#15
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