UA or B6 SFO-BOS non-stop lie flat in March
Nov 7, 2020, 10:48 pm
#1
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UA or B6 SFO-BOS non-stop lie flat in March
Good evening Flyertalk gurus,
I have been trying to go SFO-BOS on lie flat seats several times since last March and the flights were canceled and substituted with 737 or A319 aircraft. I have a flight booked non-stop on B6 in June. In March I see a great price to to BOS on UA and a higher price by about $300 to fly on B6. Should I take a chance on the UA flights to hopefully remain lie flat or buy the B6 flights which will probably remain lie flat?
I have been trying to go SFO-BOS on lie flat seats several times since last March and the flights were canceled and substituted with 737 or A319 aircraft. I have a flight booked non-stop on B6 in June. In March I see a great price to to BOS on UA and a higher price by about $300 to fly on B6. Should I take a chance on the UA flights to hopefully remain lie flat or buy the B6 flights which will probably remain lie flat?
Nov 7, 2020, 10:55 pm
#2
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UA's domestic schedule / aircraft beyond Dec is just a placeholder. UA has dramatically reduced SFO<>BOS schedule, it is an under preforming route. Presently I would put no faith in UA in operating lie-flats on the route in the near future
Nov 8, 2020, 4:51 am
#3
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Had two SFO > BOS turns that went from lie flat 752s to 738s in December. Got rebooked via EWR to catch the flatbed for the transcon sectors.
If your goal is to guarantee a flatbed then either look to connect at EWR or research what B6 is doing with ensuring Mint is consistently operating on SFO > BOS.
If your goal is to guarantee a flatbed then either look to connect at EWR or research what B6 is doing with ensuring Mint is consistently operating on SFO > BOS.
Nov 8, 2020, 7:56 am
#4
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B6's schedule is unreliable. For example, they just dumped most of their very recently announced SFO-CUN nonstops, going from 14x per week to 2x per week. Only rebooking option I was offered for a Dec. 29 departure was two days earlier. Refunded and booked on AS at a much higher cost.
Basically anything you book right now on either B6 or UA for March is just a placeholder.
Basically anything you book right now on either B6 or UA for March is just a placeholder.
Nov 8, 2020, 5:24 pm
#7
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With the uncertainty in the future of travel, I'll book whatever is cheaper.
From a comparison point of view, Mint is better IMO and JetBlue hasn't axed the SFO-BOS route (1~2 daily in December so I don't see this route being canceled altogether), but JetBlue will not offer as much flexibility in schedule change (can reroute via EWR on UA with potential Polaris configured a/c, while on B6 you will need to stick with a short-haul segment in Core in light of schedule change).
From a comparison point of view, Mint is better IMO and JetBlue hasn't axed the SFO-BOS route (1~2 daily in December so I don't see this route being canceled altogether), but JetBlue will not offer as much flexibility in schedule change (can reroute via EWR on UA with potential Polaris configured a/c, while on B6 you will need to stick with a short-haul segment in Core in light of schedule change).
Nov 8, 2020, 7:04 pm
#8
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Having just stepped off a Mint Transcon where I flew in 2A, I’d pick this product over anything AA/DL/UA have on offer right now. I think the only exception would be AA 77W flights from MIA to LAX where I would go based mainly on price because I do like the AA F seat comfort. The current B6 soft product destroys anything else in North America though.
Nov 8, 2020, 7:42 pm
#9
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Personally, I find the Mint seat uncomfortable. It's the subpar Thompson Vantage, with a weird air cushion. And difficult to book a single, though booking now for next March you might get one. Mint service is much better than UA. The food reads better on the menu than it tastes IMO, but still certainly better than UA.
One nice thing about the carriers' current flexible booking policies is you can book a back-up on a different carrier (assuming you'll be able to use the flight credit down the road if you cancel).
One nice thing about the carriers' current flexible booking policies is you can book a back-up on a different carrier (assuming you'll be able to use the flight credit down the road if you cancel).
Nov 10, 2020, 9:03 pm
#10
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Having just stepped off a Mint Transcon where I flew in 2A, I’d pick this product over anything AA/DL/UA have on offer right now. I think the only exception would be AA 77W flights from MIA to LAX where I would go based mainly on price because I do like the AA F seat comfort. The current B6 soft product destroys anything else in North America though.
Nov 11, 2020, 4:54 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2016
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B6's schedule is unreliable. For example, they just dumped most of their very recently announced SFO-CUN nonstops, going from 14x per week to 2x per week. Only rebooking option I was offered for a Dec. 29 departure was two days earlier. Refunded and booked on AS at a much higher cost.
Basically anything you book right now on either B6 or UA for March is just a placeholder.
Basically anything you book right now on either B6 or UA for March is just a placeholder.
It's simply not the same thing.
Also, BOS-SFO is no longer listed a premium transcon route on united website
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-services.html
Nov 11, 2020, 6:35 am
#12
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you are comparing a new route they added and might not stick around vs one of their core routes. They've been consistently running 2 to 3 flights a day on BOS-SFO, about the same as UA.
It's simply not the same thing.
Also, BOS-SFO is no longer listed a premium transcon route on united website
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-services.html
It's simply not the same thing.
Also, BOS-SFO is no longer listed a premium transcon route on united website
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...-services.html
BOS-SFO gone for good (I assume) is a huge loss for the BOS market ... that'll hurt once my business travel resumes. Sigh ...
Nov 11, 2020, 8:12 am
#13
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Nov 11, 2020, 8:26 am
#14
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With that said, the schedules at most airlines are shuffling heavily on about a monthly basis at this point so I'm not sure that criteria is specific to B6. AA and DL do major schedule changes each month right now to reduce flights.
Last edited by cmd320; Nov 11, 2020 at 2:53 pm Reason: fixed butchered spelling
Nov 11, 2020, 8:43 am
#15
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I would not spend a second on this issue until 4-6 weeks prior to iintended travel. That is particularly true when it is down to a specific aircraft required for lie-flat. By making a decision as to B6 vs. UA now, you may limit yourself later. If it comes to pass that there is a vaccine and the virus is wiped out next week, this advice will change.