schley

Well as you know the amount of FTer's of all travelers is like the pinhead of a needle compared to the world. I have the pictures from you which is what I wanted, thanks.

SFO_Chad

Sorry....delayed response.

I was on 914 (E+) and 975 (C) on Sunday, April 25th.

I really dont have much to add.

*I liked 31A/B. It is right near the curve in the aisle - but the recline was good and it was nice only having 1 person in the row with you. The lavs are in the area - so on a 12 hour flight it might get annoying - but was not an issue for 3 hours.

*The safety demonstration apparently does not work on the video screen - so the FA's were running up and down the aisle like crazy people.

*Service in C was a bit disjointed. No pre flight drinks etc.... I think it was a function of getting up to speed on the plane.

*The captain, first officer and purser kept mentioning the new plane and seemed very proud of it.

*I did not think C felt any more crowded than downstairs on the 747.

Thanks,
Chad

tjtenor4

Thanks for the second opinion, SFO_Chad!

So... somewhat back on topic, and not to encourage baseless speculation, but does anyone have an idea:

a) if the SFO-LHR-DEN-SFO loop is going to be the first int'l route for this plane?
b) if not, what the first int'l route will be?
c) when we might expect the bird to start doing some TATLs?

SFO_Chad

Of course.

So I asked the FA's in C and they had no idea. Was sort of refreshing to not have an answer pulled out of a hat.

Sorry TJ - doesnt answer your question though.

mahasamatman

For (c), it would be when UA is satisfied that everything is running smoothly. It's also possible that the FAA places some restrictions until it achieves a certain number of flights or hours, but only an insider can answer that for sure.

slomrtwo

Lufthansa seems to be getting it worked out on their fleet here. Don't see why United couldn't have partnered up on it.

Explore

I was on 975 Sunday in C. First experience with the new layout.

I had committed a CR1 to the trip (well before knowing there would be a revamped cabin, of course), and the upgrade cleared around 12 hours ahead. But I couldn't pick a seat before getting to the airport. There, they told me there was an equipment substitution to a 763. I looked up my assigned seat on seatguru (using the 763 map), and it seemed OK.

It wasn't till I boarded the plane, after enjoying the LH lounge, that I figured out this was a 777. My seat was one of only 4 forward-facing windows, down from 12 to 14 - a huge drop in convenience IMHO. And the seat is narrow - now 8 seats in each row, vs. 7 before. This is progress?

OK, the 15" screen was nice, with its sharp route map providing a fantastic view of the terrain. AVOD and computer plug-ins, good. The recline is obviously better. And the tray table doesn't droop. I don't think it's any worse getting out of the window seat with the aisle seat reclined that it was in the old config.

Unfortunately I'm not likely to be able to enjoy this much on international trips, given UA's new battlefield upgrade lottery where a W fare is levied for the privilege of maybe using a SWU. If you win, you probably get inserted in the ugly middle section featuring 4 seats cheek-by-jowl.

So my thoughts turn to Y. Unfortunately, almost all E+ seats are over the wing. Lavabo exit row 33, maybe? At least Y has AVOD and some plug-ins.

daron4000

Anyone with experience on the other new planes (767/747), did you notice an increase in AVOD selection? I had heard the 777 system was going to be more advanced/larger so that more choices could be offered? Did anyone notice a difference?

avsrock90

How'd the IFE work?

SFO_Chad

So definitely AVOD. Nice touch screen (responsive). And much clearer than before.

There were 4 movies choices and a couple of TV choices and then of course the audio. So much smaller selection than C. Not too different than the old configuration except that you can stop, start and pause.

The FA call button and light are physical buttons on the TV casing.

In C - the only difference I noted from the 747 or 767 is that there are more games loaded. No real difference in the number of movies or the number of TV shows.

CaptainBilly

I asked UA personnel who would know while on my UA914 flight. Beyond saying that it would be TATL and that there is a plan they would not say. The tentative schedule is being closely held right now.

I actually think that's smart by UA. Once they published a schedule any deviation would be followed by howls of outrage by a portion of the customer base. As it is, so long as they avoid downgrading anyone when swapping in the new plane(s), almost everyone who winds up in the new config will be very pleasantly surprised.

Makes sense to me.

CB

On my 4/24 flight I asked the person from UA who would know about having more choices of classic movies and classical music on the AVOD. I was assured that this is coming in early summer as part of more choices in general.

Meanwhile on UA 914 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Young Frankenstein were available. Everyone has their own tastes. In my case since I think that <1% of movies made in the last 20 years are endurable I watched Butch, Sundance and Etta and enjoyed it all over again.

CB

cesco.g

Good to know!

Thanks for your feedback, Chad!

iwc

Just checked in for UA 946 LAX - IAD (777) tomorrow 27 April. Seating map for new configuration popped up for C. ^

worldtrav

Sorry, that is not happening. Currently on its way to IAD and planned for UA975 return tomorrow to SFO. Looks like UA946 has been subbed to a 767 3 cabin.

FoxFlyer

I am on #946 as well tomorrow, and it was swapped to a 767 Int'l config. (Which means I played UDU roulette instead of using a CR-1 and LOST!)

To make matters worse, even as a 1K I was bumped to E- instead of an E+ seat. I guess that's what happens when the downguage makes 70 seats disapear...