slippahs

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I've flown on 922 before connecting off of HNL-ORD (922 originated in ORD as an A319) and it's a perfect way to get to LHR from the islands. Leave about 4 pm HST and arrive at night London time. Beat the awful jet lag by sleeping just a tad on the LHR flight and then crashing after the 17-18 hours or so of travel. Too bad the change in time on HNL-ORD won't allow this to happen any more.

ironmanjt

I take this flight at least a dozen times a year. My thoughts:

1) Jetlag is hit and miss. By the time I arrive at my flat in London it's around midnight, but still 7pm in DC. I have trouble sleeping, but the 5 or so hours I do get beats the 5 or so hours I might get on a redeye by far.

2) Can't say anything about the west coast, I'm always coming from DC.

3) Meals are a "full" breakfast, but it's really just fruit/croissant/yogurt and then an entree. I'm not a breakfast person, so I usually just nibble. The dinner service about 2 hours before landing is the same dinner service you would get after takeoff on the redeye, but slightly rushed.

That said, if I can afford the day in the air, 922 is ALWAYS my choice. BE WARNED, however, that in 2010-2011 I have only scored an upgrade on this flight < 50% of the time...and that's often from a B fare. Depending on the day of the week, this flight can be a nightmare to upgrade.

This is still the case. Almost always, the EZE-IAD turns into UA 922.

...and Heathrow does not close, but it imposes a curfew with heavy fines for late arrivals. United usually chooses to strand people at IAD rather than take the fine.

I've had a few 12+ hour delays due to this, and in general....you'll be treated like dirt by UA. Usually a few thousand miles, an offer to rebook on the 6pm (if lucky...if you're on a SWU you're often SOL) and see ya. This, IMHO, is the big downside to 922. I had a streak where it went tits up 3 flights in a row on me....and I was seriously ready to change strategies...but now I've had 10+ with no drama at all, so YMMV.

ljwobker

I'm on UA 922 this morning... When I checked in at 5:00am in RDU this morning, the seat map for C was showing 8 taken and 18 empty in C, and the online F seat map is wide open as well. I actually cleared via SWU at booking, which hasn't happened to me in a LONG time... So at least sometimes there's no trouble upgrading here...

US_Usually

Exactly! ...What a blast.

IADFLYi

Take this flight a lot. As others have stated, stay awake during the flight and you will sleep better when you arrive. Usually only takes a few mins to clear immigration on arrival at LHR and bags come out quickly.

Food in Econ sucks but thats the case with all UA flights these days. Business is better but UA could still learn a few things about service from CO. Hopefully they keep the CO business class service and meals after the merger.

bniu

I'm thinking of hopping over to LHR over a 5 day weekend next month for a quick mini vacation. Probably spend max 2-3 nights there before heading back. As far as time zone adjustments and flight fatigue, what are the pros and cons of taking the day flight versus the red eyes?

from what I can think of, day flight would require getting up early (6am or so, I live 5 minutes away from Dulles access road) fly all day, and arrive at what would be 4-5pm eastern but already bedtime in LHR. Redeye would mean I could sleep in the day of the flight and arrive at the airport not tired at all...

either way, I'd probably do E+ as the flight is barely longer than a west bound transcon...

basically I'm trying to minimize the time zone effects and being tired. Thanks for any advice from past experiences.

I'm not concerned about in flight service as I have plenty of material on my own devices to keep me entertained and I don't particularly care for airline food...

irfan23

I would take the redeye. Then take at most a short afternoon nap on Day 1. Get to bed that night at a reasonable hour and you should be set.

(All this is predicated on the expectation that you can sleep on planes and will get at least some rest on the flight over.)

lhrsfo

My experience is the opposite. Although I can get some limited rest on planes, I certainly cannot sleep on them. For me, the dayflight is the only way to go. Start adjusting to London time before you leave, then you won't mind the early start - after all the flight leaves 2:30 pm London time. Do some work on the plane.

You'll be nice and tired when you arrive, so go straight to bed. I find I'm then pretty well set on London time, and can thoroughly enjoy the next day and make the most of it.

If I do the redeye, I arrive early in the morning, dog-tired. I have a miserable first day, can't sleep properly the first night and remain exhausted and not sleeping for several days.

To me, it's the classic case of what seems, at first glance, to be more efficient turns out to be quite the opposite.

marlborobell

My consistent experience is the same as lhrsfo's. I get up at 4:30am for the day flight, which is 9:30am London time, and that way I've done half my jet lag adjustment already.

The real question is: do you burn a day of your vacation but feel great for the rest, or do you get the extra day but feel lousy for the first couple days over there?

If you have the kind of job that enables you to spend an occasional productive working day reading and/or chained to your laptop without access to the outside world, then it's a no-brainer -- take the day flight, spend it working, and the day of the trip is a 'working from home day' so you don't burn a vacation day. And you still get your full vacation. Obviously, make sure your boss is OK with this! (Oh, the bliss of a working day without interruptions other than 'can I get you another drink, sir'... I would be so much more productive -- especially in E+ where there's actually room for the laptop!)

Sprezzatura

If you can find a redeye that gets you into LHR mid-morning or later, AND can sleep on airplanes reasonably well, then take the redeye. You'll be a little ragged Day 1 but if you can power through it the rest of the trip will be fine.

NB: I and some of my colleagues suffer from the "go to sleep at 11, wake at 3AM unable to get back to sleep" form of jetlag. If that's you as well, don't forget to take a sleeping aid the first night or two to help minimize this.

SFOTurtle

Latest flight leaves IAD around 10 and arrives LHR a little after 10.

davidsfo

I'd agree with this. The worst redeyes are the ones that get into LHR around 6am. The best redeyes in my view (from the West Coast) get in around Noon or 1pm. By the time you clear customs and get downtown, it's around 3 or 4. You can walk around, have a beer or two, dinner and you're ready for bed (London time.) If I was on the East Coast, I'd definitely consider the daytime flight as an alternative.

UAPremExecflyer

Search is always your friend. This exact same topic in this thread from August http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...bad-share.html

halls120

^^ This flight is amazing. While I can sleep on a redeye if I'm on a flat bed, it isn't good sleep. I'd much rather get to London and sleep in a hotel bed.

last2board

I am also a big fan of the day flight. I am less disappointed if my upgrade does not clear because I am not trying to sleep on the plane.