Longer ExPlus Flights - Worth it to upgrade to F?
 

I will be flying DEN-SBA-LAX and I was wondering if it's worth upgrading the Explus leg of the flight. If so, what can I expect?

What time are you flying? In general I think upgrades are always worth it, but it all depends on what you would otherwise use the upgrades for/whether your low on upgrades. You can expect a bigger seat, free drinks, and maybe a snackbox.

I generally use my 500 milers for my DEN-IAD trips on the 777. I generally don't have a lot of opportunity to use my 500 milers because most of my flights are on TED.
The flight is leaving around 6PM. I was wondering if I'd get a snack of some sort.

At ~915 miles, this flight should have explus F snackboxes available.

Just flew DEN-SBA in F and indeed received a snack box. (Snack Box = St. Dalfour pasta and veggies, mixed nuts, pretzels, raspberry honey mustard sauce, fruit juice 'nuggets'). Seats are moderately better, and of course free drinks.

I thought the upgrade was worth it, although I'm still in the 2P upgrade-whenever-humanly-possible mode. (Is that 1P mode, as well?)

It is for this Humble 1P! Although I usually only try to upgrade on my flights coming home at the end of the week. I need those free beers :D

Longer ExPlus Flights - Worth it to upgrade to F?
 

Just wondering if anyone has done some of the longer LAX based ExPlus flights like DSM and ICT. Is it worth it to upgrade to F, or is Economy Plus enough to keep you from going nuts? Do they have the snack box options for Y?

I also noticed on flightaware that DSM-LAX has been coming in at nearly 4 hours lately! Should I scrap the non-stop all together and use mainline via DEN?

I hate the exPlus thing so much that I upgraded to F just going from SNA to SFO.

I like upgrading on exPlus... well worth it. I especially like the solo A seats where no one sits next to you. The snack boxes are OK and you are served drinks in plastic cups.. but I've had good service on my few exPlus flights and found F to be quite enjoyable. Plus.. F is better than Y ANYTIME.

I'd take 1A on a CR-7 or E70 over many other domestic F seats.

And yes, it's worth the upgrade.

I've upgraded DAY-DEN on exPlus... nearly 3 hours. The booze is nice, but what I really appreciate is not having to twist my shoulders for the entire flight. I always end up with a sore neck whenever I don't upgrade and the seat next to me isn't open.

That said, I still usually save the e500s for lunch/dinner DEN-SJC/SFO/LAX flights on my beloved 757.

Yes, explus F is worth it to avoid awful CRJ Y.

Well said, totally agree!^

I always upgrade and look for seat 1A. The snack boxes are nothing to write home about, but the extra room and free drinks are good.

The only other downside on those CR7's is it is a long way back to the "rest ranch" and with the drink cart in the aisle and others trying to use it, you almost have to run for it or make a reservation.

For seating comfort its worth it to upgrade. I dislike CRJ700's as flown by Skywest and Mesa because they have chosen to not provide a forward lavatory.

Also usually no limes for G&T

Well I'll go ahead and be the contrarian and say I do not think it's worth the upgrade.

If I can get a seat in row 3, I see very little improvement in upgrading. I find the snack boxes to be inedible, and if I want booze, I have drink tickets.

I would much rather use my 500 milers on a mainline flight with proper meal service. Of course, if you have 500 milers to burn, then go for it.

Just my $0.02.

Edited to add: I am not a very big guy. If I were, I would probably change my tune on this issue.
Also, the E70 is MUCH more comfy in economy than the CR7.

No, snackboxes are only available for purchase in Y on mainline flights, which is ridiculous given the increasing deployment of CR7s and E70s on 3-hour+ (midcon) flights.

I don't generally upgrade CR7 flights as short as ORD-IND or ORD-DAY. But for longer flights (DAY-DEN, SYR-ORD), I have, and it's been great. The A seats are good if I'm flying by myself and want some privacy and some sleep, but the lack of an overhead bin can be troublesome. I'm 6' 2", and storing my laptop under the seat in front of me means my leg room is severely cut back. For storage space and recline, I prefer 2C.

The other benefit is that with such a small cabin, whenever I'm flying SkyWest and it's after noon (which is when I might partake), the service is excellent and my drinks are always full! :D

F > C > Y @:-)

If you have enough 500 milers, then go for it. If you want to save them for a longer flight, then do that.

I usually like to try and upgrade when on the CR7 or the E70. Even though the flight may be short, by the time boarding, taxing, flying and landing are complete, the time on the plane may be double the flight time. Then there are delays. Recently I had a flight that was an hour long, but was seated on the plane for about 2.25 hours. Also, as my wife and I were the only ones in the first cabin, the gate agent volunteered that we could bring our infant seat into the cabin for our infant son, which was a huge bonus.

My view with explus upgrades is somwhat odd..ill only try to use them on short flights (aka never more than 1 500). I feel for 1 e500 its worth it as the experience is somewhat comparable to mainline, but the explus F experience doesnt um, scale well with the distance of the flight.
Oh and never on e70s. Those planes are sweet in E+

I'm glad someone said it. The CR7s are horrible to ride on, for longer then a short flight. I regularly fly internationally through Dulles, and always loath the idea of going from a 777 to "first" one a 3.5 hour Mesa flight back to Austin. The snack boxes are horrific, especially that pasta. I will actually go Dulles to Denver to Austin and arrive two hours later to avoid the Mesa flight.

E70S on the other hand are worth it.

I don't mind E+ in the CR7s and would never use my e500s to upgrade to First.

I have flown DEN-STL on a CR7 in paid First on an Explus plane (part of a larger trip). The seat is nice, the snack box is better than nothing, the 2.5 hours went by relativley quickly, and it seems there is always open seats in Explus First Class--but I do not find it a necessity.

As others have said, far better to use your e500s on DEN-LGA/IAD routes or even SFO/LAX-DEN/SEA.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 Sprint:MotoQ (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 176x220))

depends on your e500 clear rate. if you have a lot left, why not. if you never have enough (clears easily), then save them for the good segments. if I don't have a good chance of empty middle/row, I try to upgrade.

The snack boxes are downright horrid and the free drinks (at least on Mesa) aren't always boarded.

Agreed. If I get Row 3, I don't want the upgrade. I think there's more space in Row 3 than in the F seats, and, at least on the E70, you get the underseat storage since the bulkhead is a curtain.

Count me in the "do the upgrade" category though row 3 is a good alternative. I like the extra space (3 across), the quiet and there is usually something tasty in the snackbox.

I really can't think of any flight, of any duration, to anywhere, that is not worth upgrading... :confused:

With the exception of the current 767 going from C to F, I'd have to agree.

There's definitely more space in Row 3 Y than in row 1 F on an E70. On that plane, upgrading subjects you to a 50% chance you'd be in the F bulkhead, which is tight.

I will *always* do that upgrade, to escape the masses in Business.

I don't really feel the whole F experience in ExPlus. I've had several flights with no alcohol (Mesa and Skywest) and if there is alcohol there is 1 beer and who knows what liquors. If there is beer/liquor i am carded 100% of the time which involves a long inconvenient process of finding my ID if I get stuck in row 1.

The seat is bigger, but I've learned not to count on free booze in F.

As lucky and others have said, its always worth it to upgrade to F. I will often make exceptions for flights that are 1051-1499mi long, since they require that third 500 and it the $$ can add up as the year progresses. Anything longer than 1500 is an auto-upgrade request, no matter the quantity of 500s or instruments

No snackboxes in Y
 

I can only comment on LAX-DFW ExPlus service. There is no snackbox available for purchase in Y. I have not upgraded to F on this route, but have been lucky enough to snag 3A or 3D - which are probably the best E+ seats on this plane. I would avoid 3B as you can be bumped during the flight.

Unfortunately, all UAX out of LAX is SkyWest. Having never been on a 170, I wouldn't mind being in Y on that bird, but SkyWest is CRJ-700's, and I know it's an imporvement over the 200, but it's still not my first choice for a 3 hour flight.

Just flew this one a few days ago. Was sitting in 3B. E got 1 drink and some pretzels. Since i saw into the first class cabin, I noticed they were offered snack boxes and misc snacks. The seats dont really look to much better and although it's almost a 3 hr flight, if you can snag a 3rd row seat, keep the upgrades for "better" product. BTW, I did get bumped a few times in the aisle

BTW, as much as people dislike CRJ's, I liked that flight alot more then the back of an aging MD80.

Sounds like you have spent too much time on the dAArkside.

the MD80 seats are (for me) noticeable wider than those on a CRJ, but MD80s dont have E+ ;), so overall crj wins (sad)

I've never gotten a lime. That's just downright tacky. Probably cause there is no way to keep them cold? How do they keep ice? A good G nT is to be cherished if sitting in a regional jet. Plastic cup, no lime? It just should not be done.

Just flew PDX-LAX in F on a Skywest CRJ-700 yesterday and it is definitely worth the upgrade. Seat 1A is great if you're traveling by yourself. The armrests in coach are too narrow and even though I had 3B (lots of legroom) on my outbound LAX-PDX, this a**hole sitting next to me claimed the entire armrest to himself and wouldn't let go. Very uncomfortable for me... so just for that, I decided I am giving up 2 e-500s on my return flight, and I don't regret it! :)