Travelling First class on domestic United Airlines flights does provide you comfort throughout your journey. Whichever destination you are flying within the United States, the airline carrier offers good enough perks to its First class passengers, including access to lounges and in-flight meals.
In this travel guide prepared by Treknova, we will delve into a detailed review of United Airlines’ domestic First class flights and services offered. We will also cover a few essential tips that you can expect from the airline for the sake of your smooth experience.
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United Airlines Domestic First Class: What, Why and How?
Like all other airline carriers, United has different sections of cabins, one of which we will cover here is their domestic First class cabin. When you book a reservation and select the First class cabin for whatever amount charged (including additional fees, and tax, if any), you are also entitled to avail of many in-flight services, premium and complimentary. This can even be from meals to entertainment.
Also, in terms of legroom space, United’s First class cabin offers sufficient space for you to stretch your legs out, recline comfortably and work on your laptop computer. You can do these without disturbing the person(s) seated next to you and behind you.
There is, however, one thing to note you will not always find the same standard, for instance, in products that are offered in domestic First class cabins and international First class cabins. This means there will always be some sort of differentiation with regard to their premium cabin offerings.
In the following sections, we will see the benefits of travelling in United Airlines’ domestic First class cabin and what you can expect for a hassle-free experience.
Flying First Class on United 757-200 Aircraft
United’s Boeing 757-200 aircraft uses the B/E Aerospace Diamond seats that have only one aisle across. The aircraft’s First class cabin is arranged in a 2-2 configuration per row. Also, the aircraft operates with three distinct layouts. So, you got to be careful which seat type you are booking. The reason is one of these seat layouts contains inferior recliner seats.
You will also notice that their first-class seats are provided completely lie-flat. In other words, the seats can be described as being modestly 21 inches wide and 76 inches in pitch and bed length. Nonetheless, the main highlights of this domestic aircraft are that the seats are totally lie-flat for comfort and the meals served in-flight are also decent enough to feed your appetite. There are also similar aircraft that provide in-flight comforts. United Boeing 737, 767, 777 and 787 are also among the few aircraft on the line for domestic travelling.
However, what we see from the aircraft description mentioned above is that although their First class cabin may provide decent seating and in-flight services, like meals, their seats may still appear quite inferior, if compared to the seats of a Business class cabin.
Benefits of Travelling First Class on United Airlines Flights (Domestic and International)
If you are wondering what benefits can United Airlines offer to passengers travelling in First class cabins, well, we have these perks listed below for you.
Premier Access
When you book a reservation on United’s domestic First class, the leisure of premium cabin travel will begin before you even board the aircraft. You can enjoy a smooth start to your journey with United’s Premier Access benefit which offers premium travel services at the airport. A few such services include designated Premier Access check-in counters and security lanes and priority boarding.
The priority check-in for United Airlines line is very easy to locate. All you have to do is just look for the “Premier Access” signs through the TSA Pre-Check line.
Baggage Check with No Service Charges
When travelling in United First class, you are permitted to check up to two standard-sized bags, that too, free of charge. Also, United Premier Access includes other great benefits, such as priority baggage handling. So, your checked bags can receive special attention and are among the first to arrive at baggage claim at your destination.
Premium Seats offer Room to Stretch Out
United First Class cabin offers extra-spacious seats that are designed to provide comfort and convenience. So, you can recline and relax comfortably or even work on your portable computer for quite a long time. The seats are made with beautifully contoured two-tone leather and feature a six-way adjustable headrest and a padded articulating seat cushion that cradles you as you recline. Furthermore, all around the seat, you will find thoughtful storage spaces for your personal items, including an in-arm tablet/laptop slot, a personal water bottle console and double-seat back pockets.
Every seat has a tray table that is designed with a flip-up mobile device holder that can easily fit more than 200 phone and tablet models. There is also a universal AC power plug point available that you can use to charge your devices on the fly. A granite-topped extendable cocktail table in the centre console adds an extra bit of elegance, keeping your tray table free for eating, working or staying entertained.
Entertainment and Connectivity: United Private Screening
In-flight entertainment is also available to keep you occupied, especially if you are travelling a long journey. United Private Screening entertainment facility provides main-screen, seat-back on-demand and personal device entertainment services, with availability depending on the aircraft.
You are offered complimentary access to an extensive library of movies, and TV shows with full seasons of popular programs and exclusive programming from exciting entertainment partners. Thus, you can watch films, documentaries and even shorts selected by the Tribeca Film Festival. You can also listen to Vevo’s curated music video playlists and music-related programming. This service is exclusively sponsored by the MileagePlus Explorer Card.
DIRECTV
You can also enjoy the benefit of DIRECTV which is provided as complimentary in-flight entertainment for customers seated in a United First class cabin. You can contact United Airlines Customer Care for more help.
You can keep yourself entertained throughout your flight with more than 100 channels of live television and a selection of new movie releases.
Music Entertainment
Aside from watching movies and TV programmes, you can also enjoy audio entertainment throughout your flight. Their aircraft are equipped with an in-flight entertainment facility, with options that include pop music stations, relaxation mixes, United’s” from the flight deck” feature and more. Passengers are also provided complimentary headsets that are available for use during their flight.
In-flight W-Fi Connectivity
One of the essential things when travelling on a flight is the availability of Wi-Fi internet access. The fact that you would be bringing along a mobile phone, tablet and/or laptop computer to keep yourself occupied during your flight, and the need for Wi-Fi is also important to stay connected when you travel.
United First class cabin provides wireless internet connectivity, if you want to check e-mail, surf the web or catch up with family, relatives and friends on social media. United Wi-Fi is available as a premium service on select aircraft.
In-flight Reading Materials
If you need something other than premium Wi-Fi connectivity during your flight to help pass the time, United also offers reading materials to its passengers travelling in First class. Their in-flight magazine, such as Hemispheres, covers a variety of topics, including sports, food and drink, culture and style, and also includes monthly features on travel and the voices behind United Airlines.
In-flight Dining
You can avail in-flight dining experience when you travel to United First. Through The Trotter Project, United partners with a team of renowned chefs to offer refreshed, restaurant-quality dining to passengers on board their aircraft. Also, depending on your flight’s duration, you may receive premium snacks, fresh fruit, refreshments or a full meal service with two entree choices.
In-flight Beverage
In addition to meals that are served to you, there is also a wide selection of complimentary in-flight beverages available throughout your flight. These include water, soft drinks, juice, tea, freshly brewed coffee and a variety of beer, wine and spirits. Not to mention a cup of illy coffee on board.
But, that’s not all. You are also offered the On The Rocks Cocktails, The Old Fashioned cocktail and a rotating craft beer selection.
Conclusion
When flying First class on a domestic flight with United Airlines, there are not many reasons to be overwhelmed. This may depend on one person to another. However, if you are expecting comforts, such as access to a lounge before boarding your flight, lie-flat seats, and gourmet meals etc., then you may be quite disappointed. Nevertheless, the seats and meals and beverages that are served on board are pretty decent, as well as comfortable enough to relax throughout your journey.
Not to mention that there are also possible ways if you seek the comfort of travelling in lie-flat seats. There are also many benefits that you can enjoy when you travel in First class on a United domestic flight. So, if you are among the passengers seeking perks that are always available, such as priority check-in and boarding, you can make your travelling experience even better.
