• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Trip Reports • United Airlines  >  Philadelphia to Moscow Domodedovo in United Business
Trip ReportsUnited Airlines

Philadelphia to Moscow Domodedovo in United Business

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 29, 2010December 6, 2016 4 Comments

Last weekend I did a United MR to Moscow from Philadelphia. While I could have flown to Geneva, Zürich, or Brussels for cheaper, Moscow was operated by a 767 with UA’s lie-flat Business Class seats and I was able to confirm an upgrade immediately.

I will break the trip down into three parts:

–Philadelphia to Moscow Domodedovo in United Business

–Transit at DME + Austrian Airlines Lounge

–Moscow to Dulles on United + A Bump on United Express

Part I

After finally convincing UA’s check-in staff at PHL that I did not need a visa to travel to Moscow because I was transiting, I had to rush to the gate to make my 0615 flight to IAD. I was the last to board and the agent shut the door behind me as I walked downstairs to the tarmac.

The flight, my "mode" flight on United, was uneventful as usual, though I was surprised that nearly every seat was occupied.

Upon landing at Dulles, I stopped by the C17 RCC club for a little snack before heading over to Arlington to retrieve my lost umbrella.

The RCCs at IAD do not offer the upgraded amenities (cold cereal and toast in the morning) available at many Red Carpet Clubs including LAX, SFO, and PHL. But a granola bar and yogurt were fine–I was planning on having breakfast in Alexandria.

I just missed a 5A bus to Rosslyn, so I went back inside the terminal to ticket a reservation I had on hold. No wait this morning.

After a nice breakfast in Alexandria and a stop at the Hyatt Arlington to recover my umbrella, I returned to IAD. It was 1300 and security lines were short. I took a mobile lounge over to the D Terminal and stopped in at the RCC for an hour. No one was at the front desk for 25 minutes. Anyone could have walked in. Come on UA…

I decided to stop by Lufthana’s Senators Lounge but stopped again at the C17 RCC first to pick up another wi-fi card and a couple more drink chits.

I had the mobile lounge to myself for a few minutes, so I snapped the picture below. The new train system opened this week and while I can’t say that I’ll really miss the mobile lounges, maybe I will just a little.

As usual, the food was tremendous in the Lufthansa Lounge. I limited myself to a few appetizers since my flight to Moscow was leaving in 1.5 hours.

I returned to the C7 RCC, which as is almost always the case before the afternoon bank of international departures, was packed. Such a difference between the picture above and the picture below, no?

I hung out in the lounge till boarding began, then had to explain to the DME gate agent again why I didn’t have a visa. This time, thankfully, the delay was only about five minutes.

I was hoping the crew would be friendly and vibrant, but I quickly ascertained that this was not the case. A FA walked by me five times during the boarding process and did not offer to take my coat. The scowl on his face made me think better of flagging him down. I got up to hang the coat myself and another FA took it from me as I opened the closet and bluntly asked me what my seat number was. Where’s the polish UA?

Menus and amenity kits were distributed as I settled into my rear-facing seat 6K. I have enjoyed sitting backwards on a plane dating back to the day’s when Southwest used to have brown leather rear-facing seats on their 737s.

At least when it comes to the seat and IFE, UA offers a very competitive product. The seat was comfortable and in working order and the IFE was available immediately on a screen that puts Lufthansa’s First Class screen size to shame.

Dinner service began after takeoff. Nuts were lukewarm and the ramekin was only partially filled. The appetizer was fair–I’d say the best part of it was the tomatoes and bell peppers in the salad. The bread was doughy and cold. The little blue tin-foil wrapped object below was chocolate.

I ordered steak for the main course (other choices were vegetarian pasta or chicken). Should have gone with the chicken. The steak had a salisbury taste that was not appetizing. The potatoes and veggies were good, though.

The tiramisu was good.

I slept soundly for five hours before waking up over Belarus. Breakfast was soon served and I was offered a fruit plate or no fruit plate. The flight was over nine hours, long enough for UA to include a hot breakfast choice in Business in my humble opinion.

We landed in Moscow 30 minutes early. As you can tell, I was disappointed by the flight. Again, UA’s C-Class seat beats many of their Star rivals including LH, OS, SK, TP, US (for now), and CO. But the service was so lackluster, cold, and indifferent that I was left wondering if I was making the right choice in continuing to patronize UA.

The return flight was a bit better, as I will report soon, but morale is low amongst FAs and if UA wants to truly offer a world-class product, the service aspect needs improvement–a lot of improvement.

 

iweb counter

Previous Article One-Way Awards Coming to United Airlines Next Month?
Next Article Transit at DME + Austrian Airlines Lounge

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Airlines Warns Employees About Monkeypox

    August 4, 2022
  • Introduction: A Solemn Trip To Poland

    August 1, 2022
  • Flight Attendant Promoter Score

    United Airlines’ Controversial Flight Attendant Promoter Score (FPS)

    August 1, 2022

4 Comments

  1. Josh Reply
    January 30, 2010 at 12:15 am

    Oh Matthew. Haven’t I taught you about ordering steak on a plane?

  2. Matthew Reply
    January 30, 2010 at 6:42 am

    @Josh: I’ve got a monster post on United’s steak coming up. Just for you! 😉

    You might be surprised.

  3. RD Reply
    July 24, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    i will miss the mobile lounges lol screw you trains

  4. Matthew Reply
    July 31, 2010 at 7:11 pm

    @RD: I will too. In fact, I usually walk over to D to take the mobile lounges back–it still takes less time than that darned train even if I am already in the C Terminal.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Georgian Food Warsaw
    Delicious Georgian Food In Warsaw August 8, 2022
  • Delta Ghana Lawsuit
    Bizarre Delta Air Lines Ghana Flight Prompts Formal Complaint, Threat Of Lawsuit August 8, 2022
  • Did An American Airlines Flight Divert To Rome Just Because A Man Soiled Himself? August 8, 2022
  • Warsaw Poland Photo Essay
    Photo Essay: Warsaw, Poland August 8, 2022

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Southwest Airlines Lady In Red
    Southwest Airlines Allows “Lady In Red” To Fly In Revealing Attire But Throws Off Seatmate Who Defended Her July 13, 2022
  • American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozing
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozes During Flight, Prompting Complaint From Thirsty Business Class Passenger July 11, 2022
  • American Airlines stock
    Analyst: American Airlines Bankruptcy Increasingly Likely July 24, 2022
  • Avianca 787 Business Class
    Comically Bad: Avianca 787 Business Class July 21, 2022

Archives

August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.