To begin my trip to Brazil, I flew from Los Angeles to Washington Dulles on a United Airlines 737-900 in first class, a comfortable daytime flight with excellent service and a solid breakfast.
United Airlines 737-900 First Class Review (LAX-IAD)
I received a “battlefield” upgrade on this flight, meaning a last-minute upgrade at the gate, 30 minutes before departure. Based on the upgrade waitlist (four seats left and I was #1), I felt confident I’d get it, but one never knows…sometimes upgrades are sold at 11th hour. Thankfully, mine came through.
Before the flight I visited the Polaris Lounge at LAX, accessible because I was flying same-day in Polaris Business Class from Washington to São Paulo. I had the entire lounge to myself at 5:15 am and enjoyed som berries and a cappuccino before the flight.
Wi-Fi on United is generally much more reliable these days, but I try to reduce my chances for disappointment by getting essential work done before the flight. Here, I waited until 20 minutes before departure in the Polaris Lounge before walking downstairs and being the last to board the flight…no unobstructed cabin pictures today, though you can scroll down to see them from my prior review of this aircraft.
United Airlines 2081
Los Angeles (LAX) – Washington (IAD)
Monday, July 13
Depart: 6:00 AM
Arrive: 2:08 PM
Duration: 05hr, 08min
Distance: 2,288 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 737-900
Seat: 5A (First Class)
Stepping onboard, I found my seat in the last row of the first class cabin.
Seats
First Class on the 737-900 has 20 recliner seats in a 2-2 configuration. Seats include 37 inches of pitch and a recline of five inches…unless you’re in the last row like I was. There, it felt like there was only 2-3 inches of recline since the seat hits the bulkhead. Avoid the last row in general especially on a redeye flight.
This aircraft was retrofitted as part of the United Next program with seatback screens and updated power ports that included USB-C.
I’m glad I was in the window as my seat mate got up several times to use the restroom during the flight.
There are personal air vents, which are always appreciated…there is also an IFE “remote” attached to the center console, though I found it easier just to tap the screen.
Lavatory
Speaking of the lavatory, it’s tiny…and was dirty when I used it midway through the flight with water something and paper towels on the floor. It’s located in the front of the aircraft outside the cockpit.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Starlink is coming, but for now this aircraft has Viasat Wi-Fi available for $8 for MileagePlus members ($10 for non-members). Unfortunately, United’s partnership with T-Mobile has ended so I had to pay up. It worked well throughout the flight, allowing me to get a lot of work done…for that I was very thankful.
The seatback screen included United’s new Panasonic system with a large library of movies, music, and TV shows, plus a moving flight map. Complimentary headphones (disposable) were offered, but there’s Bluetooth connectivity so I just used my AirPods.
Food + Drinks
United Airlines has upgraded meal service on all transcontinental flights, not just premium transcontinental flights between San Francisco/Los Angeles – Newark. Additional touches included warm mixed nuts, a Polaris-style entree selection, dessert, and a pre-arrival snack.
The flight attendants, however, modified service a bit and I liked it. Breakfast was served after takeoff with a choice between:
Three of the six choices were pre-order only, leaving me with a choice between cinnamon roll bread pudding, fresh fruit yogurt bowl, or cream cheese chive scrambled eggs. I ordered eggs.
First came a round of beverages: illy coffee and sparkling water (the coffee was weak, so I switched to illy cold brew when the breakfast trays were served).
Breakfast included fruit, a lemon tart, and bread. However, instead of croissants and pain au chocolat, dinner rolls were loaded…oh well, fewer carbs for me!
A very delicious breakfast, by the way. The eggs were very creamy and did not taste fake (even if they were), plus the rösti was nice.
About halfway through the flight, warm mixed nuts were served with an another beverage. The service protocol calls for mixed nuts before breakfast, but I thought this approach was better.
Then before landing a hot cranberry – orange scone was served with another beverage (by this point, I had reached my coffee quota for the day). This would have been great with breakfast instead of the dinner roll!
Plenty of food on this flight and I enjoyed it.
Service
The flight attendants were excellent on this flight: friendly and attentive, which was appreciated. The purser welcomed me by name and thanked me for my MillionMiler status with United…always a welcome recognition.
CONCLUSION
We landed ahead of schedule in Dulles and I was soon on my way to the exit to meet up with some friends for lunch. The food, service, Wi-Fi, and IFE was excellent on this flight, even if row five in first class on the 739 is far from the most comfortable premium cabin seat in United’s fleet. A good flight.
You can read my prior 737-900 United Airlines first class review, published on March 9, 2020, below.
What is traveling across the country on a 737-900 like in United’s domestic first class on one of its longest transcontinental fights?
My TAP Air Portugal ticket only got me as far as Boston. From Boston, I booked a one-way ticket from Boston to Los Angeles for about $150. As the flight nearly seven hours, I thought about applying PlusPoints just to be safe, but three days out the flight was less than half full in first class. So I gambled…and the gamble paid off, with my upgrade clearing 24 hours before departure.
Check-In + Pre-Boarding
I love the United staff in Boston: charming to a fault, with that thick accent. And they care about customers too. As it turned out, the flight was so lightly filled in economy class (and this was before the coronavirus scare) the captain instructed the gate agent to move passengers out of EconomyPlus and to the back of the plane for weight and balance reasons. I overheard the conversation in the gate area.
You can imagine the difficult position this put the gate agent in. EconomyPlus was full of Premier Silver and Gold members plus anyone who paid extra for this extra legroom. Rather than just comply, he explained his concerns to the captain and asked if it would be possible if the passengers moved back to EconomyPlus after takeoff.
It wasn’t…
So one by one he called up everyone seated in rows 7 through 21 (the emergency exit row…and there is no row 13,14, or 16-19 on the 737-900). He tried to get as many their own rows or empty middle seats as possible…it was a very customer-friendly gesture.
Perhaps 121pilot can explain why passengers could not have spread out after takeoff.
The seat shuffle delayed boarding a bit, but we finally began boarding about 25 minutes before scheduled departure, which was easily enough time to board and depart on time, considering how empty the flight was.
United Airlines 717
Boston (BOS) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Monday, January 13
Depart: 06:02 PM
Arrive: 09:54 PM
Duration: 6hr, 52min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-900
Seat: 5D (“Polaris” Business Class)
An all-male crew was onboard, with one offering greetings at the door.
United Airlines 737-900 First Class Seating
United’s 737-900 has 20 first class seats; five rows in a 2-2 configuration. These are standard “domestic first” recliners with 38″ inches of legroom and a recline.
Here’s a tip: avoid the last row on this aircraft in first class. I prefer the last row because I like to have a view of the entire cabin. I paid he price for that, however, because my seat did not recline. On a six-hour flight departing in the evening, that was less than ideal. I still ended up sleeping for most of the flight.
As boarding neared completion, the flight crew turned on the mood lighting, which gave the cabin a new blue effect.
United offers no pillows and only a thin blanket on this flight…it’s really unacceptable for a flight of this length on a business route.
Power ports are available in the console between seats.
United Airlines 737-900 IFE + Wi-Fi
United offers seatback monitors on some 737-900s and this was one of them. DirecTV and a selection five looping videos was offered. I watch The Goldfinch…an excellent movie. Do bring your own earphones as the complimentary earphones United uses are simply not great in terms of sound quality.
United also offers streaming IFE on your mobile device or tablet. Be sure to download the latest version of the United app prior to takeoff. If you do not have the latest version of the app downloaded, my experience is the IFE doesn’t work.
Internet was also available onboard and cost $14.99 for one hour or $25.99 for a flight pass with no data cap. Since it was late and I was tired, I did not connect.
United Airlines 737-900 First Class Meal Service
Dinner was served promptly after takeoff, something I greatly appreciated after the aggravatingly prolonged meal service on my last Newark to Los Angeles flight, a flight of similar length.
Tonight’s choices were cheese paneer or chicken with grits. I’ve ordered the cheese paneer before and loved it, but I ordered the chicken simply because I am trying to review every United dish in the rotation and haven’t tasted this one yet).
Before dinner, hot towels were offered along with a choice of drink and warmed mixed nuts.
The entire meal was served on one plate. On the one hand, that’s pretty sad for a six hour transcontinental flight. On the other hand, I just hate dragged out meal services, especially when I am hungry (and I was hungry). I guess I’d prefer the salad and bread be served first, followed by the main course (and no tray), but it was just fine.
The chicken had those fake grill marks that I just roll my eyes at…it was “banquet” chicken and the paneer was the far better choice. However, I did like the spiced marinara sauce, fairly al dente green beans, and creamy grits.
Vanilla gelato with chocolate sauce and whipped cream was offered for dessert.
About two hours before landing, a hot chocolate chip cookies was offered…and enjoyed with a glass of milk.
United Airlines 737-900 First Class Service
The gents working first class were nice and even attentive after the meal service. I actually slept for most of the flight, but we hit some rough air in certain places that woke me up and I noticed one of the flight attendants was refilling beverages. He also noticed when I woke up from the nap and offered me a cookie, which he had kept warm in the oven.
Passengers were not addressed by name…a small pet peeve that is so easy to do and just shows an extra layer of care.
I did appreciate that they offered each passenger a choice of beverage (not just water or orange juice) prior to takeoff.
CONCLUSION
We landed in Los Angeles about 20 minutes late and I arrived feeling fairly well-rested despite the lack of a lie-flat seat. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the complimentary premier upgrade and the dinner was fine, but I just cannot see spending big money on this sort of seat on a flight this long. United does run (usually, but not always) one flight a day between Los Angeles and Boston with lie-flat beds. The service is the same (unlike San Francisco, which is a premium transcontinental service route), but at least you can stretch out a bit more. United could make a huge difference by simply adding pillows and nicer blankets.
10 years ago flew BOS-SFO on a 757 pmUA style
Meal service was almost identical to this sans the sundae – while pmCO flights had a full 5 course meal even on non EWR-SFO/LAX flights
Unfortunate how we’ve regressed to the worst of pmUA for flights of that length – I guess at least BOS-SFO gets better catering
As always, thanks to your legacy Continental leadership for running UA into the ground post-2012
And this was because, much to management’s chagrin, there was a powerful minority of pmUA crew who outright refused to “change”offer the same level of service as CO, if that change meant more work for them. They laughed at serving 5-course meals without extra staffing… The unions make it difficult to fire 10% of the staff who have bad attitudes, and make it nearly impossible to change company culture.
Having never flown the 737, only the Airbus 320/321 so I’m just speaking from that experience: anytime we ferry deadheading crews, they are to be seated in the rear section (A321s are divided in FWD, MID and AFT) for weight and balance reasons as that works best for the aircraft with a light to no load. Rarely have I had to move any pax at light loads, but it has happened. It’s always crucial to know how masses are distributed on your aircraft (CG) and pilots input a so-called pitch trim setting for takeoff, but once in the air with the autopilot on, the aircraft will adjust by itself to maintain the desired angle and pitch. Something like that anyways… 🙂
“Cheese paneer” – I had to laugh. That literally translates to “cheese cheese”.
Lol It’s like when people order a chai tea, no?
lol. well, I’m just reporting how the meal was described. 😉
On a delayed flight from Washington Dulles to San Francisco in January 2018, the same thing happened to us – light load, moved from Economy Plus to the back of the plane. Many passengers had all three seats to themselves.
Meow! The no recline issue has been going on for years. I even did a thread on it. Less of a problem with the new dom F seats, which recline into themselves IIRC. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1891194-list-non-reclining-dom-f-seats.html
I wish I had read your thread in advance!
“ONLY a thin blanket”?? Why would you need a blanket on an airplane? The cabins are consistently so hot as to be uncomfortable, and sleeping is out of the question at those temperatures. I can’t imagine smothering under a blanket, thin or not.
I like to get cozy.
I have to disagree. I was freezing on a flight from Nashville to Houston recently. Sometimes, the airplane is warm while waiting for takeoff, but I’ve never been in one that wasn’t cold during the flight. I think it is just a matter of whether or not you are warm or cold natured. I am the latter, obviously. 🙂
That scone is what they need to be giving out on the sub-900 mile morning flights
At least they do from hub to hub on those 800-900 mile flights.
500 calories for that scone my goodness…….
It’s really a travesty…but so delicious.
The breakfast food looks good and well plated, especially for UA.
Another daytime flight in the dark. It’s very depressing to see.
good to see that UA is still using 737-900s on transcon hub to hub flights.
LOL. Well, honestly I’ll take this over a 777 without fast Wi-Fi on a morning departure!
Kudos to UA!
For aviation enthusiasts → The UA jetliner, featured in the first photo of the article, is a B737-900ER. It is 11.5 years old and is currently parked at MSY.
For aviation enthusiasts → The UA B737-900ER and its impressive left CFM56-7B27E engine.
Recently did SFO-IAD-SFO connecting to New Zealand. Food is a bit better but these transcon flights are still.lacking a lot compared to what they used to be a longbtime ago.
Wow I am really impressed with the new catering on United’s transcontinental flight. Morning flights are difficult and I still missed the old seafood cart prior to arrival in the 80s/90s on all breakfast flights on United first class. But then that is another era. The service makes sense and I like the mid-flight warmed nuts and pre-arrival warmed scone service. Other US airlines need to copy. Alaska is operating some long flights to Hawaii now and they really need a “real” second snack service especially on the morning westbound flights to Hawaii.
a “battlefield upgrade” is one completed after you are seated on the plane. The GA has to cross the battlefield to find you and bring you up after a no-show. The one you received at the gate was once computer said yes, after Departure Control runs its course.