On Thursday evening I flew from Los Angeles to London on United in business class. The experience was virtually unchanged from similar flights last year and the year before.
Consistency is a good thing when done right. United has got the basics of business class down very well and I’m happy to report a smooth and comfortable flight.
Here’s some thoughts on the flight, in no particular order:
- Service was excellent — the purser was an affable gentleman who worked my side of the aisle. He was courteous, friendly, and set the tone for the rest of the crew.
- Food was surprisingly good — I’ve always enjoyed United’s onboard cuisine but particularly enjoyed my fish with mushroom risotto, one of the best main courses I’ve had on United since my Tokyo trip last year.
- The appetizers are getting boring…some more variation would be nice. I also still miss my selection of crackers with the cheese course.
- I love the spicy southwestern omelet for breakfast, another mainstay on United.
- Bedding is very comfortable. With air nozzles engaged, I slept very well, even though flight was bumpier than normal.
- It’s the time of year with strong tailwinds and we arrived 40 minutes early into London Heathrow.
And some pictures:
CONCLUSION
I’ll write up a full review of this flight, but really very little has changed. You know what you are getting when you fly United business class…
How about bringing a doggy bag from the Polaris lounge with the lunch taco trio? Use the tuna starter for a pretzel roll sandwich. Bring leftover crostinis for the cheese plate.
Yeah I don’t mind United to London. Snag a middle seat and pretty comfortable. Probably still prefer American but something comfy about United.
Although big seller of Polaris lounge in Chicago. Especially compared to San Fran.
Ugh! I hate that too-spicy and too-hot southwestern omelet. I wish UA would also have a non-spicy version for us folks who hate spicy. UA needs to understand that not everyone wants spicy, and for a while their main courses seemed to be leaning towards the spicy end. Yuck.
Sorry, would take 1-2-1 vs. 2-2-2 any day.
The UA seats are great, and I’ve also generally had adequate service, though I see plenty of stories otherwise. I do wish the food and beverage were better and there were more variety. I’m usually happy when I get rerouted on LH since that means better meals.