A bulkhead seat makes a lot of difference in economy class on a United Airlines Airbus A319. In fact, the ample legroom made my flight from New York to Denver quite comfortable.
United Airlines A319 Economy Class Review
It has been a long time since I’ve reviewed an economy class flight on United Airlines and I’m doing so here to demonstrate that my upgrades do not always clear and when they do not it is not the end of the world.
The new terminal at New York LGA is great…such an improvement over the old one. The new United Club is also very nice.
> Read More: The Stunning Transformation Of New York LaGuardia Airport
> Read More: United Club New York LGA Review
Boarding began on-time and I was invited to pre-board as a Premier 1K member of the MileagePlus program.
United Airlines 1831
New York (LGA) – Denver (DEN)
October 2023
Depart: 02:29 PM
Arrive: 04:54 PM
Duration: 04hr, 24min
Distance: 1,620 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A319
Seat: 7A (Economy Class)
It seemed that most 1Ks did not get upgraded, as the first class cabin remain empty as I walked past it (on United, premium cabin passengers board after top-tier elites).
Seat
Onboard, I found my seat in row 7, a bulkhead seat with more legroom than in first class, inclusion a generous cutout making it possible to fully stretch your legs. On the A319, United offers a total of 116 economy class seats, including 36 extra-legroom economy class seats known as EconomyPlus and 78 seats beyond row 21.
EconomyPlus seats have 35 inches of legroom while standard economy seats have 30 inches of legroom. Both seats are 17.7 inches wide. EconomyPlus seats recline an extra inches over standard economy seats (three inches versus two).
Power outlets are available in EconomyPlus, but not standard economy class.
In row 7, the armrests are immovable because the tray tables are stored there.
The power and extra legroom was essential to my productivity. Thankfully, even with a seatmate in the middle, I had enough space to work.
Wi-Fi + IFE
United offers wi-fi for purchase on all domestic flights for $10 ($8 for MileagePlus members). In my experience, United has largely worked out its internet issues and the internet worked quite well on this flight.
While United is in the process of updating these cabins to add seatback screens, the vast majority of A319s do not have screens yet…but all do have complimentary streaming entertainment over the aircraft’s intranet.
Great views of New York City after takeoff:
Food + Drink
Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks are offered in economy class. I ordered seltzer water (the full can was offered proactively) and chose a Biscoff cookie and a quinoa chocolate crisp from the snack selection.
I also ordered a cheeseburger, which I outlined here. It was very decent for an airline burger. Other food items for purchase included a sandwich, cheese plate, salad, and a number of snack boxes. Only contactless payment is accepted: you must load your credit card info in advance on your United reservation or on the United app. 1K members receive a free food and beverage item when not upgraded.
Lavatory
You have to love the old United wallpaper in the lavatory…
It was otherwise clean.
Service
The ladies working economy class were efficient, with a full beverage service after takeoff and another one about 90 minutes before landing. Between that there was one water run and a couple trash runs.
CONCLUSION
The point of this review was to demonstrate the current state of United economy class on the A319. While there was nothing “sexy” about this flight, it was efficient, the service was perfectly acceptable, and the bulkhead seat gave me plenty of room to stretch out. While it is always sad when an upgrade does not clear, economy class was totally manageable, even for a four hour flight.
I feel like I’m living in A319 purgatory. I’ve been on 7 flights in a row on them over the last two weeks, and I’ve got #8 on Saturday. So far I’m 4/8 on UGs which many would say isn’t bad, but that’s bad for me! I’ve cleared 3 at the gate. NO MORE A319s!!!!!!
As a 1K, your burger should have been free. You can request a refund from United though. I got a refund for an alcoholic beverage I ordered on a recent flight where I didn’t get upgraded as a 1K. Fortunately they billed it to my personal card on my United account rather than my corporate card. That would have been a mess.
That burger looked awfully small, compared to the large bun; don’t know why they still just offer all these high sodium snacks when in the air ? not healthy. A flight over 4 hrs, and such a narrow seat 17.5″ I’m not a big guy and I find a 20″ seat width not very comfortable on any flight. UA really needs to replace these narrow seats with somthing that would be comfortable for 2 hrs or more.
I had the same thought!!!!
It was free.
I miss that wallpaper. I think the A319’s and A320’s are the only remaining aircraft in the fleet with the pmUA wallpaper.
Thank you for reminding us that air travel is a mode of transportation. All of the business class seats, lounges, and mileage promos are bells and whistles.
I agree with you… UA Econ Plus, especially on the Airbus, is not a bad place to spend 3-4 hours. Bulkhead with the cut out is great. I’ve done a few DEN to ATL/CLT/RDU recently that way. UA did offer right after buying the ticket instant upgrade for $200 to First. I figured though with Econ+ bulkhead, like you, it’s more than tolerable.
Nice review! I’ve got a 6hr economy flight on jetstar next week. Day flight and front row. Looking forward to it.
Back in biz on Garuda 🙂
Enjoy!
I usually snag an exit row seat. I’ll have to reconsider the bulkhead seats.