With the summer travel season drawing to a close and business demand not picking up due to continuing pandemic concerns, United Airlines is downgrading its service to New York JFK from three-cabin 767-300s to two-cabin 757-200s. Is this move necessary to match falling premium cabin demand or will this kill off the premium advantage United currently enjoys on the route?
Downgauge Or Not: United’s JFK Dilemma
United currently utilizes Boeing 767-300ERs on its transcontinental routes between Los Angeles/San Francisco and New York Kennedy. These specially-configured aircraft are premium heavy, featuring:
- 46 business class seats
- 22 premium economy seats
- 47 extra legroom economy seats
- 52 economy class seats
Business class is arranged in a 1-1-1 configuration giving each passenger plenty of space and of course direct aisle access (review here).
United’s premium economy class includes extended recline, footrests, wider seats, and a full meal (in fact, the same meal as in business class).
United operates two flights per day between LAX and JFK and two flights per day between SFO and JFK.
But on October 5th, all four daily flights are downgraded from a 767 to a 757-200, which features:
- 16 business class seats
- 0 premium economy seats
- 45 extra legroom economy seats
- 108 economy class seats
I’ve reviewed the 757-200 here. While the lie-flat seat in business class is comfortable enough, there is not direct aisle access for window seat customers. There is also no premium economy section and economy class, arranged in a 3-3 configuration instead of a 2-3-2 configuration, feels much tighter. These aircraft, holdovers from the Continental era, are also very much showing their age.
This is not about trimming overall passenger capacity. United is trading its 167-seat 767s for its 169-seat 757s, actually adding two seats. Rather, this move totally reorients the focus from premium service (41% of seats on the 767) to economy class (91% of seats are economy class on the 757-200, a notoriously bad ratio for upgrades).
United confirmed the change will take place, but refused to discuss the reasons behind it. It is not clear how the JFK routes have performed this summer, though I routinely see flights going out with a handful of open seats in both business class and premium economy class. I also see many flights go out with every seat taken. Neither observation speaks to the yields on the route, though United has certainly not been running $99 fares this summer.
This is a curious move by United. While it makes sense for airlines to trim capacity according to consumer demand, I am frankly shocked there is so little premium demand on this route that United can drop from 68 premium seats to just 16. Furthermore, Alaska Airlines is also pulling out of the JFK-LAX market, which should theoretically direct even more traffic to United.
With CEO Scott Kirby at the helm, I am confident United will continue service to JFK. But the move demonstrates what a difficult transcontinental market New York is and probably is exposing bean counters at United to the same consideration these unprofitable routes did six years ago before they were pulled.
Finally, it should be noted that United still does not have a lounge at New York JFK for business class passengers. Both the British Airways lounge (used by Star Alliance partners ANA and LOT Polish) and Alaska Airlines lounge have re-opened, but no partnership has been announced.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines is swapping its relatively swanky, premium-heavy product onboard the 767-300 for a much older product on its 757-200 in early October on its JFK routes. While the net change in seats will only be +16 for the eight daily flights between SFO/LAX and JFK, the number of premium seats will drop by over 90%. Will this swap still attract the kind of high-value business United had hoped would sustain the route or hinder it even more? This is United’s JFK dilemma.
@ Mathew — AA’s offering on these routes is best overall — opportunity to upgrade to First, very good lounge, etc. United definitely needs those Polaris seats and/or a new lounge if they want to compete with AA (and DL) on these routes.
This is going to make their number one fan in NYC very unhappy. If he gets close to the peons in coach, he may get sick, even with the 2 masks he wears. After all, to him, only poor people carry the virus, and he HAS to fly because he is so important a person.
Why are you even bring the discussion of masks into this?
Get some help for yourself. You seem to only come to this site for mask baiting commentary.
I’m not surprised. They lost out on corporate contracts by not having these routes, but then they’re returning at a time when corporate travel is still low. I do think it’s a good strategy to keep these routes to hold onto the JFK slots, but in the short term they’ll be losing money.
In my opinion, premium economy (767) is not much different from extra legroom economy (757). Those who have wide hips may or may not disagree. The flights are not long so the different is less apparent.
The 757 business class is actually better for 2 colleagues or friends to travel. I admit that it’s less like a private cabin, which has benefits for red eye flights.
I like modern day business class but really find it useful on long flights and red eyes. Otherwise, it just makes me feel like I have a fat head, superior to those gate lice. If on a daytime SFO-JFK flight, economy with more leg room is fine with me though if I am working with paper documents, having an empty seat to put the papers is handy.
I love the 757 plane over the 767-300 plane
Why is that? Other than the takeoff roll, I prefer the 767-300 in every way.
I also prefer the 757s, The seat is simply more comfortable. The rest of the onboard product is identical to that of the 767.
Yea, no more reason to fly United on this route if there’s no Polaris seats.
I was actually going to book UA on this route but noticed the aircraft swap and chose another carrier with a better schedule. I don’t understand what United is trying to do.
weren’t the refitted premium 767s designed for EWR-LHR? perhaps they are going back to that route given the border is reopened (kind of)
ORD and EWR will pick up additional 763 flights to LHR. Still, it is a big downgrade for JFK.
UA MUST start to fly to other places from JFK to make the airport work. SFO/LAX is nice, but the website wont allow trips to DEN or SLC from JFK without basically adding 2 one ways together, and will force you to LGA or EWR. Its time to make JFK a full spoke/hub in the system, as right now people are just confused…IS UA in JFK or not?!
Agreed! As someone based in DEN there is no easy way to connect to JFK and fly internationally on *A airlines
This doesn’t surprise me at all.
I’m based out of SFO, working in an organization with a ton of travelers who under normal circumstances would be flying regularly to NYC, our largest office, and almost nobody is doing those trips. Our offices are running at about 2-3% occupancy. None of our customers are doing those trips, either, nor are they in their offices, so there is nobody for us to meet with even if we wanted to get on a plane.
None of my friends/close colleagues, many of who are 1K (like me)/GS have been on a plane other than for leisure travel since February 2020.
And this is why I believe UA will extend status for everyone into 2020.
Prolly moving those swanky 767s to the much busier Newark routes and such. I flew SFO-EWR a couple of times last month and UA had to cancel flights due to equipment shortages and on one red eye, the flight was downgraded from a 767 to an ancient 737. I was expecting to get a lie flat bed and get some decent sleep, but instead got the even older business seats that have no leg rests abs nothing more than a power outlet. All those flights were completely packed.
Why doesn’t UA invest in a two or three cabin with Polaris on a small fleet of the new 737 max when loads don’t justify a wide body on premium routes?
Just anecdotally as a 1K I’ve flown the EWR and JFK routes each a handful of times, JFK moreso than EWR. I was easily upgraded on each JFK flight on each flight with the rest of the seats going to nonrevs.
I had a less than 50% upgrade rate on EWR even with pluspoints. So for me I’m very sad to see this change.
My experience too.
They are adding 763 frequencies ORD – LHR and EWR-LHR in October.
The Kennedy snobs are stuck in the 90s.
It’s an airport, not a fashion label. And not a particularly good airport at that. Not that EWR is much to speak of either.
Greg’s exactly right. The aircraft are being redeployed on EWR-LHR and ORD-LHR. The high-J configuration was literally made for LHR, and travel to the UK has been going like gangbusters since the end of the restrictions.
Not to mention, as winter hits, the winds change and it’s harder to get the 75s across the pond without a tech stop.
It’s already in effect. I had a premier economy seat on April 1 from SFO to JFK and that went away and I was put in coach. For first class I had a choice of paying an additional $1700 For first class or switching flights and paying an additional $670. If i had booked first class in the first place, I would have paid an additional $400. (Return flight already booked in first class). I can’t ride coach on long distance flights so I now get into NYC at 10 p.m. instead of 6 pm. At least there should be less traffic.
For those of us who buy J rather than play the upgrade game, there is now no compelling reason to fly United on the LAX/JFK route.
If they think I’m flying into EWR, then they haven’t learned anything over the past 6 years.
EWR is more convenient for much of Manhattan.
Not for Connecticut.
Nor for LI, Westchester, and three of the five boroughs
EWR will always continue to be a S-hole. Maybe slightly better when New A and the new UClub open.
I’ll take Newark over JFK any day. That airport, as the rest of NYC, IS the s*** hole of the country. The only fools that don’t know that are the idiots from New York who live in their cesspool
Anyone who booked – and paid more for – 767 Premium Economy to/from JFK for October 5 or later, watch your wallet. United will downgrade you to Economy Plus or Economy on the 757 without offering a partial refund, hoping you won’t notice. (It happened to us.) Demand a full refund and take your JFK business to another airline.
UA is fighting over crumbs at this point. what’s next…the 319?
They should buy BA’s 318s 🙂
Why couldn’t they swap to the low-J 767-300s? Would still have the Polaris seats but less of them.
Why does JFK even matter to United given their huge hub at EWR?
As a FA who often works JFK flights, I couldn’t help notice the lack of business travelers in the premium seats on those flights. If there’ve been more than a handful total the past year, I’d be stunned to find out. These are mostly non-revs, first time flyers splurging on fancy seats, and families with small children and infants who are miserable in the 767 Polaris seats. On the other hand, meal order prioritizing has been easy on those flights with a complete lack of not only GS or 1K customers, but not even any MileagePlus members at all in the premium cabins.
Interesting observation. One thing that has annoyed me so much is that UA only assigns two FAs for that entire 46-seat cabin. What is United thinking? I certainly don’t blame FAs, but meal services take, FAR, FAR, FAR too long. So annoying. (I’ve flown this route eight times since it began)