I have a great deal of respect for the The Points Guy and the empire he has built. I know Brian Kelly personally and am friends with Zach Honig, the site’s Editor-in-Chief. But I’m so disappointed by a review of United Business Class posted earlier today.
I’ll give you the executive summary: staff writer JT Genter had a bad flight.
Here’s how his review ends:
This was by far the worst business-class flight I’ve experienced. I can easily think of a few economy products that I would’ve rather flown instead: Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa come easily to mind.
He knows this is difficult to defend, but tries to–
While the easy rebuttal is that United’s business-class seats are lie-flat, my broken leg rest and the crew’s hesitance to allow me to change seats eliminated that advantage. Plus, I’d rather have the economy meals from any of those three airlines than the ones I was served on this flight. The in-flight entertainment systems and power plugs worked well and the service was much more personal and responsive on each of those airlines in economy than on this flight in United’s business class.
Ok, his leg rest was broken. That doesn’t make the seat less comfortable than an economy class seat since economy class seats don’t have leg rests. He was also annoyed his seatmate was chewing tobacco (I would be too). He asked to moved and was eventually re-accomodated.
Let me pick about two more parts.
I chose the chicken breast, but was then confused when I was asked for my “next selection.” After all, I was seated in the first row of business class and the FAs took orders from front to back. I wondered if lunch would be served with two smaller entrees, so I asked for the rack of lamb. It turns out only the lamb was served.
Orders are taken from front to back on United then sorted by status. That is why guests are asked for their first and second choice. He misunderstood the process, ordered the wrong dish, and received his first choice. Is United to blame for that?
And then this–
Sadly, the one amenity I was hoping for wasn’t present: the Polaris bear.
To dismiss the Saks’s Fifth Avenue Polaris bedding and express disappointment over a stuffed bear strikes me as…juvenile. Anyone who has flown more than one airline in business class would recognize that United’s bedding in Polaris is literally the best in the world (or at least very close to the top).
CONCLUSION
Read the review. It was a bad flight for sure and I’m not defending United. But when you argue a lie-flat seat is worse than economy class on a 9hr flight…well, sorry. I’ll read your reviews for entertainment purposes only…
I legit lol’ed to your reply on FT about this. I even posted on the TPG article with a link to the FT thread. However, mod’s didn’t approve it. Which is funny since FT is where TPG started. I agree with all this. He had a mediocre experience, but its better than coach.
I couldn’t agree more, when I read that post I was floored, yes he had a bad experience, especially with the tobacco which could occur on any airline. What amazes me is that he didn’t ask the guy to stop chewing. Misunderstanding the product is exactly what happened and he dismissed the good things on his flight and only pointed out the negatives.
My wife and I are flying the same type of aircraft JT did a couple of weeks from now on EWR-FRA, and I’m looking forward to our business class experience. I’m sorry he had a bad flight but trying to stomach 8 hours in economy on that flight I feel isn’t worth it and I’m sure we’ll have a better experience in business class.
Matt, I knew you’re a big fan of United. But attacking someone personally like this, in your blog…. as if you questioned Brian Kelly’s sanity to pick him as editor/writer on TPG.
You’ve defended your co-writer in this blog before despite so many people pointing out the wrongdoings in the said article. And now you are attacking one of TPG’s writer simply because you didn’t like the written review.
C’mon Matt, you are far better then this.
Agree with James. Your piece is just as petty as his, if not more, as you completely ignore full aspects of the flight (the soft product in general and his interactions with the FAs) in order to further your own agenda of bashing the author. While JT did come across as slightly whiny, you’re coming across as whiny *and* bitchy. If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.
I halfway agree with you, but…his experience *was* pretty terrible, and I think you’re being a little one-sided just like he was. If you’re gauging his review purely on the hard product, you’re right: even a subpar seat in business is probably better than any in economy. But his biggest complaints weren’t the *bear* or bedding, it was the horrible customer service he experienced. Even pointing out that he misread the meal process misses that his food was severely undercooked to the point of being inedible if not dangerous. Paying twice as much in miles (or 3 – 10x as much if it was cash) would definitely make me consider economy on a premier airline vs repeating that “premium” experience with United.
We read a lot about the “soft product” being such a great part of premium flying; his soft product included being brushed off multiple times, by the flight crew, listening to FAs gripe about their own and partner’s product, rude receptions to his complaints on the ground, and being threatened with police for complaining. If that litany of issues happened to me, I am quite sure I would avoid the product for the forseeable future if not forever.
I hate United as much as the next guy but its hard to take anyone seriously when they say they prefer economy over business. Even if the food and seat were that bad, it still beats rubbing shoulders with some guy and having tv-dinner style food. Food on UA might seem bland but at least you get a large quantity of it. the world’s oldest and crappiest lie flat seat still beats a Y experience.
Like you said, the premium bedding alone beats anything in Y. Meh to each their own i suppose.
This is an exceedingly silly post. You might quibble with his comparison between Transatlantic business on United vs. coach on the Asian carriers, but the absurd problems he experienced were exhaustively detailed and are pretty obviously indefensible.
Totally agree. While far from the best in business class, flying business class on UA is better than economy class on any airline. In economy class you get no lounge access (unless you have status with that alliance), you get a cheap pillow and blanket, your seat hardly reclines, you are essentially directly beside your seatmate with just an armrest separating you and you get no amenity kit. The food and crew on that flight seemed pretty bad, but the food is still at least economy class level on better carriers like LH, LX, SQ, NH, EK, etc and is a larger quantity and service in economy is limited to “what would you like to eat/drink?”, “Any garbage to throw out” and that’s basically it. I would pick UA business any day over any airline’s economy class.
I’m with @James. Too many personal attacks in this article. Seems like you have some sort of personal issue. You could’ve very methodically pointed out how United business class is better than the best economy product worldwide and left it at that, but you bring a level of rhetoric to your post that seems unnecessarily combative.
The fawning review of Lufthansa Business Class on Monday was even weirder. Sure, I raised my eyebrow at the “economy class is better” line, but I’ll give him some room for hyperbole after having a bad flight. I can put up with a lot going wrong on a plane, but flight attendants being dicks to me for no reason just ruins the entire thing for me. I figured it was the same for him, with nothing very positive to counterbalance.
I don’t even bother giving TPG the clicks on their clickbait. The amount of useful information I once found on that site has drastically dropped and I now consider close to nil.
agreed. site has gone down the tubes.
loved their delta review a few weeks back that was completely obsolete related to the LAX experience.
I think the author of the review is recalling the JL, CX and LH Y flights from distant memory.
I would not go that far to say I would prefer fly economy in Asian airlines vs business on United but I will always do everything in my power to NEVER fly United in any class of service.
I think it’s safer to stick to reviewing products oneself rather than fellow reviewers. No matter how justified it might seem at the time no-one comes out of it well ultimately.
Seconded. You are absolutely right. This back and forth between Matthew and TPG is puerile as well as pointless.
I wish there was a time machine to 5-10 years back and the TPG author (hey, I like TPG!) and every American travel blogger had only the options of flying Delta, American or United from GRU, EZE or SCL to the US. Old aircraft, the worst FAs ever and zero flat beds.
I remember my first business flight from GRU-MIA-DFW-NRT in 2007: there were not even angled seats (more like US regional 1st Class today): the only “angled seat” was in the final leg returning home (DFW-GRU), and AA angled seats were, well, brand new! So, if have a bed in the sky (the most awesome thing!) please don’t complain! Even if it’s a nasty 8-across (better than coach!)
I generally agree with your article, but regarding this: “He misunderstood the process, ordered the wrong dish, and received his first choice.”
I think he received his second choice… Or did I read the original TPG article wrong?
I stopped following TPG because of JTs comments that were extremely opinionated and had little roots in common sense. I know I wasn’t the only one who had done that. As an Economy “snob”, JT had always taken on the position that flying Economy is better and he will defend it by saying it’s better for him personally because his interests lie in the amount of free travel, not its quality, but then he purposefully writes reviews to say that Economy is better than premium classes in general. He also gets extremely defensive when his opinions are questioned, having even private messaged me to stop questioning his opinions. Very immature of him.
I think the central basis of the criticism leveled here is spot on. To declare based on this one flight with clear issues that are not normal that economy on certain carriers is a better deal long haul than a full lie flat seat on UA (and a product that is being phased out to boot) is ridiculous.
Some of the detail criticisms aren’t fair (the bear and the meal being an example) and they undermine the central premise as they create an avenue to dismiss it entirely. But as I said and as Matthew correctly noted TPG’s conclusion that economy on JAL etc is better than business on UA is ludicrous.
Huge fan of both TPG and Matt but really wish Matt hadn’t written this. As another commenter pointed out, it’s essentially a review of another reviewer (demeaning his work as “entertainment only”), rather than a review of a product or service, at which Matt is the best in the business. It reads as petty and defensive, and Matt is usually neither. Matt’s expertise can and should be put to much better use than critiquing another blogger, especially on the basis of a few out-of-context quotes and obvious exaggerations (i.e., the Polaris Bear), rather than an actual substantive question or issue.
With great respect for you and your work, Matt–I learn so much by reading you!–I want to suggest that you consider apologizing to JT. Not for disagreeing, of course–as it happens, I’m more inclined to side with you in this particular debate, as I thought the review exaggerated–but for calling him out by name for a public and personal attack. You even begin the review by signaling your respect for JT’s colleagues so as to make an obvious contrast of your views about him, which wouldn’t be necessary if your comments were just about the review. There are many (valid!) ways to critique JT’s *work,* but you made it about *him.*
The reason I’m so disappointed to see you do this is that it’s so contrary to what I’ve been reading from you for years. In general, the premise of most of your travel advice is just to inform folks and let them choose what they prefer. You have views, sure–and I usually agree–but you rarely force them upon folks in this way. Why not just let folks read JT’s reviews and judge for themselves?
Just some food for thought, and one guy’s $0.02. In the meantime, thanks for so much good reading and advice, Matt–I’ve learned a ton about how to travel well from you!!
This is a s**t post I personally thought it was a good review and he is just saying that the more money/miles he spent would have been better to save that and fly economy he is not saying he would pay all that to fly economy on Lufthansa or JAL rather it wasn’t worth the markup.