No Lounge access no boarding first, then a Coffee in a polystyrene cup plus a Muffin. And this is FIRST CLASS? Economy passengers must be sitting on wooden benches drinking water from the dripping Air con system. Terrible service.
You know what? This is MILES ahead of European domestic first! In Europe they have economy class seats with extra legroom AS FIRST! Absolutely disgraceful!
I agree with many of the other comments here: first class probably is not worth the money, but it is certainly worth it for people like my wife and me. We are old and need the comfort of the seat and leg room, plus boarding earlier and leaving earlier, too. I swore I would never fly again with my knees touching the seat in front of me, but then I checked out first class seats, and they look pretty darned good. Thanks for posting. As a native Chicagoan, I appreciate it. Even spotted Wrigley Field down there! Nice video!
I fly United First domestic and Delta 1st domestic several times a year for work. I always book the bulkhead isle window seat, and the legroom on the A320 is fantastic. Having only 3 rows makes a huge huge difference in legroom compared to the 1st class legroom on the 737 which has 4 rows in basically the same amount of space. You have so much room on the airbus configuration, it's wonderful!
Yep in most cases this is very good advice (especially in the US). In Europe and the rest of the world it's more fluid, there are some decent products but also some terrible shorthaul ones.
Unfortunately Alaska is the only US airline that includes lounge access with a domestic FC ticket. Otherwise unless you have access through another means its not going to happen. The catering is also standard for a 1 hr leg. The standard is at least 2 hrs for full catering on US domestic flights.
Given my experiences in the United "lounge" in February and March in Honolulu and Guam, you didn't miss a damn thing. I've flown all over in my 70 years, but 99% of flights have been in seats in the back. That's okay. But if I'm lucky enough to have a seat up front, I always drink as many beers as I can no matter the time of day! Something has to compensate for the extra cost. Actually, I've found flying inter-island in Hawai'i on Hawaiian Air in "first class" to be cost effective if I have a lot of check-in because of the horrific baguage fees. (Visiting relatives on other islands here always entails large bags of goodies to share.) Aloha, and mahalo (thank you) for your videos.
I love your reviews Noel, they are informative and helpful for those of us who want to travel frequently. Though i must say my only complaint is when it comes to boarding often times we allow people like service members, unnacompanied minors, and the likes to board first because often times they can get caught up in the mess that is american boarding and have sometimes missed the flight because of it.
Hey Noel! Big fan! I noticed on this video you said there was no entertainment. I wanted to clarify that United does have Personal Device Entertainment (Streaming) on any aircraft with wifi. It can be accessed thru the latest version of the United App. Cheers!
Regardless of fare paid or class flown lounge access is only given through membership in the US (cost about $500/year) when flying within the US. The one exception is Alaska Airlines which does grant access with a First Class ticket (but they only operate a few lounges). If you were Star Alliance Gold (outside of United's Mileage Plus) I think you do get access. This is new because in the past this wouldn't have gained access (I am sure UA took some heat from other member airlines because they did allow access on their domestic flights). If you are a Mileage Plus Member and have Star Alliance Gold status you only get lounge access when flying International. It can be in any class. First, Business. or Economy. All other Star Alliance Gold's get the same. You also get access to United's clubs if on an International First or Business class ticket regardless of status. Because the seats on US Carriers are 2 x 2 (on a narrow-body) and not the same as an Economy Class seat it is like comparing Apples to Oranges to European Airlines. A BA Business Class ticket from LHR to Munich may cost the equivalent to $500 but you are sitting in a cramped Coach seat. So Lounge Access becomes a selling point. The First Class fares have actually come down in the US (in the past most people flying First were Elites getting upgrades - although United tries their best to sell upgrades other ways - irritating their top members - including me ;) I greatly curtailed flying UAL a few years ago - I was a 1K for 20 years). Most coast to coast First Class fares start around $500 now (if there is a stop). But airlines charge a premium for non-stop. $500 is high for that short of a flight. But DCA to PHX or SAN or SJC, or SEA etc would cost just a little over $500 and you may be on this same flight thru ORD. Meals in the US can be frustrating whereas within Europe, Australia, Asia you will get a meal on flights as short as 45 minutes (example BA serves hot breakfast from DUB to LHR, as does Qantas from SYD to BNE, Thai from BKK to HKT to name a few). In the US, meals are usually served on flights over 2 hours (around 800 miles). There are exceptions (ORD to NYC, Delta serves meal from ATL to JFK, but not between ATL & EWR) but the muffin is actually an upgrade from years ago when you would have been lucky to get a bag of pretzels or 2 Biscoff Cookies on this flight. Today, on these shorter flights, US carriers have large snack baskets in First Class (American even does this on the 20 minute LAX-SAN flights). So there has been some improvement considering many years ago I flew United from SAN to DEN (840 miles) and got 1 bag of pretzels. I asked for another and was told that was all they had. 16 small bags for 16 customers. At that time the one-way First Class fare would have been between $500 to $1000 (and US Legacy Carriers wonder why Southwest and Jet Blue took off). Also, United does not offer free wifi to anyone on board (Delta, Alaska, and some AA flights do if you are a T-Mobile customer). You can access United's site and a few of their partners for free. However, all passengers get free IFE (In-flight Entertainment) with United's Private Screening thru one's own device. Lastly if there were only 2 rows it was an A319. United's A320's have 3 rows in First. I reviewed United's B737-900 domestic First Class a few years back (need to update this) patstravelreviews.com/united-airlines-first-class-review-737-900-with-new-sky-interior/
Technically incorrectly on the United Club lounge access policy. If you are Star Gold with any airline other than United then you get access to the United Club on any itinerary (provided it's a Star Alliance airline). The restriction is only on United Star Gold customers presumably to prevent overcrowding of the lounge. That being said, United Gold still gives you access to Star Gold lounges when travelling on purely domestic sectors. Just make sure they aren't United Clubs (i.e. you can access the Lufthansa lounge at IAD or the Star Alliance lounge at LAX as I did back in March flying United Economy domestically).
I was wondering if I'd ever been on this route with UA before and in fact, I have :) But it was in economy, and in the evening. But I had gone on AA from DCA to ORD in First and it was midday so there were 3 courses served: snack, lunch and dessert. The best part was I was a Gold Elite at that time and I only paid maybe a $70 add-on! - Red
Definitely not worth the extra $300. Few corrections on your statements: 1. Pre-Boarding only includes Global service and 1k, no platinum or Gold. 2. Star Alliance Gold have access to the UA lounge even when flying domestic in either cabins, except United Gold (example: LH or AC Gold are allowed in UA club when flying domestic)
Yup. Other airlines in the US are removing their screens and going BYOD. I believe Alaska and maybe Delta. I prefer the screen. Oh. And United's wifi never seems to work. At least on the last 10 flights of theirs I was on. Now I stick with Delta domestically.
Domestic first on US airlines is much better than that of the European counterparts, in my experience. But then, they're also two completely different worlds. There is not a single other country that has as expansive of a domestic network as the US does. Most airlines outside the US are able to focus more on their international product/service, as it's the bulk of their business. The legacy carriers in the US have it a bit tougher, as domestic flying is the largest part of the business, which is highly competitive with so many low cost domestic airlines (Southwest, Spirit, Frontier, Alaska, JetBlue, etc) in the mix . So they have to compete head on with two very different types of airlines, being the world class international airlines (some of whom are heavily subsidized by their governments) and the domestic low cost, budget type airlines in the US. Given the circumstances of everything involved, I think they mostly do a really good job. But when it comes to the aviation industry, the general public is so uninformed that it can be a lose-lose scenario.
United First Class on a large Boeing is much MUCH nicer. My wife and I flew from Houston to Boston on a Boeing 777 and we each had our own private little capsule. It was amazing. Tons of storage, the seats reclined to an almost horizontal position, you have your own display for watching movies, etc…. Well worth the premium on a long flight. But the A320 is just basic First Class…larger seats and more legroom, yet costs the same or even more than the Boeing. Unfortunately our next flight to Boston is on an A320 and I’ll have to swallow the cost because I can’t stand being crammed into a tight space smashed up against a stranger for four hours. Thanks for the video!
I finally became rich this year. (Long time concentrated NVDA position). I’m flying 1st class here on out. I never flew 1st class before. Money (if you earn it at least) does buy happiness
Not worth it. I did First Delta NY to IND but at least managed to down 3 bloody marys on the short hop. Best just be in clipper class and be done with it :) good vid though cheers.
No lounge access for domestic first class is pretty much standard across the board.. I'm assuming you don't do a lot of first class domestic travel in the US? It's pretty much only free for international and certain FF members.
As always I love your reviews, Noel. Very informative and you learn something. I am unsure if I would take United or not given to how they treated a doctor once on their flight. He was literally dragged out of his seat and forced to give it up, even though he had a paid ticket.Ever since that treatment I didn't wish to fly United Airlines.
I like the inhales you took when you read off all those who boarded before you. Lol. I'm flying first class in October on a 737-900 and an A320. First time with United. I've been getting mixed reviews about the service.
Great vlog as always. How many lounges do you think the majors have to build if that was case? Yes, this was an airport stick up for sure. Am I the only one who questions the following: ... at the bottom of Lake Michigan. I am very pleased that you and the rest of the flight is not at bottom of Lake Michigan. A PPL used the same frase, and the ATC answerd back: please surface at once! Be safe, and happy easter from Norway!
I never flown anywhere before but I can safely say that I don't think United has business class on that airplane cause the newer airplanes have the Polaris business class on them
Unfortunately we can't host our full flights on TH-cam any more. I still film them in full length - but we have to offer them via Patreon on Vimeo as they charge us to host the videos :(
I'm still trying to find the person who was Zurich Airport on September 10 last year who was trying to fly United Airlines and had big problems checking in. I queued up for Cathay check in 15 mins before it opened and he was still there when I got through (quickly of course). Maybe he's watching here. I want to find out the story.
Unfortunately United already has quite an overcrowding problem in the lounges with members and international customers, and they would probably need to double their capacity at least to admit non-member domestic first customers. *G on domestic tickets would be even worse because that's a huge percentage of United's regular flyer base. I only fly once or twice a month and I'm *G on United. You're not missing much anyway, the UCs are not that special. At airports with other *G lounges, those are usually better, and Priority Pass lounges are sometimes also better than the UC (those are more hit-or-miss).
Great video. I enjoy the steam show when its humid outside......we fly out of florida quite often and in the summer its pretty dramatic with the vapor pouring from the A/C vents.
You're not the first person to be not impressed by United Airlines. I've heard/read comments from various people who have been disappointed with them. It's a shame you can't upload your full flight videos to TH-cam any more, I loved watching them. Hopefully in the future TH-cam will change its rules and allow you to upload them.
Hey, I love your Channel and Ive been watching it for a long time. I've recently subscribe to your vimeo on demand account. Will you still be posting new full flight video there?
I am curious why airlines feel that first class on domestic flights should be different from first class on international flights. To me, first class is first class, regardless of whether or not you cross an international border.
Look at the price of an international first class ticket, look at the space the seat takes, to make it easy, it's about 4 domestic first class seats, if enough people were willing to pay 4 times the current price i'm sure the airlines would fit the international first class seat.
I am a Gold premier member for United Airlines after a lifetime of loyalty to United Airlines that I now realize was wasted loyalty even flying more than a million miles of paid revenue time with them from Australia to Europe several times. I am now convinced United today could care less about being loyal to those of us who flew with them for our careers as they now with various corporate agreements grant special upgrades over their most loyal customers to the highest American Express traveler through elite members of various hotel corporations now over those who spent decades flying with them as often as we could. I rarely fly with United now as its all hype and no substance even if I'm able to gain coach 'premier seating' for the extra few inches of leg room. American Airlines in general only worry about appeasing government regulators over anything even close to customer service to tell one from another. There is nothing different in the corporate culture between American, Delta, or United at this point and Americans have been trained to tolerate the abuse every time we travel even to go see our Great Aunt living in Wichita, Kansas as we know our Southern Borders are wide open and millions are being welcomed into our county for free cash, housing, food, and college but hey, its the 'new' American way? Right?
That is United for you. They were great in the 90s but are now a terrible company. A few years ago my wife had to fly to LA for a friend's wedding and some unknown reason her madden name was on the ticket and we waited in line once at the counter we asked if we could have the name changed because of the error and without thinking about it the ticket agent said "NO" and we would have to buy another ticket. Thankfully TSA didn't mind since her ID had her madden name as her middle name.
Charles M. Well there is no competition in the USA anymore because the entire market is dominated by just 3 big airlines and a few smaller airlines. So they just charge what they can get away with. The seats are nice and the food can be okay but the lack of lounge access would put me off. Interesting that so many other classes of passengers get priority over first class.
To me it sounds like you're just paying for the name UNITED. I mean, you can't do anything about the delay. But the service, I'm sure that other well-known airlines with first class service will try to do the same thing. Looks like the only thing great about the flight was the nice view coming into Chicago over the lake.
Any flight under three hours, in my opinion, is not worth paying for first class for a domestic U.S. airline. I fly United about 90% of the time (with ORD as my home airport), and have become more impressed with their domestic first class product (service, food, and comfort.) But by no means is it worth a paid ticket on a shorter domestic first flight. The only time I will ever pay for a domestic first ticket if it is offered in the deep discount business (P) fare bucket and it is an enticing deal compared to the regular economy price and it is a longer flight.
Sadly there has been no improvement in US domestic airlines and they are even more expensive now😭 United is one I have sworn to avoid, having been "re-accommadated" one too many times (booted so other people can fly) and then held hostage on the plane another (they would not let us off the plane that had already boarded and could not take off for 3 hours because they did not want to refund)
Take a " short haul"... Under two hours flight...on Singapore airlines...say from Singapore to Jakarta...and fly " economy " class...you will be amazed at the incredible "on board" service... attitude of staff on board...and the " full" meal service that they offer..and here we are talking about economy class on a short haul flight...next do Singapore to New York on their business class..on the airbus 350- ULR they use on this route.. believe me.. you'll never want to fly any other airline again..they are an airline that other top international carriers use as a benchmark ( but have never been able to get close ).. just one word to describe the passenger experience with SQ.. outstanding...they go out of the way to delight s customer...no matter which class of service..have flown with them in all classes several times..so say this from personal experience... anyways.. thanks for sharing..!!!
So, in summary: To make domestic first class worth it in the US you have to be either borderline alcoholic, especially on a morning flight(!), or getting it for free (as in free upgrade or business traveller who sends the bill onwards)? Sheesh.. I have only had 3 flights domestically in the US thus far, but behind the curtain will suit me for the future too then..
I'm so sorry for your US domestic experience; it is such a departure (no pun intended) from your Saudia flight from Dubai to Jeddah- same equipment, I believe and same distance, but a completely different experience!
Sorry I'm not able to upload them onto YT any more after they changed their rules. I have to upload to my own site which costs a lot to host, so I'm only able to offer them to Patreons in order that we can cover the cost :(
Don't know what anyone else thinks but I think the videos would be better without the annoying background music, or at least have it at a much lower volume
I would not pay USD500 for a worse than BA euro traveler service. Considering that you had to wait for lots of other customers before boarding is a complete joke, with no lounge access!
It is criminal that you don't even get lounge access. It's the main reason to book economy on a shorter flight - somewhere quiet to relax ahead of the flight,
inflight Video it sounds more like a con to me for the service you where offered. If I paid 40% of that, I would just about call that value for money considering the comfort of the seat 💺
@@noelphilips Keep in mind though that as much as United refuses to give domestic 1st lounge access, Delta, let alone American, do that as well. In fact, this practice has an interesting history. In the 70s, America was aware of discrimination, so airlines had to either allow all domestic flyers or none. Obviously, the latter was chosen by all the biggest airlines back then, whether it's United or Panam
I used the United Club lounge on a recent trip (June19) in Y class on UA at LAX/LAS/LAX again/EWR, I am Star Gold. They were just domestic sectors with no international component. Was I lucky 4 times?
You are Star Gold with which program? The restriction is only on United Star Gold passengers, presumably to prevent overcrowding in their lovely lounges 🙄
United never changes. I haven’t flown them in 20 years, say for a flight I had to take to get a domestic 787. On a year old 787 in Premium Economy it was dreadful. Night and day when I connected to the Singapore A350 to Manchester in Premium.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
No Lounge access no boarding first, then a Coffee in a polystyrene cup plus a Muffin. And this is FIRST CLASS?
Economy passengers must be sitting on wooden benches drinking water from the dripping Air con system. Terrible service.
Then drive, Dave.
You know what? This is MILES ahead of European domestic first! In Europe they have economy class seats with extra legroom AS FIRST! Absolutely disgraceful!
David Foreman the same as arkia business class from Tel Aviv to Eilat
CancelAnime I get better service in Lufthansa economy class for an hour hop, what do you mean :D
Economy? sitting?
I agree with many of the other comments here: first class probably is not worth the money, but it is certainly worth it for people like my wife and me. We are old and need the comfort of the seat and leg room, plus boarding earlier and leaving earlier, too. I swore I would never fly again with my knees touching the seat in front of me, but then I checked out first class seats, and they look pretty darned good. Thanks for posting. As a native Chicagoan, I appreciate it. Even spotted Wrigley Field down there! Nice video!
I fly United First domestic and Delta 1st domestic several times a year for work. I always book the bulkhead isle window seat, and the legroom on the A320 is fantastic. Having only 3 rows makes a huge huge difference in legroom compared to the 1st class legroom on the 737 which has 4 rows in basically the same amount of space. You have so much room on the airbus configuration, it's wonderful!
You didn’t get dragged off the plane screaming so all things considered it was a successful flight.
Jude74 😉
No injuries
Lol
Call the police because it looks like you just got robbed.
Not Uniteds fault the guy chose coffee instead of booze/ect. throughout the flight.
Looks really nice to me.
Reinforcing my costing principle of flight; long haul (+4 hours) business class, short haul, coach.
Yep in most cases this is very good advice (especially in the US). In Europe and the rest of the world it's more fluid, there are some decent products but also some terrible shorthaul ones.
If you can afford it
If you can afford first class. Just fly first class.
This is my works rule for business travel as well
Unfortunately Alaska is the only US airline that includes lounge access with a domestic FC ticket. Otherwise unless you have access through another means its not going to happen. The catering is also standard for a 1 hr leg. The standard is at least 2 hrs for full catering on US domestic flights.
Buddy, if u want to get into the club on domestic first (or even domestic coach for that matter), just sign up for United Visa Card.
Given my experiences in the United "lounge" in February and March in Honolulu and Guam, you didn't miss a damn thing. I've flown all over in my 70 years, but 99% of flights have been in seats in the back. That's okay. But if I'm lucky enough to have a seat up front, I always drink as many beers as I can no matter the time of day! Something has to compensate for the extra cost. Actually, I've found flying inter-island in Hawai'i on Hawaiian Air in "first class" to be cost effective if I have a lot of check-in because of the horrific baguage fees. (Visiting relatives on other islands here always entails large bags of goodies to share.) Aloha, and mahalo (thank you) for your videos.
I love your reviews Noel, they are informative and helpful for those of us who want to travel frequently. Though i must say my only complaint is when it comes to boarding often times we allow people like service members, unnacompanied minors, and the likes to board first because often times they can get caught up in the mess that is american boarding and have sometimes missed the flight because of it.
Hey Noel! Big fan! I noticed on this video you said there was no entertainment. I wanted to clarify that United does have Personal Device Entertainment (Streaming) on any aircraft with wifi. It can be accessed thru the latest version of the United App. Cheers!
I love your reviews. They make me glad to be a flight attendant.
Regardless of fare paid or class flown lounge access is only given through membership in the US (cost about $500/year) when flying within the US. The one exception is Alaska Airlines which does grant access with a First Class ticket (but they only operate a few lounges). If you were Star Alliance Gold (outside of United's Mileage Plus) I think you do get access. This is new because in the past this wouldn't have gained access (I am sure UA took some heat from other member airlines because they did allow access on their domestic flights). If you are a Mileage Plus Member and have Star Alliance Gold status you only get lounge access when flying International. It can be in any class. First, Business. or Economy. All other Star Alliance Gold's get the same. You also get access to United's clubs if on an International First or Business class ticket regardless of status. Because the seats on US Carriers are 2 x 2 (on a narrow-body) and not the same as an Economy Class seat it is like comparing Apples to Oranges to European Airlines. A BA Business Class ticket from LHR to Munich may cost the equivalent to $500 but you are sitting in a cramped Coach seat. So Lounge Access becomes a selling point. The First Class fares have actually come down in the US (in the past most people flying First were Elites getting upgrades - although United tries their best to sell upgrades other ways - irritating their top members - including me ;) I greatly curtailed flying UAL a few years ago - I was a 1K for 20 years). Most coast to coast First Class fares start around $500 now (if there is a stop). But airlines charge a premium for non-stop. $500 is high for that short of a flight. But DCA to PHX or SAN or SJC, or SEA etc would cost just a little over $500 and you may be on this same flight thru ORD. Meals in the US can be frustrating whereas within Europe, Australia, Asia you will get a meal on flights as short as 45 minutes (example BA serves hot breakfast from DUB to LHR, as does Qantas from SYD to BNE, Thai from BKK to HKT to name a few). In the US, meals are usually served on flights over 2 hours (around 800 miles). There are exceptions (ORD to NYC, Delta serves meal from ATL to JFK, but not between ATL & EWR) but the muffin is actually an upgrade from years ago when you would have been lucky to get a bag of pretzels or 2 Biscoff Cookies on this flight. Today, on these shorter flights, US carriers have large snack baskets in First Class (American even does this on the 20 minute LAX-SAN flights). So there has been some improvement considering many years ago I flew United from SAN to DEN (840 miles) and got 1 bag of pretzels. I asked for another and was told that was all they had. 16 small bags for 16 customers. At that time the one-way First Class fare would have been between $500 to $1000 (and US Legacy Carriers wonder why Southwest and Jet Blue took off). Also, United does not offer free wifi to anyone on board (Delta, Alaska, and some AA flights do if you are a T-Mobile customer). You can access United's site and a few of their partners for free. However, all passengers get free IFE (In-flight Entertainment) with United's Private Screening thru one's own device. Lastly if there were only 2 rows it was an A319. United's A320's have 3 rows in First. I reviewed United's B737-900 domestic First Class a few years back (need to update this) patstravelreviews.com/united-airlines-first-class-review-737-900-with-new-sky-interior/
Technically incorrectly on the United Club lounge access policy. If you are Star Gold with any airline other than United then you get access to the United Club on any itinerary (provided it's a Star Alliance airline). The restriction is only on United Star Gold customers presumably to prevent overcrowding of the lounge. That being said, United Gold still gives you access to Star Gold lounges when travelling on purely domestic sectors. Just make sure they aren't United Clubs (i.e. you can access the Lufthansa lounge at IAD or the Star Alliance lounge at LAX as I did back in March flying United Economy domestically).
Back in 1977 I received a full breakfast (scrambled eggs, hash browns & drink) on a UA flight from LGA to PIT in coach/economy on a B-727.
I was wondering if I'd ever been on this route with UA before and in fact, I have :) But it was in economy, and in the evening. But I had gone on AA from DCA to ORD in First and it was midday so there were 3 courses served: snack, lunch and dessert. The best part was I was a Gold Elite at that time and I only paid maybe a $70 add-on!
- Red
Nice :) Sounds like a nice meal for such a short flight!
Um, the whole point is Free Alcohol! I would have had about 6 Beers, & 6 Jack Daniels.
Anyone know the name of the theme that plays during pushback?
United's theme? its rhapsody in blue by gershwin
i work for united and it costs me $16 or so to fly domestic first. not even worth that.
Definitely not worth the extra $300.
Few corrections on your statements: 1. Pre-Boarding only includes Global service and 1k, no platinum or Gold. 2. Star Alliance Gold have access to the UA lounge even when flying domestic in either cabins, except United Gold (example: LH or AC Gold are allowed in UA club when flying domestic)
all the united flight i took domestic HAS IFE but you have to bring your own device
Yup. Other airlines in the US are removing their screens and going BYOD. I believe Alaska and maybe Delta. I prefer the screen. Oh. And United's wifi never seems to work. At least on the last 10 flights of theirs I was on. Now I stick with Delta domestically.
When delivered ,United A320 on UAL had full entertainment systems
Domestic first on US airlines is much better than that of the European counterparts, in my experience. But then, they're also two completely different worlds. There is not a single other country that has as expansive of a domestic network as the US does. Most airlines outside the US are able to focus more on their international product/service, as it's the bulk of their business. The legacy carriers in the US have it a bit tougher, as domestic flying is the largest part of the business, which is highly competitive with so many low cost domestic airlines (Southwest, Spirit, Frontier, Alaska, JetBlue, etc) in the mix . So they have to compete head on with two very different types of airlines, being the world class international airlines (some of whom are heavily subsidized by their governments) and the domestic low cost, budget type airlines in the US. Given the circumstances of everything involved, I think they mostly do a really good job. But when it comes to the aviation industry, the general public is so uninformed that it can be a lose-lose scenario.
Well said. 👍
United First Class on a large Boeing is much MUCH nicer. My wife and I flew from Houston to Boston on a Boeing 777 and we each had our own private little capsule. It was amazing. Tons of storage, the seats reclined to an almost horizontal position, you have your own display for watching movies, etc…. Well worth the premium on a long flight. But the A320 is just basic First Class…larger seats and more legroom, yet costs the same or even more than the Boeing. Unfortunately our next flight to Boston is on an A320 and I’ll have to swallow the cost because I can’t stand being crammed into a tight space smashed up against a stranger for four hours. Thanks for the video!
"we're just going for a little rainforest cafe effect" 😆😆👌😘
Incredibly enjoyable approach filming that, very theraputic.
I work for an airline in Australia and one time on the A320 the vapour from the AC was so strong that you couldn’t see more than 3 rows ahead.
I finally became rich this year. (Long time concentrated NVDA position). I’m flying 1st class here on out. I never flew 1st class before. Money (if you earn it at least) does buy happiness
Not worth it. I did First Delta NY to IND but at least managed to down 3 bloody marys on the short hop. Best just be in clipper class and be done with it :) good vid though cheers.
No lounge access for domestic first class is pretty much standard across the board.. I'm assuming you don't do a lot of first class domestic travel in the US? It's pretty much only free for international and certain FF members.
There is inflight entertainment. You access it through the United app and website.
Fantastic Trip Report mate!👍
Thank you :)
I would prefer to pay for a coffee and some porridge for £4 and pay £30 for the ticket. 😤
Yep for sure! Much better value for money!
Yo, you couldn’t even check yourself in a bag for that price on some airlines.
As always I love your reviews, Noel. Very informative and you learn something. I am unsure if I would take United or not given to how they treated a doctor once on their flight. He was literally dragged out of his seat and forced to give it up, even though he had a paid ticket.Ever since that treatment I didn't wish to fly United Airlines.
I like the inhales you took when you read off all those who boarded before you. Lol. I'm flying first class in October on a 737-900 and an A320. First time with United. I've been getting mixed reviews about the service.
Great vlog as always. How many lounges do you think the majors have to build if that was case? Yes, this was an airport stick up for sure. Am I the only one who questions the following: ... at the bottom of Lake Michigan. I am very pleased that you and the rest of the flight is not at bottom of Lake Michigan. A PPL used the same frase, and the ATC answerd back: please surface at once! Be safe, and happy easter from Norway!
Nice video with great detail I will be flying with United soon First class.
It would be a great idea if you used miles or points to book first class instead of paying the price for a long haul plane ticket
I never flown anywhere before but I can safely say that I don't think United has business class on that airplane cause the newer airplanes have the Polaris business class on them
One can accept no meals on domestic flights if lounge access is given but for the cost to have neither is a bit much
I paid $50 extra for economy plus for my trip to London. The 6 extra inches of legroom was enough for me to be happy.
Awesome video! Really enjoyed it
Noel flew the unfriendly skies 🙀 Oh and Noel domestic “ first” means international business class in North America
Will your channel still have full flights video? If yes, when and what flights? Your channel is very interesting and full flights videos is amazing!
Unfortunately we can't host our full flights on TH-cam any more. I still film them in full length - but we have to offer them via Patreon on Vimeo as they charge us to host the videos :(
I'm still trying to find the person who was Zurich Airport on September 10 last year who was trying to fly United Airlines and had big problems checking in. I queued up for Cathay check in 15 mins before it opened and he was still there when I got through (quickly of course). Maybe he's watching here. I want to find out the story.
I tell my passengers it is not smoke, but like what sometimes happens when you open your fridge door at home.
The no domestic lounge stuff really does suck, I do wish they would have at least some form of a lounge it doesn't have to be super fancy
Unfortunately United already has quite an overcrowding problem in the lounges with members and international customers, and they would probably need to double their capacity at least to admit non-member domestic first customers. *G on domestic tickets would be even worse because that's a huge percentage of United's regular flyer base. I only fly once or twice a month and I'm *G on United. You're not missing much anyway, the UCs are not that special. At airports with other *G lounges, those are usually better, and Priority Pass lounges are sometimes also better than the UC (those are more hit-or-miss).
Inflight Entertainment on American, Delta and United domestic flights are available to stream for free on your smart phone or tablet.
Great video. I enjoy the steam show when its humid outside......we fly out of florida quite often and in the summer its pretty dramatic with the vapor pouring from the A/C vents.
Thank you! Not very often I've seen that!
When are you going to make more full length flight videos? They are so awesome!
You're not the first person to be not impressed by United Airlines. I've heard/read comments from various people who have been disappointed with them. It's a shame you can't upload your full flight videos to TH-cam any more, I loved watching them. Hopefully in the future TH-cam will change its rules and allow you to upload them.
I've heard good and bad things. But try to get a priority pass. That should get you into the lounges.
That's not steam, those are clouds forming. Happens on very humid days with my cars air conditioning as well.
I once flew from Boston to Chicago on United in couch and got a ham & cheese sandwich.
First? That's premium economy at best.
Have to agree.
nice CN UP DPU consist at 13:55...looks like a CN EMD standard cab
Reagan National is in Virginia (barely), not in DC
Hey, I love your Channel and Ive been watching it for a long time. I've recently subscribe to your vimeo on demand account. Will you still be posting new full flight video there?
Hey, thanks for your comment, and thanks for subscribing on Vimeo! Yes all full length flights will go on there. Thank you :)
There is inflight entertainment it's on app you where in.
I will never complain about United again after ATTEMPTING to fly Frontier.
Jude74 yeah fr
I only book domestic first on flights over 3hrs (actually flying time). The benefits of domestic first on a short flight are not worth the cost.
I've never flown United, if that's how premium passengers are treated then I don't fancy flying with them at all.
Dont they suck
I am curious why airlines feel that first class on domestic flights should be different from first class on international flights. To me, first class is first class, regardless of whether or not you cross an international border.
Look at the price of an international first class ticket, look at the space the seat takes, to make it easy, it's about 4 domestic first class seats, if enough people were willing to pay 4 times the current price i'm sure the airlines would fit the international first class seat.
Regarding the expectation of a breakfast...surely such expectation should be set in the itinerary before ever buying the ticket?
I could have told you to NEVER fly United. Delta is by far, the best U.S. carrier Try them next time, you won't be disappointed.
I am a Gold premier member for United Airlines after a lifetime of loyalty to United Airlines that I now realize was wasted loyalty even flying more than a million miles of paid revenue time with them from Australia to Europe several times. I am now convinced United today could care less about being loyal to those of us who flew with them for our careers as they now with various corporate agreements grant special upgrades over their most loyal customers to the highest American Express traveler through elite members of various hotel corporations now over those who spent decades flying with them as often as we could. I rarely fly with United now as its all hype and no substance even if I'm able to gain coach 'premier seating' for the extra few inches of leg room. American Airlines in general only worry about appeasing government regulators over anything even close to customer service to tell one from another. There is nothing different in the corporate culture between American, Delta, or United at this point and Americans have been trained to tolerate the abuse every time we travel even to go see our Great Aunt living in Wichita, Kansas as we know our Southern Borders are wide open and millions are being welcomed into our county for free cash, housing, food, and college but hey, its the 'new' American way? Right?
When they bought continental here in Houston it was game over for us in Texas
Ik right, and then, you got crappy United Airlines
I know the feeling, I live in Houston too!
At least we still have Southwest HQ'd here. Hey it's not the best, but bags fly free and it costs nothing to change your flight.
@@Atlasworkinprogress yes
ik
That is United for you. They were great in the 90s but are now a terrible company. A few years ago my wife had to fly to LA for a friend's wedding and some unknown reason her madden name was on the ticket and we waited in line once at the counter we asked if we could have the name changed because of the error and without thinking about it the ticket agent said "NO" and we would have to buy another ticket. Thankfully TSA didn't mind since her ID had her madden name as her middle name.
Charles M. Well there is no competition in the USA anymore because the entire market is dominated by just 3 big airlines and a few smaller airlines. So they just charge what they can get away with.
The seats are nice and the food can be okay but the lack of lounge access would put me off.
Interesting that so many other classes of passengers get priority over first class.
Thanks for the information.
My wife flew business on Asiana to Manila and was treated like a queen. No comparison to American flagged airlines.
Asian airlines are the best.
Noel Philips: inflight Video it’s on my bucket list to fly on A380 but from I hear some airlines aren’t having good luck with them.
To me it sounds like you're just paying for the name UNITED. I mean, you can't do anything about the delay. But the service, I'm sure that other well-known airlines with first class service will try to do the same thing. Looks like the only thing great about the flight was the nice view coming into Chicago over the lake.
How do you afford to travel so much reviewing all the airlines ?
You can stream movies in economy for free but have to pay to use wifi for anything else
Any flight under three hours, in my opinion, is not worth paying for first class for a domestic U.S. airline. I fly United about 90% of the time (with ORD as my home airport), and have become more impressed with their domestic first class product (service, food, and comfort.) But by no means is it worth a paid ticket on a shorter domestic first flight. The only time I will ever pay for a domestic first ticket if it is offered in the deep discount business (P) fare bucket and it is an enticing deal compared to the regular economy price and it is a longer flight.
Excellent points. Agreed, first class not usually worth it for the shorter flights in the US which is a shame.
i love your long videos
Thanks Nitin!
Sadly there has been no improvement in US domestic airlines and they are even more expensive now😭 United is one I have sworn to avoid, having been "re-accommadated" one too many times (booted so other people can fly) and then held hostage on the plane another (they would not let us off the plane that had already boarded and could not take off for 3 hours because they did not want to refund)
Take a " short haul"... Under two hours flight...on Singapore airlines...say from Singapore to Jakarta...and fly " economy " class...you will be amazed at the incredible "on board" service... attitude of staff on board...and the " full" meal service that they offer..and here we are talking about economy class on a short haul flight...next do Singapore to New York on their business class..on the airbus 350- ULR they use on this route.. believe me.. you'll never want to fly any other airline again..they are an airline that other top international carriers use as a benchmark ( but have never been able to get close ).. just one word to describe the passenger experience with SQ.. outstanding...they go out of the way to delight s customer...no matter which class of service..have flown with them in all classes several times..so say this from personal experience... anyways.. thanks for sharing..!!!
So not worth the paid price
I would say not, at least at that fare.
liar fighter $500
Damn was gonna fly first class until I saw this shit :/ they just give you a fancy seat. No barrier or anything.
ikr, I have another window open and was going to select my seat, but never mind now
Was recently on a BA flight back from Nice where it was 30 C and there was so much water vapour in the cabin I couldn’t see the last few rows
is Chicago airport where they filmed home alone?
don’t worry I just realised you said 😌
Do a review of crj 550 on United.
So, in summary: To make domestic first class worth it in the US you have to be either borderline alcoholic, especially on a morning flight(!), or getting it for free (as in free upgrade or business traveller who sends the bill onwards)? Sheesh.. I have only had 3 flights domestically in the US thus far, but behind the curtain will suit me for the future too then..
Nope. Jet blue business please
Good video 👍
I'll save you time watching this video. The answer is NO. It's United. Or drag people off the airline after seating them airline.
United breaks guitars lol
I'm so sorry for your US domestic experience; it is such a departure (no pun intended) from your Saudia flight from Dubai to Jeddah- same equipment, I believe and same distance, but a completely different experience!
You thought you could breeze through TSA because you had a first class ticket?! lol.
That's literally how it works.........
I hated flying United when I flew often for business. Hated it. Give me Delta/Southwest/American any day.
Noel United Airlines is the most stingy one imaginable. I never fly on them. Love your channel though
Great video. I'm hoping to get the subscription on your website soon
yes,I miss your long videos too, Noel...
Sorry I'm not able to upload them onto YT any more after they changed their rules. I have to upload to my own site which costs a lot to host, so I'm only able to offer them to Patreons in order that we can cover the cost :(
@@noelphilips i know Noel sad about it, but nevertheless thanks for sharing those berautiful videos... greetings again from colombia
Don't know what anyone else thinks but I think the videos would be better without the annoying background music, or at least have it at a much lower volume
I would not pay USD500 for a worse than BA euro traveler service. Considering that you had to wait for lots of other customers before boarding is a complete joke, with no lounge access!
It is criminal that you don't even get lounge access. It's the main reason to book economy on a shorter flight - somewhere quiet to relax ahead of the flight,
inflight Video it sounds more like a con to me for the service you where offered. If I paid 40% of that, I would just about call that value for money considering the comfort of the seat 💺
@@noelphilips Keep in mind though that as much as United refuses to give domestic 1st lounge access, Delta, let alone American, do that as well. In fact, this practice has an interesting history. In the 70s, America was aware of discrimination, so airlines had to either allow all domestic flyers or none. Obviously, the latter was chosen by all the biggest airlines back then, whether it's United or Panam
You could have had SFO for the same money.
Coach you mean economy
I used the United Club lounge on a recent trip (June19) in Y class on UA at LAX/LAS/LAX again/EWR, I am Star Gold. They were just domestic sectors with no international component. Was I lucky 4 times?
You are Star Gold with which program? The restriction is only on United Star Gold passengers, presumably to prevent overcrowding in their lovely lounges 🙄
@@j2simpso ah makes sense if that is why. Thought it was like DL which wouldn't allow KL platinum in on a domestic F ticket.
United treat passengers like commodities! Upgrade at your peril!
United never changes. I haven’t flown them in 20 years, say for a flight I had to take to get a domestic 787. On a year old 787 in Premium Economy it was dreadful. Night and day when I connected to the Singapore A350 to Manchester in Premium.
The lack of a TV screen is why United is a joke compared to Delta....
When he tilts down and you can see his flag hoisted halfway up the pole at 8,47. Made my day. A bit of naughty content there. Mmmm