Is United Premium Plus Worth it? San Francisco to Singapore Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- I recently flew United Premium Plus on my way to Singapore from San Francisco, and in this video I'll show you what the experience was like, including a full seat tour, on-board food, lavatories, and the overall flying experience. Premium Plus is United's "Premium Economy" offering, not quite business class, but much nicer and roomier than a regular Economy cabin seat. On a long international flight it's definitely something worth considering.
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✅ Or if you're headed to Singapore, you might enjoy watching my Singapore travel series here: • Singapore Travel Guides
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00 - San Francisco Airport and Boarding Experience
01:07 - United Premium Plus Seat and Cabin Review
04:07 - United Premium Plus Meals Review
06:15 - Arrival in Changi Airport & Final Thoughts
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I absolutely love these types of reviews! I would love to see more inflight reviews and airport reviews while you are traveling. Great job!
Thanks Anthony! I've got more coming up from this trip. In particular Singapore Airlines Business Class 😉
I enjoy all of your videos, but this one was super cool! I loved this idea, especially since I usually only fly economy! This was a super fun insight! Thanks for sharing with us as always.
Thanks Kaylee!
Thank you for sharing this trip. Yes, that Premium Plus Economy section there right behind First/Business Clas/Polaris is very good. I think I like the that first row and seating at the window of that section. of courser First/Business Polaris Class with that lay flat seat is way better on long-haul trips. But if you don't have the points but you want better service then I agree with you about paying the extra for a little more comfort.
I think Premium Economy is more than worth it on long haul flights. Like you said - it's about seat/flight comfort. Thanks for the info + video!
I enjoyed watching every minute of your review. You're very positive, cheerful and articulate. I've now subscribed. Thanks for sharing!!
Awesome! Thanks Michael and welcome to Yellow Productions!
REALLY enjoyed seeing the review of your flight! As someone who always books cheap flights this was fun!
Thanks CottageFullOfLove!
Feeling so much better about my flight now! Thank you!
I'm glad!
Excellent review ❤
I flew Premium Plus from Newark to Tokyo a few years ago and it was definitely worth it. I'm a big guy so that extra width and leg room is worth it. It will be hard flying long haul in a regular economy seat again. It's a great trade off for those that want more space than economy but can't afford business/ first class
Great review! Would like to watch more plane/flight reviews from you. Also perhaps airline lounge reviews. Keep up the good work love the channel
Thanks Chris. I also did a tour of the SFO Amex Centurion lounge that I have coming up. And Singapore Airlines Business Class review
Thank you for the review!
Thanks!
Doing SFO to London on United Premium Economy later this summer on the Dreamliner so this is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks! (It still won’t touch our great Singapore to LA flight on Singapore Airlines Premium Economy on New Year’s Eve but beggars can’t be choosers 😊)
What a great review thank you so much for sharing this❤
My pleasure Drine!
Thank you for the Video. We try this time the KLM Premium Comfort. Greetings
I will be in Singapore later this year! I can't wait to see that airport 🥰
Awesome brown and beachy!
Your videos are superb. Went to Vegas a few years back and watched all your vids on that. Off to NYC this year so checking those vids out and these flight vids 😁 Keep up the great work 👍🏻
Thanks Shotster!
I have been flying United Premium from Newark to Frankfurt for a few years now and it is soo worth it...I cannot imagine moving back to economy :) Happy travels!
Thanks Aneta! Glad you agree! :)
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION
Thanks fr the video. I am going to book it .
Great professional review!
Much appreciated!
Good review; you move right along. Great smile too.
Thanks Mikie!
I've seen those touch-controlled windows on Air France before which I thought were pretty cool. The Premium Plus on United looks very similar to the Premium Select seats on the long-haul Delta flights. I really like the extra legroom, and it makes the flights much more enjoyable!
Yeah. It's rough to have your knees crammed in the seatback for 10+ hours!
Wow, more reviews like this. Premium Economy seat is quite a catch for a 17-hour flight. Safe travels, Chris!
Double thanks Keith!
@@YellowProductions keep that content coming. love all your videos.
I need to go where you have been lol. Seems fun and looks like a good flight overall.
Great in depth review! I really appreciated this video very much. My dream has always been to go to Singapore. I'm located in San Francisco. I think I will actually make this dream come true and am thinking about doing this journey within the next year or so. Was trying to decide whether to pay Business or Premium Economy so this video really fits my needs perfectly. Thanks again.
Glad it was helpful!
Wonderful video, and I agree premium economy is absolutely worth it! United is a great airline for long haul flights.
Thanks Peter!
Wow. Those are pretty cool windows.
Amazing Vlog ❤❤❤
Thanks Jibon!
We flew premium plus on SFO to Singapore in February. We had bulkhead seats. Really nice. Food was decent, not business class caliber. But all in all worth the extra to be a bit more rested.
Hello! I’m 188cm tall. Do you reckon bulkhead seats are worse than regular ones?
@@lucasdirgovic9076I'm 6'5 and usually don't like the bulkhead seats. At least with normal seats you can kind of stretch your legs all the way under the seat in front of you. Bulkhead you may technically have a little more room but can't stretch anywhere
Looks like the way to go on along flight.
Thanks.
Very interesting video, except Topher was missing. Hope he is doing good. I think Premium Economy is worth it, especially if you get your own check-in lane, also with earlier boarding than economy class as well as what you mentioned in your video. Singapore is definitely on my bucket list.
thanks for sharing the economy plus seating v premium plus ... my family and I are still weighing our options
Thanks Laura!
Very well detailed video !!👍👍 Thank you ! I am thinking about flying on United to visit Argentina in the near future ! But,from my own nightmarish experiences with them ( back in the '80's & 90's ) ,hesitation is there ! Lol. So,I've been watching videos of United Airlines flights ✈️ 💜🥁🐉🎤🎶💞
Hi, thanks for the video. Do you think the last row of premium plus had limited recline compared to the first two rows?
Hi Chris. I flew premium economy from Sydney to SFO in March and it was worth every penny. Would definitely do it again, specially on a long haul flight. Happy travels!
Nice Noe!
Enjoy Singapore and Asia! Hope you'll enjoy the flight :)
Thanks Kfedfan!
Great review, what is the price difference between economy and economy plus? Cheers
Me and hubby traveled from Japan back to US and upgraded to Economy and plus, and it was so worth it for the long flight.
My girlfriend and I did the same coming back from HND and I couldn't agree more. Money well spent. I'm saving up for business class to JFK from LHR for our next trip!
I just flew United Premium Plus last month, Newark-Brussels. The fare is reasonable, and you get so much bang for the buck. I tried it last year, Newark-Milan, and I swore that I’d never go back to regular Economy.
The seats in this class look like the ones in the first class section of most domestic flights I've been on. From a cost benefit analysis, I would say this is the way to go on long flights like this. I wouldn't want anything less that's for sure!
Hi Chris. Premium Plus is worth it for such a long flight. Thanks for sharing and take care.
Thanks James! I think so too!
Thank you for talking about the leg rest. Most content flyers leave this part out. At 5’2 I cannot always reach the foot rest. I don’t care about the food. A seat with a leg rest is what makes a long haul flight from Seattle to Rome more comfortable. Thx!
I remember when working at John Wayne we had plants between the baggage claim carousel.
Neat!
Air France is only reducing seating from 9 to 8 seats/row in the A350-900 Premium Eco (2-4-2)… will find or how that checks out from Europe to Japan later this year…
In the 777 they also reduce from 10 to 8 (2-4-2).
However I’m in one of the outside seats on both flights, I guess that’s the way to go
Nice video. Is that a Galaxy S23 Ultra you have as your phone? How do you like it?
Yes! I made a video all about the S23 Ultra here: th-cam.com/video/33q5n24fpjo/w-d-xo.html
I sat at the window seat at 2:02 when I went. I was checking the seating on the app before boarding and saw that entire row and behind it was empty on a pretty full flight and immediately changed my seat before they locked it it. It was amazing being able to sleep comfortably, but people kept trying to steal the exit row in front the whole flight until they literally roped it off.
Wonder when the day will come an airline launches first class only for the entire plane in a fleet? They could charge midway between economy plus and forms and still fill the plane.
Timing! Just landed in SFO from SIN a few hours ago...we tried a few times to use miles to upgrade, but never seem to get it? Got it only once. United waits till the last minute to allow people to pay $$$ and there seems to be plenty of people who are willing to pay the extra $834 for SIN-SFO (not us 🤣). They need more economy plus premium seats!
We don't usually try to get it going to S.E. Asia. For going there we stop in Japan for jetlag recovery. There is a flight that leaves SFO in late morning and lands around 3pm the next day (hotel check in time) in Japan. The whole flight of 10 hrs is all awake time for CA. Check-in, grab a bite, go to bed. Then in 1 or 2 days we are in the time zone. Japan is an easy 10 hr flight vs. going thru SIN at 17 hrs. We spend a few days in Tokyo (who doesn't like Japan?) to acclimatize and then head south on a 7hr flight to SE Asia. Coming home we do the 15 hours (tail winds) SIN-SFO. We can deal with jetlag at home by watching your TH-cam videos at 2am.😂
Agreed that the Premium Plus cabin is too small
I paid premium plus nonstop from Newark to Honolulu. Worth it!!
Nice!
I thought in Premium Plus from ORd to London they give you the same food as Polaris but I am not positive.
how far does the seat recline. It would like to see the leg rest, not just the foot rest.
Wow - you’re lucky. I have never been able to sleep on long haul flights.
Crew was timed out means late boarding and takeoff
Omg this is even more proof why I'll stick to Singapore Air lol
Great flight review! Does Premium Plus have its own separate lavatories from economy?
Thanks Points Traveler. Negative on the lavs. Shared with econ
@@YellowProductions still worth the price for legroom
love your videos. can't wait to do some of your stuff one day. but big question please: can you tell me what other greater joys you have had compared to flying business class, getting pampered, and eating good food (can't say excellent because nothing compares to "fresh" food from a fine dining restaurant whether it is a top notch steakhouse, michelin star restaurant, or even just a top notch vegas buffet. Perhaps, a dog, fantastic sex, running a marathon, skydiving, surfing, motorcycle riding, concerts etc? just wondering how all these other joyful things stack up against flying business class. thank you!
would you say polaris buisness is worth the upgrade over premium plus for long haul flights (10 hours+)? I would like to hear your opinion as ive flown premium plus multiple times and its amazing, but the flat bed and extra privacy along with better food seems like a must for such a long flight, yet polaris is extremely expensive.
The lie flat beds in Polaris are really nice! If you really want to or need to sleep, it's worth it!
Thanks for the info, this is exactly what I need. Though I have a quick question: how much pricier is it than the economy? From what I see, it can be twice or more...
With Uniteds dynamic pricing It really depends on the flight.. for me booking with miles it was about 25% more miles than an economy ticket was, so it was a good mileage redemption in my book
@@YellowProductions thanks!
I would always go with the omelet. I really like the omelets on United, they're excellent.
Do you remember how much you paid for the upgrade? What’s the max amount you would consider?
For long-haul flights, premium economy is always worth it on any airline. It's the additional space that is important.
Thanks Bani!
The sad part is how worth it can really depend on the plane, these seats on many domestic flight aircraft are exactly what you get when you pay for business class. I say that if you have the money for premium economy to take it. The slight increase in seat space really makes a difference on that long flight, but make sure you're paying attention to the specific airline's specific plane for that route. Some will charge you premium economy for the first few rows of economy, so it's the same seat but with the "slightly better" food of premium economy (which we established is not really worth it).
Couldn't agree more Sheriff!
Hello friend! Great video, awesome review :)
Do you think middle and back seats on Premium Plus are better than Bulkhead ones?
I’m a tall guy, so I gotta decide wisely 😅
Yeah. I think you get more leg room in the middle or back rather than bulkhead
@@YellowProductions awesome! I’ll go for one of them, then.
Thanks a lot, earned a new subscriber!
great review - do you know if the third row has the same recline as the first and second rows of PE?
SFO to Sing. Seat was comfortable. But food and service was below standard. Even during night no flight attendant offer water during night .
Bummer!
6:40 tell us how much you paid to determine “was it worth it”? 😊😊
If you have a credit for United (as I have on Chase Sapphire), there will likely be no premium economy or premium plus seats available, even reserving 3 months out. It's either economy for a 17-hour flight to Japan or apply the credit to a first class, $24,000 ticket.
Hmm... I booked this Premium Plus award ticket approximately 2 months before the actual trip and they had award space
I just flew United Premium Plus from London to Newark two days ago. I loved the extra leg room, but I must say that for some reason it was the most uncomfortable flight I’ve had in quite some time. I just couldn’t get comfortable…I don’t know if it was the seats, or what. Just couldn’t find a comfortable position. I’ve flown Premium Plus before and never had that problem. So who knows….
Thanks for your report
It means your flight crew was either timed out or flown in.
I've done that flight, though the opposite way. It's not easy and I did it in regular economy, so it was all about passing time
Yeah... it's a long long flight!
I think definitely worth it on a 787!
I'm skeptical of "reviews" that make a prediction during the intro and, voila, the prediction came true in the end assessment. No confirmation bias there. Not sure how the worth of PE seats can be determined without weighing the cost difference from regular Econ.
I really like United’s PE. The fact there’s so few seats makes it more exclusive and it’s a great seat. It’s much better than PE on Air France. Next trip I think I’m going to try Polaris to Milan. That should be quite the experience.
Does the Premium Plus seat recline farther than domestic first class? I looked it up and it looks like Prem plus reclines 6 inches and domestic first reclines 5 inches. I am not sure if domestic First has the lazy boy leg rest.
Hmm.... 5 or 6 inches is about the same in my book. The nice part compared to domestic first class is the seat is farther from the seat in front, so when the person in front is reclining, they aren't in your lap
Love the seat, but if the choice is a $800 coach versus $2000 premium plus, then it becomes a lot harder of a decision to make
What do you use to sync your headphones to the IFE screen? Thanks
Generally I plug in a cable. But for the IFE screens that have Bluetooth now you can pair them with the screen. You just need to go in to pairing mode on the screen and remember how your headphones pair
Thanks. I have blue tooth wireless headphone and want to use them on my air new zealand premium economy flight😊
For those who have used the headphones, are they decent for movies or should I bring my own?
I flew Premium Plus last night from SFO to EWR for the first time. I was in 22G on the aisle. Seat width was ok. The fixed foot rest wasn't really good. The pop out leg rest was pretty much unusable - my feet/legs were most comfortable with my feet extended under the seat in front of me. because of the installation supports, my under seat storage was limited. I typically select either window or aisle seats. In this case, I would have selected a center seat to get more room if I had known. The United Club in SFO Terminal 3 feels dated. The line was long due to several passengers getting customer service needs taken care of at the check in desk, even though there is a staffed customer service desk as soon as you pass the check-in desk. Furniture was just sad, many seat cushions badly ripped up.
Was free WiFi included?
My husband is 6’7” so the extra leg room is always worth it!
Ooof! That's tall! I don't envy him on planes!
Is the food same as the people in the business class cabin?
No.. it's some middle place between business and economy
I did premium economy from LAX to Tokyo, then economy from Tokyo to Vietnam, and, of course, premium economy was a lot better, but I’m old and I need my sleep so now I fly the same route in business class, it’s very expensive, but at least I get all of the sleep I need
Agree with you... it's worth it for the sleep!
It's a domestic first/ business seat equivalent.
Good description
Next time, try Singapore Airlines Premium Economy on the same route, at least way. Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance partner , so it shouldn’t be too hard...
Would you still book Premium Economy if you were paying out of pocket and not using miles? For international flights I always try to fly premium economy if possible.
I guess it depends on the up charge. I'd be willing to pay 50% more than Economy.
My wife booked this seat on our flight from Amsterdam to sfo 21 J and L 😂😂. We have Polaris for our flight from Sfo to Amsterdam
Nice!
Isn’t business class just 20k more pts
I know you used miles, but the premium plus was how much more than economy?
Really depends on the flight and how full it is that determines how much more it is. I don't recall for this flight as I wasn't planning to pay cash
💗💗💗What are your two favorite Japanese restaurants in San Diego? I need a recommendation ASAP! 🙏💗💗💗
On the high end: Himitsu in LA Jolla, and on the cheaper end. Izakaya Masa in Mission hills
Its about the seats. I certainly wouldn't fly United for the cuisine even in Business class - which is OK but its not going to WOW you. I've reached Million Miler status a few years ago and they have been trying for years to improve their food. In essence now they have 4 classes of seats .
4 classes of seats and 2 classes of food 😉
Can you take the blanket as a complimentary item?
No
Two extra inches difference from economy - PE seats... is it worth hundreds of dollars - you bet!
Did u really not show the leg rest???
I’m confused by the comments is this premium plus or premium economy?
United calls their Premium Economy offering "Premium Plus" -- United's extra legroom seating in Economy is called "Preferred Economy" which are the same seats as a regular Economy seat just more leg room. Make sense?
@@YellowProductions my flight has premium plus, premium economy and economy. I was considering upgrading from economy to premium economy , but honestly I’m confused.
I have to disagree with your statement regarding the food.... I sat on a United premium seat from EWR to HND and back. Let me tell you not only it was comfy and I loved all the amenities given to us including the food... OMG the food was delicious, the breakfast which consisted of waffles with a berry dressing was out of this world. So yeah, I have ZERO complains for a 14 hour flight each way. Nice video though.
Thanks for the report on the EWR to HND catering
Personally, I'd rather transit in Tokyo or Seoul than take a direct longer flight - that way you have some time to walk about and freshen up than sitting for 17 hours straight no matter how comfortable the seat.
tell me how flat it got? Easier to sleep than economy?
Easier to sleep than economy... but not really that flat
for a flight longer than 12 hours of course
Definitely!
70,000 United miles for premium economy? I paid 80k UA miles for united Polaris business class SAN to SFO to SIN in January. United no longer has an award chart, so I guess it varies. That said, to me if you can fall asleep then it is a good seat. I simply cannot sleep in regular economy. Being exhausted but unable to sleep for 17 hours is the worst.
Yeah. I was flying in high season of March.. So I didn't think the price was too bad
UA late as usual. IMO their premium economy on the 787 is far inferior to the Singapore Airlines Premium Economy on the A350. I far prefer the seats on the A350. And the service isn't even close. UA is usually lackluster, SIA often exceeds expectations.
It's hard to beat sing air!