can someone please explain United Economy Plus to me?

[dreamcometrue]

I understand that you have to pay $299 for a year of access. Both DH and I are tall (I am 5'10" he is 6'2") so the extra legroom would be really nice for us! We have 2 kids. It says you purchase the Economy Plus for "you and a guest". Does this mean I have to pay twice since there are 4 of us? What is the pricing like? If I look at united.com right now, I can't see the price I would pay for economy plus, right? I'd have to purchase it and be logged in, from what I understand! Do I pay the same as regular non-refundable economy? Are the seats bigger, or just more legroom?

Thanks for any info on this!

 

[Mr. Malaprop]

Economy Plus gives you up to 5 extra inches of leg room, but the seats are still normal-size coach seats. You get some extra leg room.

If you purchase United's "Access" package, it is good for you and 1 other person. So if you want 4 seats, you'd have to buy 2 "Access" packages. The package doesn't offer discounts on tickets, just the privilege to purchase coach seats in the Economy Plus section.

Unless you fly United a lot, I don't think it's necessarily a good buy. I've often "upgraded" to EP at check-in for just a few bucks. I don't fly United that much so spending $300 a year just to access that section would be a waste of money for me.

 

[FlyingBelle]

I LOVE Economy+!!!!

My DH is 6 ft 1 and he loves being able to stretch his legs out a bit more.

Is the $299 access worth it? As pp said, only if you fly several times a year. It allows you to select an E+ seat when you make your booking.

However, if when you check in (either online or at the airport), and there are E+ seats available, they'll let you purchase the upgrade for a fee (amount will depend on how long the flight is).

The extra leg room is great - not to mention the E+ section is the front of the plane.

 

[dreamcometrue]

thanks a lot! We fly about once a year, twice at the most, so I don't think it's worth it, esp. since we have to buy 2, so that would be $600! If you don't mind me asking, about how much is it to upgrade? I am not going to get my hopes up since there are 4 of us, and chances are they won't have 4 seats available that are together! I will definitely look into it though! BTW, we are flying from LAX to MCO!

 

[bavaria]

I fly United (in E+ or business/first) almost every week.

You do need to know that if you don't buy the access (and yes, you DO need to buy two) there is a slight chance that you will have an opportunity to upgrade to E+. United elite members can book E+ in advance, and the system blocks an empty middle seat next to them.

When seats open up at the airport, they are either the middle seats, or seats which become available when elites are upgraded to business or first. But often other elites are waiting for those seats (example - I am an elite and book last minute, and can only get a window in E+) I go to the gate and ask for an aisle; someone else gets their upgrade cleared, and the GA gives me the aisle.

United does an excellent job of filling their planes these days; while the LAX-MCO flights may have a few more empty seats don't count on it and if they do have empty seats in E+, they will often be middle seats scattered around that section (ie not condusive to families who want to sit together)

If you DO want to sit together, and you DO want to sit in E+, you will need to purchase access for two for the year, and I suggest that you get those seats at time of booking your flight.

Waiting for E+ seats for a price at the airport MAY result in success, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[bavaria]

the price for the flight varies by length of flight (and some suspect passenger load) There is an ongoing thread about E+ access on flyertalk.com

http://flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=504

 

[dreamcometrue]

thanks bavaria! I know United is your preferred airline from other threads I read Since we are leaning towards a redeye flight, and there are only 2 carriers out of LAX that offer them (United and Delta), we are leaning heavily towards United unless Delta offers a much cheaper fare!

 

[bavaria]

I've done the United LAX-MCO redeye many times - I like the way it arrives very early, and so long as you plan to sleep on the flight it is a great way to add a full day to your vacation.

Good luck with your decision!