How do United measure up long haul?

[becpee]

x

 

[battymum]

oooh ---Queenie and Shuttergirl might have something to say on this one.....

 

[becpee]

oooh ---Queenie and Shuttergirl might have something to say on this one.....

The call is out then! This doesn't sound good though LOL

 

[battymum]

Well it was before my time on the boards, but it seems they had legendary disagreements about this.

But basically came down to the fact that United doesnt have individual seat back entertainment systems. Only you can decide how important this is to your family.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Oh my.......run.....don't walk.......run.........to the nearest nuclear shelter!





Hint. Research if United economy has in-flight entertainment and then work out how you feel about it - particularly with a 6 yo.

 

[PrincessInOz]

On second thoughts....didn't Shuttergirl and Queenie come to a mutual love-fest lately?

But it's been a while since we've had a good debate on the Aussie board.

 

[Busy Busy]

I have flown United from Sydney to San Francisco twice, although it was in 1997 and 2003 - so my opinion really doesn't matter now!

I'll give it to you anyway though!!!

It was just fine, got us from here to there and there were no dramas at all. The one thing that I remember is that the flight attendants were older than I thought they would be!! I can only imagine the young glamours that will be working in premium economy on VAustralia - so I just might get a bit nostalgic for those United old bags!!

 

[kylieh]

DH has flown them a couple of time for work - I believe somewhere would need to freeze over before he used his own money to fly them Though my boss and her partner fly United on holidays. But they fly at the pointy end and drink lots of alcohol to get them through

 

[marvel]

I worked at Melbourne Airport for 10 years, would never fly united, well if the flight was free or half price. That being said, people have different values in what they want in travel, and some are willing to fly on anything for the right price.

We had a choice to fly United or Qantas, the prices difference was around $150 per person from memory and it wa a no brainer..qantas.

Not only are the planes old, but so are the crew. I mean some are in the late 60's and older as United had a seniority system so they would get first choice of where to fly and would of course pick Australia. So you would get quite surly grumpy older crew, coupled with an old plane.

As long as you have the right expectations going in.

 

[aussiedad]

The big difference is a lack in the personal entertainment systems. With a 6 year old on a long flight this is fairly significant. I guess it also means that the planes are older. We travelled on United in 05 then Air NZ in 07 to US. Since then I have been on Emirates, Qatar airlines, Qantas, Air Asia on long flights. I would rate all higher than United.

 

[DVCAustralia]

I must say that I have never quite understood negativity towards United on the Aust-US route, which they have flown for over 20 years.
I have flown United to the USA and back every time (from 1990 to today), a total of 7 times with number 8 already booked. Whilst they are not perfect, I am not sure how good a 14+ hour flight in economy can be, whatever airline you fly. Whilst the lack of a personal entertainment system seems to be the main negative point raised, I have never felt deprived by not having it in place of the main screen (I was not that impressed when I had one anyway). Further, on such a long flight leaving in the afternoon/evening I often end up sleeping for a significant portion of the flight, even when I want to see a movie.
Also there are a few lesser known benefits: -
Often overlooked is that for one annual fee, currently US$425, you can upgrade all United tickets for you and another person on the booking to Economy Plus giving you both extra leg room.
You can see the seats available before you book, and choose and change seats for FREE online any time after payment.
The Mileage Plus points you accumulate are a nice bonus.

Overall the money you typically save by flying United, particularly for a family, is worth it and much better spent during the holiday itself than on the flight getting there.

As for your specific situation becpee, I would recommend booking the entire row of three seats on the right of the aircraft so you are all together and have the window and aisle to yourself. Have a great trip, whatever airline you fly.

 

[australiankaren]

Hey

Flew United 2009 lax-syd........apart from no in seat entertainment the seats were comfy, food ok and attendants were attentive.
For a really cheap price I may fly them, but it would have to be for peanuts with a laptop with extra battery. 14 hrs is a LONG time with no in flight entertainment.

 

[aussiedad]

I must say that I have never quite understood negativity towards United on the Aust-US route, which they have flown for over 20 years.
QUOTE]
Dunno if its negativity so much (from me anyway). They are OK and if they were a lot cheaper I would still fly them. But esp with kids the inflight entertainment is part of the overall experience as it makes the time pass a lot quicker. [

 

[Busy Busy]

The thought of a flight that long without entertainment for the kids scares the daylights out of me!!

We flew home from London on the brand new A380 (it was 1 month old) in October 2009, and the crew had to re-start the in-flight entertainment system 3 times before it worked. I was so calm on the outside and did a great job of concealing my inner freak out - the thought of 16 hours with a 5 and 11 year old to entertain was terrifying!!

I was OK for DH - he was sitting across the aisle with no seat in front of him and his 6'4" legs stretched out. Finally after 90 minutes in the air it was up and working - the whole plane cheered!!

 

[AussieFan]

We flew United to Orlando in 2009 and 2010. We chose them because they were cheap but also because the connections were really good. We flew via San Francisco where we cleared Customs and immigration and only had a couple of hours to kill before the flight to Orlando. SFO is a much nicer airport than LAX.
The return was via Los Angeles with less than 2 hours before the Sydney flight. The transition was seamless because our bags were checked all the way through so all we had to do was get off one plane and walk two gates over to the next flight.
United definitely doesn't have all the bells and whistles but the seats were fine,food good and we loaded the kids up with enough technology to keep them occupied when they weren't sleeping.
I would use them again however I have to admit we are flying VAustralia to LA in September and I am really looking forward to their on board entertainment system
Did I mention we are flying premium economy

 

[Travel Mum]

Gosh, this thread has got me a bit worried for my sister-in-law and neice who are flying United to meet us in Orlando for our cruise. However, the last few posts are making me feel a bit better and the United fare was soooooo much cheaper than the best Air NZ or QF one at the time, that for her on a very tight budget, it was a no-brainer.

 

[cola]

We've flown United a couple of times to Orlando when they had super cheap fares, Sydney/Vegas/Orlando/Sydney for $940AU no other airline could come close! The next time was a bit more but still significantly cheaper than the others. Knowing about no seat back entertainment well in advance meant I got a little Netbook $400 and loaded it up with movies and TV series and the flights were fine and got onto the internet with free wifi everywhere on my new Netbook. If it was a $200 or less dfference per ticket, I probably wouldn't fly United, the seats hardly recline and the leg room is pretty sad, if United was more than any other airline I'd definitely not fly United.
BUT their prices to Orlando are usually quite a bit cheaper than the rest, and you have absolutely no worries about any internal flights wanting to charge you baggage fee if it's all on the one ticket because it originated internationally.
Sydney/Orlando is almost enough to get your status credits to the next level with their points program, add an extra side trip and you get a lot of bonus options.

 

[Busy Busy]

Hey AussieFan, we are doing the VAustralian premium economy thing too on Friday 16th of September..............for the first time ever I am just as excited about the flight as I am about the destination - well amost!!

By the way, between VAustralia, Qantas, WDW and the Doubletree Hotel in NYC, I think that our little corner of the Disboards is definitely doing it's bit towards the world economy!!

 

[DVCAustralia]

Qantas may be flying a 747-400ER from SYD - DAL, but United will have this from mid-2012: -
"The radical Boeing 787 next-gen airliner will debut on a new non-stop route between Auckland and Houston – United’s first service in New Zealand, and one which is well-suited to the long-haul jetliner.
The Auckland-Houston flight was originally announced as a daily service, but would run five-times-weekly during certain unspecified periods in the first year of operation. The preliminary schedule saw an afternoon departure from Auckland at 3:40pm with arrival into Houston at 11:50am the same day; the return journey would leave Houston at 9:30pm and reach Auckland at 5:10am two days later."
Houston is south-east of Dallas (and so it is even closer to Orlando and other eastern cities), and from next year there will be Disney cruises leaving from the nearby port city of Galveston.
Further, as a brand-new plane it will have a personal entertainment system.
You never know, United may overcome some of the current prejudice yet.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Qantas may be flying a 747-400ER from SYD - DAL, but United will have this from mid-2012: -
"The radical Boeing 787 next-gen airliner will debut on a new non-stop route between Auckland and Houston – United’s first service in New Zealand, and one which is well-suited to the long-haul jetliner.
The Auckland-Houston flight was originally announced as a daily service, but would run five-times-weekly during certain unspecified periods in the first year of operation. The preliminary schedule saw an afternoon departure from Auckland at 3:40pm with arrival into Houston at 11:50am the same day; the return journey would leave Houston at 9:30pm and reach Auckland at 5:10am two days later."
Houston is south-east of Dallas (and so it is even closer to Orlando and other eastern cities), and from next year there will be Disney cruises leaving from the nearby port city of Galveston.
Further, as a brand-new plane it will have a personal entertainment system.
You never know, United may overcome some of the current prejudice yet.

Have Personal entertainment system (to keep DS occupied) and Cheap flights......will travel!

I travelled long haul with them last September, without DS.

If you don't have someone constantly wanting to be entertained...nor constantly asking "are we there yet".....nor saying "I'm bored" every 10 minutes......


...no wait!





That was DH.



As adults, we went pre-armed. We had the work laptop, DS, cards and lots of puzzles to keep us occupied. Without kids, the PES(t) requirement is optional and United is palatable.