Review: United 757-200 Business Class Newark-Los Angeles: New PS Service
Intro
The final portion of my segment run to New York would be onboard a United Airlines 757-200 reviewing their new "PS service." United recently announced that they had decided to upgrade their food offerings to provide a full 3-course meal, and with I space open combined with a half-empty cabin, this was the perfect time to review it.
To be honest, this flight was one of the biggest letdowns I've had with United Airlines in terms of soft product**. The food was all presented on one tray (which is usual), and there was no glassware onboard. For a ticket usually over a thousand dollars, really?
Routing:
Route-Newark-Los Angeles
Seat- 4F
Flight Number- UA2150
Aircraft- Boeing 757-200
Date- December 7th 2024
Flight Time: 6 Hours and 12 Minutes
Price Paid: 30K UA Miles+5.60$
How I Booked
After contemplating whether or not to go to Lisbon, I made the sensible decision of canceling my flight and heading back to Los Angeles. On a Saturday night, there was plenty of saver mileage space open on this premium transcontinental service for 30K United Miles (PN7, PZ7, IN7, I6). The total cost came out to 30K miles+5.60$ in taxes and fees, which I had accrued from my most recent trip to Bolivia (ahh, so much to catch up on).
Boarding
Heading off from the Polaris Lounge (as I was supposed to fly to Lisbon), I made my way over to gate C81 for our scheduled boarding time of 6:50 pm. Due to the flight having about 35 people onboard, boarding was pushed back until 7:10, and thus, I decided to grab a cookie in the United Club.
7:05 quickly came around, and it was off to the gate once again to get onboard this bird. I started feeling the effects of flying three flights in 24 hours, that is for sure...
Stepping onboard through door 2L, we were warmly greeted by a flight attendant.
The Seat/Cabin
Seats on the United 757-200 are laid out in 4 rows of business class, in a 2-2 configuration, totaling 16 seats. While the 757 is labeled as "Polaris," it is much inferior to what you will find on the likes of the 777s or 787s due to non-direct aisle access for window seat passengers.
There is a modern seatback screen at every seat, combined with a little cubby underneath the screen to store the likes of a passport or other smaller items.
The biggest downside to having lie-flat on narrowbodies is just how small the footwells are. If you are looking for bigger footwells, I recommend seats in row 1 as the bulkhead provides much larger footwells. However, the privacy in row 4 is unmatched.
On the left-hand side of the seat is where you will find the seat controls, remote for the IFE, the tray table, and the seatback (seat side?) literature. There is a small privacy divider, but only when both people are in lie-flat mode does it seem to make a difference.
Power outlets, headphone sockets, and USB charging ports are located in the back of the seat over your shoulder. While not ideal, charging cords do stay out of your way when you are getting some rest.
Departure
It was interesting to see as 7:15 pm rolled around and the flight deck entered the cockpit. That is certainly the latest I have ever seen...
I digress, settling into my seat; the flight attendant working business class came over to introduce herself and offer us a pre-departure beverage. Seeing as she had one water and one sparkling wine left, I asked for both.
Soon enough, 5 minutes before pushback, the first officer came on to announce our flight time of 5 hours and 10 minutes over to Los Angeles and that he expected an early arrival at LAX.
Sure enough, we pushed back right on time and motored our way to the runway on an extremely quiet evening at Newark.
Every time I fly out of Newark, I always expect a taxi time of 30+ minutes, but 9 minutes after setting our flaps down, we were wheels up off of 22R with some unreal views.
This was one of the shortest takeoff rolls I have ever experienced, with Flighty showing around 4000 feet of runway used. In addition, we climbed at a serious rate of knots.
IFE+WIFI
The IFE aspect is where United comes into play. While the 757 doesn't have as good quality as what you will find on UAs widebody fleet, the options are extensive. United also does a nice job where it lets you know what to expect on your flight, such as "meal service-lights out-light snack-landing."
For those looking to connect in the air, WIFI is available for 10$ for the full flight or 8$ if you are a MileagePlus member. Free messaging is provided for all passengers, while if you are a T-mobile member, free full-flight wifi is provided!
Meal Service
Going into this flight, this was the most exciting part to review since United announced that they were upgrading their meals on this route. Long before COVID, United used to offer hand-printed menus on these routes, which I thought might be brought back, considering the upgraded meals. However, moments before takeoff, the FA came around to offer us a choice of a pasta dish, chicken dish, or beef, and a choice of drinks.
30 minutes after takeoff, my drinks and warm nuts were distributed (I finally got an allergy test and found out I am only allergic to Hazlenuts and Peanuts!)
The flight attendant apologized that the glassware wasn't loaded on the flight, but I am a bit skeptical here. What are the odds United wouldn't load glassware on a premium transcontinental but would on an ORD-EWR?
15 minutes later, my single tray came out consisting of the beef fillet, a salad, a burrata, and a warm bread roll. The beef was good, albeit a tad dry, but aside from the added burrata, I didn't see much difference. United has the potential to do a lot more; just look at American or Jetblue and how they offer menus in business.
The flight attendant came around offering an ice cream, but I politely declined. Supposedly, the ice cream cart has returned, but I think due to the light load in the cabin and many people sleeping, she did this individually.
All in all, I feel like it was decent for a transcon flight, but I was disappointed with the "upgrades." Please don't ever mistake criticism for complaints; I am grateful to be flying up front, but I also want to be honest in the review process.
Amenities/Bed
Following dinner, it was time to head to bed after a very long 24 hours (departing at 11 pm in LA and arriving back in LA at 11 pm the next day).
United offers an amenity kit for business class passengers, but once again, this was underwhelming compared to the competitors. In addition, the same headphones that we had on the previous flights were waiting on our seats.
However, the best part about United Airlines is the bedding that they offer. I was grateful to find 2 pillows for each passenger, as well as the comfy Sax Fifth Ave blanket that you receive on long-haul flights.
The only part of the bedding missing was the lighter day blanket, but with two sets of bedding, it was perfect as I tucked myself into bed for the remainder of the flight.
Hey, my bag has been through a lot; I thought it deserved some rest as well (I really did this just for a picture).
Arrival
Waking up 4 hours later, I was informed by the FA that we would be landing in about 20 minutes. She had placed an Ibuprofen/Advil on my seat as I had mentioned I had a headache (I wonder why, ha) and thanked me for flying with United Airlines.
The captain came on to announce that we would be landing shortly, and sure enough, we touched down 40 minutes ahead of schedule at LAX.
I kid you not; this was the smoothest landing I have ever experienced in my life. I left my AirPods Maxs' on the adjacent seat by accident, and they didn't even fall off. The amenity kit in the center console stayed still...
Once touching down, we taxied out to the very end of 25L and proceeded to hold. I've been down this route before, so I knew exactly what was going on when the captain came on to announce that our gate was "occupied."
40 minutes later, we arrived at Terminal 7, where it was off back home! Just to be back here 6 days later...
Final Thoughts
This flight from Newark to Los Angeles onboard the 757-200 in Business Class/Polaris wasn't bad, but there were a few downsides to it. It was disappointing to see that United really hasn't upgraded their transcon service in terms of meals, minus a few extra options and adding a burrata as a starter (yes, ice cream, but there was no cart this flight). Considering American and Jetblue have printed menus, United could have added this to the new PS service and should have. I mean, no glassware, come on...
On the other hand, the service was very good, the cabin was relatively empty, and the comfortable bed allowed me 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Would I fly this product again for 30K miles? Absolutely. However, anything more and I look towards the likes of B6/DL (Delta One Lounge JFK/LAX)/AA.
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