United Airlines Premium Economy Review

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Exploring the skies with United Airlines Premium Economy: A firsthand review of the perks and pitfalls of upgrading your air travel experience.

Welcome to my United Airlines Premium Economy Review, an honest, in-depth look into my experience with United’s mid-tier travel option.

As a seasoned traveler who navigates the fine line between budget-conscious choices and the desire for comfort, my travel ethos revolves around getting the best value for my travel expenses.

Here, I share insights that I hope will guide fellow travelers in making a choice that aligns with their needs and preferences for comfort, cost, and convenience.

So, you’re considering a trip on United Airlines, but you’re not sure if the added cost of their Premium Plus fare is worth it.

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to stretch your miles and points as far as possible. United Airlines’ Premium Plus cabin offers more legroom and other amenities, but is it really worth the extra cost in cash or miles?

My family flew from SFO-CDG in United’s Premium Plus cabin, and here’s what I thought, in this United Airlines premium economy review.

SBT Highlights

• Experience with Premium Plus: Highlighting the decision to upgrade to United Airlines’ Premium Plus for a long-haul flight, discussing the cost in miles versus the benefits received.
• Value Assessment: A candid reflection on whether the upgrade to Premium Plus was worth the extra miles.
• Advice for Travelers: Encouraging thorough research before booking with United Airlines, underscoring the myriad of travel options available that cater to different preferences and needs.

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United Airlines Premium Economy Review

United Airlines offers a premium economy service called Premium Plus. This service offers passengers two free checked bags, reserved overhead bin space for their carry-on, and other benefits, depending on the route. This United Airlines Premium Economy Review will help you decide if this experience is worth the extra cost.

What is the difference between Economy Plus and Premium Plus?

Economy Plus is at the front of the regular Economy class cabin and provides you with a little extra legroom.

Premium Plus is its own cabin, with added features and service. The premium economy cabins’ featured color is purple.

Why did we fly in Premium Plus?

We usually stick to economy to maximize our miles and points, even on international flights. For the date we wanted to fly to Paris, however, United wanted 70,000 miles per person for economy. For the same flight, they wanted 45,000 miles per person for premium economy. So, we went for it!

Our Premium Plus flight was from SFO (San Francisco) to CDG (Paris Charles de Gaulle) on an aircraft type Boeing 777, with 3 rows of 2-4-2 configuration in the Premium Plus cabin. Our seats were 21A, 21B, 22A, and 22B. No middle seat! Only window seat and aisle seat! YAY!

VIDEO: United Airlines Premium Economy Seat Tour

Is United Premium Plus the same as premium economy?

Yes, Premium Plus is United’s premium economy class offering.

What do you get in premium economy on United Airlines?

The Premium Plus cabin on United equipment only takes up three rows of space, behind Polaris Business class and in front of Economy. The small separate cabin section doesn’t have its own lavatories. Here are some features of United Premium Plus:

• cabin is closer to front of plane
• wider seats and further recline than Economy
• power outlets & USB chargers
• amenity kit
• fancier food service than Economy
• 2 free checked bags (that’s quite a baggage allowance!)
• Premier Access boarding
• discounted United Club passes

United Premium Plus Pre-Flight

Included in our Premium Plus award tickets was United’s Premier Access. While this didn’t give us lounge access, it did provide priority boarding in Group 2, as well as priority baggage handling with special Priority tags.

Priority check-in is also supposed to be included, but that wasn’t applicable or necessary at our originating airport.

United Premium Plus Amenity Kit

Each seat had an AWAY/United branded zipper pouch with the following items inside:

• Sunday Riley hand cream
• Sunday Riley lip balm
• earplugs
• toothbrush
• Colgate toothpaste
• socks
• eyemask

Saks Fifth Avenue branded pillows and blankets are also at each seat, as well as noise-reducing headphones.

United Premium Plus Seats

The Premium Plus seats are definitely wider than those in Economy and offer more recline. United also offers adjustable leg rest and foot rests to make your flight even more comfortable. United Airlines Premium economy seats come equipped with a power outlet and USB port for charging mobile devices during the flight, as well as a headphone jack (non-standard, so you can’t really use your own).

The tray table is hidden inside the armrest and requires a few button pushes to get it into place.

Does United premium economy have a leg rest?

Yes, United Premium Plus offers a leg rest, as well as a foot rest. The foot rest, however, makes it more difficult to store personal items under the seat in front of you.

Can you sleep in premium economy?

I’m sure some people can, but not me! I was so hopeful that the additional seat pitch and leg rest would be enough for me to get some shut-eye, but I still found myself a bit too uncomfortable for that.

United Premium Plus In-Flight Entertainment

Each seat has its own touchscreen, with on-demand movies, TV shows, music, and more. Our kids binge-watched Harry Potter movies almost the entire flight.

My favorite is usually just watching the travel map and countdown the minutes until we reach our destination!

There is a not-very-easily-accessible remote control next to the seat, but I never needed to use it for anything.

United Premium Plus Food & Service

Premium economy passengers do not receive a welcome drink, although complimentary alcoholic beverages are available at other times during the flight. So, you’ll have to wait for any free drinks when meal service begins.

The main meal service consisted of a main course hot dish, salad with dressing, packaged roll with butter, generic vanilla ice cream, and real metal silverware and actual glassware.

Given that there are only three rows in the Premium Plus cabin, and I was in the 2nd of those three rows, I was a bit disappointed when my meal choice was no longer available. Nonetheless, I accepted the other meal, and it was actually decent.

Midway through the flight, a snack was served. Bottled water, a packaged turkey sandwich, small bag of M&Ms, and a small bag of Cheez-Its were offered.

Prior to landing a hot meal was served for breakfast. It consisted of a hot dish, fruit salad, packaged croissant, butter, and jam. I did see a plastic cup for my morning ginger ale.

In regard to service, on three different transcontinental United flights, within months of each other (including this flight), I could not get any flight attendants to respond to my call button. No matter how many times I activated the call button, and no matter how patient I was in between activations, it was as though I was invisible. Literally no one came to see what I needed. Hmmm…

Is United Airlines premium economy any good?

Yes and no. It was fun being able to board sooner and have dedicated overhead bins in a small private cabin, as well as priority baggage handling and the cute amenity kit. Other than that, it wasn’t much different for me than flying Economy.

SBT Summary: United Airlines Premium Economy Review

While it was nice to have roomier seats and more leg room, United Airlines Premium Plus didn’t really offer the “premium” experience I was hoping for. The service was absent and meal options were limited, but if Polaris is out of reach and you can’t imagine being in economy, then United Airlines Premium Economy is a great middle option.

With two free checked bags, priority boarding, and dedicated overhead bins, it might be worth the splurge, if you’re looking for that extra bit of comfort on your United flight. Plus, the AWAY/United amenity kit is a nice perk!

United’s premium economy products (aka United Premium Plus) are currently available on select Boeing 787, 777, and 767 aircraft, mostly on international routes with long flights.

While we’re glad we had the experience, we’re not sure we’d make the same choice again. We used 15,000 more miles per person (for a total of 60,000 extra miles) than we had planned to use, in order to be in Premium Plus for just one of our long-haul flights. We could have used those miles to get a free economy ticket on a future flight.

Speaking of award tickets on United, these two credit cards are great ways to boost your miles bank, when you earn the sign-up bonus:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• United MileagePlus Explorer

As always, do your research before booking any United Airlines flight! With so many different options to choose from, you’ll be sure to find the perfect fit for your travel needs. Bon voyage!

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