My United Economy Class review started even before I stepped onto the plane. I booked Basic Economy and should have done more research before I booked my ticket. I was unaware that Basic Economy meant I could not choose my seat for free 48 hours or even 24 hours before my flight. I don’t generally fly U.S. airlines on my international flights. (They had a direct flight to Tokyo at a good price, and that was what convinced me.)

The international airlines I usually fly don’t have Basic Economy. There are usually Economy, Premium Economy (where available), Business, and First (where available). So here I was being nickel and dimed like I was flying a budget airline. I could pay to choose my seat. But by the time of check-in there were only a few seats to choose from anyway and most weren’t ideal. So why pay $40 per person to pick from bad seats.

My sister and I figured we’d take a gamble. Our gamble paid off, sort of. The airline chose our seats, both Economy Plus, for no extra cost. This meant extra legroom. It only sort of paid off, because our seats were middle and window, instead of our coveted aisle seats. However, had we paid at the time of booking we could have avoided that. All in all, we got extra legroom for no extra fee.

I flew out of Newark Airport in New Jersey. Getting to the airport was painless. We took the Metro-North train out of Connecticut and arrived at Grand Central Terminal with time to spare. From there we walked to 41st street and picked up the Coach USA airport shuttle to Newark Airport.

Check-in was different than what I’m used to. There were no desk agents. Kiosks filled that area and there were agents to help if necessary. From there you get in line to check your bag (if checking a bag). I felt like the kiosks were a waste, since you still had to line up to see a “desk agent” to check your bag. Maybe the airline could get away with hiring less agents.

Boarding went smoothly. Passengers were provided with sanitizing wipes which was a nice touch. Takeoff was one of the quickest I can remember of any recent trip. We didn’t taxi for two business days. This is all despite the air traffic control issues Newark is currently experiencing.

United Economy Class – Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The plane was huge. It was super long like the Airbus A340-600 I flew on Lufthansa in October. Check out my Lufthansa Economy Class Review post to compare. (I’m glad the bathrooms weren’t in the basement like that plane.)

The seats had a 3-3-3 layout. At the seat there were blankets, pillows, and earbuds. The blanket was thin, but super soft and a pretty navy color. The pillow was the standard cotton airplane pillow in a scratchy nonwoven cover. Although, it was split so you could put it on your shoulders and use it as a neck pillow. As I mentioned before, my seat was Economy Plus. My legroom was really good. However, it still felt like what the standard for Economy seating should be.

All the levels of United Economy Class were quite confusing. Basic Economy, Economy, Economy Plus, and Premium Economy.

Seats in Economy Plus have power sockets and IFE (In-Flight Entertainment) screens. The seatback pocket was small and had no compartments, however there was additional storage above the tray table. There was no cupholder to hold your drink while the tray table is closed. Also, the tray table seemed short for a standard seat on such a large plane.

In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)

The IFE had a good selection, especially for movies. There were lots of new U.S. releases, as well as a large international selection. This was in addition to the flight tracker where you could track the flight.

There was a “sleep station” feature where you could choose calming videos and audio. I enjoyed watching calming videos of cities such as Barcelona, Spain.

There was also a “wellness” section where you could watch nature videos and videos describing popular cities around the world.

I watched The Greatest Showman. I don’t usually love musicals, but I liked it. Plus, it’s based on P.T. Barnum, who was from Connecticut, where I’m from.

The music section needed work. There were only playlists that you could not control the order of.

Food

Prior to my United Economy Class flight, I had done a lot of research as I had never flown United for a long-haul flight. All the reviews said the food was either inedible or way below average. I was determined to give my own review.

Shortly into the flight we received a snack. It was a mix of pretzels and bread chips. That was followed shortly after by drinks. Hot tea/coffee, soft drinks and wine were available. I had plain water with no ice. Everything was poured from a bottle. My neighbor got soda and was able to keep the whole can. I guess I’m spoiled with my mini bottles of water and wine from other airlines.

Full food service came less than two hours into the flight. I had the chicken and rice. I give my food a B-. Surprisingly my chicken was seasoned and tender. It tasted like stir fry. Would I have added more seasoning if I had cooked the chicken myself? Yes. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The rice was a little mushy. I didn’t eat the vegetables due to my digestion issues.

My sister had the vegetarian noodle dish. My sister gave her food a C. The noodles were overcooked and underseasoned. The portion size was 50% smaller than most long haul meals I’m used to.

A roll, salad and cheesecake brownie were included with the meal. The bread was super dense and a little dry. The cheesecake brownie was the star of the show, not too sweet and moist.

My sister commented on how the salad dressing had a spicy kick to it. So, they can provide seasoned salad dressing but not season the main course adequately. Later a small bottle of Dasani water was provided.

At around the seven-hour mark we were provided with a chicken sandwich (or vegetarian sandwich). It was not bad. I generally don’t like cold cuts. However, it was seasoned well, the bread was buttery and crispy, similar to ciabatta bread. I gave this meal a B.

The last meal was breakfast. I had mini pancakes that were rubbery and covered in a mushy whipped cream. That whipped cream did not taste good and had melted all over the tops of them. I gave my meal a D. My sister had the eggs, which she said were decent. I don’t have her rating.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms were still pretty clean and stocked by the time the meal service was over. The accessible bathrooms (not shown) in the center of the cabin were larger than the ones on the sides. However, the non-accessible ones were still of standard size for a twin aisle long-haul plane.

The toilet had a hand sensor, so you did not need to touch it to flush the toilet. Also, there was a temperature control feature for the faucet. I had seen those faucets before but, now I finally understood that you could control the temperature after watching a flight review on YouTube.

Flight Attendants

The flight Attendants were very helpful and proactive. You could tell these flight attendants had a lot of experience. One referred to rolling luggage as roller boards, which is a phrase from the 80s. Super cute. She must love what she does to still be doing it for so long.

Bonus

Check out these shots of Premium Economy and Business class.

Premium Economy had a 2-3-2 layout. The large armrests meant no one had to fight for space.

Business had a 1-2-1 layout. These were lay flat seats with some privacy and direct aisle access for every passenger. 

Conclusion

I was somewhat satisfied with my United Economy flight to Tokyo. The food could use some improvement. The IFE was acceptable. The Economy Plus seats were spacious and offered a good pitch. However, I would probably not have enjoyed the space of the regular Economy seats. I would fly this flight with United again due to it being nonstop. However, if I had the option to take a Japanese airline on this route, I would choose that flight instead.