Pre-flight bubbly aboard United PS flight in First.

The Seat: I’m normally a little whiny about “lie flat” seats that don’t actually “lie flat”. But for a 5-ish hour transcon flight this one is just fine. In fact, I prefer this seat and class of service above any currently offered between New York and LA or San Francisco. United offers Premium Service (“PS”) on specially configured Boeing 757-200s in a 3 class service (First, Business and Economy Plus) between these markets only. Despite not reaching a full 180 degree recline, the seat gets pretty close. If you’re just trying to catch a few winks before pitching your awesome cats in space themed sci-fi script in LA, this should work without gravity pulling you into the bulkhead wall while you’re passed out. There’s elbow room enough for even the widest, most muscular gorilla juicehead and legroom for 1 stretched out LeBron James. I’m also a big fan of where the power port is too. It’s easy to plug in the laptop or phone charger right between the seats above the armrests and under the reading light…not hidden deep beneath the seats amongst the dusty life vests and the scent of a million soda spills.

Service: Our flight attendant was phenomenally appropriate for a product called “Premium Service”. The entire first cabin holds only 12 seats so attention is easy to come by if you need constant coffee refills or are on an in-flight booze bender.

Notes: It probably doesn’t matter much, but the C/D bulkhead seats lack the extra cutout in the bulkhead wall (as the A/B seats have).

Summary: With legacy airlines (and Virgin America) working to win over bi-coasters willing to pony up for little luxury, I think United is a big winner here. While PS Business class competes with the top offering of it’s competitors, PS First is the only game in town(s) for a relative top-level flight experience. Sure, it wouldn’t compete nearly as well overseas, but shines as a domestic choice.

Rating: 4.5 hops (of 5).

Strategy: You may find that booking a PS transcon flight using miles of a partner airline can save you a few miles. At the time we booked we found the best mile redemption deal using US Airways Dividend Miles at 50K miles round trip in First. US Airways award chart doesn’t differentiate between domestic first and business class so both classes are offered at the same level. While miles might be better applied toward bigger overseas itineraries, this isn’t the worst domestic mileage deal out there.

How I got it: Used US Airways Dividend Miles via phone (Partner redemption cannot be done online.)

Airline: Continental Express
Aircraft: Embraer ERJ-145 (ERJ)
Seat: 2A
Class: Economy
Book (support modhop):Orbitz

Curvature affects floor space of window seats aboard this United (Continental) ERJ-145.

The Seat: I fail to mention it in the video review that the curvature of the plane sort of cuts into the area in front of you. This can be an annoyance if you’ve got carry-on pieces to shove in that space too. Otherwise You can expect a pretty typical regional economy seat. I really like that all “A” seats are by themselves, giving you both a window and aisle access. Non-bulkhead seats (like this one)  are slightly better  in my opinion as it’s easier to fully extend your legs in front of you without the pesky bulkhead wall. This is true on most aircraft but the bulkhead appeared to be particularly constricting in this cabin.

Service: There’s been just one flight attendant aboard this type of aircraft in every experience I’ve had. It’s so small that having more than that would likely be goofy but because the flights are typically pretty short, You may end up having to chug your beverage choice by the time you get one.

Notes: Continental and United are merging but there shouldn’t be much change to this aircraft unless economy plus finds it’s way aboard. Here’s a peek at the combined airlines paint on this plane.

Summary: Stacked up against other regional jets this one isn’t my favorite as these older Embraer aircraft have a pretty tight feel to them. That said, being up near the front and not having a neighbor in the “A” seats helps to make it feel a little less claustrophobic.

Rating: 2 hops (of 5).

Strategy: There’s no strategy to nabbing a normal economy seat but I recommend against paying for economy upgrades to bulkhead or exit rows. The bulkheads don’t allow you much space to stretch your legs and the exit row upgrades just arent worth the money charged to non-elites. If you ARE a United/Continental or Star Alliance elite you can grab the premium seats for no extra charge, but I’m not sure I still wouldn’t just choose something non-eliteish that’s closer to the front. (Of course that may be just because I’m a geek and like to get off the plane early to  take pictures while I”m waiting for my gate-checked bag to offload.)

How I got it: Continental.com – Checked frequently and was annoyed at the price charged for exit row/bulkhead seats ($49/$29 respectively)…enough so that I just skipped the option and didn’t end up regretting it.

Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus 319
Seat: 6D – Bulkhead
Class: Economy Plus

The Seat: The crew at SeatExpert tells us that some might prefer this seat over first class. I just HAD to see for myself. So I quickly got over my lack of status with United Airlines…then bought some (I’ll explain later) and put myself in this allegedly roomy seat. What I found is very similar to the bulkheads in similar short-haul Airbus and Boeing planes (eg: Delta A320 or this Alaska Airlines 737-800) in the bulkhead behind first class with one difference…The wall. While that may sound constricting, it’s really not at all. Because this seat is also in the Economy Plus portion of the main cabin, they’ve given a few more inches than a typical bulkhead row and a good sized cutout that you can stretch your legs under and into first class.

Service: I must have been wearing my nice sweater because the flight attendant in first class leaned into economy and handed me an orange juice after declines from her premium passengers. I loved it but I think I heard my jealous neighbor grumble a little. Service otherwise was standard if not a little friendlier than normal. Service on the phone, on the other hand… was atrocious. I had blundered a date when booking my itinerary online and upon calling was met with unintelligible telephone agents with little or no knowledge of how to handle the situation. I’m sure I’ve had better with United. Perhaps I just got them on a bad night. Lesson learned: Triple check my reservation information before clicking “Buy”.

Notes: No wi-fi? Really United?

Summary: Great row of seats on either side of the aisle. Your tray table will be in the armrest so you have slightly less width but if you’re taller, these are most likely the best seats on the plane. United and JetBlue rule the extra legroom market in the US right now and charge modest amounts for these premium seats (particularly when compared to the seemingly over-hyped, over-priced “Main Cabin Select” option on Virgin America).

Rating: 4.5 hops (of 5).

Strategy: You can either earn elite status with United…or  you can just buy it. United offers their “Premiere Travel” option for individual itineraries that gives you access to premium seating and other perks like early boarding, premiere security lanes (where available) and up to 2 checked bags …or you could just opt to purchase an Economy Plus upgrade (they start at $9 for their shortest flights). Yearly options are also available.

How I got it: Purchased Premiere Status ($80 for our flight from New York to Minneapolis with a connection in Chicago).

Airline: United
Aircraft: A319
Seat: 1B 
Class: First

Notes: Don’t believe SeatGuru (seatguru.com) on this one. While they do warn about the proximity of the bulkhead wall, the seats somehow still get the coveted “all green” rating. If I were king of SG, I’d give it the old half-green/half-yellow. The aforementioned bulkhead is the real problem. They provide a little cut-out for your feet, but it’s still rather constricting. This particular seat allows you to stretch your right leg beyond wall (or both legs if you sit sideways) but will twist anyone of height unnaturally. If you’re taller than I am (5’8″) You may want to sit in row 2 (the only other First Class row on this aircraft)…although then you might be dealing with limited recline.

Summary: This seat is comfortable enough for short flights and/or short people.

Rating: 3.5 hops (of 5) for passengers 5’8″ or shorter. 2.5 hops for those above.

How I got it: Used 2 “500 mile upgrades” purchased with Premier discount.  Without elite status, upgrades may be available in exchange for frequent flyer miles or purchase of said “500 mile upgrades” (available at United’s website), although you’ll be lower on waitlist priority.

Airline: United
Aircraft: 757-200 (3 cabin “P.S. Service” transcon configuration)
Seat: 8B and 11D
Class: Business

Notes: Seat 8B is a typical P.S. Business Class seat for United. The most coveted seats in this class are in row 9, an exit row with several feet of room to stretch…or set up a small campsite (sans campfire and smores). Check out the modhop spycam view…

[SLVideoPlayer file=nyc_UA_0608_PS_Biz_8Ax320.wmv, width=630, height =360, image=preview.jpg /]

While I’m underwhelmed with P.S. Economy Plus (a few extra inches of legroom, otherwise typical coach), P.S. Business and from what I can tell P.S. First are my favorite for transcon journeys. The pics outline a typical flight and some bonus shots of the view from United’s Red Carpet Club at JFK.

Summary: Great service in business class, impressed by massive amounts of room, new entertainment options and more.

Rating: 4.5 hops (of 5)

How I got em: United Premier Status and 5 500-mile upgrades outbound and 15,000 Mileage Plus miles on the return. Without status you can use miles or purchase 500-mile upgrades (although you will be placed lower on the upgrade waitlist).