United "Business First" Class

[tate23]

Anyone have experience with United 'Business First' class? We will be on a 767-400ER from Rome to Newark/New York.

[Travelcat2]

This plane was Continental -- switched over to United. We have been in similiar planes. Here is a link to seatguru.com with an explanation of the seats: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/United_Airlines/United_Airlines_Boeing_767-400_A.php

[tate23]

Thanks, TC2. Used Guru to select seats. Since it will be daytime flight, I do not mind that seats are not flat (albeit 9.5 hours!). How would you rate food/service/overall? We've not used them for overseas.

[Travelcat2]

We have not flown United in a year and a half. The last time was from South America (same type of plane). The service and food were fine. You will probably hear from others with more recent experience with flying United.

[Travel2Learn]

Business class food is fair on international. Food is TERRIBLE on domestic first class, including the flights over 4 hours. Service is good on international, fair on domestic. My last first class domestic flights were in 2011, April and December.

[PaulMCO]

Business class food is fair on international. Food is TERRIBLE on domestic first class, including the flights over 4 hours. Service is good on international, fair on domestic. My last first class domestic flights were in 2011, April and December.

 

Does not sound like you are a FF.

 

The service/food on Continental metal with CO crew beats the same with UA. They individually do the salads and appetizers (as opposed to UA who throw the tray in front of you). It is on par with other carriers.

 

On 3/3 UA integrated their flight schedules and reservation systems (what a zoo -- but that is another topic). There is likely to be more plane swaps and crew swaps now.

[Nigella]

Flew (with Continental) BusinessFirst December 2011/January 2012.

I will admit that we only took the seats because we couldn't get any availability with two other companies that we usually book longhaul business class with.

The flights we took did have the fully flat bed, and the seat was as comfortable in the seat position as it was in the bed position. Slept several hours in each direction.

The food and food service was excellent - they served it all course by course.

I did find the flight attendants to be a tad surly but I could overlook that since the seats, food and wine were so good.

The branding on our flight home was United - on the washbag, menu etc. The plane was still in full Continental colours although we noticed that most at the airport were the new colours.

We hope that the service doesn't decline we would definitely choose them again for longhaul.

[Travelcat2]

I wonder if United has standardized the food. I agree that Continental Airlines used to be one of the best in the U.S. The United 747 planes are lovely and have been converted to flat-beds in Bus. Class. The problem is that many United/Continental planes have not been converted (nor have the United 777's flying out of South America). Although we no longer fly United, it's good to hear that the food and flat-bed seats are good.

[wristband]

Took United Business direct from DC to Rome in November. Great flight, lousy food. Have a good meal before boarding and stick to beverage servie. As noted, seatguru will greatly assist your thinking about seat selection on the very plane handling your flight.

[Nigella]

I wonder if United has standardized the food. I agree that Continental Airlines used to be one of the best in the U.S. The United 747 planes are lovely and have been converted to flat-beds in Bus. Class. The problem is that many United/Continental planes have not been converted (nor have the United 777's flying out of South America). Although we no longer fly United, it's good to hear that the food and flat-bed seats are good.

 

Hi Travelcat -I'm visiting the Regent board from my usual haunt, the Silversea board, looking at other cruise lines for an upcoming holiday.

 

The aircraft we flew on was a Boeing 757-200 series. As you probably know, that's a very old plane, but all of that type used by Continental/United to the UK have been converted to flat bed business class. It's a nice cabin, small, I think it had 16 seats in total. The aircraft being so old is rather noisy, that would be my only gripe. For flights 5 hours plus we will only fly business or first class and only if flat beds are offered.

[Travelcat2]

Hi Travelcat -I'm visiting the Regent board from my usual haunt, the Silversea board, looking at other cruise lines for an upcoming holiday.

 

The aircraft we flew on was a Boeing 757-200 series. As you probably know, that's a very old plane, but all of that type used by Continental/United to the UK have been converted to flat bed business class. It's a nice cabin, small, I think it had 16 seats in total. The aircraft being so old is rather noisy, that would be my only gripe. For flights 5 hours plus we will only fly business or first class and only if flat beds are offered.

 

Good to see you over here:) Thanks for sharing the information on the 757-200. We try to fly only airlines with flat beds but tend to end up with the slanted version. Hope you find something on Regent for your holiday. We recently booked another cruise on Silversea (for next year).

[Travel2Learn]

Does not sound like you are a FF.

 

The service/food on Continental metal with CO crew beats the same with UA. They individually do the salads and appetizers (as opposed to UA who throw the tray in front of you). It is on par with other carriers.

 

On 3/3 UA integrated their flight schedules and reservation systems (what a zoo -- but that is another topic). There is likely to be more plane swaps and crew swaps now.

 

Paul, I am a frequent flier and have flown on 6 lines, over 20 flights, within the past year. UAL and CO had definitely slipped in service and food. I hope the UAL/CO merger means better food and service in the future. I live near a CO hub and was happy to see my ff miles merged into 1 account.

[JPR]

We were on United Business (new 777 with lie-flat seats, which were decent) last July from LAX-SF. Flight attendants were a mixed bag, but the food was inedible. The short rib could not be cut with a knife; it could have been used as a cudgel. But worst of all was the male flight attendant assigned to the galley. He plated the short ribs with his bare hands and licked his fingers (there was barbecue sauce on them) as he went.

 

I wrote United Airlines a scathing letter, and received two $350 domestic discount coupons as a make-good.

 

Oddly enough, that night we went to a highly recommended rotisserie restaurant owned by Guy Savoy, the three-star Michelin chef. The line chef there plated the food with his bare hands...and periodically stuck his pinky into his ear canal to root out some itchy earwax!

 

When I informed the oh-so-Parisian maitre d', he laughed and said (I kid you not), "Vell, at least he zid not do zis!" as he made a motion to stick his index finger up his nose!

 

You can't make this stuff up...

[Aloha 1]

I would avoid the new United like the plague. Upper management has made a decision to be the "Greyhound Bus Service" of the air. I am a UA 1K and as of 3/1, the airline is no longer what it once was. I would look to LH first or even Delta before UA.

[HonTri]

I would avoid the new United like the plague. Upper management has made a decision to be the "Greyhound Bus Service" of the air. I am a UA 1K and as of 3/1, the airline is no longer what it once was. I would look to LH first or even Delta before UA.

Yes ! UA is BAD!!! We'll never use them again. Reconfigured three times in Business and first class and not keep us side by side!