United Transcontinental Economy Plus

While travelling around the world we flew with United from San Francisco to New York’s Newark Airport in the Economy Plus cabin. Economy Plus is not United’s premium economy, it is the same economy seat but with more legroom, everything else is the same as the economy class, an Economy Plus seat is about $120 more than the Economy seats.

Boarding for this flight was done in groups, with First and Business class being in groups 1, 2 and 3 so boarding first and then Economy and Economy Plus in group 4. It was a full flight so boarding did take a while to get through, luckily there were some really comfortable seats around the gate that could be used while you waited but it is important to note that the line for boarding can get very long so you may need to stand in line.

Once on the plane, I was surprised how crowded the cabin felt compared to international Economy Plus (read our review of Economy Plus from Sydney to San Fran here). This was because there was so much more carry on luggage than on the international flight, you had to be really quick to make sure your luggage was above you before the overhead bins were filled. It is a good idea to only take one small carry on bag that can go under the seat, and checking any other bags because the cabin gets really full. Baggage claim after the flight was really quick as well because there weren’t that many big bags. The cabin was in a 3-4-3 configuration if you are travelling solo the best seat would be any of the aisle seats for easy access.

Arriving at the seat I was greeted by a blanket on my seat which was lucky because it was really cold on the flight, the blanket although light was great and kept me warm during the flight. The seat is much like other Economy seats but with more legroom making it easier to stretch your legs out in front of you. Unfortunately, the seats were not fitted with entertainment screens but did have an adjustable tablet holder on the back of each seat and WiFi connectivity during the flight. Once connected to the WiFi you could use your device or the United App which had a great range of movies television shows that could be watched during the flight.

After take off there was a breakfast service with a choice of Pancakes or Eggs. I chose Pancakes, which came with yoghurt, fruit and a drink, tea, coffee, water or juice.

Along with this, there was also food options available to purchase during the flight, which on a four-hour flight is good to have another option in case you got hungry.

When flying international there isn’t much difference in Economy Plus and Economy because international flights are generally more spaced out. But when flying transcontinental or domestically in the USA it is definitely worth upgrading to Economy Plus for more legroom and extra space.

If you would like to include United Economy Plus in your next around the world trip contact our team of expert airfare consultants today