US economy

United Airlines: New international-style ‘Premium Plus’ seats on sale Dec. 3



 

United Airlines’ new “Premium Plus” seating aimed at international travelers will go on sale Dec. 3.

The seats are part of United’s new international-style premium-economy cabin that tries to split the difference between business class and economy.

Many big international airlines have rolled out their own versions during the past decade, but U.S. carriers have only adopted it in recent years. American’s rolled out first in October 2016 followed by Delta a year later.

Now, United’s version – branded as Premium Plus – will go on sale Dec. 3 for flights from March 30 and beyond. United says it expects to have its Premium Plus product on sale for 21 routes by the end of May. (scroll to bottom for full list of routes)

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines will fly to Germany from hub in Denver

The seats are already flying on a number of United’s new and retrofitted widebody aircraft, but the carrier has not offered the seats for sale during the early stages of the rollout. Instead, some customers seated in United’s extra-legroom Economy Plus seats would get seated in Premium Plus when flying on planes that already had the cabin.

But now that the rollout is progressing, United is ready to start selling its Premium Plus as a distinct class of service.  

PHOTOS: Now flying on American: Real international-style premium economy seats

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines: Everett Paine Field flights will begin March 31

On United and other carriers that offer the international-style premium economy cabins, the seats are more than just extra legroom. Instead, they’re recliner seats that also are wider than typical coach offerings. Most carriers also extend enhanced service to international premium economy customers, offering perks like priority boarding and check-in and higher-end in-flight meal and beverage options.

For United, Premium Plus customers will sit in newly designed seats with recline and leg-rest options. The seats are about 2 inches wider than standard economy seats and are arranged in a 2-3-2 layout instead of a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 layout found in economy on United’s widebody jets that also have Premium Plus. Meal options come on custom dinnerware with flatware and a cloth napkin.

On airlines that already offer international-style premium economy cabins, fares for the seats can be as little as a few hundred dollars more than coach to about $1,000 extra. As always in the world of airfares, prices fluctuate and will vary by route and season.

TODAY IN THE SKY: First look: United shows off its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner (scroll down for list of routes)

In a release, United says the first routes that are expected to offer the full United Premium Plus include the following flights (sorted by aircraft type):

Boeing 777-300ER

March 30: United Flight 179 (Departs Newark Liberty 3:15 p.m., arrives Hong Kong 7:10 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 48 (Departs Newark Liberty 8:10 p.m., arrives Mumbai 8:50 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 90 (Departs Newark Liberty 10:50 p.m., arrives Tel Aviv, 4:20 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 79 (Departs Newark Liberty 11:05 p.m., arrives Tokyo Narita 1:55 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 58 (Departs San Francisco 1:50 p.m., arrives Frankfurt 9:55 a.m.)

TODAY IN THE SKY: TAP Air Portugal: Chicago, Washington to be next U.S. cities

March 30: United Flight 869 (Departs San Francisco 1 p.m., arrives Hong Kong 6:45 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 871 (Departs San Francisco 2 p.m., arrives Taipei 6:45 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 954 (Departs San Francisco 7:45 p.m., arrives Hong Kong 7:55 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 837 (Departs San Francisco 11:30 a.m., arrives Tokyo Narita (2:35 p.m.)

April 29: United Flight 901 (Departs San Francisco 12:25 p.m., arrives London Heathrow 6:55 a.m.)

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines grows at hubs; new routes from NYC, D.C. and California

Boeing 777-200ER

March 30: United Flight 999 (Departs Newark Liberty 6:30 p.m., arrives Brussels 7:45 a.m.)

March 30: United Flight 57 (Departs Newark Liberty 6:30 p.m., arrives Paris Charles de Gaulle 7:45 a.m.)

March 30: United Flight 917 (Departs San Francisco 11:10 p.m., arrives Auckland 8:20 a.m.)

March 30: United Flight 888 (Departs San Francisco 10:555 a.m., arrives Beijing 2:20 p.m.)

March 30: United Flight 926 (Departs San Francisco 7:15 p.m., arrives Frankfurt 3:15 p.m.)

April 29 United Flight 990 (Departs San Francisco 2:50 p.m., arrives Paris Charles de Gaulle 10:35 a.m.)

March 30: United Flight 950 (Departs Washington Dulles 5:40 p.m., arrives Brussels 7:15 a.m.)

April 29: United Flight 915 (Departs Washington Dulles 5:20 p.m., arrives Paris Charles de Gaulle 6:55 a.m.)

May 22: United Flight 72 (Departs Washington Dulles 10:30 p.m., arrives Tel Aviv 4:30 p.m.)

Boeing 787-10

March 30: United Flight 960 (Departs Newark Liberty 7:40 p.m., arrives Frankfurt 9:10 a.m.)

March 30: United Flight 84 (Departs Newark Liberty 4:55 p.m., arrives Tel Aviv 10:15 a.m.)

TODAY IN THE SKY: United reveals first international routes for new Boeing 787-10s

April 29: United Flight 57 (Departs Newark Liberty 6:40 p.m., arrives Paris Charles de Gaulle 7:45 a.m.)

April 29: United Flight 120 (Departs Newark Liberty 7:30 p.m., arrives Barcelona 9 a.m.)

May 22: United Flight 999 (Departs Newark Liberty 6:30 p.m., arrives Brussels 7:45 a.m.)

May 22: United Flight 23 (Departs Newark Liberty 7:25 p.m., arrives Dublin 7:05 a.m.)

TODAY IN THE SKY: United’s new Boeing 777-300ER, Polaris cabin gets splashy debut flight

 



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.