Flight Number UA 85
Seat 1L
Departing from Tel Aviv at 11:20 AM
This being my first flight in six months, I was very excited to get back to the skies and to be flying with United for the first time. Given the countrywide lockdown which began in Israel just two days after the flight, our plane to Newark was 100% full!
Check In
After the health declaration check and temperature screening, everything in Ben Gurion Airport was fairly normal.
Health Declaration and Body Temperature Screening
Oddly, United only had a single counter open for business class despite having a full cabin so the wait to check in was a bit longer than usual.
United business class passengers are invited to use the Dan Lounge which has remained open with the same mediocre food and drinks that are normally available.
Boarding
Our flight was called for boarding about 45 minutes before departure. After some delay on the jet-bridge, I was greeted by the aircraft door, given a sanitizing wipe, and pointed left towards my seat, 1L.
Cabin and Seat
United’s 787-10 business class cabin consists of 44 business class seats across 11 rows with 4 seats per row in a staggered configuration. The cabin looks futuristic and sleek, however a bit cramped.
As a solo traveler, you’ll want the odd numbered row window seats. These seats are closer to the window and offer the most privacy.
The even numbered row window seats are less private as the seat is angled towards the aisle.
Couples are best off selecting seats D and F in odd numbered rows. A divider can be used if you don’t know the person sitting next to you.
The even numbered row middle seats are also angled towards the aisle, offering less privacy than the odd numbered row middle and window seats.
The seat designs are all slightly different, but I’ll be providing a full overview of the seat I selected, 1L which is located at the front-right of the cabin.
Tip: I ALWAYS choose the bulkhead seat in staggered configuration business class seats because the footwell is significantly bigger, allowing you to sleep more comfortably. Check out the difference!
Normal Footwell
Bulkhead Row Footwell
My first impression of the seat was excellent. The colors look great and the lamp adds some extra warmth to the seat without actually being so useful.
Once seated, to my left was the side table, IFE remote, power outlet, headphone jack, and a storage compartment for the headphones and a few other small items. Beside the storage compartment is a small but useful reading light.
Straight ahead is the IFE screen which I hoped would be a bit larger. Below the screen is a USB charging port and well as a small storage compartment where I kept my phone and some other small items during the flight.
Directly beneath is the dining table which can be pulled out when needed.
To my right were the simple to use seat controls. At least 5 times during the flight my leg accidentally hit the seat recline button which was very annoying. The seat control placement is definitely the biggest seat design flaw I noticed.
Overall, the seat provided a nice amount of privacy (even without a door) and comfortable space to work, relax, and sleep.
Food and Drink
As has become the industry standard now, no pre departure drinks are served in business class. United has chosen to get rid of in-flight menus as well. Rather than making them available via the IFE screen, the crew came around asking passengers to select beef, chicken, or lamb (no further explanation provided).
After takeoff we were given the choice of drink including alcohol. I had a ginger ale and red wine, both served with a plastic cup. The red wine must have been the same they were serving in economy class, it was awful.
The meal arrived about 30 minutes into the flight on a single tray consisting of my lamb main, side salad, bread roll, mixed nuts, and a vanilla muffin for dessert.
The main dish and salad were both okay, however the bread and dessert were very disappointing. This meal would have passed for premium economy, but a disappointing business class meal even in the covid era.
Mid flight snacks were available upon request including more of the vanilla muffins, potato chips, and some assorted sandwiches (the flight attendants didn’t know what was inside, so I didn’t bother trying one).
A pre landing meal was offered 90 minutes prior to landing in Newark which during normal times would not even pass for an economy class meal on the worst of airlines. Just a single tin consisting of a small vegetable frittata and some assorted vegetables on the side.
Seriously United….?
Amenities
United Polaris offered some of the best amenities in business class of any airline prior to Covid including wine tastings, limited edition amenity kits, a large bedding selection, pajamas, and slippers.
Waiting on my seat was a large standard pillow, small memory foam pillow, and a Saks Fifth Ave branded blanket. United normally offers mattress pads as well however they weren’t available on this flight.
I requested pajamas and slippers which were brought several hours later. The crew weren’t aware if they were even available on the flight and did not proactively offer them to passengers.
United’s amenity kit on this flight was basic with the United Polaris logo embedded.
United offers reasonably priced wifi for $28.99 for the entire flight. Speeds were sufficient for email, Whatsapp, Facebook, and some basic web pages.
IFE System
United’s IFE system was among the best I’ve used. The movie and TV selection was massive, though I personally didn’t love most of the titles on offer. The IFE can also be used to control the window diming system and all other seat features aside from seat recline. The flight map and flight information available through the IFE was modern and thoughtfully designed. Well done United.
IFE Window Controls
Service
United is far from the first airline that comes to mind when you think of good service, though I had an open mind for this flight. To put the situation into perspective, business class was 100% full, mainly with passengers who were elderly, young children, and/or spoke no English, so this was not the easiest flight for the flight attendants. In addition, they had just spent 3 nights in a hotel in Tel Aviv and were not allowed to leave their rooms, so I wouldn’t be in a great mood either.
That said, service was not very good. The crew had an attitude even towards me in most of our interactions, were unaware of onboard services offered like the meals, amenities, and wifi, and even sounded threatening with their covid safety messages rather than firm and comforting.
While I understand the unpleasant circumstances for the crew on this flight, I still expected more from the service for an airline that could use a boost in service reputation.
Bottom Line
United offers a competitive business class seat on their 787-10 Dreamliner, reduced but still good amenities, reasonably priced wifi, and a modern IFE system. However, two of the most important factors, service and food, were disappointing and hardly acceptable for premium economy, current pandemic aside. For comparison, my return flight was with Delta and that was a drastically different experience!
I’d certainly like to fly United again post pandemic to get the full experience!