Flight Review: United (Boeing 787-9) Economy Plus, Tokyo to Los Angeles

Airport

I had visited the United Club after my incoming flight and didn’t find it worth using one of my free passes from my United MileagePlus Explorer Card. So this time I loaded up on free cheese cubes and a beer from the Korean Air lounge (free admission with my Priority Pass membership, courtesy of the Amex Platinum.)

The flight was scheduled to depart at 5:20pm, and by 4:05pm people were already lined up in the queue area (divided into three lines for five boarding groups). The gate area had a smattering of power outlets, and I had no problem connecting to the free airport Wi-Fi.

At 4:18pm, Group 1 began boarding, followed five minutes later by Group 2. I received a gracious smile and slight bow from the Japanese gate agent who checked my boarding pass and no greeting from the American flight attendant at the airplane door. Within two minutes, I was in my seat. The overhead bin easily accommodated my rollaboard.

Cabin and Seat

Economy Plus is in  3-3-3 configuration, just like standard coach, with 88 seats.

The cloth seat looked familiar, very similar to other United economy products, with an adjustable headrest, in-seat power (two outlets for three seats) and an IFE screen embedded in the seat in front of me. A pillow and see-through-thin blanket awaited me on the seat.

The legroom was quite good, and the seat felt wider than the one I had just flown on a 787-8 on ANA. United lists the width at 17.3 inches with 4 inches of recline and 35 inches of pitch. (I ended up with even more room, as the middle seat was unoccupied, despite the captain announcing a full flight.) The under-seat storage was decent, though a metal box for the in-flight entertainment (IFE) blocked some of the space. 

The trademark Dreamliner windows are one of the 787’s standout features, large and electronically dimmable, without shades. They really are cool, though they don’t allow the cabin to get fully dark, which I would have liked on an overnight flight. 

Amenities

Nothing special came in the seat pockets. A flight attendant came by during boarding to offer complimentary headphones. 

A menu offering paid food items, Wi-Fi and United Private Screening outlined other benefits. 

The IFE screen had plenty of complimentary movies and TV shows, with a good assortment of recent hits. The screen also brought up two of my pet peeves and one safety concern: Despite my turning it off to have darkness for sleeping, the screen came on bright for announcements, and sometimes stayed on. I also had to use the screen in order to operate the overhead lights or call for a flight attendant. There were no instructions outlining this, and not being able to easily notify a crew member during an emergency strikes me as a safety issue.

Fortunately, everything on this flight went calmly. Doors closed at 4:50pm, we pulled from the gate at 4:59pm, and despite a long aircraft queue in front of us, we had a very smooth take off, with wheels up at 5:16pm (for a flight scheduled to leave at 5:20pm).

The rice was salty and porridge-like, save for the edges, which matched the form of the plastic container. Despite its shortcomings, it was hot and a little comforting. The corn and beans salad was crisp, cold and simple. Though it had very little flavor, I was glad it wasn’t soggy or drenched in sauce.

About 10 minutes after being served, dinner was cleared, and I was given a small container of ice cream and bottle of water. The vanilla ice cream was very cold and perfectly yummy. 20 minutes later came another iceless beverage; a few minutes later, the cabin lights were off.

There was no further service for another six hours. During this time, I ventured to the rear galley to ask for water. “We’re out of bottles,” a crew member told me. (Gee, too bad they couldn’t have known 250 people flying for nine hours might get thirsty.)

Eight hours into the flight, the lights came on, and attendants took meal orders: a choice of a cheese omelet or Japanese chicken rice. “Which do you recommend?” I asked the flight attendant.

I opted for the chicken, which was similar to my previous meal but slightly worse, with limp peas among chunks of dark meat. Bits of egg gave some needed flavor. Two dry and sugary shortbread cookies did nothing to add pizzazz.

45 minutes later, we started our descent, with a final trash pickup 10 minutes after that. Wheels were down at 10:22am local time, and doors were opened at the gate at 10:40am, 35 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival.

Overall Impression

The Dreamliner is a state-of-the-art aircraft that United operates without state-of-the-art service and supplies. After flying on Asian airlines for my recent flights, it was a culture shock to be back to a Los Angeles-based crew on an US-based carrier.

“There used to be eight,” a veteran crew member lamented when I asked how many flight attendants worked this flight in economy. It’s now five, and maybe the increased workload explains the grim attitude. And it can’t be easy to smile when you’re serving such mediocre food and aren’t carrying enough refreshments for everyone.

Next time I have to travel this route, I will try to do so on ANA, even without the added benefits of their premium economy. The service and amenities just give more bang for the buck.

That said, would I take this United flight again? At this price, I would. I’ll just have to remember not to expect smiles or cold drinks. And to bring my own bottles of water.