Review of United flight Houston Washington in Economy

Airline United
Flight UA 373
Class Economy
Seat 28A
Flight time 00:55
Take-off 10 Mar 16, 11:50
Arrival at 10 Mar 16, 13:45
UA   #76 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 444 reviews
NGO85
By SILVER 2221
Published on 15th March 2016
Background:

This series will cover a two-week vacation to Europe. The original inspiration for this trip was to visit the Balkans (Sofia and Belgrade, in particular), Athens, and Lisbon. A somewhat eclectic sampling of Europe, but having a large amount of EY and AA miles to spend before devaluations, intra-European connections would be easy to accommodate. Ever since my first taste of JU last March, I have had this really strong desire to go back to BEG and fly JU again.

So how to get to Europe? Well, nothing glamorous this time. I was lured by some low fares on UA that couldn’t be beat and fit my needs perfectly. I booked IAH-SOF and ATH-IAH through UA for $680 in Y ($560 + $120 for an upgrade to Y+ on FRA-IAH). From SOF, an award ticket was booked with JU to LHR with a 2-day stopover in BEG. Everything in BEG is closed on Mondays, so a $100 round-trip ticket was booked with YM to do a daytrip to Tivat on their awesome Fokker F100s (BEG-TIV-BEG). From LHR, I needed to get to LIS, but also return to a city that is serviced by JU. I picked a LHR-MAD-LIS routing on IB to catch the IB A333. Looping back around, I opted for BA to do LIS-LHR-ARN in order to catch the BA B763. ARN was selected since it is served by JU and is a city I’ve never been to before. From ARN, the routing was closed with another JU award ticket to do ARN-BEG-ATH. Finally, receiving a challenge from TK for a status match, I needed to complete 1 “international” flight on TK to get *A Gold status for 1-year so I added a $90 round-trip ticket on TK (ATH-IST-ATH) to complete that challenge. So if you were able to follow that entire ramble, you should have come up with a very confusing 17-segment routing that will mix 7 different tickets and will allow me to sample 8 carriers and a wide-range of new products as well as revisiting my favorite European carrier (JU). After praying to the FR gods that no disaster would ensue, we arrive at the following routing for this series:

Part 1 – IAH-IAD [UA 373, Boeing B767-300ER, Economy] – You are here
Part 2 – IAD-MUC [UA 106, Boeing B767-400ER, Economy] – Here
Part 3 – MUC-SOF [LH 1702, Airbus A321, Economy] – Here
Part 4 – SOF-BEG [JU 123, Aérospatiale/Alenia ATR 72-200, Economy] – Here
Part 5 – BEG-TIV [YM 201, Fokker F100, Economy] – Here
Part 6 – TIV-BEG [YM 202, Fokker F100, Economy] – Here
Part 7 – BEG-LHR [JU 380, Airbus A319, Business] – Here
Part 8 – LHR-MAD [IB 3167, Airbus A330-300, Business] – Here
Part 9 – MAD-LIS [IB 3118, Airbus A321, Business] – Here
Part 10 – LIS-LHR [BA 499, Airbus A320, Business] – Here
Part 11 – LHR-ARN [BA 780, Boeing B767-300ER, Business] – Here
Part 12 – ARN-BEG [JU 411, Airbus A319, Business] – Here
Part 13 – BEG-ATH [JU 512, Airbus A319, Business] – Here
Part 14 – ATH-IST [TK 1850, Boeing B737-900ER, Economy] – Here
Part 15 – IST-ATH [TK 1843, Boeing B737-800, Economy] – Here
Part 16 – ATH-FRA [A3 830, Airbus A321, Economy] – Here
Part 17 – FRA-IAH [UA 47, Boeing B787-900, EconomyPlus] – Here

Tourist Bonuses:

Sofia – Part 4
Kotor – Part 6
Belgrade – Part 7
Lisbon – Part 9
Sintra – Part 10
Stockholm – Part 12
Athens – Part 16

This report will cover the United Club in Terminal E at IAH and the intra-hub service from IAH to IAD on UA’s B763s. This connector flight was picked since it is on one of the long-haul configured wide-bodies meaning that they’ll be IFE in Y, but I have to sacrifice my connection time in IAD. This B763 arrives from MUC the night before, spends the night in IAH, and flies IAH-IAD before operating an IAD-Europe route. Yes, there is a direct IAH-MUC flight that I could have taken, but this flight arrives into MUC later in the day and I would not be able to take the morning MUC-SOF flight. Plus, I’d want as short as possible long-haul flight on UA…


Pre-flight:

My brother dropped me off at IAH on his way to work arriving at 9:45, 2 hours to departure. The check-in area was pretty quiet, but I went ahead and used the Premier Access check-in area. My bag was quickly checked to SOF and I was issued my boarding passes for all 3 flights. Security was just as sparse so the Premier Access line was also fairly useless. No issues clearing through these hurdles by flashing my TK *A Gold card even though my boarding pass was not marked as *A Gold (claiming miles into OZ FFP). Arriving airside, IAH looks pretty normal with a line of shops and restaurants.

photo 1

Veering off towards the Terminal E gates.

photo 2

Blurry shot of the United Club entrance. Entering, I hand over my boarding pass and TK card. She enters me into the system, thanks me for being a *A Gold member, and then directs me upstairs.

photo 3

The lobby area, there is also a third floor, but I didn’t look up there.

photo 4

After grabbing a newspaper, I head off to find a seat. My hands are full so we have some wobbly photos as I wander through the crowds. There was a bar area in the back and some computer workstations along some windows overlooking the concourse.

photo 5photo 6

Everything was a mess so I just found an empty workstation and took refuge.

photo 7

My humble offering. The only hot breakfast food was oatmeal.

photo 8

Documents.

photo 9

Heading out of the lounge. The “movie theater” was to the left as you walk towards the bar in the back.

photo 10

Terminal E, heading towards the gate.

photo 11photo 12

My gate for this flight.

photo 13

My steed waiting outside. IAH is not very spotter friendly in Terminal E.

photo 14photo 15




——————————-

United Airlines, UA 373
Equipment: Boeing B767-300ER [N665UA, delivered July 1998]
Departure: 11:50 (ATD: 12:31)
Arrival: 15:44 (ATA: 15:50)
Flight time: 2:19


Boarding was called on time, but it’s not clearly marked which lane *A Gold uses. I had to look it up online real quick to join the Group 2 boarding group. My boarding pass flashes red since I’m boarding in the wrong group. I show my TK card, she manually boards me and I’m on my way.

photo 16

Some UA planes lined up as I head down the jetbridge.

photo 17

Traffic jam entering the plane since the B763s can only accommodate one jetbridge.

photo 18

Entering, there were 2 FAs who direct me down the first aisle and welcome me onboard. Passing through the F cabin (long-haul J in 2-1-2).

photo 19

The Y cabin in standard 2-3-2.

photo 20

My seat.

photo 21

The cabin on sitting down.

photo 22photo 23

Seat pitch. This is when I start to fear for my life for the next flight…

photo 24

Since this is a long-haul bird, there is power under the seat.

photo 25

The IFE, which is standard. It has the headphone jack and USB port under the screen.

photo 26photo 27

Pre-placed on the seat were pillow and blanket. This is also long-haul amenities that you wouldn’t get on a normal domestic plane.

photo 28

Seat controls.

photo 29

Headphones pre-placed in the seatback pocket.

photo 30

Seatback pocket contents.

photo 32

March issue of Hemispheres highlighting the new route from SFO to XIY.

photo 33

Safety card for this B763.

photo 34photo 35photo 36

We get a winglet today as we push back. The safety video plays on the IFE.

photo 31

We sit on the tarmac for a long-time. Eventually the captain comes on and says that we are waiting for last minute maintenance paperwork. Some planes taxi out.

UA A320.

photo 37

UA B739.

photo 38

After 25 minutes, we finally start rolling out towards the runway passing an UA B772.

photo 39

Taxing out to the runway.

photo 40

There is no wait and we are quickly lifting off to the east on this rainy morning.

photo 41photo 42photo 43

Crossing US-59 / I-69.

photo 44

We are soon above the clouds.

photo 45

I just watch Goldfinger on this flight. I had bought some food for lunch and ate my sandwich with the drink service. Opening the tray table, I get a nasty surprise. This plane was on the ground for more than 12 hours at an UA hub and this is what they call “clean”???

photo 46

Coffee for me, which was served with a pack of zesty ranch flavored snack mix. The crew on this flight was very senior and did their jobs professionally and that’s about it.

photo 47

It was cloudy the whole way.

photo 48

Our descent into IAD took us over West Virginia and into northern Virginia. Crossing the Appalachians on descent.

photo 49photo 50photo 51

Crossing the Potomac River to land from the north.

photo 52

There are 3 runways at IAD that are parallel, so you can see 2 neighbors in parallel approach.

photo 53

Our route today.

photo 54

We race our shadow to the ground.

photo 55

We touch down a little bit late.

photo 56photo 57

Passing the AA A319 in Piedmont Airlines retro livery. The CA B77W in the distance is operating the “Capital” route between IAD and PEK.

photo 58

International tail line-up.

photo 59

UA tail line-up as we pull into our gate.

photo 60

The Y+ seats as we deplane.

photo 61

An above average goodbye deplaning. Up the jetbridge we go (slowly) as I begin my fairly short layover in IAD.

photo 62

I’ll leave off this series here as I transit. Tune into the next report for the IAD-MUC service and a quick stop in the United Club.
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Verdict

United

6.6/10
Cabin6.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering4.0

Continental Airlines Presidents Club - E

4.5/10
Comfort3.0
Meal/catering3.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Services3.0

Houston - IAH

7.9/10
Efficiency8.5
Access6.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.0

Washington - IAD

7.5/10
Efficiency7.5
Access7.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.5

Conclusion

A solid performance by UA on this domestic routing. No complaints on the crew or service; everything was up to par for a domestic flight in the US. My only complaints are a dirty cabin.

Cabin comfort: The B763 is probably better than any B737 offering for this route. The pitch kind of is small for US standards, but bearable for a 2.5-hour flight. Dirty tray table is absolutely disgusting; clearly no effort is made to clean aircraft overnight.

Crew: A decent UA crew. No negatives, but they weren’t oozing warmth either.

Meal and catering: Standard domestic service: one drink pass.

Entertainment: Standard seatback literature. IFE had the normal UA selection, which is quite good.

On-time performance: We left the gate on-time, but then sat on the tarmac for 25 minutes waiting on paperwork. Thus, we landed late.

IAD left at 7.5

Information on the route Houston (IAH) Washington (IAD)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 3 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Houston (IAH) → Washington (IAD).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est United avec 6.8/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 57 minutes.

  More information

22 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 159789 by
    jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
    ..if you were able to follow that entire ramble, you should have come up with a very confusing 17-segment routing that will mix 7 different tickets and will allow me to sample 8 carriers and a wide-range of new products
    - I have my pop corn ready.

    No issues clearing through these hurdles by flashing my TK *A Gold card even though my boarding pass was not marked as *A Gold
    - Glad you got the recognition that you deserved. ;)

    The lobby area, there is also a third floor, but I didn’t look up there.
    - The last time I was here it was a CO's President Club. The third floor had more seating area and the showers were located in the back along with clothes pressing as part of the service. I don't think you can get this service anymore.

    Headphones pre-placed in the seatback pocket.
    - I bring alcohol swaps for things like these.

    Opening the tray table, I get a nasty surprise. This plane was on the ground for more than 12 hours at an UA hub and this is what they call “clean”???
    - I bring antibacterial wipes for things like these. :P

    Coffee for me, which was served with a pack of zesty ranch flavored snack mix.
    - And you gave a 4 for catering? This is major! You received a package of free snack mix on a domestic flight. Did you look out the window and see if pigs were flying?

    Passing the AA A319 in Piedmont Airlines retro livery.
    - I miss Piedmont. It was a great little airline with great crew. I took them from MIA-BOS and I remember getting matches and playing cards as souvenirs.

    Thank you Micheal for sharing this first leg of a new adventure.
    • Comment 336685 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      I have my pop corn ready.
      - Grab some Junior Mints and Twizzlers while you are at the concession stand.

      No issues clearing through these hurdles by flashing my TK *A Gold card even though my boarding pass was not marked as *A Gold
      - Glad you got the recognition that you deserved. ;)

      The third floor had more seating area and the showers were located in the back along with clothes pressing as part of the service. I don't think you can get this service anymore.
      - Free clothes pressing? Man, those were the days of CO before it got UA'd. It's amazing how quickly carriers fade into history.

      I bring alcohol swaps for things like these.
      - I only touched them for photography, I wouldn't use anything loosely packaged like that since it probably hasn't been cleaned in days (if at all). Strange, since they hand out earbuds normally.

      I bring antibacterial wipes for things like these. :P
      - Why don't you carry with you? Matches? Oh wait, you get those for free^^ As Clement already pointed out, you seriously dated yourself mentioning matches as an in-flight amenity. I vaguely remember playing cards from when I was a kid ;)

      This is major! You received a package of free snack mix on a domestic flight.
      - I thought this is standard... I will say that the zesty ranch snack mix is an improvement over plain salted peanuts.

      Thanks for stopping by Adan, so far only in ARN.
    • Comment 336535 by
      Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10415 Comments
      I took them from MIA-BOS and I remember getting matches and playing cards as souvenirs. -> Matches ?? Smoking on a flight is not allowed for ages anymore. :P
    • Comment 336593 by
      jetsetpanda 2283 Comments
      I guess I am older and wiser. ;)
    • Comment 336686 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Merci Clement^^

      it's obvious that your vacation was not planned to visit Europe but more for flying as much as you can. lol
      - The two are no mutually exclusive ;) It was built to have flying days where there will be 2-3 sectors in a single day with 1.5-2.5 days in each city. It really isn't as bad as you think ;)

      Nice to see that UA managed to filter boarding using the gate computer. TK should do the same at IST. lol
      - UA has done the best job to adapt to the new boarding styles. They have each boarding group in separate lanes so there is less clustering around a single boarding point. Most people queue more efficiently than what I've seen on AA and DL.

      Very good choice, you can even see the Furka Pass and the Rhône Glacier in the movie. :P
      - They have all the Bond movies on UA^^

      The good point of this flight is to have a widebody with an international cabin.
      - As I said, that was the whole point of picking this connector flight ;) Beats any B737 offering^^
  • Comment 159839 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks for this first FR of a promising routing.

    The breakfast offering seems healthier than the rest of the day one.

    Too bad there are no headrest in Y as it would give the cabin a better look.

    Only the moving map is free on domestic flights I guess ?
    • Comment 336688 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting!

      promising routing
      - Only promising? :P

      The breakfast offering seems healthier than the rest of the day one.
      - UA catering has poor quantity in the lounges and on board. They are very consistent^^

      Too bad there are no headrest in Y as it would give the cabin a better look.
      - There are headrests that can be adjusted, they are just the same fabric as the seats so they are hidden^^ I agree, the UA cabins look atrocious. Very bland. They should have had a different fabric or color choice for the headrests to make the seats more visually attractive.

      Only the moving map is free on domestic flights I guess ?
      - It's not like DL. On UA, the IFE is all free. You get the same content that you would get on an international flight. That was the main reason for selecting this flight. Even on domestic flights, you can stream UA's entertainment for free using your own device.
  • Comment 159917 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing the first part of this awesome routing!

    Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries for breakfast? I eat that almost every day.

    Nice spotting shots from IAH!

    The cabin looks clean and modern, except for your tray table...

    Those headphones look pretty good compared to LH's and QR's headphones in Y.

    Fantastic aerial shots, the huge 763 winglet makes them look even nicer :).

    Nice shots at IAD.

    I'm REALLY looking forward to the rest of this huge series and especially your ARN flights! On what dates will you fly in/out of ARN? Did you read my reply on my ARN-RIX report?

    Have a good one, see you!

  • Comment 159976 by
    NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
    Thank you for all your comments!

    Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries for breakfast? I eat that almost every day.
    - It was the only option besides oatmeal and cereal. It's a healthy way to start the day :)

    The cabin looks clean and modern, except for your tray table...
    - For an almost 20 year old plane, the cabin looks well maintained, but the seat fabric choice is very boring IMO.

    Those headphones look pretty good compared to LH's and QR's headphones in Y.
    - I don't think these are standard... the last UA trip had earbuds that were very cheap. I think that is what UA is moving towards, which would make them not as good as LH/QR.

    the huge 763 winglet makes them look even nicer
    - It was good choice by PM-UA to get B767s with winglets. The PM-CO planes don't have winglets (next report).

    I'm REALLY looking forward to the rest of this huge series and especially your ARN flights!
    - In ARN now, went for the 72-hour pass for 230 SEK and used the commuter line. The pass seemed to be the best value since it covers the round-trip to ARN (minus supplement) and all bus/tram/metro/train services in STO.
  • Comment 159977 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    It's good you went for the 72-hour pass, a one-way Arlanda Express ticket costs more than 250 SEK or you can travel in all of greater Stockholm for 230 SEK. I really hope you enjoy your time here in Stockholm!
  • Comment 159983 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Totally makes sense to pick this flight operated by an international config 767..

    And also this...
    Plus, I’d want as short as possible long-haul flight on UA…
    - Yeah...minimize the pain, LOL

    The lobby area, there is also a third floor, but I didn’t look up there.
    - Wow, 3 floors of lounge, that's huge

    I had to look it up online real quick to join the Group 2 boarding group
    - I don't see your *G status on the BP, did it not take because it's TK and not UA? You would think it should be reflected correctly if it's in your reservation and that it would automatically make your Boarding group 2.

    The IFE and all is modern, but that worn out CO checkered blue seat cloth just makes everything look drab and 90s. Kind of like the livery! Well, I guess they have a consistent brand at least :-P

    This plane was on the ground for more than 12 hours at an UA hub and this is what they call “clean”???
    - Eeeew

    It's funny, on 3/10 we were less than half a mile from each other and didn't know it! My office is really close to Dulles airport. Not that I would have been able to go through security to say hi though, lol.

    A good flight, that is only actually good because of getting international equipment, otherwise it would be typical UA Meh-ness.

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Comment 336847 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      Totally makes sense to pick this flight operated by an international config 767..
      - Free IFE? Yes, please!

      Wow, 3 floors of lounge, that's huge
      - The first floor where you enter is just the front desk, you immediately go upstairs. It's like the DL Sky Club at DTW where there is nothing on the first floor other than check-in.

      I don't see your *G status on the BP, did it not take because it's TK and not UA? You would think it should be reflected correctly if it's in your reservation and that it would automatically make your Boarding group 2.
      - Tsk, tsk, Kevin. I have my OZ FFP on the BP to collect the mileage and am using the TK card to get the *A benefits. It's been very painless doing this. I just flash the card to board in Group 2. The agent just assumes that there was a glitch with my BP without looking closely.

      that worn out CO checkered blue seat cloth just makes everything look drab and 90s. Kind of like the livery!
      - Yeah, the cabins have looked the same for as long as I can remember. I guess the new cabins on some of the narrow-bodies are modern, but they don't look very good either with the multi-toned pleather.

      This plane was on the ground for more than 12 hours at an UA hub and this is what they call “clean”???
      - Eeeew

      Not that I would have been able to go through security to say hi though, lol.
      - I had a 1-hour connection at IAD, it was a sprint across from the D to C gates with a brief break to grab some coffee in the UA Club, lol.

      A good flight, that is only actually good because of getting international equipment
      - The IFE helps distract you from all the other inadequacies.

      Thanks for your comments Kevin!
  • Comment 160085 by
    aussenrist 225 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this report with nice pictures!

    Wow another great new series! I will try my best to catch them up ;)
    The United Club design looks very classical (because of ex-CO Lounge?)
    For a 2.5-hr US domestic flight, it is always nice to have wide body with personal IFE and blanket and pillow provided!
    So the earphone was already broken once pre-placed? I found it broken when plugging.
    Regarding the tray, you are so tolerant to it that still placing snack and coffee on it without cleaning! I think I would request changing my seat lol

    Look forward to your next report!
    • Comment 336848 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      The United Club design looks very classical (because of ex-CO Lounge?)
      - Yes, IAH was the HQ for CO so this lounge used to be the CO's President's Club.

      For a 2.5-hr US domestic flight, it is always nice to have wide body with personal IFE and blanket and pillow provided!
      - Yeah, those are all things you don't get on a normal domestic flight. I don't even think they'd give you a pillow or blanket even if you asked anymore.

      So the earphone was already broken once pre-placed?
      - I only took a picture of them and put them back. Those were my headphones that were broken. Snagged them on my last trip and haven't replaced them yet^^ Very careful observation^^

      I think I would request changing my seat lol
      - The flight was 100% full. There was no where to escape and I didn't dare ask the FA to clean it. They would have bitten my head off!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
  • Comment 160720 by
    marathon GOLD 10112 Comments
    When it was posted, I thought I would look again at this routing, but two weeks of rest weren't enough to decode the whole puzzle. Europe must be too complex for me ;)
    A neat report and the least neat tray table I remember seeing in a report.
    The shot of the parallel approaches is great.
    Thanks for sharing !
    • Comment 337333 by
      NGO85 SILVER AUTHOR 1963 Comments
      two weeks of rest weren't enough to decode the whole puzzle. Europe must be too complex for me ;)
      - There is no puzzle, it was a foolish attempt to see various places in Europe in a nonsensical order^^ It was a nice way to combine sightseeing and flying.

      the least neat tray table I remember seeing in a report.
      - Is there a named test for tray table cleanliness?

      Thank you for your comments Marathon!

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