Review of United flight Los Angeles Kailua in Economy

Airline United
Flight UA2373
Class Economy
Seat 19F
Aircraft Boeing 757-300
Flight time 05:03
Take-off 24 Dec 19, 09:10
Arrival at 24 Dec 19, 12:13
UA   #68 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 448 reviews
Harry_He
By 2647
Published on 15th March 2020

Routing

  • UA2373 - Economy - Los Angeles -> Kona - Boeing 757-300 You are here
  • HA377 - Economy - Kona -> Honolulu - Boeing 717-200 Coming soon
  • UA396 - Economy - Honolulu -> San Francisco - Boeing 777-200 Coming soon
  • UA1108 - Economy - San Francisco -> Orange County - Airbus A320 Coming soon

Cramped, starved, and bored…


photo dsc09382

Good morning from LAX!
This will be my first leg of a 4 segment trip report (LAX-KOA-HNL-SFO-SNA) for my Winter 2019 Hawaii trip! It's my first time flying United's streamlined 757-300… retrofit = cramped seats, no TV screens, smaller lavs…


photo dsc09384

TSA… Took no more than 5 minutes as it was very empty that morning. 
(Ugh I still need to get my Real ID…  NOT looking forward to visiting the DMV)


LAX ALASKA lounge terminal 6


photo dsc09392

The lounge was accessible via the Priority Pass network (Ironically PP users were not given priority…) thanks to my Amex Plat. Waited about an hour for the entry.


photo dsc09391

The lounge looks absolutely fantastic after the renovation, turing the old ski resort vibe into a more fitting west coast themed.



Sufficient breakfast offerings…Though you can pay more (-$8) to order more premium food. Appreciate the beverage station offerging to-go coffee and tea!


boarding


photo dsc09396

Neighboring United 737-900ER going to Houston IAH


photo dsc09393

Here's my ride! N57869, a 17 year old Boeing 757-33N.


photo dsc09399

Boarding area crowded as usual. Staff announced that the flight will be "completely full" guess lots of people are trying to get to the islands for Christmas!


photo dsc09400

Boarded via Group 2 line as a Group 4 passenger… A guy with basic economy ticket (Group 5) tried to board…Held up the line a tad.


photo dsc09402

Wi-Fi and Private Screening? (Spoiler)


The flight


photo dsc09403

WOW the 757-300 is a long aircraft. Couldn't see the back even though I boarded through the L2 door. 


photo dsc09404

An extremely thin blanket was found at every seat. Reminded me of Hoover's blankets during the Great Depression…


photo dsc09405

Legroom (30in) was pretty tight for my 5'6" and 105 pounds frame. My knees were not touching the front but didn't have lots of wiggle room.


photo dsc09406

Little did I know that "Three Perfect Days Cape Town" will be the only "entertainment on this flight! 


photo dsc09419

Slim seats… 5 hours if fine but I would think about it if the flight is over 7 hours. At least there's adjustable headrest.


photo dsc09407

Window seat 19F. (Preferred seating at booking but opened to public at the 24 hour mark)


photo dsc09408

Pushed back abeam an Alaska 737-800.


photo dsc09409

American Boeing 787-9 going to Beijing (PEK)…Route's suspended now thanks to the coronavirus. Not that they were making much money before…($320 rt)


photo dsc09410

Korean Air A380 going to Seoul Incheon


photo dsc09411

"United 2373, RNAV to DLREY, runway 24L, cleared for takeoff."


photo img_2045-2

Climbing out of the busy LAX airspace via SUMMR TWO DEPARTURE


photo dsc09412

10 minutes after takeoff, the dreadful announcement came saying that Wi-Fi/Entertainment is broken due to the lack of coverage over the ocean of this specific aircraft's wifi provider…


photo dsc09413

Drink service…My only source of free carbs along with pretzels. No meal service even on a 5 hour somewhat premium flight to Hawaii.


photo dsc09420

Tray table was large and sturdy enough to work on laptops, the only downside…LACK OF WI-FI.


photo dsc09422photo img_7687

Cruising nicely at FL260…4 hours and 10 minutes left to go…


photo img_7699

This is what I saw at the "galley"… Quite a lovely way to "store" rubbish!


photo img_7701-31318

The lavatory was relatively clean though the removal of the lavs in the back meant that some waiting is expected to use the lavs.


photo img_7694

Alaska 895 San Diego to Honolulu "Disneyland" livery at FL350… I bet they have Wi-Fi!


photo img_7697

FAs came by looking to collect rubbish as we approach our final destination. Can't wait to deplane!


photo img_2047-2

Route today


photo img_2048

Approaching Initial Fix VECKI for runway 17


photo dsc09427

Parked next to a company 737-900ER from SFO


photo dsc09428

Thanks for reading!

See more

Verdict

United

6.2/10
Cabin7.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering5.0

Alaska Lounge - 6

9.8/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering9.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Services10.0

Los Angeles - LAX

8.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.5
Services9.5
Cleanliness10.0

Kailua - KOA

9.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Ugh United...
No Wi-Fi. No meal service. Barely okay legroom for a 5 hour flight...

Related

7 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 546485 by
    juddsol 26 Comments
    what app do you use to show the waypoints? Very neat!
  • Comment 546844 by
    NKGflyer 161 Comments
    Thank you for this report!
    Is there a Buy on Board service? The catering is really...minimal for a 5 hour flight!
    However it is nice to fly a B757 aircraft, especially compared to in Europe, it is really rare to see a 757/767...
    • Comment 546848 by
      Harry_He AUTHOR 66 Comments
      Hello @NKGflyer
      Thanks for reading!
      There was a buy onboard menu; however, the selection was very minimal and ridiculously overpriced... My neighbor paid (I think $9.99) for a hummus dip and she told me it was terrible. It is really nice to fly a 757. Sad to see them go.
  • Comment 547948 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6739 Comments
    Hey Harry, great report as always! Christmas in Hawaii...lucky you!

    Ugh United indeed! I will say the cabin being relatively recently refreshed looks quite nice, but the lack of IFE or WiFi on a flight approaching TATL length definitely sucks. DL's 753s, which I've flown on LAX-HNL, are much more pleasant since they're equipped with PTVs.

    United's blah-ness almost takes away from the fun of being on a rare 753. Nice shot of your a/c on arrival!

    Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 548229 by
      Harry_He AUTHOR 66 Comments
      Thanks for stopping by @KévinDC!

      Indeed, United's ignorance to the quality of its economy cabin product puts such glorious aircraft to shame... Interestingly, we were supposed to fly Delta's 757-200 to Kona but my travel companion did not fancy a 9PM arrival on the big island haha. Delta 757s have really nice hard product... :(

Login to post a comment.