Check In and Security
I arrived at Dulles at 6:00 am, about 2 hours ahead of the scheduled 8:40 am.
Once at IAD, the United counters are located at the far end of the terminal. There are sections for general economy, Premier Access, Global Services, and the 1K and Polaris bag drop is located in the back.
There are also self service kiosks and an area for special services.
I wasn’t checking a bag, so I headed straight to security.
I then made my way to the Clear and Precheck lanes, and was through security within a few minutes.
The United Club at Gate C7
Although Domestic First does not grant you access to the United Club, I have a United Club membership which grants me access. So I visited the United Club at gate C7 for a bit. I’ve reviewed this lounge before. You can check out that review here: https://flight-report.com/en/report/65831/united-ua2276-washington-iad-los-angeles-lax/
I got a nice view of a special Star alliance livery 757-200 while in the lounge.
Boarding, the Cabin, and Seat
I left the lounge very early. As my brother in law’s flight arrived in, and I decided to meet him at his gate. His flight was arriving into the A gates, and he’s not familiar with IAD, so I decided it’s best to meet him there, and make the long trek back to C with him.
The cool thing was, that from the A gates, I got a nice view of the 777 that would be taking us to Vegas today.
Today the flight was operating out of gate C8, and began right on time at 7:50 a.m. First class boards typically in group 1, but we preboarded with the other 1Ks.
This is my first time reviewing the domestically configured 777 with United. The first class cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration, and all seats are lie flat. I was lucky enough to secure 1A and 1B for myself and my brother.
The First class cabin consists of 28 lie flat seats arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. On the window sides rows 1 and 3 face backwards, whereas rows 2 and 4 face forwards.
In the middle section, rows 1 and 3 face forwards, whereas row 2 faces backwards. There is no row 4 in the middle due to the placement of the galley.
It’s a very interesting layout… to say the least.
We found our backwards facing seats, 1A and 1B.
The seat features 6 feet and 4 inches of sleeping space at 180 degrees of lie flat recline. It also features 19 inches of width.
In front of the seat is an IFE screen that is similar to what you’d find on United’s 757s.
In the center console is the seat controls.
Pre-Departure and Takeoff
At 8:10, flight attendant came around to confirm our meal orders, we had both ordered the chia seed oatmeal.
A minute later, a flight attendant came by to offer us a predeparture beverage of water, orange juice, or a mimosa. We got mimosas.
At 8:19, a blanket was offered.
At 8:41, the captain came on to announce our flight time of 4 hours 28 minutes.
At 8:45, we pushed back and the safety demonstration began. At first, I found it odd that the safety demonstration wasn’t a video, and was done manually. But, then I remembered that in economy, there aren’t any seatback screens on this aircraft.
At 8:58, we lined up on runway 30 for departure.
Cruise
At 9:03, we reached 10,000 feet and were well on our way to Las Vegas.
At 9:13, the captain came on to announce that we were at our initial cruising altitude of 28,000 feet and that we’d be slowly climbing up to our final cruising altitude of 36,000 feet and that he’d be turning off the fasten seatbelt sign belt sign.
At 9:28, our drinks were served. We both went with vodka and orange juice.
At 9:42, our meals were brought out. The oatmeal was fresh and sweet. The croissant was burnt to hell, though.
At 10:03 Washington time, the flight attendant came by to clear our trays and asked if we wanted another drink. I said yes, and my brother in law declined.
After I finished that, I reclined and slept for about two hours and woke up at around 9:15 am local time in Las Vegas.
At that point, the flight attendants were doing a round of drink service, and I ordered a Coke Zero.
It’s important to note that every time I finished my Coke Zero, the flight attendants automatically refilled it without asking. Such proactivity!
Descent and Arrival
At 9:51 am local time, we began our descent into Las Vegas.
We touched down on runway 26L at 10:30 am, and parked at gate D57 at 10:37 am.
