UA to New York

[neil_gardner]

I am flying at the end of October to New York with work, leaving Sun 30th, returning Friday 4th.

Does anyone know how to get my seat pre-allocated? I am not a MilagePlus customer at the moment, but I am a Gold BMI Cardholder (*A).

Also, anyone seen any cheap business class fares from MEL to New York on either OW or *A partners? I flew Qantas on the same trip recently and although the skybeds were great, this UA ticket is $1800 cheaper than flying Qantas. Cheap price but I've heard the seats / service on UA isn't the best. I've got the same price as UA with JAL via NRT (they have Skybed equivalents) but would miss out on all those miles :cry:

Thanks everyone, Neil

 

[NM]

Cheapest way to New York in business class with OneWorld is generally to use the OneWorld Circle Pacific fare (DCIR22). But unfortunately can't quite fit it into 22,000 miles starting in MEL. Fits if you can start that fare on SYD, routing SYD-LAX-JFK-NRT-SYD.

So perhaps look for one of those new cheap D fares MEL-SYD-MEL as an add on to the DCIR22.

The latest fare I have for a DCIR22 ex Australia (from April) is A$7,029 plus charges. The addon fare MEL-SYD-MEL would be $820 if you can get D fare under the current business class sale.

To inlcude MEL in the distance, you could route MEL-LAX-JFK-HKG-MEL for the north pacific crossing on CX instead of AA, will take it to a DCIR26 for A$8,579.

How does that compare with the UA fare?

 

[neil_gardner]

UA fare that I've been quoted is $7k all up.

 

[NM]

UA fare that I've been quoted is $7k all up.

Then I very much doubt you will beat that with QF or any OneWorld fare. If fare is the deciding factor, then it looks like UA is the winner.

You may also like to see if NZ can match the UA price, or see if it is valid on a UA/NZ codeshare. The NZ business class is supposed to be pretty good and with their new business class seats are also impressive. Might need some input from our resident Kiwi expert :wink: .

 

[neil_gardner]

Thanks for that. I'm sure Kiwi Flyer will have an opinion :wink:

Dealing with a corporate travel agent (Carlson) is very hardwork...They are not very responsive in searching out the best fares....too many volume / commission deals at stake I fear.

Anyone have any views on the service and seats of UA?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I still have yet to try the new business class on NZ. Had a few flights where I thought I might get it but schedule didnt work out, and so far the lottery for getting it trans-tasman hasnt come through for me - at least get the consolation of the old F seat.

From the comments on FT's Air NZ forum, its very much worth going for if can get a similar or slightly higher price.

 

[Myrna]

This probably does not answer your questions directly as you are flying from Melbourne - but I just want to share what I know. Hubby is flying to SIN - LHR - JFK for business in early October. His company travel agent has been pricing round the world with both Oneworld and Staralliance and SQ/UA (staralliance) apparently has a cheap business class deal for A$7,500 flying SQ to Singapore and London, then UA London to New York, San Francisco (he hates going through LAX) then Sydney. The SQ bit will be good, but the UA does not have flat bed like BA or QF. People in the office said UA business class seats are the same as the old ones, not comfortable, and if the flight from JFK is late arriving in San Francisco they don't wait and he will end up staying overnight in San Francisco! Because the SQ/UA is saving the company about $1,500, so he cannot take the BA/QF. However, he said this trip is costing the company $2,000 cheaper than in February when he just flew SYD to JFK via LAX with QF. Also when his company travel books the flight, she also books the seats.

 

[neil_gardner]

Thakns Myrna, did the $7500 include taxes? And do you know the fare type? Sounds like a great fare, as I am trying to get a weekend in SFO to visit friends, but the price goes from $7k to $11k to route via SFO!!

 

[Myrna]

Hi Neil,

I don't know anything about the fare type for the special round the world business class that the travel agent booked hubby on. But, the travel agent website is www.baytravel.com.au so you can check it out, email or phone them. I looked at hubby's itinerary and it says "the total airfare is $7,507 plus taxes, valid SQ/UA only, minimum stops 3, maximum stops 5". I cannot ask hubby because he does not know anything - all he cares is that his flights are booked by the travel agent. He does not like to ask any question!

Good Luck.

 

[cssaus]

I am flying at the end of October to New York with work, leaving Sun 30th, returning Friday 4th.

Does anyone know how to get my seat pre-allocated? I am not a MilagePlus customer at the moment, but I am a Gold BMI Cardholder (*A).

If you are a *A gold with a another FF program, simply call UA on 131777, give them your booking reference # and ask for seat allocations. I do it all the time.

 

[neil_gardner]

Beautiful....that gem combined with www.seatguru.com should make for a great flight.

 

[cssaus]

Beautiful....that gem combined with www.seatguru.com should make for a great flight.

Whenever I fly UA Business class to the States I always try and get a set in the section immediately behind 1st class. It's a section of 3 rows with a 2x2x2 arrangement. The advantage that I find is that when I get to the other end I can be off the plane almost immediately behind the 1st class folks and often get to immigration very quickly. When arriving in either LAX or SFO and fronting up to the immigration lines you'll know what it means to want to get there quickly!

ANother tip, don't stand behind anyone who likes they come from Mexico or South America in the immigration lines. These people get given the 3rd-degree by the immigration officer when they arrive.

 

[neil_gardner]

Whenever I fly UA Business class to the States I always try and get a set in the section immediately behind 1st class. It's a section of 3 rows with a 2x2x2 arrangement.

According to www.seatguru.com these seats have 5" less pitch...Did you notice this?

 

[cssaus]

Whenever I fly UA Business class to the States I always try and get a set in the section immediately behind 1st class. It's a section of 3 rows with a 2x2x2 arrangement.

According to www.seatguru.com these seats have 5" less pitch...Did you notice this?

I've never really noticed this or had cause to see this as an issue. Whenever I've been sitting in my seat in the upright position with my seat belt on, I can never reach down to the floor to get stuff out of a bag. I do make sure that I request an aisle seat. The best seat is obviously in row 15 upstairs, the exit row but it's case of what you're personal preferences are.

 

[JohnK]

People in the office said UA business class seats are the same as the old ones, not comfortable, ...

Not comfortable..... :shock: Classic......... roflmao

Any business class seat has got to be comfortable compared to the seats in cattle class. :roll: :roll: :roll:

Sorry!!!! I know off topic!!!!

 

[cssaus]

People in the office said UA business class seats are the same as the old ones, not comfortable, and if the flight from JFK is late arriving in San Francisco they don't wait and he will end up staying overnight in San Francisco!

I don't know exactly what you mean when you say that the business class seats are the same as the old ones. These are the seats I've been encoutering for quite some time now http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1935,00.html . Sure they're not the completely lie-flat beds that other airlines have but they recline more than adequately enough to get a reasonable sleep. In fact some of the other airline business class seats can be quite claustrophobic in the way they want to totally enclose you.

By the way, if flying UA from JFK to Sydney, the smartest move is to always catch the through-flight number. UA will at all times try and ensure that the flights connect and will hold the LAX-SYD flight to do so. I used to cath the JFK-SFO-SYD flt but quickly learned the advantage of taking the single flight number flight from JFK-SYD despite there being a plane change in LAX. By the way, UA's Premier Service flight from JFK-LAX is quite good. I always make sure I have a good meal on this flight and not have to worry about trying to scoff a dinner on the LAX-SYD flight at around mid-nite LA time. Head down and straight to sleep.[/url]

 

[Myrna]

Sorry, what I meant was that in comparison to the supposedly newer and more comfortable flat beds in SQ and BA, the UA business class seats are not as good. John, you are absolutely right that a business class seat beats the cattle one any time!

By the way, if flying UA from JFK to Sydney, the smartest move is to always catch the through-flight number. UA will at all times try and ensure that the flights connect and will hold the LAX-SYD flight to do so. I used to cath the JFK-SFO-SYD flt but quickly learned the advantage of taking the single flight number flight from JFK-SYD despite there being a plane change in LAX.

- Well, hubby said initially he was booked on the single flight number from JFK-SYD via LAX, but someone said she missed the flight connection because the JFK - LAX flight was delayed, and they did not wait for her (like you said there being a plane change in LAX). So, hubby decided to go via SFO instead. I hope he made the right choice!

 

[BlacKnox]

People in the office said UA business class seats are the same as the old ones, not comfortable, and if the flight from JFK is late arriving in San Francisco they don't wait and he will end up staying overnight in San Francisco!

Seats are fine; service is the problem, though I can't remember much of my last LAX-MEL flight, which is always a good sign.

By the way, if flying UA from JFK to Sydney, the smartest move is to always catch the through-flight number. UA will at all times try and ensure that the flights connect and will hold the LAX-SYD flight to do so.

So this is why the said flight was delayed 3 hours .

 

[cssaus]

Seats are fine; service is the problem, though I can't remember much of my last LAX-MEL flight, which is always a good sign. .

On the 14hr or so nite flt from LAX to SYD after the 5 and a half hour JFK-LAX sector, the last thing I'm going to be paying attention to during the course of the flight is the service. All I want to do is put my head down and try and sleep away those long hours until arrival in Sydney and looking forward to getting home, a nice refreshing shower and downing several cups of decent coffee (another beef of mine about the USA but that's for another thread some time).

 

[NM]

On the 14hr or so nite flt from LAX to SYD after the 5 and a half hour JFK-LAX sector, the last thing I'm going to be paying attention to during the course of the flight is the service. All I want to do is put my head down and try and sleep away those long hours until arrival in Sydney and looking forward to getting home, a nice refreshing shower and downing several cups of decent coffee (another beef of mine about the USA but that's for another thread some time).

Therein lies my problem with "cradle" seats. If I sleep on my back, I snore - and believe me, you don't want to be in the same cabin as me if that is the case. And I don't sleep more than 30 mins at a time when on my back. And its just not possible to sleep on my side on a seat that does not recline into a straight line (or at least very close to straight). I don't need horizontal, but flat does allow me to sleep very well on a long flight - or at least as well as I ever do in a metal tube at 30,000 feet amongst 300+ fellow strangers.

I hate being confined to a QF Dreamtime seat trans-Pacific, which is why I will always take a 3-class aircraft on the QF routes to/from LAX, meaning I transit SYD or MEL. That will be different when they have the Skybeds reliably on the BNE-LAX routes.

So if I was to be relegated to flying *A trans-Pacific, I would be trying for an NZ flight hoping for their new VS suites. That may not yet be guaranteed, but its got to be a better chance than getting a flat bed on UA without some way of confirming an upgrade to F.