CHECK-IN I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1 at 0830 for my 1005 departure on UA929 to Chicago. There are three United check-in areas in Zone C with business to the right of the economy check-in and first class in a separate area to the right of this. There was no queue, and with the security fast-track only a short walk away, I was quickly airside. United flies to Chicago O’Hare International airport three times daily direct from London.
THE LOUNGE United uses the new Star Alliance lounge in the far corner of the terminal where the BA lounge and Molton Brown spa used to be. It’s a bright, airy space, almost echoey on a Sunday morning, and functional rather than luxurious with lots of stools at high counters for those wanting to snack while watching large flatscreen TVs.
BOARDING Flights aren’t called from the lounge and following advice I left at 0920 for the long walk to Gate 52. After a further passport and boarding-card check I waited only a few minutes for the flight to be called and priority boarding. We embarked from the front doors, so if you get there early, the rest of the passengers have to file slowly past you. Depending on your personality, this is either uncomfortable, or worth the price of admission.
THE SEAT There are only two rows of first class seating on the newly configured B767-300 aircraft, in a 1-1-1 configuration. As can be seen from the plan (click here to view) the seats are arranged in a herringbone configuration, although less pronounced than in Virgin’s Upper Class or Cathay Pacific’s new business class.
Although there are six seats in first, seat 2K is reserved for flight crew, and there is a curtain around it. Of the five remaining seats, 1A and 1C, and 2A and 2C are the most suitable for people flying together. For a lone traveller, the best choice is probably 1K, as the washroom is on the other side of the aircraft just by the door to the cockpit, and there is less foot traffic down this aisle (the flight attendants seem to help out with the business class cabin, and business class flight attendants walk through now and again). All seats were occupied on this Sunday morning flight.
There is a harness belt to be worn during take-off, which comes over the shoulder and attaches to the waist belt (Cathay’s business class has this, although Virgin and Air New Zealand do not). The seat reclines to a flat 79-inch (201cm) bed, using the ottoman seat in front as the footrest (too small for someone to sit at, especially with the 15.5-inch screen above it).
The seat has several storage spaces including a large one on the aisle side in which you could put a carry-on bag, as well as a newspaper-style compartment above it and a cubby hole opposite which folds down to form an extra table-sized area. The table comes out of the side and looks robust enough, although mine sloped away from its hinges making it awkward to work at, particularly since I was using laptop charging (no adapter needed).
The AVOD in-flight entertainment system offers a limited selection compared with other international first classes sporting this stop-start technology. I tried to find the flight map but only got a channel promising that I could listen to the pilot, which was silent, probably because the feature, while “unique to United”, is only available at the captain’s discretion. NB: on the return flight I realised my mistake - there is an icon with "Map" on it at the bottom of this screen, though again, no pilot commentary.
Nice touches include plenty of overhead storage, a foothold nine inches from the floor in the surround of the seat, allowing you to get easy access to it, and a wardrobe compartment for hanging jackets nearby. Unusually, there is no curtain separating business from first, which means the flight attendants have to be vigilant in stopping business class passengers walking to the front to use the washrooms. I asked the crew about this and they said the curtains were removed on US airlines post 9/11 and have never been reinstated, although there have been conversations about having a bit of rope across the aisle between cabins.
THE FLIGHT My jacket was taken quickly and drinks were offered around (the champagne was De Castelnau 1998). We then had a one-hour delay before departure because of a problem relating to the lighting on the runway and fog that morning. The meal service appeared soon after take-off, our orders having been taken when we were on the ground.
There was an appetiser of chicken quesadilla with chilli dressing, followed by roasted plum tomato and basil soup, and fresh seasonal greens with cucumber, red and yellow peppers and croutons with a choice of two dressings.
There were four main-course choices but I went for the Goa-style chicken with lemon rice, potatoes with yogurt and okra with spring onions, although there was also grilled filet mignon with bordelaise and cepe mushroom sauce, garlic and chive mashed potatoes with swede, turnip and green beans.
White wines included Jolivet Château du Nozay 2006 Sancerre, while red wines included Château Les-Ormes-de-Pez 2004 and St Estephe and Clos de la Font Du Pape 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape. The savoury courses were followed by Haagen-Dazs ice cream with sundae toppings, and a cheese selection brought on a trolley with the offer of liquors including Founders Reserve Porto. A couple of hours before landing, we were given a trio of sandwiches for tea (tuna niçiose, beef pastrami, and chunky hummus and carrot).
ARRIVAL We landed slightly late and cabin staff asked passengers whose final destination was Chicago to stay seated while those connecting got off. Evidently this didn’t apply to first and business class passengers, since we were first off the aircraft.
VERDICT A very impressive upgrade of the United first class product with the focus being on providing extras above and beyond the flat bed in business, including two staff serving a cabin of only five passengers.
CONTACT united.com.
Tom Otley
