UA1/2 Dreamliner Non-stop to San Francisco in Y

[yflyer]

SIA will start non-stop service to San Francisco on 23 October, operated by the newest aircraft type in the fleet, the Airbus A350-900XWB. This is something we have all been waiting for, and the excitement is palpable!

But SQ are not the first airline to start this route. In what some would consider a PR coup, United began operating SIN-SFO vv non stop in June this year. Until SQ's SIN-SFO inaugural on 23 Oct, United 1 & 2 are the only non-stop flights to/from the USA.

I recently flew 787's on three different airlines: ANA, Air India and United. I've covered the Dreamliner experience on ANA to Japan, and Air India to Chennai and back to Singapore via Mumbai. You can read about those flights here.

But the flights I had been looking forward to most were UA's non-stop flights to San Francisco, operated by UA's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

This TR covers the economy class experience on these flights, which I took last month, in mid-September.

I am sure we are all keen to learn, over the next few months (Maybe weeks ) how the 789 compares with the A359 on ultra long haul flights, and of course how SQ and UA compare on this same sector.

To kick-off the comparison, this TR covers what United offers on UA 1 and 2...

[yflyer]

United operates out of Changi T2.

UA2 has a fairly civilized departure timing of 8.45am, so pax don't have to wake up at some ridiculous hour, which they previously had to do in order to catch some flights on United to the USA.

By contrast, UA896 SIN-HKG-ORD remains a 6:00am departure...waking up early to check in for that flight is likely to mess up your body clock even before you reach the airport...

The check-in queues were not long when I arrived at the airport. I used the Premier Access priority queue, for eligible frequent flyer status tiers, including Star Gold (And Silver), which had no line at all.



I haven't taken the time to figure out UA's Frequent flyer status tiers. Looking at the signboard here, there are so many different tiers: Premier 1K, Platinum, Gold, Silver.

But Star Gold seems to give you what you need on United, such as lounge access and priority check-in/boarding, and an additional piece of luggage.

They also have a priority lane for security at the holding gate area, something that even SQ doesn't offer.

[yflyer]

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner registration N38955 was at the gate. This was a one and a half year old aircraft, first flown in April 2015.



I think the 787 has the most beautiful nose of any commercial airliner flying today.



ETOPS was printed under the rego number on the nosegear doors. If any sector really needs ETOPS, it is this one!

On time boarding...



This is a 2 class aircraft with Business and Economy cabins. They have Economy Plus, but I don't really consider UA Economy Plus a different "class". It certainly isn't Premium Economy in the proper sense of the word.

The J cabin is laid out in a slightly offset 2-2-2 layout...



These don't appear to be the widest J class seats, but they do go fully flat.



The large fluffy white pillows did look very comfortable.



It looks like the window-seat pax will have to climb over his or her seatmate to get to the aisle if the seat is fully reclined.

[yflyer]

Next, the Economy Plus cabin, which offers several additional inches of legroom compared to regular Y.

The seats on this flight were covered in blue fabric, with adjustable headrests. Both Economy Plus and Economy are laid out 9-abreast, in 3-3-3.

The Economy Plus seats have a blue oval placard saying "Economy Plus".



I could have paid extra to sit in the Economy Plus section, but decided not to, as I didn't think paying a not insignificant sum for a little additional legroom was worthwhile ROI.

I think UA could have easily differentiated Economy Plus vs vanilla Economy by putting in a 2-4-2 config for Economy Plus on the 787. Now THAT I would have paid extra for. On a sector this long, it would have made a big difference. But no, all of us in the back would have to contend with a narrow 3-3-3 config.

Another view of the additional legroom that E-Plus offers. Note that there are no underseat obstructions.



A view of the Economy Cabin.



Emex row...



The window-side Economy Seats. Legroom was fine.





The last row of the Y cabin. Recline in the last row seems ok.



With the seat reclined...

[CarbonMan]

Nice pics, yflyer! Looking forward to the rest of the TR!

[yflyer]

Nice pics, yflyer! Looking forward to the rest of the TR!

Thanks, CarbonMan! Posting them right now...

[yflyer]

No IFE boxes under the Y seats.





Armrests that go all the way up.



The same electronically dimmed windows as every other 787 I have been on.

[yflyer]

Black countertops in the squeaky clean lavs...

[yflyer]

Each seat came with a pillow and blanket...



Widescreen IFE. Each seat also came with a USB port and A/C power.



Complimentary earbuds.



A very full flight in Y today.



Olympic themed safety video...







Flight time to San Francisco was just under 15 hours.

[yflyer]

After take-off, I browsed the entertainment guide and menu, which had a preview of United's upcoming Polaris Business Class seat.



The beverage menu...complimentary juices, soft drinks and coffee/tea.



Shockingly, liquor was available only for purchase -- not complimentary. Only wine and beer were available on a complimentary basis.





There were also snacks available for purchase.





While the menu also had several hot items, these were for other sectors, and not the SIN-SFO flight.





It took careful reading of the fineprint to figure out exactly what was or was not available on the SIN-SFO sector.

[yflyer]

Wifi and personal streaming entertainment was offered on this sector.

[yflyer]

After take-off, everyone settled in for the long ride, some on IFE, others read books or used their tablets, phones or computers. Many slept.





The cabin crew on this flight was a mix of Asians and Caucasians/Americans. A very cheerful crew who seemed quite thrilled to be working on this ultra long haul sector...

Snacks and drinks were served...





Cranberry-apple juice (with ice) and a coffee...

[yflyer]

The IFE on this flight was very comprehensive. A good selection of movies, TV and Audio. The touchscreen UI was intuitive and responsive as well. A very good system.







Video and audio quality were very good. Audio quality was superb when you used your own headphones.



I did miss that old UA feature, Channel 9, where you could listen in to ATC communications. Apparently some aircraft in the UA fleet still have it (Mainly pre-merger UA), but none of the 787's do.

I have very fond memories of listening in to Channel 9 over the years on both US domestic and international sectors...I recall one flight, approaching Singapore late at night on a UA 747, and listening to the pilot interacting with a cool and professional female air traffic controller with a distinctively Singaporean accent...

[yflyer]

Lunch was served about 2 hours into the flight...



There were two choices of hot entree. I chose the chicken and rice. The other option, if I recall correctly, was mac-n-cheese.

A smallish tray, and plastic cutlery.



I found both the starter and the main to be very tasty. One of the better meals I have had on United in recent years.



White wine in a plastic cup...the blue plastic cup gave the wine a weird greenish tint...



Later, the cabin crew came round with an ice cream dessert, and bottles of water.



The caramel and sea salt ice cream was pretty good.

[yflyer]

Our flight path took us off the coast of Japan, before crossing the Pacific Ocean towards the west coast of America.



At some point during the flight, snack packs were handed out...





The sandwich was tasty, but for those with big appetites, it may be a good idea to bring some food on the plane, whether cup noodle or a takeaway item from the airport.

During the flight, I also sampled their beer -- they had quite a good selection of different ones.