Wing Flex: United Airlines p.s. Premium Service, UA912 LAX-JFK

For my first review I decided to review the very thing that inspired me to do it. BT and I had the pleasure of trying out United Airlines's p.s. Premium Service. This service is for transcontinental flights and operates only on the SFO/LAX - JFK city pairs. I got to experience both economy and business class cabins on this trip. In this report I'll talk specifically about my LAX-JFK leg.

The 15 aircraft used for these flights are all Boeing 757-200s that have been specifically reconfigured for these flights. All seats now have in-flight entertainment systems. The domestic first class seats have been removed in favor of the business class lay flat seats from Continental's days. There are two cabins of business class separated by a galley and lavatory (more on that in my next entry). The rest of the plane is a mix of economy plus and economy seats.

United p.s. Economy Plus seats

UA912 LAX-JFK

I was pretty excited about this flight because I was going to experience p.s., JFK, and New York City for the first time all in one trip. For this segment we flew in economy plus. Economy plus is United's premium economy in that you sit closer to the front of the plane and you get an extra 4-5 inches of leg room. I know in your head that doesn't sound like a lot, but as a taller friend once told me - "IT IS A GOD SEND." I'm only 5'4" so I'm sure my taller friends appreciate any extra legroom they can get.

UA 757-200 p.s. Configuration Economy Class cabin

Perhaps the most noticeable thing for a typical traveler is that there is now a seat back in-flight entertainment system in every seat with touch screen. This is the same system that UA's 787-8s currently have. Someone asked me if the avgeek beloved Ch9 is still available. YES! It can be found under "From the Flight Deck." Just underneath the touch screen is a 3.4 mm audio jack and a USB port. Each row on this also has power outlets in between each seat.

I'm really happy that United updated these cabin interiors and breathed new life in to these 752s. I love the 757. In my opinion is is the best type of plane for a transcontinental flight. I really feel too cramped in a 737-900 for a 5 hour flight. The one thing that I wish could be done on a 757 would be to put in a sky interior. Imagine how great that would look on a 752. Or even on a flying pencil 757-300?? People really do need the larger bin space these days and a sky interior can provide that. BT and I both watched in horror as a lady tried to shove her much too large suitcase in to the overhead. We even heard a loud snap from the lid. Sigh...one can dream of sky interiors everywhere...

Just before pushback, the lead flight attendant and captain announced that Ch9 would be available on the flight but for some reason it wasn't working. I was pretty bummed out but I took it as a chance to just go to sleep instead since we were expected to arrive at 0700 EST.

UA p.s. Economy class IFE.

In economy class the coffee, tea, soft drinks, and juices are free. Snacks and any alcohol are available to purchase. You are also provided a thin blanket and a small pillow. It's really a nice touch considering on any other transcon flight you usually don't get ANYTHING.

Since I was tired from a day of work I just drank some water, watched a bit of TV, and went to sleep. BT stayed up to watch movies before going to sleep himself. The kid next to me was watching some romantic comedy which made him laugh. His laughter startled me awake quite a few times. I wish I was kidding.