For the last segment of my quick trip to Versailles, I flew United’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 first class on the 2hr20min flight from Washington (IAD) to Miami (MIA). Believe it or not, this was my first flight on a jet with the new “United Next” interiors.
United is currently investing heavily to become more premium, and this includes introducing new cabins (including seat back TVs) throughout the entire narrow body, mainline fleet. I understand that United flyers are probably used to it at this point, but given that I’m typically an American flyer, this all seems very high tech and premium to me. 😉
Anyway, in this post I want to share some impressions of United’s new narrow body aircraft interiors and the soft product, and then soon I’ll have a full review of the flight. I’ve gotta say, I found this to be a pleasant way to fly!
In this post:
United’s 737 MAX first class seats are comfortable
United’s 737 MAX 8 first class cabin consists of 16 seats, spread across four rows, in a 2-2 configuration. Purely in terms of space and dimensions, there’s nothing too remarkable about the cabin. I mean, all of the “big three” US carriers have very similar seat pitch and width in domestic first class, so it’s not an area where any airline stands out.
However, I found the seats to mostly be pretty well designed, with nice finishes and solid padding. The one exception is when it comes to storing the tray tables. Long story short, they just don’t align correctly when you go to store them, and at least half the cabin struggled with using them.
It’s also interesting how fast tech evolves. These seats have AC and USB-A power outlets, when you’d really think that you’d be installing USB-C outlets nowadays.
It’s worth noting that United is also taking delivery of A321neos, and those feature slightly updated versions of these seats, including USB-C outlets and wireless charging.
United’s 737 MAX first class tech is awesome!
Of course the biggest change with United’s new interiors is the introduction of beautiful, crisp 13″ seat back TVs at every first class seat (economy has 10″ displays). United has done a stellar job with entertainment on these jets.
The screens are high definition, the programming is endless, and there’s even bluetooth audio.
I’ve gotta admit, I’m not a huge TV guy, and I’m certainly not one of the passengers who uses these screens the most. That being said, there’s simply no denying that this is so much better of an experience than you’ll get on American. Like, if nothing else, it’s nice to be able to keep an eye on the map feature, and see where you are.
Arguably what I’m even more excited about with United’s new cabins is that the airline is finally installing Viasat Wi-Fi. Historically, United has had the slowest Wi-Fi of the “big three” carriers. Not only is United currently installing Viasat Wi-Fi on its narrow body jets, but soon the airline plans to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi.
This is an absolute game changer, since the airline hasn’t historically offered competitive Wi-Fi. The pricing is also reasonable, and is just $8 for the entire flight. That’s much cheaper than you’ll find on most American flights (while Delta offers free Wi-Fi on most planes for SkyMiles members).
United’s domestic first class soft product is quite good
United isn’t exactly known for its gourmet food, so what was my experience there? Well, I appreciate that United has a large pre-order selection you can choose from, with some options that wouldn’t be available if ordered inflight. This is something American is also good at, while Delta doesn’t have as many pre-order exclusive options.
I decided to order the vegetarian chili polenta cake, which tasted better than it looked (that’s not saying a whole lot, admittedly). The side salad was better than your typical iceberg lettuce with a cherry tomato, and there was a warm bread roll, plus the banana pudding for Magnolia Bakery (which seems to have a cult following, but I’m not sure why?).
Honestly, the food was okay, and in line with what I’d expect on American or Delta, so I didn’t feel positively or negatively about that.
Here’s what I absolutely love, though — United has illy cold brew, making United the only one of the “big three” US carriers to serve cold brew. As a coffee lover, having access to cold brew on a plane is absolutely fantastic, and I’m thrilled to see this. It’s certainly much better (and less disgusting) than drip airplane coffee.
Even beyond that, I have to give United credit for its interesting drink selection. For example, the airline has canned espresso martinis on domestic flights. Like I said, I usually fly American, which has the least inventive drink list of any airline, so it’s nice to have options.
So yeah, while the food is whatever, the domestic drink selection gets high marks from me.
Bottom line
I’m delighted to see the way that United is investing in its fleet, as part of the “United Next” project. While there’s nothing earth-shattering about the seats as such, the tech is excellent, with large, crisp monitors that have extensive entertainment and bluetooth audio. I’m also happy to see Viasat Wi-Fi increasingly becoming available on United, at a reasonable cost no less.
The soft product was decent enough as well. I appreciated the large pre-order selection, even if the quality isn’t amazing. What I liked most was the drinks, particularly the cold brew and canned cocktails. This is a pleasant way to fly domestically, and now I’m curious to fly the carrier’s A321neo…
If you’ve flown one of United’s new narrow body jets, what was your experience like?
"plus the banana pudding for Magnolia Bakery"
Is it really that much cheaper to serve that than the previous cake slices?
I give United a fair shake as much as anyone, but 'quite good' is not the way to describe United's soft product. So much room for improvement and the food presentation is dreadful.
Funny, the seats you're raving about were introduced almost 10 years ago.
This is one of the oldest versions of their new interiors so the current gen is actually incrementally (but noticeably) nicer.
I believe even the newest seats still use the bad tray table design though. I think they’ve made minor improvements to it like maybe taking some weight out but those tray tables are horrible. You have to hold your drinks while taking it out because it obstructs the center console and because they’re...
This is one of the oldest versions of their new interiors so the current gen is actually incrementally (but noticeably) nicer.
I believe even the newest seats still use the bad tray table design though. I think they’ve made minor improvements to it like maybe taking some weight out but those tray tables are horrible. You have to hold your drinks while taking it out because it obstructs the center console and because they’re so big and heavy the wear over time causes them to get misaligned and get VERY difficult to put back. I have to help people all the time because it’s not intuitive and forcing it doesn’t work.
So I see you changed the article title to correct the mislabeling of this cabin as "NEXT" but I'm afraid it's still not accurate in its description of UA's narrowbody interiors. The cabin on the Max8 you flew is UA's New F. It was first introduced on the 320s and the first few years worth of MAX were delivered with this cabin. The NEXT cabin was introduced on the 321n, but the 738 and 739...
So I see you changed the article title to correct the mislabeling of this cabin as "NEXT" but I'm afraid it's still not accurate in its description of UA's narrowbody interiors. The cabin on the Max8 you flew is UA's New F. It was first introduced on the 320s and the first few years worth of MAX were delivered with this cabin. The NEXT cabin was introduced on the 321n, but the 738 and 739 are being retrofitted to NEXT, and the new MAXs are now being delivered with the NEXT cabin. While the cabins at first blush seem similar, the NEXT seat is a different design and NEXT has additional features, including wireless charging and a privacy divider.
And lousy legroom on the A321, playing the Delta game. Economy plus felt roomier.
Who would have guessed AA would be back to having the roomiest domestic first config on a workhorse domestic aircraft, in this case the A321.
Apparently, few travel blogs or commenters care about safety. What's more important -- getting from one place to another safely - or having a TV set in front of you?
What a stupid remark, and not the first time you have made it. Of course every commenter here cares about safety. What, exactly, would Ben talk about in his blog if the only criterion for reviewing a flight was safety? Every day, thousands of flights in the U.S. and around the world land safely, across multiple airlines. It is table stakes, not what distinguishes one domestic first class product/experience from another. I simply fail to...
What a stupid remark, and not the first time you have made it. Of course every commenter here cares about safety. What, exactly, would Ben talk about in his blog if the only criterion for reviewing a flight was safety? Every day, thousands of flights in the U.S. and around the world land safely, across multiple airlines. It is table stakes, not what distinguishes one domestic first class product/experience from another. I simply fail to understand what you feel an asinine comment like this adds to the discussion, other than self-righteous finger-wagging that you care about safety someone more than the rest of us. Give it up.
But it is a MAX and it does not come with a life insurance policy. This LT1K aero engineer goes out of his way repeatedly to avoid flying a MAX, at least until Boeing gets act together.
Any no review of the tiny, tiny MAX lavatories that the average american "of size" can fit into???
Agreed from personal experience on the chili--sloppy presentation, good flavor.
And agree on the pudding. Texture is so weird, and the note on the side that says it can be frozen/re-frozen up to 3 times makes it seem even more shelf-stable and processed. Miss the old sliced cake.
UA's new cabins are great. The problem right now is consistency. There's this nice cabin, the even nicer A321 cabin (though it's legroom is tight), the decent...
Agreed from personal experience on the chili--sloppy presentation, good flavor.
And agree on the pudding. Texture is so weird, and the note on the side that says it can be frozen/re-frozen up to 3 times makes it seem even more shelf-stable and processed. Miss the old sliced cake.
UA's new cabins are great. The problem right now is consistency. There's this nice cabin, the even nicer A321 cabin (though it's legroom is tight), the decent older cabin (e.g., 757) and then the awful old CO cabins with ancient recliners with zero padding left, directTV that barely functions, and dark colors.
And totally agree on the TVs. It is the option of easily having something to watch, or the map. Or briefly watching a show during the meal before working/ reading, or having a show on in the background while working. Just ups the flight's pleasant factor.
How did it feel booking first and being the 737th person to board the plane?
Um, that is not the NEXT interior. It's called New F. NEXT has a different seat and a privacy divider.
I've been really impressed with the strides UA and AA have been making in domestic premium cabins. Obviously they still have a looong way to go to match many foreign carrier shorthaul products, but still.
Pretty sure UA still has more preorder options than AA nowadays. On AA you get 2 basic meal choices (a veg and nonveg) along with a preorder cheese plate, green bowl, short rib, and now beef sliders.
But I like that they have grown up Fourlokos ie. Canned espresso martinis
I saw this on the United subreddit. It's United catering's take on Magnolia's famous banana pudding but uses mass-use ingredients such as a type of highly-processed soybean oil which is not used in the original banana pudding you can buy at physical Magnolia locations that use "common household" ingredients.
https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/s/wodAe4AptS
I was on UA from DC to DFW the other day and it had to have the oldest interior on a major US airline in service today. It hadn’t been refreshed since CO, and still had little video screens with a credit card swipe on the side. Their boarding system is also weird. I was in “Group 1” and was literally the sixth boarding group called, after pre-boards, active duty, GS, 1K, and families with...
I was on UA from DC to DFW the other day and it had to have the oldest interior on a major US airline in service today. It hadn’t been refreshed since CO, and still had little video screens with a credit card swipe on the side. Their boarding system is also weird. I was in “Group 1” and was literally the sixth boarding group called, after pre-boards, active duty, GS, 1K, and families with kids. If they’re going to have a numbering system, just be honest and put Group 6 on my boarding card.
One will give this Boeing a miss and await your Airbus review Ben.
Typical star alliance quality. Skyteam carriers have a lot to learn
you could have just left it well enough and congratulated UA for what it is done....
but UA, US anchor for Star, has precisely ZERO aircraft in service now with free high speed WiFi and about half of its fleet with AVOD.
In contrast, all of DL's mainline domestic aircraft have high speed WiFi and seatback AVOD except for the 717s
Ben just covered Air France in Europe and he covers LH esp. quite a...
you could have just left it well enough and congratulated UA for what it is done....
but UA, US anchor for Star, has precisely ZERO aircraft in service now with free high speed WiFi and about half of its fleet with AVOD.
In contrast, all of DL's mainline domestic aircraft have high speed WiFi and seatback AVOD except for the 717s
Ben just covered Air France in Europe and he covers LH esp. quite a bit.
We all get the fanboyism but actual facts clearly argue AGAINST your statement.
Again, UA has done a great job and they aren't done - but neither is DL - and for that matter, AA may decide to wake up and realize how badly they have missed the mark.
You can never leave well enough alone. Across multiple blogs.
I didn't expand on Ben's appropriate and limited comparison of the big 3; someone else did. I also didn't see a need to make a derogatory statement which is actually factually incorrect.
Funny how so many people want to stir the pot and claim I do the same but really can't stand when I make accurate and factual statements - mostly that let the air out of incessant baseless bragging.
UA is making great progress...
I didn't expand on Ben's appropriate and limited comparison of the big 3; someone else did. I also didn't see a need to make a derogatory statement which is actually factually incorrect.
Funny how so many people want to stir the pot and claim I do the same but really can't stand when I make accurate and factual statements - mostly that let the air out of incessant baseless bragging.
UA is making great progress and is following a product playbook which Delta developed among the big 3. and DL's playbook isn't one where it necessarily developed all of the elements.
and neither DL or UA are through w/ their massive cabin refurbushing/technology upgrades.
Just leave it with the facts and we can all get along just fine here.
“all of DL's mainline domestic aircraft have high speed WiFi and seatback AVOD except for the 717s“
Aka. Delta STILL doesn’t have high speed WiFi on their mainline planes and purposefully maintains an inconsistent product.
Nice job omitting the wide bodies though ;)
Quite the norm for delta travelers to be on a 14 hour flight with no working WiFi. Not the case on aa or United
Grow up
I will take an AA A321 first seat over the UA or Delta too tight configs up front. They both got that bad packing it in.
Hahahahaha, crybaby Dunn strikes again!
What is interesting Ben is that there are different iterations of United Next. This plane was an early one.
The newer first seat going in now has USB C, hardish shell, wireless charging, the mini divider between seats, etc.
It’s interesting to see how they are doing the retrofit. If it’s a plane that received an interior overhaul shortly before Next was announced, they are coming back in and retrofitting the screens into...
What is interesting Ben is that there are different iterations of United Next. This plane was an early one.
The newer first seat going in now has USB C, hardish shell, wireless charging, the mini divider between seats, etc.
It’s interesting to see how they are doing the retrofit. If it’s a plane that received an interior overhaul shortly before Next was announced, they are coming back in and retrofitting the screens into the existing seats and space bins. But if it’s a new delivery plane or an older seat, they are ripping it out and putting in the latest tech/design seat.
Will be curious what you think of the newest iteration when you fly it as it is different than what you saw on this trip. Not saying it is day and night better but the incremental improvements are meaningful. Good shot of getting it on the a321.
Ben wrote ‘ plus the banana pudding for Magnolia Bakery (which seems to have a cult following, but I’m not sure why?).’
Oh my. Yes, I have been thinking the same thing for years. No idea why it is so popular with some people. Overpriced desserts. Service sucks as they actually make rude comments to you. I bought a variety of things and the store employee’s remark that he made on his own as I...
Ben wrote ‘ plus the banana pudding for Magnolia Bakery (which seems to have a cult following, but I’m not sure why?).’
Oh my. Yes, I have been thinking the same thing for years. No idea why it is so popular with some people. Overpriced desserts. Service sucks as they actually make rude comments to you. I bought a variety of things and the store employee’s remark that he made on his own as I did not say or do any thing rude was ‘What kind of a friend you are. You are going to give your friends a heart attack’. So, I had to reply in kind by simply and sarcastically saying ‘yes’. He had no idea that it was a party with dozens of people (like around 30-40 people) there so definitely needed to bring enough for everyone.
Magnolia Bakery was a setting in Sex & the City way back and is most famous for excellent red velvet cupcakes. A home run item combined with a 90's/early 00's iconic TV show is what created the hype. Also, those new espresso martinis they are serving use Intelligentsia coffee (Chicago's answer to Oakland's Blue Bottle coffee) - great quality coffee!
Looks kind of "meh". United is very much a different airline than it was just a few years ago, but two things keep me from flying them. Newark. The other is the Max. I simply will not fly on that piece of junk.
Let's not forget how awful the Max bathrooms are. It's worth avoiding just for that.
How was the legroom/under seat storage? I've found traditionally that there was a trade-off between legroom and seat back entertainment, but I didn't notice that in your pictures.
Good under seat on these 737s with the 'not newest F seats.'
the truly newest the 'NEXT' product on newer Maxes has less room.
Ben, I am a huge fan of United (and fly them a lot), and I was wondering how many miles would it take to upgrade on a flight from Dayton (KDAY) to Washington Dulles (KIAD) in late May? Thank you so much for your time,
Daily blog reader
No first class on the E145 that usually operates that route
I fly DAY-IAD a few times a year. United flies ERJ145 on that route - no first class. Just 1-2 seating with the whole plane. Buy cheap economy and sit in the back on the side with 1 seat.
Am impressed
you DIDN’T GET the CRAB CAKES special???
@ Willem -- I would've, but... bacon!
@ Willem -- You should know this by now! Ben says pigs are as smart as dogs, so eating pig is like eating a puppy.
Those poor dumb fish...