United Airlines now offers its passengers travelling from either Melbourne or Sydney to it’s US West Coast hubs of Los Angeles and San Francisco additional comfort by using their brand new, technologically advanced Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner’s exclusively from Sydney to Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as from Melbourne to Los Angeles.
The Boeing Dreamliner has been a revolution for passenger comfort with medium and long-haul passengers in every cabin claiming they are arriving more refreshed at their destination due to the increased amount of humidity present in the cabin, and the feeling of a bigger, more spacious cabin reducing the overall effect of jet-lag on tired travellers flying from Australia’s East Coast to the West Coast of America.
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United Airlines, have laid claim that some passengers have exclaimed to them in feedback on the new aircraft, that they are not feeling the effects of jetlag at all, after completing the 14+ hour journey in either direction, the airline did not say if the same passengers were seated in economy or first class.
Other improved passenger comforts on the United 787 Dreamliner is the increased size of the windows, allowing all passengers a better view no matter where in the plane they are sitting, and importantly for all passengers, a significant increase in the size of the lavatories on-board.
One aspect where American based airlines are truly leading the way over their Australian counterparts is in their offering of inflight WiFi on flights across the Pacific. Both United Airlines and the newly relaunched American Airlines offer inflight WiFi for all passengers travelling between Australia and the U.S. Passengers in all cabins can access emails and social media during their flight for a flat fee of US$17 for the entire flight – not a bad way to share with your friends back home that you are jetting across the Pacific on a holiday to the Big Apple.
Also read: American Airlines resumes Sydney to Los Angeles flights
United Airlines offers Australians visiting New York the opportunity to fly daily from either Sydney or Melbourne with one stop flights available via Los Angeles or San Francisco before continuing on to Newark International Airport, located adjacent to Manhattan in New Jersey.
In launching an all 787-9 fleet on its Australia-America routes, Australia has become the first international market to be serviced completely by this new era in aviation technology
As United has reduced the overall number of seats available by replacing its older Boeing 747 with its new nimbler cousin, the airline also decided to remove its First Class cabin from the new jet. This is reflective of an industry trend seeing airlines around the world opt for a reduction in first class seating whilst increasing the number of business class or premium economy seats offered.
Related: Qantas drops First Class on some Sydney to Los Angeles flights
Whilst it has removed its First class cabin, United does offer a limited premium economy product in conjunction to its Business Class and Economy seats. If you are tempted to compare the 3 class offerings from some of its competitors on the route, The United Economy Plus is a poor excuse of a Premium Economy seat when compared to Qantas Premium Economy.
United’s version offers the same seat as Economy however with a little more leg room, an extra 3 inches. These seats are available free to MilePlus members with Premier Gold status or higher, which is a similar tactic that American Airlines uses for its Main Cabin Extra seating options.
United’s flights from both Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles and its flight from Sydney to Los Angeles each provide for convenient connections to its domestic network and also offer Australians flying through to New York multiple same day connections to New York.
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Have you flown on United’s new Boeing 787? Let us know what you thought in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
Who flies what aircraft across the Pacific
| United Airlines | Boeing 787-900 |
| Qantas | Airbus A380-800 Boeing 747-438 |
| American Airlines | Boeing 777-300ER |
| Delta Air Lines | Boeing 777-300ER |
| Virgin Australia | Boeing 777-300ER |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Airbus 330-200 |
| Air Canada | Boeing 777-200ER |
