Enduring United Economy Class from Tokyo Direct to Seattle

October 5, 2011 at 12:33 PM | by JetSetCD | Comments (7)

Last week we found ourselves way in the back of a United 777 flying direct from Tokyo-Narita to Seattle-Tacoma in economy class. Yes, believe it. Thankfully we scored an aisle seat, but that was about the only positive. Here's a little review of our experience:

What we liked:
· Seatback TVs! Holy crap, we weren't expecting that considering the United 777 on the way over (from SFO to NRT) didn't have them.
· Two square meals were served. Granted, the turbulence during the first one didn't allow for us to get up and grab our camera from the overhead bin, but it wasn't too bad. Chicken over rice.
· The flight left and arrived on time, so there's that.

What we didn't like:
· The blanket was no better than a postage stamp. It was extra small! It was extra thin and you could see through it! We froze the entire flight despite wearing a sweater and managing to get two blankets.
· The flight crew was older than our parents, both of whom are long retired. It made us a bit scared during turbulence, lest someone break a hip.
· If you wanted to watch more than the 3-4 movies and TV shows on demand, you had to swipe your credit card and pay for it. No way, no how!
· Having to walk through the awesome business class before reaching our seat all the way back in the plane.

Bottom line: As much as it pains us to say this, it wasn't all that bad. You can't ask for much in economy long-haul from a US carrier these days, so the fact that we got both a seatback TV and reasonable legroom is mildly amazing. If anything, the bottom line is to always take a foreign carrier long-haul when possible. In this case it wasn't possible because we needed to fly direct from Tokyo to Seattle, and that would be United's territory.

[Photos: Jaunted]

Comments (7)

Return to » Enduring United Economy Class from Tokyo Direct to Seattle

For some of us Americans, while we realize that a few creature comforts might be "better" from a foreign carrier, I for one will not fly on one when a perfectly good American-provided service is available. Most foreign carriers are operating on huge subsidies from their governments, which is undermining the free market for air travel. If we all took your advice, there would be no mainline US carriers left. It is shortsighted and unpatriotic.

in response to jim, i am thankfully counting my lucky stars that i'm not american and therefore don't have to be bound to the woeful US carriers. i can't wait to go east some more and try out some of the Middle East/Asian airlines (apart from, um, Air Asia X)

See, that's the thing. We don't have to be bound to the US carriers just because we're American. It has nothing to do with patriotism and let's not make it about that. It's just a a fact.

What an ill-informed, snarky post. Three points: ALL UA international 777s have seat back screens in economy. New config has the credit card swipe and AVOD; old-style has old-style films running in loops on several channels. If you didn't have it on the way over it was because you weren't flying a 777. Duh. The SFO-NRT route is 747s which shamefully do not have seat back screens. But that doesn't excuse you for posting snark based on your inability to accurately report facts. Maybe you had a problem with the ethnicity r religion of the FAs as well? Your ageist comment is pathetic and worthy of a Mad Men-era dinosaur who wants "cute gals". I like the vet UA flight attendants, they know what folks want and see that they get it. Finally, economy is economy. A few foreign carriers offer decent economy service but most offer a generic Y-class experience. Hop on an LH 747 and you're as bad off as a UA 747 and there's no Economy Plus option etc. I'm no UA fanboy (I simply like the tons of miles I get from Mileage Plus) but try to show both insight and a vague grasp of basic reporting before you post.

Thanks, ryanvb. You beat me to it. I hate it when people complain about economy class. Complaints are especially bad when coming from a travel blog! Believe it or not, most of us normal folks are going to be in economy. But, one thing I find absolutely unforgivable is the ageist comment about the flight attendants. Aside from being ageist, it's plain stupid. Which flight attendant would you want in an emergency: the new 20-something or the 20-year veteran who probably has already been through a similar situation?

@ryanvb We did fly a 777 over from SFO to NRT, and it was not a 747, and it did not have the new seats or configuration, and here's the proof: http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/15/61333/3374/travel/The+Positives+and+Negatives+of+United+777+B usiness+Class+Between+SFO+and+Tokyo. We made a point to walk back to economy to double-check. Also, as a travel site we *can* complain. Do you want to hear all good things while the bad things are hidden? Didn't think so. I knew someone would accuse me of being ageist over the FA comment. It's just that this was the oldest crew I've ever had and were definitely past retirement age in the US.

Wow. I'm rather stunned, JetSetCD. You knew you were being ageist, but you wrote it anyway. I find discrimination of any kind to be abhorrent. If a Jaunted/Hotel Chatter writer thinks it's okay to discriminate based on age, I think it's time I stop coming here.

Jaunted

Select a Destination:

Flight Reviews / Photo Gallery / United / SEA / NRT / Economy Class Travel / → All Tags