First time flying United. I usually fly Delta, Frontier, Alaska or Southwest.
While I may have thought flying is just an experience you have to accept comes with inconveniences.. United helped me take it to a brand new level.
The boarding process was tedious and long compared to other airlines I’ve flown. Both of my flights were delayed in boarding, departure and then of course arrival. Thankfully United provided me with a 2 1/2 hour layover in O’Hare so I had no concerns about missing my connecting flight.
It appears they’d done a number of upgrades inside the cabin – seating and so forth. Initially I thought, “great, maybe this will be a better experience in comfort..”. They removed the bulked up headrests from the seats which is a HUGE improvement no matter what airline in my opinion, which is the only reason I didn’t give them 1-star. Aside from that the cushioning for sitting that long was nearly unbearable. I’m a petite 120 and was constantly shifting around and trying to get comfortable on a 4 hour flight. I would’ve stood up some during the flight to relieve the discomfort, except we experienced heavy turbulence through most of it and had to remain seated.
Additionally, the Wi-Fi in the air was non-existent. Oh, it was installed and according to the stewardess working (though “spotty”). Neither me nor my flight-mate could connect with any device we had. I had planned to work throughout the entire flight (requiring wi-fi), and had planned so in advance by booking a flight with a carrier who provided in-flight wi-fi, so this was a huge inconvenience for me.
Also, zero beverage service on this particular flight. A few people in the cabin who’d apparently pre-ordered meals when booking their flight were offered a selection to choose from and beverages, the rest of us were out of luck.
I’ll be avoiding United from here forward at all costs.
