United Airlines Bkk-nrt-lax-phx

[andyc2006]

I hear a lot of bluehair flight attendants, as well as $5.00 drinks. No free drinks on Int'l route.

I checked on that ( even though I don't drink on a plane..wanna be fully coherent if shit goes sour ) and they are again handing out free alcoholic beverages on trans pacific flights.

Don't mind the bluehair FA, keeps my mind from perverse thoughts for 10 hrs ( I was going crazy on China Air & Singapore Airlines.. even was dreaming that they were all naked..and asking me what I wanted )

I'm curious on how the aircraft are, old, new, crappy..inflight entertainment, seating ( yeah, I'm in the back and if that bad, I'll try to upgrade..)

I'm a UA flyer, Global Services/100K, but I have bad news for you.

If you don't have "status" with them, and you're flying in the back, you're better off selecting a different airline.

The BKK/NRT route is difficult to upgrade if you don't have 100K status ("roughly" flying 100,000 miles/year on UA). If you're on one of the cheap fare classes, you won't be able to upgrade it anyway (H is the lowest economy-class ticket available for an international upgrade using mileage -- which you probably won't have, and V is the lowest fare class for systemwide upgrades on international tickets, but only 100K flyers have them).

The NRT/LAX route is an easy-to-upgrade segment, but you still either need mileage or systemwide upgrades to do that, and you need to do it from the appropriate fare classes (H or V at the lowest, depending on how you upgrade).

You'll get much better responses if you ask your question on flyertalk.com, in the "United Airlines" forum, but my 2 cents after flying 700,000 miles on UA in the last 10 years... if you're in the back and you don't have status, buy up to the front or select a different airline (or prepare for a miserable 17+ hours).

Now, if you're in Biz or First, the BKK/NRT route is now serviced by one of their upgraded 747s, and has lay-flat "suites" in both cabins. It's a nice ride up-front -- I sleep well in the beds.

Since UA layed-off its Thai and Singapore flight crews last year, unfortunately the service on the Asian flights is inconsistent. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Oh, one last tip for buying UA tickets from Bangkok... UA has a contracted office on Silom (I think it's in the TMB building) that'll get you the best fares, including the discounted business fares (ask about Z and D fares). They work wonders. Thai staff, and they've been downsized too in the last year, but they're still doing a good job with fewer people. Their email is [email protected]

[andyc2006]

UAL is good especially if you get the young asian flight attendants. (normally see them West bound and the old blue hairs east bound)

Umm... don't you wonder how they get back home if they only work in 1 direction? They canned their Thai & Singapore-based flight attendants in 2008, btw. Now they only have Japan-based and US-based flight attendants.

Drinks are free once again. 777 are better than the 747. (no seatback vids on the 747)

Correct on both accounts.

The UA service has finally been overhauled with the new seating arrangements and aircraft interiors. The BKK route was one of the last to get the refreshing and boy it needed it.

Service is worse, now that they ditched their SEA flight crews, imho.

They have refurbished about 1/3 of their international 777/767/747 fleet, and the 747 that normally runs between BKK & NRT was in that batch, which makes the BK route one of the first to "get the refreshing," not the last.

But... they barely changed the economy cabins. Their focus was on the business cabin (but they did some work on the first-class cabin too). Still no seatback IFE on the 747s in economy class, and the seats in economy class are the same.

[Tim207]

The UA service has finally been overhauled with the new seating arrangements and aircraft interiors. The BKK route was one of the last to get the refreshing and boy it needed it.

Does that mean they updated the entertainment system? Last I flew from Bangkok was in April and they still had the projection screens.

[Tim207]

So, no seat back entertainment on the 777 ?

As of April they still were using projection screens.

[britmaveric]

^Again 777 have seatback videos.

[maxman71]

Heading home next month, first time in a couple of years to spend time w/ kids and grandkids. Cheapest I could find was United Airlines. ( All the way into Phoenix )

Any recent experiences ?

Bkk-Nrt 747

Nrt-Lax 777

Haven't ever used an American carrier on this route, so was wondering..

Thx

~ John

I am a UA 1K member and fly the BKK-Tokyo-Chicago/SFO-Toronto circuit a lot. I must say UA has been trying to improve their overall service and for the most part, they have been successful. Granted, by being a 1K member I get seated in Econ Plus at no extra charge, and occasionally get upgraded to Biz class when Econ is sold out and they want to free up more econ seats to sell and 1K members are the first to get free upgrades. All in all, I have been flying about 400K miles a year during the last 3 years or so on UA, Thai and other Star Alliance airlines. Until just recently, I genuinely believed that Asian-based airlines had it all over US-based airlines. But with the econ downturn, Thai Airways has been slipping, Singapore Air is pretty snooty and cumbersome to deal with as well as expensive, Cathay Pacific has also gone downhill. UA is looking better and better, and their rates can be most reasonable, just depends when you book them. Drinks are now free in their Asia Pac flights. Attendants are decent.

[maxman71]

Heading home next month, first time in a couple of years to spend time w/ kids and grandkids. Cheapest I could find was United Airlines. ( All the way into Phoenix )

Any recent experiences ?

Bkk-Nrt 747

Nrt-Lax 777

Haven't ever used an American carrier on this route, so was wondering..

Thx

~ John

Further comment on the recent UA change to provide free drinks on APAC flights. Several months ago I was on a flight from BKK to LAX. I ordered two red wines as I usually do and was told they could only sell one at a time. I told the attendant that this was the first time I ever heard about it and had always been served two for the asking on UA flights. While she hauled out the 5 inch thick Regulations Binder to show me the Reg, another attendant was serving a guy in the row in front of me two drinks!!! The binder-toting attendant was speechless and I further informed her that the whole notion of charging for drinks on a long-haul flight was absurd. I also participate in UA's online flight surveys/questionnaires and I am not shy about telling it like it is to them. One time I even got a personal email response from some UA exec in the US. Soon after the two-drink fiasco, UA changed their pay-for-drinks policy. Maybe my experience and griping had something to do with that, maybe it didn't. All in all, UA is trying to improve and I am happy to have reached 1K status with them, although a few years ago I would have never have stated as such.

[gpdjohn]

For good or bad ..

It's gunna beat a MAC flight anyday and I don't have to sit on the wing.

Live and learn. Hopefully I will get home to see my family safe and sound.

Too bad they still don't make qualudes..

[sbk]

Well, I can't complain too much about UA. My seatback video screen didn't work, I said something to the flight attendant, not that I watch it but that it needed to be repaired. She filled out a customer appreciation card, which I just redeemed for 9000 miles.