The best way to set the tone for this United 737-800 Economy Plus review to inform you that it has taken me 3 months to muster the strength to get it done.
Sure, I liked the extra legroom. Being seated near the front of the aircraft was pretty sweet too.
But F me it’s an interesting product to write about.
UA2309
San Diego, CA (SAN) – San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Monday, April 29, 2024
Aircraft: 737-824
Registration: N78511
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
Seat: 10A (Economy Plus)
A quick ‘n dirty review of United 737-800 Economy Plus from San Diego to San Francisco
This is going to be a little bit different from my normal airline reviews. Instead of doing it “nerdy trip report style” (showing the entire process from arrival at the departing airport to the arrival at the destination), I’m only going to focus on what matters most: the seat and the service.
Those of you just dying to know what the entire experience was like can check out the video:
Seat overview
“Economy Plus” is United’s enhanced economy class product. It features approximately 3 additional inches of leg room over a standard economy class seat, which (in my humble opinion) is quite noticeable.
FYI, I declare these seats to be every bit as spacious as the competition: Alaska Airlines Premium Class, Delta Airlines Comfort Plus, and American Airlines Main Cabin Extra.
In-flight entertainment
In-flight entertainment in Economy Plus on the 737-800 is very dated (and nowhere near as nice as what you saw in my United 737 MAX 8 Economy Plus review). It’s exactly the same as it is in first class and basic economy. There are video screens at every seat featuring live television channels via DIRECTV.
If you’re like me and you hate the idea of being forced to watch Live TV, you’ll be happy to know that there’s an entire catalog of streaming movies and TV shows you can access via your personal device. Hallelujah!
These older 737-800’s are also Wi-Fi enabled. Text messaging is free, but you’ll have to pay for Internet access.
Snacks and drinks
I’m of the age that I remember when they actually served premium snacks in Economy Plus. Those days (just like my hairline) are long gone.
There is no meal service in Economy Plus. The only thing you’re going to get is a basic snack and a basic drink (alcohol is available for purchase). On some flights, you’ll be able to purchase a slightly more substantial snack from the in-flight menu. It wasn’t available on this particular hop up to SFO.
Pros and cons
Other than having nearly the same amount of leg room as first class, there aren’t many advantages to sitting in Economy Plus on the 737-800 IMHO. Especially if you’re 5’-10” and under. It’s an out of date experience in desperate need of a refresh. Thankfully, that refresh is coming soon.
Pros
- What’s not to like about extra legroom (unless you’re 5’-4”)?
- Being able to board before lowly basic economy passengers is cool I guess.
- These are the seats you want to sit in if you’ve got a tight connection and you need to get off the plane ASAP.
Cons
- The seats are just as narrow as the ones you’ll get in basic economy.
- Food and drinks are exactly the same as well. Which isn’t saying much.
- Enough with the DIRECTV already!
Ozzy
hello scott! i just recently flew on united 737max8 economy from den-pdx and it had very big and responsive screens also the food sucked on that 2h30m flight too! all i got was a choclate quinoa crisp and a coca cola. the overall flight was good though. on another flight on delta from pdx-slc on a 737-900er i got served a much better snack chedder cheese sun chips almonds and dark choclate cookie squares plus since i was a skymiles member i got free wifi! i think united might have to step up there game to compete with delta!
Scott (SANspotter)
You’re lucky for having the opportunity to fly on a United MAX 8 – I still haven’t been able to do it yet. Sounds like I’m not missing much though if the quality of onboard service is the same as everything else.
But you’re right about Delta IMHO. It’s usually a better experience – even in economy.
Ozzy
im going to leave for panama city florida on the 14 pdx-atl-ecp did you make a review of delta a321neo comfort+? also when is your next trip????? a suggestion for your next trip to hawaii is going to be a delta one a330-300 nonstop from atl-hnl you should also fly the longest island hopping route from koa-lih when your there next time.
Scott (SANspotter)
No review of Delta A321neo Comfort Plus yet – but I’ve been trying! Hopefully soon.
I’m headed off on another trip to Asia soon. I’ve got a lot of fun flights scheduled, and the reviews for all of them should be really fun to put together.
Sounds like some good ideas for my next trip out to the islands! ATL-HNL sounds pretty fun actually.