codc10 wrote:

amtravels wrote:

cosyr wrote:

...On another note, any realistic chance that the new-to-UA CRJ-900s get IFE? Was just reading an article about DL's A220s with IFE and man, do they look nice!

I just hope Mesa does *something* to the interiors of those CR9s before they go on the UAX CPA. At least vacuum, please…

That's probably asking too much of JO and Mesa.

codc10 wrote:

I just hope Mesa does *something* to the interiors of those CR9s before they go on the UAX CPA. At least vacuum, please…

Andrew Nocella mentioned in the earnings call that the CR9s were going to be 70-seaters. According to aa.com, the CR9s are currently fitted with either 76 or 79 seats so there's definitely some seat-shuffling (and vacuuming) going on.

Here's a topic to debate for you all... Is UA missing an opportunity to roll out an innovative new domestic F seat as it adds hundreds of new narrowbodies to the fleet?

UA is in an interesting position. Their current F seat was custom-designed by PriestmanGoode and rolled out in 2015, so it's not that old. However, the competition is upping the ante and UA has a unique opportunity in adding hundreds of new F seats (and planes) to the fleet.

If UA doesn't push a new F seat now, then when?
I know it's not exactly apples-to-apples, but it reminds me of UA taking delivery of 787-9s with the old J seat after the Polaris project had started, only to retrofit them with Polaris later.

What could an "innovative new domestic F seat" look like?
IMO, the competition (DL) provides a glimpse into what the next iteration of UA's domestic F seat could look like.

Aesthetically, the new DL domestic F seats blow anything from UA and AA away. Now, functionally, the seats offer more privacy; the merits of which can be appreciated when traveling solo, but debated when traveling with others. Adjustable height wings would be nice for taller people. DL's are fixed.

New DL F seat (A321neo):
(source: OMAAT)

Current UA F seat (737 Max 9):

(source: Live and Let's Fly)

Turkish Air uses the same MiQ seat as United uses in Premium Economy but they have added privacy partitions, as seen here. As mentioned, UA uses their own bespoke F seat, otherwise they could easily add the same off-the-shelf MiQ partition.

(source: OMAAT)

Tl;dr: United is touting their "signature interior" with the addition of hundreds of narrowbodies to the fleet. DL has upped the domestic F seat game, and for UA to provide a truly "signature" interior, they need an answer to DL's F seat. If United wants a signature interior, they should go all out. No half-measures.

Thoughts?

The United Domestic first seat is good, although yes, compared to the brand new Delta seat, its lacking. Another big issue with the United First seat, is a major design flaw with its tray table, and I'm sure many of you can relate, its quite a workout opening/closing the tractable when you have drinks in the armrest.

I do have hope that with the introduction of the NEO/Next retrofits, we will eventually see an updated or outright new version of the current seat.

The one thing I do like about the UA domestic First seat (which rarely gets talked about) is how the butt seat cushion slides forward when you recline. I personally feel it does make the recline feel better despite the actual recline being just a few inches.
I also like the laptop storage.

The granite tray was nice, too bad it never really worked as it should have. But it sure doesn’t look that special vs the new Delta seat. I do not think that UA is going to change the seat design- they would have unveiled something by now to go with the NB signature interior. But whadda I know?

If the FOOD and service was amazing in the current seat they could still win up front!

I haven’t tried UA’s newest domestic F seat, but one common complaint you’ll find with the DL A321neo F seat (and Delta One suites) is the terrible nearly non-existent cushioning. How is UA in that regards?

Honestly, I'd be a little bit surprised if the A321neo/MAX 10 don't get delivered with a new F seat.

edit: When I think about it more, if UA was going to make a change, it would(should IMO) have been done with the introduction of NEXT.

Polot wrote:

I haven’t tried UA’s newest domestic F seat, but one common complaint you’ll find with the DL A321neo F seat (and Delta One suites) is the terrible nearly non-existent cushioning. How is UA in that regards?

The domestic F seat is a bit too firm when they are brand new. I fly United A LOT, and I have noticed that when the new seat is not so new the cushioning is softer. I guess after a few thousand butts in the seat break them in.

It’s funny you mention the cushioning on the Delta One seat. I have not sat in one yet but I have noticed in the pictures that the seat looks only a few inches deep. I find the Polaris seat to be very comfortable and cushioned well enough. (I prefer a firm bed anyway). When Polaris was first unveiled I remember Oscar saying “we focused on being the best sleep possible” and I personally believe they met that goal. (and United bedding in Polaris always ranks very high) I find that the seating modes and flat bed are both very comfortable and…long enough. (I’m exactly 6ft)

VC10er wrote:

The one thing I do like about the UA domestic First seat (which rarely gets talked about) is how the butt seat cushion slides forward when you recline. I personally feel it does make the recline feel better despite the actual recline being just a few inches.
I also like the laptop storage.

The granite tray was nice, too bad it never really worked as it should have. But it sure doesn’t look that special vs the new Delta seat. I do not think that UA is going to change the seat design- they would have unveiled something by now to go with the NB signature interior. But whadda I know?

If the FOOD and service was amazing in the current seat they could still win up front!

I discovered some extra benefits of the new F seat when flying with our 11 month old this month. The Storage under the armrest was very valuable, but nothing was more useful than the cup holder area below the drink tray. I asked the FA for a coke in the can, instead of a glass, and I put it down there, and when my daughter got squirmy, she couldn't knock anything off the tray. Now that seatback TV's are coming back, I want for nothing. Those DL seats look flashy, but it's almost a little weird to have a privacy divider on a 2 or 3 hour domestic flight. If those seats were exclusively for long flights to South America or something, cool, but I was flying with my wife, and it would actually have been annoying to talk around them.

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

cosyr wrote:

VC10er wrote:

The one thing I do like about the UA domestic First seat (which rarely gets talked about) is how the butt seat cushion slides forward when you recline. I personally feel it does make the recline feel better despite the actual recline being just a few inches.
I also like the laptop storage.

The granite tray was nice, too bad it never really worked as it should have. But it sure doesn’t look that special vs the new Delta seat. I do not think that UA is going to change the seat design- they would have unveiled something by now to go with the NB signature interior. But whadda I know?

If the FOOD and service was amazing in the current seat they could still win up front!

I discovered some extra benefits of the new F seat when flying with our 11 month old this month. The Storage under the armrest was very valuable, but nothing was more useful than the cup holder area below the drink tray. I asked the FA for a coke in the can, instead of a glass, and I put it down there, and when my daughter got squirmy, she couldn't knock anything off the tray. Now that seatback TV's are coming back, I want for nothing. Those DL seats look flashy, but it's almost a little weird to have a privacy divider on a 2 or 3 hour domestic flight. If those seats were exclusively for long flights to South America or something, cool, but I was flying with my wife, and it would actually have been annoying to talk around them.

Ditto, haven’t tried the DL seat, though I would imagine traveling with a companion would not be great. I care more about comfort and functionality that an appearance.

VC10er wrote:

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

Agreed. I was excited to see Economy Plus in “Premium Purple” when the Max 8 came out, and was quickly disappointed when they reverted back to blue after only a few planes. I can’t imagine purple seat covers are THAT much more expensive than blue for 40-odd seats per plane…

Edit: in case you forgot what the purple seats look(ed) like, this article does a great job of showcasing the contrast between all the seat colors: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-ne ... 737-max-8/

Maybe it was a supplier issue? Disappointing nonetheless fingers crossed they bring purple back on the Next retrofits.

intotheair wrote:

As the first Next-refitted aircraft enters into service sometime soon, I wonder if we'll see a new safety video now that we'll see PTVs on certain fleet types again (319/320) and some new aircraft types (321, 737-10). The Airbus fleet hasn't had a safety video ever since they removed the drop-down LCDs and slimlined the fleet shortly after the merger. The current video is also pushing three years old, but it's mostly just a re-edit of parts of prior videos that are almost five years old. It might be time for something fresh.

“This Airbus A319 is equipped with 6 exit doors…”

airplanedriver6 wrote:

amtravels wrote:

On another note, any realistic chance that the new-to-UA CRJ-900s get IFE?

Realistic chance? No.

Not only is it unlikely for practical reasons, IMHO those airframes are a temporary stop-gap. UAL was working very hard to get CRJs out of the fleet (except for the 550s) and now finds itself in the position of adding additional airframes while there are E175s sitting in storage. I would not be surprised to see these -900s go away quickly as crews are transitioned to the 175s.

Right. And the Express fleet doesn’t have TVs. Not even the 550s.

VC10er wrote:

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

Absolutely!
Disappointed purple isn’t being used for Economy Plus anymore, as it was on the first batch of MAX 8s.

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

STT757 wrote:

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

“scoliosis” LOLOLOLOL!!!

I have a touch of scoliosis. Slimline seats make it worse.

amtravels wrote:

VC10er wrote:

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

Agreed. I was excited to see Economy Plus in “Premium Purple” when the Max 8 came out, and was quickly disappointed when they reverted back to blue after only a few planes. I can’t imagine purple seat covers are THAT much more expensive than blue for 40-odd seats per plane…

Edit: in case you forgot what the purple seats look(ed) like, this article does a great job of showcasing the contrast between all the seat colors: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-ne ... 737-max-8/

Maybe it was a supplier issue? Disappointing nonetheless fingers crossed they bring purple back on the Next retrofits.

My guess is that it’s not a cost issue. After 24 years at Landor I came to learn that many airlines are afraid of color. They opt for being very conservative vs committing to a color or distinctive pattern. I’m sure we all remember United’s rainbow Economy seats? They outlived the livery they were launched with. They get the willies thinking that years down the line that either the flier or management will get tired of the commitment to a design or color.
IF IT WAS UP TO ME, I would just color the sides of the headrest. Plus I would choose a different color (I think I’d have to see the approved color palate again) - perhaps the turquoise? I might want premium purple dedicated to the international PP seats. Either they should go for differentiation over NOT different. People like to be surrounded by color, ergo the new lighting.
Imho.

amtravels wrote:

VC10er wrote:

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

Agreed. I was excited to see Economy Plus in “Premium Purple” when the Max 8 came out, and was quickly disappointed when they reverted back to blue after only a few planes. I can’t imagine purple seat covers are THAT much more expensive than blue for 40-odd seats per plane…

Edit: in case you forgot what the purple seats look(ed) like, this article does a great job of showcasing the contrast between all the seat colors: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-ne ... 737-max-8/

Maybe it was a supplier issue? Disappointing nonetheless fingers crossed they bring purple back on the Next retrofits.

I think the main issue was brand consistency. Purple seats on a 737 and purple seats on a 787 are two completely different thing and I think UA realized that after a few aircraft. It was one of those things that would make sense if they changed E+ on the wide body fleet to the same thing and made PP a new color.

Continental767 wrote:

STT757 wrote:

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

They look similar, but those are definitely new seats. The indentation on the tray table is different. Also, the existing seats weren't designed with IFE, and some of them might be pushing 10 years old, so they're definitely due for replacement.

Please discuss the topic and drop the exhausting UA vs. CO debate. It's been a dozen years — let it go.

✈️ atcsundevil

From the 787 thread: 15FEB LN1122 N17015 UA 2nd to last 78J in the original batch due Feb 15.

intotheair wrote:

Continental767 wrote:

STT757 wrote:

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

They look similar, but those are definitely new seats. The indentation on the tray table is different. Also, the existing seats weren't designed with IFE, and some of them might be pushing 10 years old, so they're definitely due for replacement.

I’m betting the seats are the same as old. They appear to have replaced the top portion to accommodate IFE and the tray table and latch mechanism. I bet the rest of the seat is the same. Hell, those seatback pockets look like they’re already stretched out!

Continental767 wrote:

STT757 wrote:

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

Bins to be installed on the Airbus fleet: https://twitter.com/skibo75/status/1620605565901893634

Looks like they are going with the Zodiac ECOS product for the Airbus retrofit. We should see new PSUs and hopefully sidewalls. DL 319s use the same product. AA does not.

Also the seat colors are the same grey, if they were new I would imagine they would get the same blue colors as the rest of United’s fleet. Why did they go with grey on the A320s in the first place?

STT757 wrote:

Also the seat colors are the same grey, if they were new I would imagine they would get the same blue colors as the rest of United’s fleet. Why did they go with grey on the A320s in the first place?

Those seats look re-covered in blue to me. The gray covers were light gray - always hated them. They look ULCC cheap…

amtravels wrote:

Continental767 wrote:

STT757 wrote:

New seats to be installed.https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620526422250119169?s=46&t=0HupcAuIPRtAVIlygChO3g

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

Bins to be installed on the Airbus fleet: https://twitter.com/skibo75/status/1620605565901893634

Looks like they are going with the Zodiac ECOS product for the Airbus retrofit. We should see new PSUs and hopefully sidewalls. DL 319s use the same product. AA does not.

DL's conversion of the NW Airbus fleet is really nice - can't tell these are old planes. I suspect it will be the same for UA - good for the traveler!

I always wondered why the 320's had gray seats too.

If they do indeed to go 16F on those, as they originally announced years ago, that'd be a nice change.

amtravels wrote:

intotheair wrote:

Continental767 wrote:

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

They look similar, but those are definitely new seats. The indentation on the tray table is different. Also, the existing seats weren't designed with IFE, and some of them might be pushing 10 years old, so they're definitely due for replacement.

I’m betting the seats are the same as old. They appear to have replaced the top portion to accommodate IFE and the tray table and latch mechanism. I bet the rest of the seat is the same. Hell, those seatback pockets look like they’re already stretched out!

They are definitely different seats. You can tell by the different sized tray table, different placement of the literature pocket, and, uhhh, the presence of PTVs:


https://twitter.com/xJonNYC/status/1620 ... 69/photo/1

Pinto wrote:

amtravels wrote:

VC10er wrote:

When it comes to styling, I gotta say that I am so tired of navy blue! United unveiled a new color palette a few years back. I have only really noticed one of the colors being used when they launched the purple PP seat.
I know it’s a nit-pic but if UA used some more color on the NB’s signature interior it would look less boring. It could do a lot to help the F seat look more stylish.
And you are right, the storage under the center arm and power are well designed.

Agreed. I was excited to see Economy Plus in “Premium Purple” when the Max 8 came out, and was quickly disappointed when they reverted back to blue after only a few planes. I can’t imagine purple seat covers are THAT much more expensive than blue for 40-odd seats per plane…

Edit: in case you forgot what the purple seats look(ed) like, this article does a great job of showcasing the contrast between all the seat colors: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-ne ... 737-max-8/

Maybe it was a supplier issue? Disappointing nonetheless fingers crossed they bring purple back on the Next retrofits.

I think the main issue was brand consistency. Purple seats on a 737 and purple seats on a 787 are two completely different thing and I think UA realized that after a few aircraft. It was one of those things that would make sense if they changed E+ on the wide body fleet to the same thing and made PP a new color.

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

fun2fly wrote:

From the 787 thread: 15FEB LN1122 N17015 UA 2nd to last 78J in the original batch due Feb 15.

Sounds about right. 015 has been flying a couple times this week which means it's done with rehab. 014 hasn't flown in six months, so likely finishing the 5 month work. Rumor is a MAR'23 delivery. We need the long haul lift for sure.

intotheair wrote:

They are definitely different seats. You can tell by the different sized tray table, different placement of the literature pocket, and, uhhh, the presence of PTVs:

As I understand, they are using the same Recaro BL3250 seats, refurbishing/replacing components as needed, and installing a new seatback shell to accommodate the PTV, literature pocket and bifold traytable. But not an entirely new seat. A few dollars to be saved by doing so.

I am interested to see the LOPA for the 16F A320, and where they can gain the extra real estate (spaceflex lav/galley?). I also heard a closet will be added for the onboard wheelchair.

codc10 wrote:

intotheair wrote:

They are definitely different seats. You can tell by the different sized tray table, different placement of the literature pocket, and, uhhh, the presence of PTVs:

As I understand, they are using the same Recaro BL3250 seats, refurbishing/replacing components as needed, and installing a new seatback shell to accommodate the PTV, literature pocket and bifold traytable. But not an entirely new seat. A few dollars to be saved by doing so.

I am interested to see the LOPA for the 16F A320, and where they can gain the extra real estate (spaceflex lav/galley?). I also heard a closet will be added for the onboard wheelchair.

Interesting! I stand corrected. I guess they had me fooled. I hope they replace what little cushioning those seats have. Those seat shells must be pushing 10 years old.

AA94 wrote:

Pinto wrote:

amtravels wrote:

Agreed. I was excited to see Economy Plus in “Premium Purple” when the Max 8 came out, and was quickly disappointed when they reverted back to blue after only a few planes. I can’t imagine purple seat covers are THAT much more expensive than blue for 40-odd seats per plane…

Edit: in case you forgot what the purple seats look(ed) like, this article does a great job of showcasing the contrast between all the seat colors: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-ne ... 737-max-8/

Maybe it was a supplier issue? Disappointing nonetheless fingers crossed they bring purple back on the Next retrofits.

I think the main issue was brand consistency. Purple seats on a 737 and purple seats on a 787 are two completely different thing and I think UA realized that after a few aircraft. It was one of those things that would make sense if they changed E+ on the wide body fleet to the same thing and made PP a new color.

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

amtravels wrote:

AA94 wrote:

Pinto wrote:

I think the main issue was brand consistency. Purple seats on a 737 and purple seats on a 787 are two completely different thing and I think UA realized that after a few aircraft. It was one of those things that would make sense if they changed E+ on the wide body fleet to the same thing and made PP a new color.

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Personally, I was a bit relieved to see the purple go as it was clearly a deliberate decision to change it back. Aesthetics aside, I was worried about it portending E+ becoming a separate class of service, with "upgrades" and all, like C+ on Delta.

ericm2031 wrote:

I always wondered why the 320's had gray seats too.

If they do indeed to go 16F on those, as they originally announced years ago, that'd be a nice change.

Only some of the 319/320 fleet has the grey seats, not all. When they first installed the slimlines they installed the grey seat covers and have not replaced them. Hopefully with the NEXT retrofit they all get changed over to blue.

fun2fly wrote:

amtravels wrote:

Continental767 wrote:

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

Bins to be installed on the Airbus fleet: https://twitter.com/skibo75/status/1620605565901893634

Looks like they are going with the Zodiac ECOS product for the Airbus retrofit. We should see new PSUs and hopefully sidewalls. DL 319s use the same product. AA does not.

DL's conversion of the NW Airbus fleet is really nice - can't tell these are old planes. I suspect it will be the same for UA - good for the traveler!

Actually, having flown Delta multiple times, this actually looks more like the bins on their A321s, aka the A350 style bins! Trust me, the Zodiac bins on the 319s and 320s are stylish, but they are the worst.

amtravels wrote:

AA94 wrote:

Pinto wrote:

I think the main issue was brand consistency. Purple seats on a 737 and purple seats on a 787 are two completely different thing and I think UA realized that after a few aircraft. It was one of those things that would make sense if they changed E+ on the wide body fleet to the same thing and made PP a new color.

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.
United started doing it with Polaris on the 767’s and 77W’s with the swanky, lit and sculpted bulkheads. But those got the axe. Frankly I don’t think they needed to go that far, but when gazing forward they do contribute to the Polaris atmosphere.
Given the huge $$$ investment for NEXT and the signature interiors I’d have thought UA would want to visually express their brand and get (subliminal) credit for customer focused improvements.

VC10er wrote:

amtravels wrote:

...Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.

Full agreement from me, well stated post.

itripreport wrote:

The United Domestic first seat is good, although yes, compared to the brand new Delta seat, its lacking. Another big issue with the United First seat, is a major design flaw with its tray table, and I'm sure many of you can relate, its quite a workout opening/closing the tractable when you have drinks in the armrest.

I do have hope that with the introduction of the NEO/Next retrofits, we will eventually see an updated or outright new version of the current seat.

if United has a reliable, serviceable F seat then whey should stay with it across the like fleets. so all 737's should field the same F seat. the A321's should field a similar seat coupled with a comparable seat for the A319 and A320 fleet.

VC10er wrote:

amtravels wrote:

AA94 wrote:

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.
United started doing it with Polaris on the 767’s and 77W’s with the swanky, lit and sculpted bulkheads. But those got the axe. Frankly I don’t think they needed to go that far, but when gazing forward they do contribute to the Polaris atmosphere.
Given the huge $$$ investment for NEXT and the signature interiors I’d have thought UA would want to visually express their brand and get (subliminal) credit for customer focused improvements.

Also couldn’t agree more. They should put the “UNITED” text and logo on the bulkheads and back wall like Delta does. I refuse to believe that costs more than $1000 per plane - a drop in the bucket but a big boost to branding. Would something like that require certification? It should say United all over that cabin!! UA should just copy the Delta playbook as a starting point - they’ve clearly mastered the art of branding and marketing.

I can't remember specifically where I read it other than that I know it was internal, but I remember seeing recently that they are dropping the teal color, and I believe purple as well, from all of the new uniforms.

I like the teal, but it hasn't been used anywhere except for the initial uniform trials and the coach pillows on international flights, so I'm not sure if it is going to be included in any other branding going forward. Hopefully they find a place for it, as it is definitely unique and would look good on board, in my opinion.

Edit: I found the article and it simply states that purple and teal "are no longer central to the designs". Hopefully that means they'll still be included, but perhaps in a more subdued way than originally planned.

Acey559 wrote:

I can't remember specifically where I read it other than that I know it was internal, but I remember seeing recently that they are dropping the teal color, and I believe purple as well, from all of the new uniforms.

I like the teal, but it hasn't been used anywhere except for the initial uniform trials and the coach pillows on international flights, so I'm not sure if it is going to be included in any other branding going forward. Hopefully they find a place for it, as it is definitely unique and would look good on board, in my opinion.

Edit: I found the article and it simply states that purple and teal "are no longer central to the designs". Hopefully that means they'll still be included, but perhaps in a more subdued way than originally planned.

Probably a good call. Those proposed uniforms were pretty ugly…

In other news, legend JonNYC is reporting that N801UA will be done in 3 weeks and A320 N438UA is next up. If true, pace of retrofits should be quicker than we expected…
source: https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620875055814311936

amtravels wrote:

intotheair wrote:

Continental767 wrote:

Ah, looks like they are adding PTVs directly to the existing A319/A320 seats. A comment on that tweet also said they are getting the same bins as DL, though that’s hard to confirm without a photo.

They look similar, but those are definitely new seats. The indentation on the tray table is different. Also, the existing seats weren't designed with IFE, and some of them might be pushing 10 years old, so they're definitely due for replacement.

I’m betting the seats are the same as old. They appear to have replaced the top portion to accommodate IFE and the tray table and latch mechanism. I bet the rest of the seat is the same. Hell, those seatback pockets look like they’re already stretched out!

There’s no way they’re installing new seats with those terrible net pockets. Nothing ever fits!

VC10er wrote:

amtravels wrote:

AA94 wrote:

This is exactly it. There was already confusion among customers and employees when UPP aircraft were flown on a route where UPP was sold as Economy Plus rather than a separate cabin. Extending the purple treatment UPP treatment to standard Economy Plus seats was an unnecessary element of brand confusion.

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.
United started doing it with Polaris on the 767’s and 77W’s with the swanky, lit and sculpted bulkheads. But those got the axe. Frankly I don’t think they needed to go that far, but when gazing forward they do contribute to the Polaris atmosphere.
Given the huge $$$ investment for NEXT and the signature interiors I’d have thought UA would want to visually express their brand and get (subliminal) credit for customer focused improvements.

Sculpted headrests?

amtravels wrote:

Acey559 wrote:

I can't remember specifically where I read it other than that I know it was internal, but I remember seeing recently that they are dropping the teal color, and I believe purple as well, from all of the new uniforms.

I like the teal, but it hasn't been used anywhere except for the initial uniform trials and the coach pillows on international flights, so I'm not sure if it is going to be included in any other branding going forward. Hopefully they find a place for it, as it is definitely unique and would look good on board, in my opinion.

Edit: I found the article and it simply states that purple and teal "are no longer central to the designs". Hopefully that means they'll still be included, but perhaps in a more subdued way than originally planned.

Probably a good call. Those proposed uniforms were pretty ugly…

In other news, legend JonNYC is reporting that N801UA will be done in 3 weeks and A320 N438UA is next up. If true, pace of retrofits should be quicker than we expected…
source: https://twitter.com/xjonnyc/status/1620875055814311936

Another 1997 frame.

I wonder if these are going through the ESG process as well? Otherwise, it seems strange to do such a massive interior upgrade for only 3-4 more years of service, especially after their experience with the older members of the 763 fleet.

jonahsachs wrote:

VC10er wrote:

amtravels wrote:

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.
United started doing it with Polaris on the 767’s and 77W’s with the swanky, lit and sculpted bulkheads. But those got the axe. Frankly I don’t think they needed to go that far, but when gazing forward they do contribute to the Polaris atmosphere.
Given the huge $$$ investment for NEXT and the signature interiors I’d have thought UA would want to visually express their brand and get (subliminal) credit for customer focused improvements.

Sculpted headrests?

Sculpted bulkheads: they look like rectangular tiles in a gunmetal grey with an arch relief ala “globe” inspired, a lit bottom piece that has STAR ALLIANCE, one tile has the United Polaris branding. There is a narrow version on the rear bulkhead. They do not look cheap and maybe heavy? I assume that’s why they didn’t live on in the 772 and 787’s.

amtravels wrote:

VC10er wrote:

amtravels wrote:

Makes sense. I love talking branding and small details like this can make a big difference. Personally, I thought of it as E+ = premium on narrowbody so purple makes sense. But I neglected to consider how confusing it would be if a customer associated purple with E+ only to board a wide body and now purple = PP not E+.

Seems like somebody should have thought about that ahead of time! Pretty clear no one considered it when building the color palette either. Navy = economy, purple = PP, turquoise is underutilized and maybe that could have been for E+.

Even just turquoise colored headrests like our resident branding guru VC10er suggested would have been smart. Current E+ headrests are black or blue I think but some further differentiation and a lil more color in the cabin would have been nice. I digress.

UA new color palette (link) (we never did see those new uniforms…)

Thanks for finding the new (not so new and underutilized) color palate.
IMHO, if the turquoise was used only as an accent on E+ I headrests I think it would look amazing and different than premium purple on international PP seats (which should own the purple exclusively)
Using an accent color across the sea of E+ would say a lot to the flying public. It would demonstrate how large the E+ section is and why it would be worth it to consolidate your flying with UA to score the bump up.
PLUS, I think UA needs to do a better job of BRANDING their interiors. There are MANY examples of other airlines that don’t let you forget who you’re flying (Lufthansa for one) and Delta has been doing a great job too using their dash of red.
United started doing it with Polaris on the 767’s and 77W’s with the swanky, lit and sculpted bulkheads. But those got the axe. Frankly I don’t think they needed to go that far, but when gazing forward they do contribute to the Polaris atmosphere.
Given the huge $$$ investment for NEXT and the signature interiors I’d have thought UA would want to visually express their brand and get (subliminal) credit for customer focused improvements.

Also couldn’t agree more. They should put the “UNITED” text and logo on the bulkheads and back wall like Delta does. I refuse to believe that costs more than $1000 per plane - a drop in the bucket but a big boost to branding. Would something like that require certification? It should say United all over that cabin!! UA should just copy the Delta playbook as a starting point - they’ve clearly mastered the art of branding and marketing.

WHY DOESNT UNITED EVER DO THAT? Ever?
The laser cut letters are very light and look great. Turkish has a very nice treatment. I don’t get it, they will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per aircraft and then not brand the interiors? I guess they may think that the TV screens do it enough?
While very subtle I do like the little clothing tag-like branding on each seat. Unique touch.
If you look at the Turkish F seat above, they add a touch of color by using the sides of the headrests. That’s all that would be needed in E+. Either the turquoise or perhaps the lighter blue. It would still click the corporate conservative box!

First 76Q with Premium Plus first look: https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-premium-plus-boeing-767-300/?utm_term=editorial&utm_content=94C21E4C-A306-11ED-B477-CAB94744363C&tw=1&utm_campaign=thepointsguy&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter