This trip to London gave us the perfect chance to try something new — United Airlines’ Premium Plus on the Boeing 767-300. We’d flown premium economy on Virgin Atlantic and Norse before, but never on United, so we were curious to see how their version stacked up on a transatlantic red-eye.
We found four seats in United’s Premium Plus for 50,000 MileagePlus points and $5.50 each, including positioning flights from Atlanta and Orlando to Newark.
For the 7-hour, 18-minute red-eye flight, it didn’t make sense to pay extra for Polaris since we were only going to get a few hours of sleep anyway. Instead, we booked a day room at Heathrow when we arrived so we could get some real rest before heading into London.
This was our first time flying across the Atlantic on United, and we wanted to see how it compared to our other flights on Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Norse, and Singapore. Since this was a Premium Economy flight, I’ll mainly be comparing it to our experiences in Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic and Norse rather than business class on Delta or Singapore.
What I Look for in Premium Economy
When flying a transatlantic red-eye, I’m not looking for luxury — I just want comfort and efficiency. I expect a better meal than in economy, but nothing close to business class quality.
The seat doesn’t need to lie flat, but it should recline enough that I can relax without feeling cramped. A good in-flight entertainment system is a nice bonus, but the real test of service for me is whether the crew keeps things running smoothly — trays cleared, drinks refilled, and minimal disruptions when you’re trying to rest.
Cabin and Seat
United’s Premium Plus cabin on the 767-300 has 22 seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. We chose two sets of window seats.
The plane definitely showed its age. The seat had only two manual adjustments — one for the leg rest and another for recline. If you leaned all the way back and put your feet up, it still wasn’t an amazingly comfortable setup, but it worked for an overnight flight of this length.
The touchscreen was decently responsive, and the handheld controller built into the armrest looked like a video game controller — a nostalgic touch that actually came in handy when I didn’t want to reach forward.
There was a lavatory at the front of the Premium Plus cabin. It wasn’t any different than what you’d find on a domestic flight, but it was kept clean throughout the flight, which I appreciated.
The one annoyance was the headphone jack. It used a two-prong plug with one prong longer than the other, which meant my Bose headphones wouldn’t fit. I had to use United’s provided over-ear headphones, which were okay but nowhere near as comfortable or clear as my own.
Amenities
The amenities provided were actually better than I expected. Each seat came with a pillow and blanket from Saks Fifth Avenue, the same brand used in Polaris business class. There was also a Therabody amenity kit that included a sleep mask, socks, hand cream, lip balm, toothbrush, and toothpaste — a nice surprise for Premium Economy.
Those small touches made a noticeable difference and helped elevate the experience beyond what you’d find in standard economy.
Meals and Service
For dinner, Sharon and I both ordered the chicken dish. It was served on one tray along with a salad and dessert, which made the service fast and tidy. Alcoholic beverages were included, but I stuck with soda and water.
After watching a movie, I switched over to some relaxing music and left the airshow map on for the rest of the flight. About 90 minutes before landing, the morning meal was served. I chose the hot breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, and baby potatoes. Sharon went for the sweeter option — a bread pudding dish topped with berries.
Service throughout the flight was efficient and low-key — exactly what I want in Premium Economy.
Was It Worth It?
For a red-eye flight in Premium Economy, United’s Premium Plus did what I needed it to do. It offered more space and better food than economy, and the smaller cabin made the experience quieter and more relaxed.
It wasn’t luxurious, and the seat’s limited adjustability reminded me that this product is more about practicality than pampering. But it served its purpose well — a comfortable enough ride. It’s not business class, but a New York–London flight isn’t long enough to take advantage of a lie-flat business class seat unless you need to be up and ready to go right from the airport the next morning.
United’s Premium Plus isn’t as polished or comfortable as Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy, but it’s a step up, service-wise, from what you’d find on Norse. Norse offers a more bare-bones experience overall, though its seat has noticeably more legroom. United’s version sits somewhere in between — not fancy, but functional and fairly priced for what you get.
Would I do it again? Absolutely — if the price or award cost was right. At 50,000 MileagePlus points for a transatlantic flight, it felt like a fair deal, especially considering the comfort upgrade over standard economy.
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1 comment
Agree 100%. Premium Plus is my go-to product for transatlantic, even for flights that are in the 8-9 hour range if I’m coming from, e.g., O’Hare to somewhere on the European mainland.