Review of United flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Washington in Domestic First

A business trip took me to the Washington, D.C. area this past February, and a vacation immediately afterwards meant I'd need to fly straight to Houston from there. United was the only airline with a nonstop between Washington and Houston, so the tight timeline meant I had no other choice. Read on for my thoughts from someone who typically leans towards American and Delta!

BOOKING

This trip was originally booked in economy via my company's travel portal for US$529, but I was able to upgrade to Domestic First via United's change flight tool for just US$104 for the entire trip. That was a no-brainer to me, and it meant that since I have no elite benefits or credit card perks on United, my trip would be that much more comfortable.

CHECK-IN/AIRPORT

United, as with most airlines, allows you to check in online and receive a mobile boarding pass. Since I only had a carry-on, I made my way straight to the security checkpoint after arriving at DFW.

Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has five semi-circular terminals which are connected airside via the SkyLink train and walkways, and landside via a shuttle bus that runs between all five terminals. Folks who live near DFW know the struggles of originating here, as flying on American means you could arrive into any one of the five terminals, and your car could be parked in a completely different terminal. Other airline passengers have a much easier time, as most other domestic airlines use Terminal E and international airlines use Terminal D.

DFW Airport is also connected via the DART train to Dallas (which typically runs every 20 minutes) and the TEXRail train to Fort Worth (which typically runs every hour). The airport has a consolidated rental car facility on the south side of the field, which can be accessed via shuttle buses which run frequently to each terminal.

The security situation here at DFW is interesting–each terminal has several checkpoints, where some are only general security, some are only TSA PreCheck, and some are a combination of both. That being said, the airport's website has a fairly accurate wait time estimate broken down by checkpoint type, so if you're unsure just take a look there.

United's domestic first class doesn't include any sort of lounge access, but I did stop by the Capital One lounge at DFW which was wonderful as always. I noticed outside that there was a heavy layer of fog, and hoped that my flight didn't get delayed.

BOARDING

I made my way down to gate E4 where I was greeted by our ride to Washington today, a 27-year-old Airbus A320 registered N441UA. This plane was originally delivered to United in 1997, then flew for United's low-cost carrier concept called Ted for several years before being transferred back into United's mainline fleet.

United has the fewest boarding groups of the "Big 3" US airlines at 6, and first class boards in Group 1. However, United also has the most "pre-boarding" eligible passengers, where they invite not only their invite-only status (Global Services) to board, but also their top-tier published status (Premier 1K) prior to Group 1. For comparison, American invites their top-tier status (Executive Platinum) to board at the same time as first class, and Delta boards their top-tier status (Diamond) in the group after first class. Once the pre-boarding passengers had filed on, Group 1 was called at 7:28am, and I proceeded to my seat.

The lead flight attendant welcomed us on board, and I noted that she was handing out a Sesame Street-themed children's travel kit as families boarded. I'm not sure if this is a typical offering on United, but it was a very nice touch that I haven't seen on other domestic airlines.

My seat for today was 2A, a window seat on the left side of the aircraft.

The seat in front of you has two pockets, where you'll find the safety card and various airline literature:

There's a generous amount of storage space around the seat, more than average for a domestic first class recliner. There's a pocket near the window large enough for a laptop or tablet:

There's also a second cubby on the other side of the seat under the armrest, where you'll also find the power outlet, your tray table, and a ledge for drinks:

The cabin color scheme and design is certainly dated, but it's by no means ugly. United is in the process of (re-)adding IFE screens to their narrowbody fleet, but unfortunately this aircraft hadn't had this done yet. I did notice a severe lack of overhead bin space; these bins did not support storing bags vertically, so I found myself having to place my duffel bag several rows back (and I wasn't even the last first class passenger to board!).

We received water as a pre-departure beverage with no offer of anything else. When I've flown other US-based airlines, they typically offer the full drink menu, so I'm not sure if United is more limited or if the flight attendant simply didn't have time.

IN-FLIGHT

We took off from DFW at 8:13am, and the flight attendant started going through the cabin shortly after passing 10,000 feet to take our drink orders and confirm our meal choice. I did note that when I opened my tray table, my stomach was pressed up against it at its furthest extension. Now I'm no small guy, but I've never experienced a tray table this tight before (or since), so some additional extension length is probably warranted here.

I had pre-ordered the "Peach cobbler crepes" via the United app, which showed as a pre-order exclusive. At 8:55am, I received my meal.

This meal was pretty good overall–the crepes were moist, but didn't quite have the level of peach flavor I was expecting. The fruit on the side was fresh and flavorful, and it was a very nice touch to have a warmed roll.

My tray was cleared quickly after the meal. Following the meal, there was no additional beverage service offered. I wouldn't have minded a refill of my Coke, but it was never offered, and I didn't quite care enough to ask.

Once we arrived at Dulles Airport, it was time for one of my favorite features of IAD–the people movers!

VERDICT

My United First experience certainly met expectations. The seat was comfortable and had plenty of storage space, but the cabin was certainly a bit more dated than most. The food was fine if not a bit bland, but it was a bit disappointing that it felt like the flight attendants simply completed the bare minimum for service.