Review of United flight from Calgary to Denver in Economy

Poor phone support, but immediate help at the check-in desk

Not long after we booked this flight, United changed its policy to no longer give free carry-on, only offering free carry-on on routes
to/from South America, across the Atlantic or across the Pacific. When we tried calling customer support to confirm whether or not we would still have free carry-on, we had to wait for a supervisor a hour before finally having to hang up. 

However, at the check-in desk when we asked, we got a response within minutes with no wait, that we would be able to have free carry-on on this flight since we booked it before the policy changed.

With WestJet already flying to Austin and Houston, would love to see nonstop service to Dallas! American charges really high fares, like many of their other nonstop routes to Canada.

Good ol' Continental with some weather delays!

When we arrived at the gate, we were greeted by N75435, a 737-900 in the retro-continental livery, along with a indefinite weather delay due to storms in the area. The 737-900 is a pretty unique plane, bigger than the 737-800 but not as large as the A321. 

Calgary airport doesn't have too many fast-food options in the Terminal E (USA destinations), with a few vegetarian options such as OPA and pizza. The terminal has a very nice design, with US Customs pre-check. 

Dirty and dated cabin, and annoying embedded remote control placement

I don't know if the dated cabin was intentional or not, but it was certainly noticeable with the DirecTV system and the remote embedded remote control. The embedded remote control was annoying, since if you placed your arm too hard on the armrest, it can change channels and mess with the satellite TV. Universal power outlets were available, and the legroom was decent. The headrest was also adjustable. 

While the embedded remote was tolerable, the dirty seat was not. The bottom of was very dirty compared to other seats, and the tray table was very dirty too.

Complimentary headphones and turbulent cruise

We took off 39 minutes late out of Calgary, with great views as storms moved out of the area. When we finally reached cruise, I was surprised to see cabin crew handing out complimentary headphones to passengers, as on my prior flight from Houston to Calgary headphones weren't passed out. I believe they hand them out on aircraft equipped with IFE screens, but just to be safe, I would still suggest bringing your own headphones. 

Due to stormy weather on our route, most of our flight had turbulence, as we flew along the Rockies. 

Amazing sunset views!

Many TV channels, but poor audio

Prior to 2019, the DirecTV systems required a fee to be used, which is why there is a credit card reader to the right. The system is now free, and unlike many other airlines, it utilizes much older technology for live TV, resulting in occasional poor video quality on some flights (though todays wasn't impacted at all). 

A large selection of Live-TV channels in various categories were available, with captions on some channels. There are also a couple United Live-TV channels, that cycle through the movies available on UnitedWifi.com, along with a channel that shows a flight-map. 

The main issue I encountered was, when I plugged in either the complimentary headphones or my own headphones, the audio quality came out extremely poor. Many other passengers also had similar issues, despite the video quality coming out clear. 

On Device In-Flight Entertainment System and Wi-Fi

UnitedWifi.com was also available on this flight, which includes a variety of movies and tv-shows, with a decent selection of new content. Free-messaging was also available, which includes access to FlightAware, and allows sending images at slow speeds (45 seconds - 1 minute per image for me). Like other flights, Wi-Fi was available at a cost of $8 from gate to gate. 

A pause from the turbulence with complimentary service and Canadian Bistro

Close to descent, we had a pause from the turbulence allowing the cabin crew to begin complimentary service. United has multiple complimentary snack options, all vegetarian, including a kosher Stroopwafel, and Gluten-Free Quinoa Crisp. Only water and orange juice was available on todays flight for drinks. 

While I am unaware as to whether or not we had bistro food service due to the length of todays flight, typically a sandwich, burger, and vegetarian fruit and cheese plate is available for dinner on United. A vegetarian Hummus Platter, Burger, and Pesto wrap were also available due to todays flight departing from Canada. 

After a rough landing, we arrived only 8 minutes late into Denver, making up the majority of our delay.