Becuase the fare I was booking was so cheap it wouldn’t last, I only gave myself a couple of minutes to decide on a routing from San Francisco back to Munich. One consideration was to try to route through Chicago, which had United’s only “Polaris” lounge for Business Class customers at the time. I could also fly back on the 777-300ER from SFO in the Polaris seats, or fly via Newark so I could try United’s “premium transcontinental” service on that route. But at the time, both the Chicago and Newark to Munich routes were operated by United 777-200s which were 8-across in business class, and aging A340s flew to those cities from Lufthansa. One option stood out as particularly interesting to me, though. I could route via Boston, which would still put me on a 757-200 with lie flat seats and the “premium service” offering, and transfer to a Lufthansa A350-900, which was a new aircraft for them. The flights were also both redeyes, leaving me with 11 hours to see friends in Boston. Just like that, my mind was made up!

In the months before my flight though, the departure time moved up from the original 12:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. This was problematic for me because I’d picked the original flight to arrive in Boston at 9 a.m., when my friends would have woken up and been able to meet for brunch once I got into the city. My new flight had a 5 a.m. arrival, and I was not keen on waiting around the airport in the extra early morning hours. One of my friends offered to host me the night before if I could make it then, so I called United and they were able to switch me to a 1:50 p.m. departure, and 10:30 p.m. arrival, for the day before my onward flight to Munich on Lufthansa. I’d miss an afternoon at work, but would start extra early in the day to make up for it.

In an interesting turn of events, business class actually boarded last for my flight to Boston, since the flight staff needed extra time to clean the cabin. That wasn’t a great omen, but ended up being a non-issue. I chose seat 3E, an aisle seat in the third out of 4 rows so I wasn’t too close to either galley, and because I’d rather have my seatmate bother me for aisle access rather than having to do that myself. The flight was completely full, but my seatmate slept most of the way to Boston like I find that most of them do. I was sort of prepared to do the same, as I’d dressed in my EVA Air pajamas with a light jacket, but among the better-dressed passengers in business class I ended up feeling a little out of place. I picked pajamas because I’d found it hard to fall asleep in dress clothes on my previous United business class flight, but after these two I settled on wearing a polo and jeans on most business class flights, with pajamas packed away if I wanted to sleep for the stretch.

Now let’s go over the virtues of the seat. It’s angled slightly away from the aisle, so you’ll be less privy to everyone else’s business, and you have to turn less to see out the window. It came equipped with a single pillow and United’s plush duvet blanket for sleeping, although it did lack the thinner sheet that you’d put over the seat. Magazines were in a pouch to the right of my seat as well as the entertainment controller, but I still used the touch functions to control it. There’s a quarter-circle plastic divider that provided a little separation from me and my neighbor, and neither of us lowered it. The headrest was more than comfy enough, so I used the pillow for extra back cushioning. The entertainment screen’s directly ahead of you, and there’s an ottoman below it that looks small but was spacious enough for both storing my backpack underneath it and stretching both feet onto it. The amenity kit was present in a small metal tin dedicated to the recently retired 747, on a tray just below the screen. On a panel to the side of the seat were a few extra controls that allowed it to lean back and also turn into the lie-flat bed mode as well.

Despite our delayed boarding, a flight attendant still found time to do the pre-departure drinks. I pick the bubbly whenever it’s available, and today’s sparkling wine was pleasant enough to sip on while we taxied to the runway. I have to say, I absolutlely loved their napkin designs! The Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games were happening in South Korea at the time, and United was helping to ferry our athletes to and from the games. It was an impressive addition to the product, and shows that small designs like these can leave a meaningful impression on passengers. The pre-departure sparkling wine was still in a plastic cup, but I’m not one to be a stickler for glass in business class. It does all taste the same…

Since we had a lunchtime departure, that was the meal being served after takeoff. Here’s where I ended up being especially glad that I didn’t opt for a redeye in the end, where I would’ve gotten a snack at best, and probably would’ve turned it down to maximize sleep anyway. United had partnered with the Trotter project for their transcontinental flight menus, and that’s an indication to me that they’re at least trying. Given the mediocre to abysmal food on my flight back from Frankfurt, I was eager to see if United would do better this time. The menu certainly seemed promising! All the usual spirits were available, in addition to United’s new signature Moscow Mule. And at least on paper, the menu also looked much more appetizing than before. The only choice was of a main course, but an appetizer, salad, and the sundae dessert would all be served. Given that I’d be arriving in Boston too late to get anything for dinner, I was looking forward to eating a lot for this lunch!

Seeing as the flight time was due to be only 5 hours due to strong tailwinds, service started less than a half hour after takeoff. I kicked things off with my first moscow mule, since I was done with work for the day. It came with a side of salted almonds and cashews in an aluminum tin, and another one of those Olympic napkins that I kept as a bookmark for awhile. It was good to see the mule appear in a proper glass as well, complete with the lime wedge. The rest of the meal kicked off after that, and even now I think I’d still put it as one of my top 5 business class meals ever. 

The appetizer was a couple slices of cold duck with a dash of potato salad, and while I wish the duck had been warm and crispy this still tasted agreeable. The arugula, watermelon and feta salad was light and refreshing, and the accompanying bottle of olive oil was the perfect touch! Soon after these arrived I got to pick from the bread basket. Since I was heading to Germany I picked the pretzel bread, and when it’s fresh it’s my favorite even above garlic bread! The butter paired great with this one, and I especially appreciated that the butter wasn’t frozen solid like it sometimes is. 

Next was the main of steak, which I was both excited and curious about. Most business class travelers and especially bloggers love to bemoan the quality of steak on a plane, to which I’d say just avoid it if you’re picky about how it’s cooked. But with the right sauce the meat can be tasty and flavorful, and the right accompaniments can also do wonders for the dish. Today’s was a perfect example. It was cooked through, but not so badly that it was too chewy. It had some flavor on its own, and the chimichurri sauce really helped bring it all the way to life. What I really enjoyed about this one was the trio of sides: the beans, extra chimichurri sauce, and mashed sweet potatoes. I got to mix and match these with the steak, and it was a delicious combination that changed with every bite. Of course it would be great if the steak could be a juicy medium rare too, but this was nothing to complain about in my book. I paired it with whatever red wine was on offer, although I ended up switching back to mules for the rest of the flight.

Of course, at the time each of the three main US carriers offered ice cream sundaes as part of the dessert offering on and off. Since I’d missed the cart (or it wasn’t available, I can’t remember) on my flight out of Frankfurt, I was looking forward to trying it this time. It’s definitely the area where United seems to make the most effort with regard to their meal service. They roll out a cart with the vanilla ice cream already scooped out into individual cups on the bottom shelf. On the top are all the extra add-ons available. Today’s included whipped cream, strawberry sauce, chopped nuts, and both chocolate and caramel syrup. There were also small brownies and fruit on offer, but I didn’t feel like either of those. I ended up trying a bit of everything: both syrups, strawberries, and a candied cherry on top. I also got a cup of black coffee, but I ended up regretting that as I couldn’t sleep until nearly 3 a.m. that night and I don’t think I can blame it completely on the jetlag. The sundae cart was definitely a neat experience to have, and if I was a regular flyer I could see it being something I’d look forward to. I think it’s definitely helped US airlines still stay distinguishable and attractive to customers here, although I have no idea whether the sundae would be a selling point anywhere else. 

Since I was hoping to sleep once I got to my friend’s place, I spent most of the rest of the flight awake watching movies. The two I got through were the recently released Avengers: Civil War movie, and Thor: Ragnarok. I sipped at Moscow mules throughout these, and went through another three by the end of the flight. Even though high altitude usually lowers one’s alcohol tolerance, I haven’t personally found that to be the case. Perhaps part of it for me is that I don’t move around much and get booze flowing around my system, and also that I don’t use my brain much on these flights so I don’t notice any cognitive decline as much. Anyhow, I felt just fine when we landed at Boston and proceeded to take the T trains to my friend’s place near the Celtics’ stadium. 

So, what did I think of United’s premium service, and is it worth choosing over other domestic routes with a lower standard of service? I certainly thought it was, and the meal in particular was much better than I would’ve expected on any route besides these premium ones. You won’t see the sundae cart anywhere else within the US, at the very least. The guarantee of a lie flat seat, even after an aircraft swap, is also a very high selling reason that I can see for these flights. I always see a lot of passengers sleep through them, and I believe the flatness of the seats plays a big role in facilitating that. I’d absolutely pick them again for this route.