First look: Premium Plus, United’s economy class cabin on a retrofitted Boeing 767-400

United is breathing new life into one of its oldest fleet types with the rollout of several major cabin upgrades.

transporter’s 16 Boeing 767-400from 21 to 23 years old, finally going through a reconfigure the cabin from nose to tailincluding the installation Polaris . business class flatbed, Premium Plus recliner and refurbished economy class seats.

The fate of these planes was on the air earlier in the pandemic, when the airline was based in Chicago put my 767-400s in long-term storage in May 2020. But for now, United are officially keeping these jets for a few more years, as they are waiting to receive one. New batch of Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes are more fuel efficient.

Instead of flying Boeing 767-400s with old legacy cabins, last year United decided to modernize the planes.

That’s great news for passengers in all cabins — not only will passengers now enjoy direct access in the new Polaris business class, but I just flew and reviewed on the transatlantic voyage from Newark to Barcelona.

In fact, the refreshed Premium Plus and economy class will be a welcome improvement for those in the back of the plane. Here’s why.

In recent years, premium economy class has popularity boom, and United will debut the cabin for the first time on a Boeing 767-400. You’ll find 24 Premium Plus recliners located just behind the second emergency exit on the Boeing 767-400.

After walking past United’s signature branding on the kitchen wall, you’ll immediately find yourself in this intimate four-row cabin.

Just like the Premium Plus section above Boeing 767-300 is smallerthese recliners are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, meaning there is no seat in between.

This will be great news for nearly all passengers, especially those with last-minute upgrades or reservations when seats in the middle are often unavailable.

The “Purple Chairs” affectionately known by United employees and loyalists, the extra legroom and backrest, as well as a number of other bells and whistles make these chairs an option. good for those who want to upgrade their inflight experience without spending too much money (or remaining miles) on business class seats.

Each 19-inch-wide seat has 38-inch pitch, as well as legroom, legroom, and about 6 inches of recline.

The oversized armrest between each seat is where you’ll find manual seat controls, an entertainment remote, a universal power outlet, and a USB-A port.

These seats even have a small cocktail tray that pops out of the armrest — a nifty feature I don’t recall seeing in other Premium Plus cabins.

Folding tray tables, measuring 17 inches wide and 10.5 inches long, drop off the armrests and they even have built-in small phone and tablet holders.

There’s a storage compartment near the armrests, as well as some space for books or magazines behind each seat.

The 13.3-inch HD screens in the back of the seats house hours of on-demand entertainment, but they don’t have the Bluetooth connectivity or enhanced user interface you’ll find on Boeing 777s or 787 Dreamliners.

The four-row Premium Plus cabin is separated from the Polaris cabin by a curtain and from the economy class cabin by a partition. Interestingly, there are no blinds behind the last row of Premium Plus seats, so you might consider sitting closer to the front of the cabin for extra privacy.

Just be aware that the first two rows, 20 and 21, have only one window each, which may not be ideal for aviation enthusiasts.

While bulkhead occupants won’t need to worry about someone leaning into their space, these chairs have no legroom and they only have a small storage compartment directly above the rug.

Additionally, the TV needs to be stowed in the armrest during taxiing, takeoff and landing, so you might consider placing it in the center of the cabin.

Economy Plus Class on United Boeing 767-400

United’s retrofit Boeing 767-400 is unique in that the 48 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats are not all located in front of the coach compartment.

Instead, 10 of them are located in the front cabin and the remaining 38 can be found behind the toilet and the third set of exit doors.

You can quickly tell the difference between an Economy Plus seat and a standard economy class seat by the color of the headrests. Extra legroom seats have black headrests, while standard economy seats have blue headrests.

Just like coaches, Economy Plus seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration and are 18.5 inches wide, but they add 3 inches in height — 34 inches in Economy Plus compared to 31 inches in class. standard universal.

Economy Plus also has an extra inch of recline — three inches compared to two inches in a regular economy class seat.

On the other hand, amenities are standardized throughout the cabin. You’ll find a 9-inch touchscreen TV and a USB-A power port in each seat.

There is a common power outlet between the “couple” seats on each side of the plane, and there are two outlets for each trio of seats in the center area.

Panasonic Wi-Fi is available in all cabins, with prices varying on international routes and one Fixed Access Fee $8 on all domestic flights.

The Economy Plus cabin on the retrofitted Boeing 767-400 has the most reduced number of seats (22) compared to the old configuration. That’s especially true for the “couple” seats on each side of the plane — there are only 9 of these now compared to 20 in the old configuration.

That means the ratio of middle seats to window seats on this plane is higher than in the old 767-400 configuration.

In terms of seating, there’s no shortage of windows in Economy Plus. Just look out for the window seats in the 38th row exit. There’s a slide that sticks out beyond your legroom, making this chair less popular.

In addition, the position near the toilet can be uncomfortable for people sitting in row 38.

Otherwise, all Economy Plus seats are created equal.

Save on United Boeing 767-400

Most passengers will fly on one of the jet’s 125 standard economy class seats.

Arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, the 767 has one of the best layouts for those who want to avoid the dreaded middle seat.

The economy class compartment is divided into two sections – one in front of the third set of exit doors and the second behind those doors.

I’ll do whatever I can to pick a seat in the front cabin, if possible. There are fewer seats there, making for a more private experience. Otherwise, I would sit as far as possible in the 17-row rear economy class cabin. Just avoid row 42 with skewed windows.

The 18.5-inch wide seat is essentially the same as the one in the Economy Plus, except for a tighter gap and less recline.

The tray table folds down from each seat and measures 17 inches wide and 8.5 inches long. You’ll find a TV, a USB-A port and a shared power outlet in each seat.

There are four restrooms near the third row of emergency exits, and all of them are shared by Premium Plus, Economy Plus and standard economy class occupants.

Like the rest of the jets, they’ve been upgraded to United’s latest standards, with blue LED lighting and modern finishes.

Crew resting on a United Boeing 767-400

There are four very special Economy Plus seats — 52A, 52B, 53A and 53B — on the retrofit Boeing 767-400.

These chairs are extremely roomy and very well padded, and they also have legroom, legroom, and extra recline.

While you might think that United is encouraging passengers to choose the last two rows of the plane by adding these extra amenities, these seats are actually reserved for flight attendants because crew rest on long-haul flights.

There are curtains around these chairs for added privacy.

That’s why on most journeys you won’t be able to sit here. However, when the 767-400s are deployed on short domestic routes without requiring crew rest, they will be available to all passengers.

Despite being placed at the back of the plane, it is undoubtedly the most comfortable economy class seat on the Boeing 767-400. For more on these special seats, be sure to check out my summary of same setup on Boeing 767-300.

By the end of the year, all United wide-body aircraft in international configurations will have Polaris and Premium Plus cabins — a big moment for the airline, especially considering that. Polaris launched in 2016 And Premium Plus 2018.

In the meantime, the retrofitted Boeing 767-400 offers a comfortable ride for all passengers sitting “in the back”.

The 2-2-2 configuration in Premium Plus means there is no middle seat in this cabin, and the 2-3-2 layout in economy class only has one middle seat per row.

All seats have been refreshed from nose to tail, and the 767-400 now conforms to United’s latest cabin standards.

And this will likely be the last cabin to fly on the 767-400. These gas-guzzling planes are old, so you only have a few more years to enjoy these retrofitted cabins before the jets disappear.

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