Quick Thoughts:
Our flight was on time and we felt we paid a fair price. We didn’t run into any significant issues and between United’s family seating policy and our United Explorer card we had a good experience. Seating was more comfortable than on a recent flight on a United 737 in basic economy. I would book this flight again in the future.
Basic Flight Information
- Who was traveling? – My 8 year old daughter, my wife, and I.
- Flight Number – UA 440
- Scheduled Departure Time – 3:00PM
- Scheduled Flight Time – 2 Hours 15 Minutes
- Plane Type – Airbus A319 R1
- Airport Codes – CID->DEN
- Connections? – Yes, this was part of a larger roundtrip itinerary where we flew to Burbank, California (BUR) from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID). The full itinerary was outbound CID->DEN->BUR and returning CID->DEN->ORD->CID.
- Class of Service – Basic Economy
- Seats – 28A (Window), 28B (Middle), and 28C (Aisle)
- Seating Configuration – 3, 3 in Economy
Booking
Just one week in advance I booked my flights directly with United on their website using my United Explorer credit card. There are other ways of booking that offer better points earning and credit card insurance such as using your Venture X through the Capital One Travel portal. However, I value the perks of the United Explorer card more highly, especially for Basic Economy (see “The Basic Economy Experience” below) and you have to pay for your tickets with the United Explorer card to get those benefits. And for the benefits to track correctly it is best to book directly through United.
This was a straight forward booking and the most interesting part from my perspective was my experience with family seating (this guarantees a child will be seated with an adult on their itinerary). While I had previously experienced this functionality it was on a trip for just my daughter and I. This time was different since there were three of us traveling together on the same itinerary. United isn’t kidding when they state that they will seat your child next to an adult, emphasis on one adult. When you book the online system automatically opens two seats together for one adult and one child. No additional seats are opened for the other adult you are traveling with so you are still rolling the dice. Unlike on our previous flight to Cozumel the seats that were opened were not at the very back of the plane. This appeared to be the case because all of the “Standard” seats had already been booked on the flight (not unusual on a last minute booking). It is worth noting that at some point the system did end up automatically assigning us the third seat in our row so we did get a chance to sit together at no cost.
Total cost per person was $387 roundtrip from Cedar Rapids to Burbank. A pretty good price given the last minute nature of the flights and that we were flying between two small airports.
Check In & Security
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID) is our home airport and typically check in and security are quick and easy – and this trip was no different. For this trip we weren’t checking any bags and had already checked in using the United mobile app. As such, we went directly to security upon arriving at the airport. There was no line and we quickly went through the TSA PreCheck side and completed screening. A minute or so later we had arrived at Gate 4 where our plane would be departing from.
Gate Area & Boarding
Cedar Rapids is a small airport with a total of 13 gates after completion of a recent expansion. The gate areas are open and spacious with reasonably comfortable seating. There is also an outdoor patio space if the weather is pleasant. Free internet is available in the terminal as are a number of charging ports. Bathrooms and food options are nearby no matter where you are in the airport making this a comfortable and convenient place to fly out of. CID doesn’t have any airport lounges so do expect to wait at the gate or one of the two restaurants/bars.
Boarding for the flight began on time via jet bridge and United had clearly marked lanes for groups 1 and 2 with plenty of space to line up at the gate. We were the second people in group 2 to board and easily had overhead bin space for our luggage because of this. This was a nearly full flight and by the of boarding most overhead bins were full.
Onboard
Cleanliness
This plane was being turned quickly from the previous flight and unsurprisingly it was not cleaned well. Most noticeable were the smashed pile of pretzels on the floor and the noticeably dirty tray tables. More general upkeep of the plane was better and there were no noticeable dust buildups that I saw. As with every United flight I’ve been on since the pandemic there have been alcohol wipes available which does at least let you wipe down the surfaces at your seat if you choose to do so.
Seats
Overall our seats were reasonably comfortable and space was significantly better than when I flew to Cozumel in economy on a United 737-800.
On this A319 plane I had about 1-2″ of extra space from my knees to the seat in front of me and could almost stretch out my legs.
There was even just enough space to use my MacBook Air, though not particularly comfortably. That said, I did give up on using my laptop because I was worried the person in front of me would recline and crack the screen.
Air nozzles and reading lights were available for all of the seats and were in working order. The headrest was also adjustable which was nice because it was a bit short for me in its standard position.
Plane temperature started out pleasant with a light jacket but became a bit warm and stuffy about 15 minutes after takeoff but got back to decent temperature.
Power, Entertainment, & Wi-Fi
This flight did not include in flight entertainment screens or any options for charging devices.
The flight did offer personal device entertainment and WiFi. I was able to successfully connect to the United WiFi before takeoff. I was then able to use personal device entertainment through the United app to stream content. The selection of movies and TV shows was good and could very easily fill a 2.5 hour flight. Soon after takeoff I was also able to connect to the free messaging option and it worked well throughout the flight.
Food & Drinks
On this flight United served a complimentary snack and drink. They also had snack boxes available for purchase for those who wanted something more substantial. On this flight the only snack option was pretzels but they had all of the standard beverage selection available. The flight attendants arrived to our seat about 40 minutes into the flight – longer than typical, but understandable, given that there had been some significant turbulence after takeoff.
Service
Service on this flight was mostly average, but a bit hit and miss. Initially during boarding the flight attendants didn’t acknowledge us as they were talking among themselves and trash pick up was quite slow. On the other hand, during the snack service they were friendly and helpful.
Arrival
Denver is a huge and spread out airport with large gate areas. As with most large airports it typically takes a while to reach the gate after you land. For this particular flight it was about ten minutes to reach the gate, not bad for Denver! We arrived at the gate and a jet bridge was quickly brought up to the plane. Deplaning was orderly and efficient and after we were in the airport we took the train from Concourse B over to Concourse A to visit the excellent Capital One Lounge.
Overall Impressions
Overall we were happy with the flight. It was on time and there were no significant issues that we experienced. The price was actually pretty good for a last minute flight between small airports and seating was reasonably comfortable.
If I didn’t have the United Explorer card I do think our overall experience would have been worse and it is possible I would have paid extra for regular Economy fares. With the card however I will continue to book Basic Economy fares when if I’m relatively certain I won’t have to change my flights.
The Basic Economy Experience
United’s Basic Economy fares are available on most of their flights and it is not unusual for them to be significantly cheaper than standard economy. They however do have substantial restrictions. Two of the key ones are that no seat selection is included and you cannot bring a carry on bag (only a small personal item). When traveling with a child those aren’t ideal. So why did I book Basic Economy anyhow?
Family Seating
First is that United now has a family seating policy. This policy means that if you are traveling with a child under 12 years old United basically guarantees that the child will be seated with at least one of the adults traveling with them. As described earlier United opens up two seats together during booking to allow you to do this. On a single aisle plane this almost guarantees you will end up with a middle seat and either an aisle or window seat, which works well for us.
United Explorer Credit Card
Second is that I hold the United Explorer Credit Card. With an annual fee of $95 if you fly United somewhat regularly this card pays for itself in my opinion. And it is very useful in making Basic Economy fares tolerable because it means that you still get:
- Priority boarding (part of boarding group 2).
- Carry on bags are allowed for all travelers on the itinerary.
- You receive a checked bag for you and one companion.
- 2 United Club lounge passes per year.
Thanks to those two factors the only real drawback that remained for Basic Economy was the lack of flexibility should we have to make changes (Basic Economy flights are non-refundable). Given that this was a last minute trip our chances of changing it were very low. As such, in the end Basic Economy worked out as a great deal for us!
Flight Timing
For those interested here is a detailed description of the timing of key travel events during the flight.
Scheduled Times
- Scheduled Departure Time – 3:00PM
- Scheduled Arrival Time – 4:15PM
Actual Times
- Airport Arrival Time – 12:40PM
- Through Security – 12:45PM
- Arrived to Gate – 12:46PM
- Boarding Begins – 2:24PM
- Pushed Back From Gate – 2:56PM
- Plane Takeoff – 3:02PM
- Plane Landing – 3:50PM
- Arrival At Destination Gate – 4:00PM
- Deplaned – 4:11PM
