A pleasant ride on United Airlines 757-200 Business Class (2024)

In January 2024, I was scheduled to fly on United Airlines from Ottawa (YOW) to Las Vegas (LAS) via Chicago (ORD). When booking the trip, the ORD-LAS leg of the journey was scheduled on the 737 MAX 9 aircraft. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following the mid-air cabin panel blowout of the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 aircraft. I secretly hoped not to have to fly the MAX 9 even if it came back into service. Luckily, my ORD-LAS flight was cancelled due to ‘operational issues’, and I was rebooked for LAS via Newark (EWR) instead. The change in route also included a change in equipment, and I was now flying the much older Boeing 757-200 from EWR-LAS. The silver lining of the switch from MAX 9 aircraft to 757-200 was that business class would now have lie-flat seats instead of upright recliner seats.

After the recent horror show on United Polaris’ Boeing 767-300 from EWR to LHR, I was concerned about the upkeep and service of the 757-200. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and lovely my flight experience on the 757-200 was. Here’s my experience in 10 photos;

United Hub – EWR

Shortly after United Lounge hopping in Terminal C, I made my way to the gate and boarded my flight as soon as Group 1 boarding began. United’s 757-200 Business Class cabin is a 2-2 configuration with 16 seats across four rows. I was seated in 3F, a window seat, which seemed a bit tighter, given the aircraft’s curvature. Since it was an evening flight, I did not mind the lack of direct access to the aisle. If I had to redo it, I would pick the aisle seat over the window.

United 757-200 Business Class Seats

The seats have a plush headrest, awkwardly placed power plugs, USB connectors, and subpar headsets. Unfortunately, my seat’s massage function was unavailable, which I didn’t care for anyway. I was looking for the recline and some shut-eye on this 5.5-hour flight to LAS.

Seat 3F

IFE and small footwell

Inoperative massage function

Awkwardly placed power socket and USB

One large window to each row

Shortly after takeoff from EWR, the meal service started with a drink and some warm nuts. I pre-selected the burger as my meal option, which the cabin crew confirmed. Despite the basic presentation, I quite enjoyed my meal—the burger was succulent, and the fries were crispy. As for dessert, the cheesecake hit the spot and was a perfect prelude to my three-hour snooze before landing in LAS.

Window view – EWR Terminal C

Drink and nuts (take my word for it)

United Burger and Fries meal

757-200 Business Class – Takeaway

Since I was not expecting to be in a lie-flat seat on a domestic United flight, it was a happy coincidence that I found myself in one. On a 5+ hour evening flight, there is nothing more relaxing than to stretch out fully and enjoy some proper sleep if possible. While the 757-200 is as dated as it looks, this United flight did the basics well – well-appointed cabin, with the attentive and courteous crew, pulled off a burger and fries meal to satisfaction and offered a blanket upon request—a perfect case of exceeding nominal expectations. Long story short, I arrived in LAS well-rested and was happy that I had found lie-flat seats on a domestic route that typically comes with recliner chairs.