Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 767-400
Row: 1
Class: Business First

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Easy seat controls make you look like a business class pro. Even if you’re a newbie. – Business First on a United 767-400

Seat(s): In the seated position this United Airlines 767-400 Business First Seat is as comfortable as many it it’s class. Width is fairly decent at *21 inches and enough legroom to stretch out and watch your personal TV, eat dinner and take a cat nap. If you’re here to sleep it’s not exactly a king sized tempurpedic or sleep-number bed, but something closer to a depression-era twin. That’s not a huge knock on the seat, just matching it up with it’s on-earth equivalent. Still way better than what you’ll get 20 rows back.

In the sleep position you may feel some of the mechanics of the seat digging into your side, back or stomach. The padding could use an extra inch or two but the bumps werent a totlal nuisance as I was able to get comfortable by shifting myself up a bit. The problem on this flight was non-stop “light” chop. If you’re a good air-sleeper and you’ve got reasonably smooth air, it should be easy to get comfortable.

Power and audio in United Airlines Business Elite Cabin aboard a 767-400

The benefit of a center seat is that you have aisle access on either side, so there’s no navigating over your sleeping neighbor as you would be from a window seat. Climbing over doesn’t appear to be an easy task either with little room to move and nothing to grab onto for leverage. If you’re on the window, You may want to intimately know the person in the aisle seat.

Tech/Connectivity: Directly over your shoulder in a small cubby you’ll find a standard power outlet and a USB charger port. There, You’ll also find the headphone port for your personal TV unit.
This good sized entertainment unit doesn’t have the hundreds of movie titles and TV shows we’ve seen on other carriers, but features a solid handful of recent Hollywood releases and (mostly) US based shows/sitcoms. Other features like the moving map, games and short-form programming are comparable to what you’d find aboard other US airlines that offer them.

The healthiest part of your meal is also the most colorful. – Salad in Business First aboard a United 767-400

Food: I came hungry so it was easy for The menu to seem impressive. Main course seafood, veggie pasta, chicken and red meat options were offered. The other courses are chosen for you (cold appetizer, after dinner cheese & wine) but you get to choose toppings for your ice cream sundae.
If there’s a complaint it might be the length of the food service. This can cause problems if you’re trying to get a good, long nap in before you arrive.

Service: Nothing on this flight was above and beyond what you’d expect inside international business class, but this time was far more pleasant than other experiences aboard United in recent years. Could this be a +1 for United’s service?

Rating: 3 “hops” (of 5).

How we got em’: Miles & money. Space available upgrades can be had between booking and flight time. A relatively low number of miles combined with a cash amount (seemingly based on distance) can make sense depending on what you paid for the original ticket.

*Seat width information courtesy SeatExpert.com

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Getting to the airport several hours early has benefits if you’re nerdy for airports. But then, Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)  never struck me as one that I’d want to spend so much time at. Until now…

America West, Piedmont and more. Throwback liveries are easily found at PHX.

I walked up and down each concourse of the Barry Goldwater Terminal at PHX (some much busier than others) until I found one with very few people. Here’s where I found the most peace.

In Between Moving Walkways: There’s enough room for people to move around you as they get  from one walkway to the next. This isn’t a great spot for groups, but if you’re solo and love to look at planes, it’s a nice view of the apron and more throwback liveries than you can shake a stick at. This is a standing-only zen spot as there are no chairs here (or anything, really). Just be sure not to set all your luggage here while you gaze outside. “Walk” lane walkers don’t like stuff in their way.

This group of seats is nicely placed for airport junkies and planespotters. – Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX)

Empty seats behind a gate desk: I found a nice area behind a desk at the end of the B gates. Not much was coming in or going out of this concourse on this visit so I set up shop in a small row of 3 seats looking out onto the apron. My view here was mostly US Airways but somewhere back there is a British Airways 747.

Pre-Security: There are no plane views here and it’s hardly “zen” but there’s good land-side seating with both standard and USB power. The Courtyard by Marriott hotel chain had a  temporary “mini-lounge” setup on this visit with communal bench seating, sofa seating and power outlets available on my visit. Minus the booze and tiny snacks, It wasn’t much worse than the US Airways Lounge near the B gates. Here’s a quick video of what we found before the TSA strip-down:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tell us your favorite spots at Phoenix Sky Harbor in the comments!

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Enter here: http://contest.io/c/lyv6gpgr

US Airways announced this new kit at their media day in April of 2013. The white jute-lined bag and many of it’s contents have the airline’s logo so this one is sure to be a collectors item once the airline completes it’s merger with American Airlines is complete and it’s brand begins to disappear. Here’s our official unBOX of this kit to see what’s inside:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Contest begins Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at midnight eastern time and ends Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 11:59pm eastern. *Open to US residents only. See official rules at contest page.

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Airline: Austrian Airlines
Aircraft: Fokker F100
Seat: 1D – 1F – Row 1
Class: Business Class

Book It!:
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Comfort? Is that what you’re calling it these days? – Blocked middle seat in Business Class on this Austrian F100.

The Seat: It somehow still jars me a bit to see economy sized seats in a business class cabin but as a guy who appreciates elbow room I’m not completely put off by it. The seat next to you will always be without a passenger, replaced by a plastic divider allowing your elbows to roam free. It’s your backside and legs that will be squished just as much as those in economy.

In row 1 aboard this Austrian Airlines F100, you’ve got the added disadvantage of a close bulkhead wall and seats that are slimmer thanks to the tray-tables in the armrest. Even with a bulkhead wall a few inches farther away in the A & B seats in this row, it’s easy for me to recommend moving further back in this cabin. In row 1, You’re getting the business in business.

Tech/Connectivity: Unless you’ve got a tablet or phone that’s fully charged, your entertainment will be watching the seat-belt sign turn off and on. Hope for a bumpy flight.

Service: Flight attendants started and ended the flight in a slightly frazzled but not unfriendly mode. The smiles seemed a little forced, but I applaud them for trying. Much of the flight was pretty bumpy (as you may notice in parts of the video review) so we give a little rope to their demeanor as they did a great job getting meals served and efficiently breezing through economy class beverage and snack service.

I’m still shaking from the combined turbulence and caffiene jolt I got from this. – Coffee aboard this Austrian F100

Food: Austrian serves up a pretty robust meal-time spread in business class. It’s a great surprise for just a 2-hour hop, but we had already eaten, so skipped the service. From the looks (and sounds) of things, of our loud-eating neighbor across the aisle really enjoyed his breakfast.

Summary: I’m not sure we’ll ever get to a point where a business class cabin with economy seats will earn more than 3 “hops”. This particular row row (1) can’t even live up to that relative good rating. Legs and hips fall victim to walls and tray-tables so much that even your free-flowing elbows and a tasty breakfast can’t save a point from being shaved off.

Rating: 2 “hops” (of 5).

How we got it: This was part of a larger Star Alliance itinerary booked using US Airways Dividend Miles. Our friends at Points Pros helped us find  business class seats to and through Europe. Points were earned through flights aboard US Airways and generous “buy miles” bonus promotions.

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It’s likely the last ever for US Airways, so it’s a bittersweet unBOX of this shiny new Envoy Class amenity kit. The kit debuts in July 2013 aboard long-haul international routes in Envoy Class.

Collectors item, or tossable? US Airways Envoy Class Amenity Kit – July 2013

Eco? Or just cheap?

This Envoy Class amenity kit’s  usability may fade after a few flights. The white (or as I called it in the video: “Bleached Earthy”) jute-linen bag is pretty sturdy for a freebie but could show some wear quickly. White tends to not stay white after being tossed around even the most premium of cabins.

The eco-friendly part of the kit is inside. The airline paired with New York’s Red Flower, who’s cosmetic and lifestyle products contain all locally sourced organic ingredients. There’s a “Blood Red Orange” scented  towelette, lip balm and moisturizing lotion to keep refreshed during the flight.

The kit also comes with a coupon code (“accidentally” revealed in the unBOX video) for 15% off Red Flower products that can be purchased at their website.

US Airways hates your breath.

A nice sized travel bottle of  Scope (mouthwash) and the toothbrush/toothpaste set combine to make in-flight conversation with your seat mate more tolerable. Unfortunately, it’s BYOF (bring your own floss).

Jake unBoxes in the dark. We should really get some more light for these things.

How much can I sell it for on e-Bay?

I could probably walk to the travel-size section and assemble a better kit for under $10 but none of the items would say (or have the logo of) “US Airways”. Once the airline name is retired you could wait a few years and see what you might get for one but after looking at prices the kits of other defunct airlines go for, it won’t be anything like owning a rare Beanie Baby in 1997.

How do I get it?

Fly US Airways on a long haul international flight in Envoy Class, the airlines Business Class offering. It’ll have to be relatively soon though, once US Airlines becomes the new American Airlines, kits will likely look different.

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Airport Lounge Name: Lufthansa Senators Lounge
Location: New York JFK International (JFK)
Terminal/Concourse: Terminal 1

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Past the silhouettes of other lounge dwellers is a sea of big aircraft. – View from Lufthansa Senator Lounge JFK

Seating: In an apparent effort to squeeze in as many seats as possible the lounge-planners (or whatever they’re called) seem to have sacrificed a few tables and room for your bags. Lounger chairs are a little firm and not as deep as you might like and it’s these chairs that most need space for your snacks and rollaboards. If you’re here to snack, the best bet might be the limited cafe-style seating or wall-facing bar-type seating.

If lounging and zoning out to volume-free TV are your speeed there are extra lounger seats in a large, dark TV room that’s got more room for carry-on luggage and “I LOVE NY” tourist gift bags.

Our favorites though are the odd-looking tall-back seats along the back wall of the lounge. Here you can drop your bags in front of the small tables in front. Tables are spaced about 1 every two seats so these are great for couples or workmates without personal space issues.

The food is tiny, but there’s no grab limit, so chow down. – Food at Lufthansa Senator Lounge at JFK in NYC

Food: This Lufthansa Senator Lounge JFK comes through on food at an “as-expected” level. Finger sandwiches ,  a light salad bar and endless snack items make this a better-than-domestic lounge experience. In the upstairs First Class lounge, the menu is more robust but this spread is sufficient for pre-long haul flight snacking.

Wi-fi/Connectivity: Power outlets were tough to find here. A few can be spotted at the end of the long rows of loungers and a few random spots throughout, but there’s no clear benefit for your power hungry devices. Wi-fi is available but wasn’t tested on our visit.

Service:  I unfortunately ignored what the front desk agent told me about which lounge was ours. Had I listened to her friendly directions this review would be about the first class lounge upstairs. But that’s my fault, not hers. The staff was helpful when needed, food was refreshed regularly and the lounge kept very clean. JFK isn’t known for smiles and cleanliness, so this was a refreshing change.

Summary: Just past security, you don’t have to walk far to get there. This Lufthansa Senator Lounge isn’t huge by international standards. As illustrated in the video review, lounge chairs are tight and leave little space for bags and snacks, but cafe, stool and other more unique spots are better options to take in all the features of the club. Power options are a little disappointing so a few more vitual tenths of a mark have been ticked from our overall score, but friendly service and nice big windows and cool views of big airplanes keep it in the game.

How to get in: First & Business class flyers with same-day tickets aboard arriving or departing Lufthansa or Swiss flights have access to this Senator Lounge. You’re also in if you’re flying same-day with a Star Alliance partner on a departing flight. Lufthansa’s website has further options for entry.

Hops: 3 (of 5).

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Train: Trenitalia Frecciargento (Italy) high-speed train.
Class: First

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Don’t let the cobra shaped reading lamp scare you when waking up from your first-class snooze. – First class aboard Trenitalia Frecciargento Train (Italy).

The Seat: The width of these Trenitalia Frecciargento First Class seats won’t wow the bigger hipped of us but there’s still some wiggle room when compared to a slimmer economy seat. Seats slide forward to recline so they won’t cut into your knee space so while it looks a little constricting, the space in front of you is decent (although an inch or two of extra legroom would seem appropriate for a premium product).

The seat cushioning is firm but comfortable and the adjustable headrest comes in handy when you’re trying to catch a quick nap between stops. Where comfort is concerned, it’s maybe just over par (as in, “less than average”).

Tech/Connectivity: In-seat power worked and was appreciated by our near-dead gizmos. Wi-fi was complimentary on our ride but the login page told us that it was temporary. In any case, you still have to enter credit card information to get the ,01 euro rate (which I’m guessing counts as “free” in Europe) to gain access to the internet. Once connected the signal was a tad spotty but we got our tweets out and checked our emails in a pretty reasonable amount of time. If you’re looking to video stream the game, news or Godfather trilogy, You’ll be disappointed.

Food/Drink: Without a walk to the food car, it’s peanuts and booze. Well, the booze is optional but the complimentary welcome beverage adds value to the overall price of the ticket if it’s spiked.

You’d hope something called “first class” would serve up more than peanuts but…peanuts. – Complimentary snack aboard Trenitalia Frecciargento.

Service: Insane? The first woman who came through with beverage service handled the job with a rugged grace. Smiling, but not about to accept attitude from passengers in the fancy car. The second attendant to come through was either drunk or simply didn’t know how to handle a beverage cart. Limbs were nearly lost to an out of control, near runaway drink trolley.

Summary: Trenitalia’s business class is often priced not too far above coach so it might be worth trying if you normally require a little more legroom and don’t feel like bringing your own peanuts. If you’re on a short hop between cities and don’t mind just a little less personal space, then Coach class and an a-la-carte drink might be the better option.

Rating: 3 hops (of 5)

How to get em’: Without much hassle we chose a lower priced midday departure when business travelers aren’t shuffling in between cities. Seats in this upgraded cabin can be purchased online while booking on trenitalia.com, at a station kiosk or from a station ticket agent.

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We were live at the grand opening ceremonies at Delta’s brand new home at Terminal 4. We’ll have a full review of the new Sky Club in the coming weeks. For now here’s some raw video from our visit.

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