United A321neo first class (PHX-ORD). Now we're talkin'!

Peep my flight log: www.sanspotter.com/my-flight-...
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It took a while, but with the introduction of the all new A321neo, United Airlines domestic first class is actually kind of good now. There are large 13 inch (4K) video screens, privacy dividers between the seats, and USB C ports to charge your devices.
I recently had a chance to test this out on a 3 hour flight from Phoenix to Chicago. While far from being my best ever US domestic first class experience, I can say without any hesitation at all that it's the best that United has to offer at the moment. They're getting better!
FYI: I had seat 4A, and the aircraft registration was N14502.
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[@bhangraman7000]

Scott as someone who flies United more than any other airline I will say that they have improved their onboard service significantly. I recently flew them to Costa Rica and all four flights had great service. Arguably the service was better than my last Delta flight from JFK and my last flights with Alaska Airlines to and from New Orleans. Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby have really turned the airline around and I only see it get better over the coming years.

[@sanspotter]

You’ve had much better luck than I have! I totally agree that united is getting better with each passing year… but I still prefer Delta at this point.

[@planespotterkarl2783]

5:58 That’s a result of the Salt River Pima Reservation, so the boundary between that and Scottsdale is very pronounced.

[@sanspotter]

Interesting! I can’t believe that I’ve never noticed that before.

[@AlohaRaceTeam]

We flew one from ORD to PHX and back again when visiting family in AZ this April and the aircraft was fantastic!!

[@yodreamtrip]

What a great decision of United to order the A321neo! What a beautiful and modern plane❤

[@sanspotter]

I agree! There’s a lot of them coming (whether we like it or not) - but overall I think they made the right choice.

[@yodreamtrip]

@@sanspotter Especially concerning the quality and design issues of the 737 MAX... Boeing needs to fire their incompetent management and return to the quality standards of the past....

[@CongressSux1776]

What the hell is beautiful about it. Literally as generic as any commercial aircraft looks

[@yodreamtrip]

@@CongressSux1776 For example the wings are pretty ~ have you seen the new 737 scimitar winglets? I have never seen such an ugly design...

[@sergiolaurencio7534]

​@@yodreamtripMaiby for you, but the max wings remind me of a shark or a Marlin.

[@Nat-jm9rq]

Scott, all I’m saying is I am a huge fan of your airline videos! You are the best aviation geek out there!

[@kevinkong2178]

Thanks for the update Scott

[@cincinatti_matt21]

Great watch as always 🙏

[@asianfasian3349]

glad to see you back!

[@sanspotter]

Good to be back!

[@geerd1]

Thanks for the detailed review of this new, fresh product 👍

[@sanspotter]

Glad you liked it!

[@ryanfrisby7389]

Fantastic video Scott!😸

[@sanspotter]

Thanks Ryan!

[@jimmyjames6492]

A321Neo is on my list of planes to fly! Thanks for the info + video!

[@jcspotter7322]

In the US, frontier and Spirit have a bunch of them flying all over the country for cheap.

[@sanspotter]

You’re very welcome @jimmyjames6492 - United has a lot of these things coming, so you won’t have to wait long.

[@dianeleazenby718]

Great review, Scott! I really like the seat dividers and the big screen on this plane…

[@sanspotter]

Thanks! Big screens are always nice! 👀📺😄

[@AviationAdam]

Welcome back!

[@sanspotter]

Thanks! Good to be back.

[@TheRareVideosXL]

Great flight.

[@sanspotter]

It was indeed!

[@idxluaviation]

I reviewed the inaugural flight and I agree... the neo is a huge step forward for everything at united... cabin design... customer satasfaction... and aircraft!

[@CongressSux1776]

It’s a single aisle 3x3 What the hell is a step forward about that?

[@yodreamtrip]

@@CongressSux1776 Airbus makes much more modern planes, the design of the 737 MAX is based on their first gen version from the 1960s

[@idxluaviation]

@@CongressSux1776 its pretty much always gonna be a single isle 3-3... theres no changing that at this point, what is changeable is how the customer experience goes... and in this case, thanks to the amazing new IFEs and other factors... it was really good.

[@GenkisTravels]

Great video! I did this flight last month and was surprised how passenger friendly the seat was (except for the space under the seat).

[@sanspotter]

Thanks! Yes, this is a huge improvement over the older style seat. They just need to raise them up off the floor a couple inches, that’s all. 😆

[@RealGaryGibson]

Great review!

[@sanspotter]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@polkadoc]

I took this exact route in December 2023, and was totally impressed with the experience. Food was great, service was awesome, and arrived at O'Hare EARLY (omg).

[@Calebs_Aviation]

I loved it Scott! The new United A321neo and upcoming 737 MAX 10 & newer MAX 8/9 will ALL HAVE the New United interiors and I cannot wait to fly it someday! 😊 Looked excellent I always love the A321neo and it’s so much nicer looking than older A321s however I wish they’d gone with the windscreen cockpit mask option like Delta on their A321neo I think it’d make it look even more BEAUTIFUL and I prefer the United livery on it to the Delta one! Cheers 🥂 my friend! Here’s to the new United First Class -Caleb’s Aviation! 😎

[@sanspotter]

Thanks Caleb! Yeah, not having the bandit mask is a real bummer - it makes it look like a regular ‘ol A321 (which aren’t exactly the most exciting looking airplanes anyway). But at least they’re making real progress with their domestic first class product. 👍🏻

[@avgjoeavglife]

I'm glad United is now a NEOOOOOOOOOOOOOO operator, that seat is great.

[@sanspotter]

Yeah, it took a while, but it’s nice to see them on the Neo bandwagon.

[@avgjoeavglife]

@@sanspotter I wanna see them get A350's next...

[@easye1311]

I love thier 321 neo. Obviously to me it'd a great improvement to thier boring Max aircraft. I love the screens even in economy and the blue tooth wireless feature too . Now that's awesome. Again even in economy!

[@JeffK787]

United is on the upswing! The new terminal at PHX looks like a gem

[@metsphan1023]

Sanspotter has returned!

[@sanspotter]

🕺😄

[@itsnotme07]

Cool review Scott! For me, it's Just Say NO to United. Has been since 2000, when they caused me to miss a very important event, that I left for 2 DAYS BEFORE. So no more details. Until your next review...

[@sanspotter]

Thanks! Yeah, I’d probably be miffed as well if they messed up that badly for me. 😅 I totally understand!

[@TT-by7tv]

Enjoy Spirit!

[@NeliaRamirez-xd3hj]

Loved the video! I gotta say I’ve flown on both United’s A321neo and Delta’s. While Delta’s new seat look way more futuristic I think United’s seat is more comfy. You also forgot to try the wireless charging that the new United seat has!

[@sanspotter]

Thanks! I actually didn’t even realize that there was a wireless charging pad until several days after this flight. 😅 They don’t make it obvious.

[@andysorensen1737]

Flew United First in January, and yeah, it’s a good product. Bless the wife and kid though, it was their first times in First and they enjoyed it.

[@sanspotter]

Yeah, the first time is always the best. Too bad it only happens once. 😄

[@frappzlul]

hes backkk

[@sanspotter]

👀😬

[@jr13227]

Missed you Scott!

[@sanspotter]

I missed publishing videos!

[@justinjohn5114]

Damn it's been three months and you're finally back! The trip report was good and that a321 neo looked awesome with their 13 inch entertainment screen. It made me almost drool while watching the video. Do you know when the a321 neo was delivered?

[@sanspotter]

It’s good to be back! These aircraft were actually delivered to United last fall, and they entered service in mid December.

[@larryleazenby8549]

Great review. Especially liked the bits of humor and , wow, Phoenix does end abruptly!

[@sanspotter]

Glad you enjoyed it! Someone else mentioned that the meteor crater is easy visible upon departure from PHX as well. I missed it!

[@skylife9198]

Flew United Polaris from Denver-San Fransico, Red-eye 2 hour flight, United offered full amenities, blanket, pillow...etc United is definitely aiming to become the best airline in US at this point...

[@brigittelehmann9749]

lovely flight i guess everything is modernising time flys greetings from the netherlands

[@sanspotter]

Modernization is a good thing! Except for the part about the 747 going away. ☹️😄 Greetings to you as well!

[@davidcole333]

@@sanspotter preach.

[@bradybrother100]

6:06 Someone has been watching some Doug Demuro :D

[@sanspotter]

Just a little. 😄 That Oldsmobile Bravada video he just posted was pure gold. 😆

[@dianeschroeder3980]

Hi Scott! I flew United’s First Class LA to Cancun last summer on a Max-9 and I thought the food and service was great. To be honest, I don’t really have a bad opinion of American or United’s First Class since it’s better than being in the back of the plane.❤️✈️

[@sanspotter]

True that! Sometimes I catch myself complaining about a first class experience (and thinking how snobbish it sounds) - but it’s fun to be a critic I guess. 😄

[@sniperguyAZ]

as someone else pointed out, the reason phoenix ends abruptly is because of a Native American reservation, however the south east part of the city that you would have seen on the other side of the plane goes on for like 20 more miles

[@vanhalo]

8:49. My hometown! From the sky!

[@sanspotter]

You’ve got a really big backyard 😄

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Don't close the window after Phoenix ends. On your departure leg you'll get a great view of Meteor Crater if you're on the correct side of the aircraft. It's a real treat to see.

[@sanspotter]

Dang it! I didn’t know that the meteor crater was visible when departing PHX like that. Next time!

[@Blank00]

Hopefully the bigger overhead bins make up for the smaller underseat storage

[@sanspotter]

Definitely! I didn’t get a chance to test out the overhead bins, but they did look nice.

[@akhira_tan_aviations]

hey scott can you do what will airbus a300max will look like?

[@yonahbenami680]

nice 321nx

[@sanspotter]

Yeah, a pretty nice upgrade from the old 737s. 👍🏻

[@Adammmmmmmmmmmmmmm704]

Can you please do a video about royal Jordanian airlines economy

[@n1ckyg123]

American carriers need to start using all airbus!

[@maddoxjake]

Unusual question, but could you tell me what brand of shoes you’re wearing in the opening shot? I was looking for these and randomly saw them again here!

[@sanspotter]

Far from the most unusual question I’ve ever been asked!😄 Those are Xero Prio’s.

[@davidcole333]

I'd given up on you. I thought your KZbin channel had run its course and you had ridden off in the sunset to count your millions! 🙂 I consider myself a huge avgeek but I have to confess, I didn't know United had ordered any A321neo's, let alone had any that had gone into service. That really did look like a perfectly enjoyable flight.

[@sanspotter]

Trust me, even if I ever end up making millions, I’ll still be doing this (though probably even less frequently 😅). My blog is what’s taking up most of my time these days!

[@Da__goat]

I am curious to see what United’s move is going to be with the problems on the max given that they have more than 300 MAX 10s on order and the a321neo fits the same requirements but Airbus has full order books until basically 2040. United’s hands are effectively tied and they are locked into the max but the flying public don’t have much faith in the type

[@sanspotter]

Honestly, I think the flying public has a very short memory and won’t really care what aircraft type it is if the price is right. The airlines have had absolutely no problem filling MAX 8s and 9s over the past two years, and I suspect that the current problems will be forgotten very soon.

[@maxmckeen4376]

Glad there are tv's in a american first class... i wish all did

[@clausstimpfig3803]

Thnx Scott. No comment!

[@sanspotter]

You’re very welcome Claus!

[@sportsMike87]

I’m surprised United still flys that route. Dominated by AA and SW

[@derbagger22]

The A321neo is a fantastic plane. I'll always choose that over a 737/757....

[@Adumzzinthehouse]

i understand choosing it over a 737, but the 757 is the best narrowbody plane in the world. Unique, long, usually more spacious, and a really fast plane. Don't drool over airbus too much gotta respect the elders.

[@derbagger22]

@@Adumzzinthehouse same narrow seats and takes even longer to disembark of you're nowhere near the front. It's meh.

[@Adumzzinthehouse]

@@derbagger22 I could care less about narrow, being a properly weighted guy. The 757 specializes in legroom which I enjoy much more

[@derbagger22]

@@Adumzzinthehouse legroom is purely based on each airline's layout. And it's couldn't care less. Unless you actually care...

[@Adumzzinthehouse]

@@derbagger22 I know what I said. I only care about width on longer flights. Either way, 757’s and A321 NEO’s are the standard for narrowbody planes, though most people would be much less comfortable on say a 737 or A319 since they are narrow and short

[@wje013]

Why do u not have access to united club lounge with domestic first? I thought all star alliance first does.

[@Staticc146]

Shoutout to United I hope they keep improving so I can switch from Delta

[@sanspotter]

They’ve got a ways to go yet! They’re getting close, but Delta is still the better choice IMHO.

[@charlesnicholson7539]

I’m giving a like simply on account of “neato.”

[@sanspotter]

Thank you kind sir! I’m a little bummed that no one has said anything about it yet. 😄

[@Blank00]

How is under-seat storage on United’s NEXT A319s, since first class seats on those have a different design at the bottom of the seat compared to the A321NEO

[@sanspotter]

I haven’t tried the NEXT seat yet, but I haven’t heard many grumblings about under seat storage space yet.

[@JohnNorris1977]

Scott! You’re alive! Missed you 😊

[@sanspotter]

I am! 😄 Good to be back.

[@terryaki3505]

Sorry after flying Delta comfort from LV to ATL and back it was worthless - ATL is the WORST place anyone should fly through and go anywhere else as a connection as possible! Next trip we will try United BUT NEVER AGAIN through ATL. LOL :)

[@colepulkrabek3414]

You are saying that United's a321neo is not as nice as delta's version? I think you are wrong! I fly delta a lot and i have to say despite how new the A321neo is, i think the vibes on UA's 321N are far more superior. People are also complaining the new first class seats on delta are really uncomfortable. Also delta is going to be doing an interior rebranding on their fleet very soon so i think it delta will make a comeback for best cabin interior soon. The current interior branding on delta is kinda outdated when you compare it to United's new and refurbished planes. Both interiors are both superior compared to AA however. The gray color scheme while matches the outside well, makes the AA interiors feel kinda stale.

[@Blank00]

Delta’s latest first class seats are actually known for having worse padding than than United’s latest seats

[@sanspotter]

I didn’t notice much of a difference actually. They’re very similar IMHO.

[@travelaviation3146]

I’m moving to Washington State my new airport will be KSEA And My Second airport will be KSAN!!!

[@sanspotter]

That’s a really nice airport to have as your homebase! I’ve always been a big fan of SEA.

[@PicaloOneill]

That roll looks delicious and requires use of hands ... just saying.. great video

[@sanspotter]

Yeah but… who’s to say I didn’t use a knife and fork? 🤔😄 Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@PicaloOneill]

@@sanspotter well played

[@G-546]

United doesn’t need to worry about MInt. They are going to get lie flat on their XLR’s

[@timothymacintyre9271]

You look like Murphy from Robocop

[@eduardotorrado950]

legend is finally back

[@sanspotter]

👋🏻😄

[@juhakeskinen1103]

Only normal business class

[@sanspotter]

But at least it’s a lot better than it used to be!

[@salihdonlic3612]

Uploading every 2 months is not the best consistancy, but we’ll take it !

[@sanspotter]

These videos take way too long to make. 😅

[@salihdonlic3612]

Would LOVE to see more international travel videos. Like 11+ hour flight videos, those are always watchable.

[@boshthedino]

delta 2.0

[@sanspotter]

More like Delta 0.75 😄

[@subi924]

quirks and features lol

[@sanspotter]

Doug Demuro is the GOAT!

[@red.guevarra]

...but that legendary sigh is still there!!! 😂 - Red

[@sanspotter]

I should really think about trademarking that 🤔

[@clausstimpfig3803]

you must!!!!!@@sanspotter

[@quentintan2478]

Why do you blur faces? Most other airline reviewers don’t, and I feel like it isn’t a big deal

[@sanspotter]

I’m just trying to respect people’s privacy that’s all. I was blurring everyone’s faces for a while (even in the airport clips) but now I just do it for close-ups of other passengers on the plane.

[@bluelithium9808]

Yikes, dirty screen. I would have complained.

[@sanspotter]

A simple sanitizing wipe would’ve solved the problem - I regret not asking for one.

[@4evertrue830]

Airlines and all the lies about how difficult it is to be profitable in the industry, yet they keep ordering new aircrafts almost every year. Who is fooling whom? 🙄

[@sanspotter]

I’ve always wondered about that as well. They cry about how hard it is to make money, then turn right around and spend billions of dollars on fancy new airplanes. 🤷🏼‍♂️😄

[@maxsaviation9512]

Their food is still disgusting and bad staff.

[@sanspotter]

I tend to agree about the food, but I’ve had pretty good luck with great cabin crews on United recently.

[@fredemny3304]

"What would I say?" I'd say that you can't polish a turd. Worst airline I've ever flown with, and I can't forgive them for that.

[@sanspotter]

They’re getting better though!