United Airlines Newark to Chicago

Having used Lufthansa to reach the United States, it was only natural to use their US based Star Alliance Partner, United Airlines to travel between different cities to position myself for other flights and trains.

This was not my first flight with the airline, that was in 2011 from Glasgow to Newark, but I had not used them since, so I was curious to see what they were like now.

Flight Details

Flight No. – UA 2144

Aircraft Type – Boeing 757-200

Origin – Newark (New Jersey)

Destination – Chicago O’Hare

Flight Time – 2 Hours 3 Minutes

Check-in

United Airlines use Terminal C at Newark, and are the sole user of this terminal. Check-in is located downstairs and there are multiple automated machines available for passengers.

At these machines you can collect a boarding pass, change seats, change flights and print off baggage tags. They are straightforward to use, and if you get confused staff are available to help.

Boarding

Boarding took place at Gate C134, and began approximately 30 minutes before departure. United use boarding groups which can be found on your boarding pass – please pay attention to this, it is enforced!

My seat for this flight was 27A located towards the rear of the cabin. This aircraft is a single aisle aircraft with 3 seats on each side, mine was a window seat on the left side of the aircraft.

Legroom was decent for me (6ft +) and my bag could fit under the seat in front with ease. However, a pro tip, once you are in the air, take the bag out and place it behind your knees for more feet space.

However, this particular aircraft is one of the older models in the United fleet, so does not have the more modern seats available on the Boeing 737 Max.

The Flight

United offer Wi-Fi onboard, and this will cost $8 for Mileage Plus members or $10 dollars if you do not have an account.

Using the Wi-Fi also allows you to access the inflight entertainment which is streamed through your device. To help with this, a plug socket is also located below the seat in front of you.

Using the Wi-Fi also allowed me to access the United App and check if my hold bag was onboard (for context read my previous post).

As far as I am aware, United are the only airline to offer something like this, and as a regular airline traveller I really like having it.

Inflight Service

Onboard flights of this length, passengers in economy are entitled to a free soft drink (alcohol is available for a fee, but remember you must be 21). I opted for a Diet Coke, which became a staple drink through my US trip.

Now, I did two flights with United on this trip and on both I had different experiences. This crew gave each passenger a cup with their desired drink, however, on my flight from Portland I was given the full can, so what you receive depends on the crew.

Snacks are also available, however, I felt the options were not clear and as a result I decided just to stick with the drink and would get something in Chicago.

Landing

We landed into Chicago on time and had a short taxi to our gate. The crew then announced the procedure for any passengers connecting to another flight.

Bags were available as soon as we landed, meaning from landing to leaving the airport was only 20 minutes or so, which is one of the best times I’ve ever had in any airport, (Glasgow wins at just 11 minutes from landing to walking out the airport with a checked bag)

Final Thoughts

Overall, United Airlines provided a good service at a good price, from friendly ground staff, good cabin crew and an on time flight there isn’t much more I could ask for.

The only downside was the cabin was a bit dated, but the new fleets entering their fleet show just what is to come.