United's Flying a 777 on Another Domestic US Route

Sept. 30, 2016

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3 min read

United's Flying a 777 on Another Domestic US Route

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Update 10/1/16: As reader Ben points out in the comments below, United is also flying a 777-200 (same configuration) between Boston and San Francisco. This flight appears to operate daily from October 9 through January 3, 2017.

American and Delta both operate wide-body planes on short and medium-haul flights within the US, but United definitely offers the greatest variety, from the 747 that operated a daily Chicago-San Francisco turn to a 787-9 Dreamliner between LAX and Newark. Now, there's another interesting new wide-body route you can book — on the 777 typically used for flights to Hawaii.

(As Twitter user @guystravel notes below, this plane — while dated — can be a good fit if you're able to score economy plus seats in row 39.)

Before you get excited, know that United operates its most dated aircraft on flights to and from the Aloha State, so this new 777 is going to be anything but luxurious. For example, here's the first-class cabin:

United's 2-3-2 first class. Image courtesy of Mommy Points.

Still, it's an interesting addition — and a (potentially) compelling option if you're planning to travel between Newark and Denver. United's planning to operate the 777-200 between these two cities beginning December 16, and as of now it appears that daily service will continue through June 7, 2017. (To get an idea of what to expect in first class, check out this review from Mommy Points.)

Schedule (daily):

UA282 Newark (EWR) 7:55am Departure ⇒ Denver (DEN) 10:17am Arrival
UA314 Denver (DEN) 6:00pm Departure ⇒ Newark (EWR) 11:26pm Arrival

Here's the "inaugural" flight on December 16 — note that only pricer economy and first-class tickets are available as of now:

The return flight has many more options, though, with both economy (12,500 miles) and first class (25,000 miles) awards:

This particular configuration has first-class recliner seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, with an unusual 2-5-2 layout in economy — ideal for couples, if you can snag a pair of seats.

Also of note is United's new 777 service from Newark to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the same seating configuration. This 777-200 flight isn't available every day, but it could end up being one of the least expensive domestic wide-body flights you can book, considering how inexpensive flights to Puerto Rico can be.

Ultimately, this isn't a 777 you'll necessarily want to fly on, but you might find it more appealing than some of the 737s or Airbus planes United normally operates on these routes. These 777s do not offer seat-back entertainment in either cabin, but free streaming entertainment should be available, and satellite Wi-Fi is available to purchase, even on flights to and from San Juan.

Do you prefer to fly wide-body planes on domestic routes?

Featured image by A United 777-200.