Category: Air

Flying business class is costly (unless your business is paying) so whether its miles or money, if you’re spending either it’s worth shopping around. United, which pretty much has the worst public relations of any airline at the moment, has locked down some key North America to Europe routes – meaning though you may not particularly want to – you might find yourself leaning toward flying business with them.

You can watch my full review of what United’s business class offers in the video above or read on.

Bed Basics

For any flight worth its business class, if the seat doesn’t recline into a bed it’s not worth paying for. United’s transatlantic have seats that have multiple recline settings, including fully vertical. They’re not the newest seats but being able to lay down on a long flight significantly reduces both jet lag and the heavy grogginess that comes with otherwise sitting upright for 10 hours 10,000 meters up.

The entertainment center is also loaded with one of the best movie selections of any airline on large screens. (American carriers tend to excel in the movie selection, especially latest releases compared to the rest of the world.) Unfortunately the screens have very poor viewing angles and not being adjustable means if you’re even modestly reclined, viewing is difficult at best. These small inconveniences are where United’s business class continually falls short. United has the basic components of what’s become standard for business classes worldwide but it’s just that: standard.

The staff are friendly and you get access to the United and Lufthansa lounges. Neither are particularly noteworthy when comparing to the business classes of other competing airlines like British Airways, but it’s definitely a noticeable step up from economy.

Better Food But Not Good Food

United’s business class is certainly better than flying economy and that’s true of the food too. Meals are better than United economy (albeit the bar is pretty low) but nothing spectacular. Considering United business class seats are several thousand dollars, one would hope the meals would have a bit more quality. Even the presentation is lacking – again, it’s not bad but it’s not good either – almost like a poor copy of what true business class should be.

Vegan meals are 80% not vegan, vegetarian meals are just vegetables, and the small meat or fish dish portions are hidden in pools of mystery sauce.

Effortless, Not In The Best Way

United has a business class which doesn’t have much sincerity to it; missing from the small touches you’ll find on other airlines. United Airlines is clearly banking on their route dominance, so they’re not trying too hard to take or keep your business.

They fly some of the most efficient routes from North America to Europe so you might find yourself stuck with them. I wouldn’t spend money on their business class if there’s even a slightly worse layover or connection on another airline. But, if you can’t find a better alternative and want to get a legs up from economy, using some frequent flyer miles will certainly enhance your trip. United often run saver mile deals through their site where you can use less than 50% of the miles for business class on certain days or times of the year – they’re worth waiting for if you can.

Most people, even Washington D.C. locals, don’t know about arguably the best air and space museum in the area, located 30 miles (50 kilometers) away from the city center. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in the suburb town of Chantilly, Virginia, close the Dulles International Airport, is over 32,000 square meters (346,000 square feet) of aviation history.

The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. is might be the best museum in the world for aviation science lovers, but I say “might” because the Udvar-Hazy Center exists. Here’s some of what you can find inside the two hangars of the museum and why you should really make a day to visit it if you’re in the Washington D.C. area.

The world’s first airplane, the Wright Flyer, is on display at the Air and Space Museum. It’s not a replica, but the actual plane. There are two tours daily, run by volunteers and free, that are very, very, interesting but don’t miss the Wright Flyer segment. Even if you just tag along, there is so much more to the Wright Flyer than a few wings – the design, inspiration, and failures of the Wright brothers in developing the first airplane have valuable lessons for everyone. I can’t recommend it enough.

A view of the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, part of the Udvar Hazy Center, outside of Washington D.C. From the tower you can watch flights like mine coming in and if you’re lucky (and on the left side) of the plane landing at Dulles International Airport, see the tower as you approach for landing.

There are over 240 aircraft inside the Udvar-Hazy Center, which by the way, is free admission. It’s all worth exploring so set aside a few hours for a visit.

Documentaries and films are also shown throughout the day at the Udvar Hazy’s IMAX theater. The IMAX screen is 6 stories high, 25.9 meters (85 feet) wide, with 4K resolution. Here’s a current schedule of what’s playing now.

But this, located in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar is what really blows people away.

The Space Shuttle Discovery, 39 space flights over 27 years, more than any other spacecraft.

Everyone looking up at Discovery, the engineering feat and what it represents of exploration and for humanity, is left in awe. You’ll see those faces. You’ll have one too.

You can get to the Udvar-Hazy Center using the metro from Washington D.C. but like the rest of the D.C. area, public transportation is terrible. It’s much better to rent a car then drive out to Chantilly, about a 40 minute drive from Washington D.C. at non-peak hours. (Don’t drive during rush hour in the D.C. area.) The address is: 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway Chantilly, Virginia 20151; parking is $15, and regular hours are from 10am- 5:30pm daily with some extended hours.

I’m told mid-week is least crowded but even during the peak weekends, Udvar-Hazy never feels crowded with people. The Udvar-Hazy Center has only about 20% the annual visitors of the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. – not because it isn’t worth a visit, but because so few know or remember it’s there. After one visit though, you’ll want to tell everybody it’s one museum that doesn’t disappoint.