Flight Review: United Airlines – Washington Dulles (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
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Airline: United Airlines (Flight 932)
Departure City: Washington, Dulles (IAD), United States of America
Departure Time: 10:05 PM
Arrival City: Frankfurt Main Int’l Airport (FRA), Germany
Arrival Time: 11:53 AM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
I am a Premier Silver Member on United Airlines, and do a majority of my traveling on United or one of their Star Alliance partners (Lufthansa, Swiss, etc). This flight was part of my journey with some friends from (Pittsburgh – Washington Dulles – Frankfurt – Zurich – Kos).
Boarding in Washington Dulles (IAD) began promptly at 9:15pm. Since I am a United Cardholder, I was given preferred boarding in Zone 2, which is a nice little perk on long flights like this. Our total flight time for today was slated at just over 7 hours.
Upon boarding the aircraft, I located and sat down in my seat (aisle 44C). This seat was located at the very rear of the aircraft. I was traveling with two other friends who didn’t board for quite a while since they were in Zone 5. This is why I love having the United Credit Card. It’s the little things that matter.
Our United Airlines flight pushed back on time, and once airborne, the flight attendants came around with the complimentary crackers and cheese, along with coffee / beer / alcohol. United Airlines recently changed their policy on alcohol and no longer charge for it on international flights. I rarely drink on a plane, so this isn’t a big deal to me. However, my friends rather enjoyed the complimentary alcohol.
Our flight was about 70% full this evening, so there were a number of seats open. The flight attendant who served us on this flight was absolutely amazing. She was kind, funny, and willing to help however she could. This is in contrast to the typical flight attendant that I experience on United, which is cranky, crabby, and just all around hates every passenger on the plane.
Meal service was provided, and I opted for the chicken. After dinner, we were served ice cream, and our flight attendant gave my friend Matt a small bottle of liquor to add to his ice cream. She was awesome.
We played a few games on the in-flight entertainment system, and then tried to get some sleep. It was hard to sleep knowing that in just a few hours, your friends were going to experience Europe for the first time ever. I am a veteran on traveling abroad (as I make about 2-3 trips to Europe each year), but this was their first.
Our flight touched down smoothly a little before 12pm local time. We taxied for quite a while, and parked in a remote position on the stand. Our Boeing 777 deplaned using the front and aft cabin loading stairs. I had never deplaned on stairs from an aircraft this large before, so it was quite the cool experience.
After this, we were bused to the main terminal, and then began an all out sprint to the opposite end of the airport to catch our next flight. Lufthansa Flight 1190 from Frankfurt (FRA) to Zurich (ZRH).
In conclusion, I would rate this experience on United Airlines Flight 932 (4 out of 5 stars).
Pros:
- Very friendly and courteous flight crew
- On time departure / arrival
- Meal service was enjoyable
- In-flight entertainment was very good
Cons:
- Cramped coach seats (Not located in Economy Plus)
- Lack of music options on IFE. The old system allowed you to choose songs.