MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.


In July and August 2015, United will put one of its p.s. 757-200s, configured with flat beds up front, on the Los Angeles to Boston route. These planes fly every flight between New York and both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Occasionally they are put on other routes on a one-off basis like Los Angeles to either Boston or Newark.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 11.53.25 AM

The premium cabin on the 757-200 features flat beds in a 2-2 configuration meaning that window seats do not have direct aisle access. While the normal p.s. routes have special service and catering, non-p.s. routes that use p.s. planes like Boston to Los Angeles just feature the improved seat/bed without corresponding increases in service.

Which Boston to Los Angeles Flights Have Flat Beds

From July 2 to August 17, one of the two daily frequencies between Los Angeles and Boston will feature the 757-200 with flat beds up front:

  • Los Angeles to Boston, departing 8:30 AM and arriving 5:01 PM (UA528)
  • Boston to Los Angeles, departing 6:00 OM and arriving 9:11 PM (UA717)

The other daily frequency on the route does not feature a 757-200 with flat beds up front.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.22.02 AM

United.com lists the aircraft for each flight. You can double check that your flight has beds by clicking “View Seats” and looking for the orange bed icon.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.22.14 AM

Award Space

I checked award space during the entirety of the 757-200’s run on the Boston to Los Angeles route. From Los Angeles to Boston, there is no First Class award space on any flight in July or August at the moment. In fact, there is only one day with economy award space during the run.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.21.53 AM

From Boston to Los Angeles, there is also no award space in First Class during the 757-200’s time on the route.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.22.47 AM

 

Just because there isn’t space now on the route doesn’t mean it won’t open up later though.

United is notorious for opening up a lot of last-minute award space, especially in premium cabins. The best way to estimate the likelihood that such award space will open up is to search a route for the next few days and weeks to see how much space it currently has at the last minute.

That method doesn’t make me too excited about the chances to fly in a flat bed from Los Angeles to Boston this summer. In the next week, only 3/7 days have First Class award space.

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.23.12 AM

From Boston to Los Angeles, zero days in the next week and 3 in the next month have First Class award space.Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 2.23.32 AM

This method for estimating award space in July may be less useful than usual though because the 757-200 has a much higher percentage of its seats in First Class than the A320 that normally flies the route. That might mean more unsold First Class seats opened as award seats. At least, that’s what we can hope.

(HT View from the Wing)

Further Reading

Just this week I published:

AMERICAN VS. UNITED VS. DELTA: BEST FLAT BED TRANSCON AWARD SPACE

It analyzed the routes, the products, the prices, and the award space offered by the three legacy carriers on flat bed flights across the country.