On our way back from San Francisco, ATX Jr. and I were flying back with Mrs. ATX who was on a work trip. Therefore, even though we flew United First on the way out, our trip back was in Economy on a United Airlines Boeing 737-800.
Booking My United Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy Flight
Since we were tagging along with Mrs. ATX on the flight she had booked for work, I didn’t need to do much searching. Prices were high for the day we needed to travel, South by Southwest was happening in Austin at the time, so I did take a quick look at Google Flights to see if any significantly cheaper options were available.
Ultimately, I didn’t see anything that warranted taking a different flight so I booked my one way ticket, with lap infant, directly via United.com for $311 including taxes and fees.
Check-In
It was a 20 minute Uber from the W San Francisco to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as traffic was relatively light and we arrived curbside at Terminal 3 at 11:15a, 1h 45m before our flight to Austin was scheduled to depart.
Our flight was departing from Terminal 2 but United doesn’t have any check-in facilities in that terminal. With all of the baby stuff we had to bring with us, we made a quick, 5 minute stop at the self-help kiosks and bag drop before heading to TSA.
The TSA PreCheck line was short and we found ourselves airside ten minutes after arriving at the airport. Security took a bit longer than usual as we were corralling the baby stroller and other items.
Pre-Flight
We cleared security around 11:30a and, with our flight scheduled to board at 12:20p, we decided to head over to the American Express Centurion Lounge. There is currently some construction work happening at SFO which caused the walk to be much longer than normal.
If you have a tight connection or don’t have much time before boarding I wouldn’t recommend trying to visit the lounge. However, if you do have the time, the directions to the lounge are marked on signage throughout the terminal.
Because of the construction, the entrance to the lounge is tucked away all by itself, separated from the gate area under construction by a temporary wall.
Boarding My United Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy Flight
Due to the long walk from the Centurion Lounge to the D Gates, boarding was well underway by the time we arrived. I had to stop at the counter to get a gate check tag for ATX Jr’s stroller which also delayed our boarding slightly. United typically allows families traveling with small children to preboard.
United Airlines
UA 1116
SFO-AUS (San Francisco International – Austin-Bergstrom International)
Seat: 37D (Economy)
B737-800 (N24212)
Scheduled: 1:00p-6:32p
Actual: 12:54p-6:11p
With our gate checked stroller in hand, we headed onto the crowded jet bridge before dropping the stroller near the door of the aircraft. From there, it was a long walk all the way to the back of our Boeing 737-800 that was taking us to Austin.
United Airlines Boeing 737-800 Economy Seat
United Airlines Economy cabin on its Boeing 737-800s are arranged in a standard 3-3 layout. I booked seat 37D, an aisle seat at the rear of the aircraft. Mrs. ATX was booked into 37F. We were hoping that the middle would stay empty but, with a completely full flight to Austin, Mrs. ATX slid over to 37E.
When I booked this flight our seats were in the last row of the aircraft. However, prior to departure, our plane was swapped to one where the last row was Row 38. This gave us a bit of a buffer between the galley and lavatories.
It’s been a long time since I’ve flown in Economy on United as I have usually been able to score Economy Plus on most of my flights or purchased First Class seats. Legroom back here was tight and my knees were touching the seatback in front of me.
This aircraft was equipped with a newer interior that had large, crisp IFE screens. A decent selections of movies, TV shows, and music was loaded onto the IFE.
USB-A and USB-C power outlets were located underneath the screen next to the headphone jack. In addition to wired headphones, this plane was equipped with Bluetooth connectivity which worked well with my Apple Air Pods.
The tray table folded down from the seat in front and could be slid forward and backward as needed. It was tight, but I was able to work on my laptop during the flight.
Departure
We pushed off from the gate a few minutes ahead of schedule and started our taxi out to the runway. At this point the safety demonstration was screened. The cabin crew came around do do their final checks and one of them spotted my LSU shirt and started ribbing me. Turns out we had a significant SEC presence on this flight with crewmembers from Texas A&M and Georgia.
We taxied over to Runway 1R and, after a short wait, blasted out over San Francisco Bay. There were some significant crosswinds on departure which required a lot of rudder input from the pilots to keep us headed straight. Other than that, we had a smooth climb up to our cruising altitude.
In-Flight
Service started soon after we reached our cruising altitude. Since we were seated at the rear of the Economy cabin, I had plenty of time to peruse the menu.
I ordered a seltzer water but unfortunately they had run out at that point. The cabin crew suggested an AHA Sparkling Water and the blueberry & pomegranate flavor wasn’t bad at all.
Drinks were accompanied by a small snack. The recently re-introduced stroopwafel, chocolate quinoa crisps, and pretzels were offered.
Shortly after the snack and beverage service, the crew came through the aisle offering coffee. While the timing seemed off, I appreciated the coffee nonetheless.
After the beverage service was complete, I headed to check out the lavatory. It was your standard, domestic 737 lavatory complete with the tiny sink than makes it almost impossible to wash your hands.
For parents traveling with small children, there is a decent sized changing table locate above the toilet that can be folded down.
For the remainder of the flight, I passed the time working and watching the moving map. A water service was performed with 1h 45m remaining in the flight but, other than that, no additional service was offered. Soon, we were descending into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
Arrival
We had an uneventful landing on Runway 18R and had a quick taxi over to our arrival gate. We blocked in at Gate 25 more than 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
Since we were seated at the rear of the aircraft, it took almost 20 minutes for us to deplane. From there, it was off to baggage claim to collect ATX Jr’s gate checked stroller and the remainder of our bags.
Summary
Our United Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight in Economy from San Francisco to Austin was fairly uneventful. The crew was friendly, though the service didn’t go above and beyond, and, while the seat pitch was tight, I appreciated the updated IFE screens which made it easy to pass the time during our flight. I’ve been a loyal United flyer for a couple of years now and I’m sure I’ll be back on another one of their Boeing 737-800s again soon.