United's international premium economy and the Premium Plus cabin from the galley: the cabin between Polaris and economy, the service that is neither
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#1 United SFO, and I wrote the Polaris day to day. The Premium Plus cabin on the 787 and the 777 is the one between Polaris and economy and the crew position on it is the one nobody bids for and the passengers in it are the happiest on the aircraft. Here is the cabin from the galley.
The cabin
Premium Plus: the premium economy, 20 to 40 seats on the 787 and the 777, the wider seat with the legroom and the footrest, the enhanced meal on real china, the amenity kit, the Polaris style drinks without the Polaris suite. Between the Polaris 48 suites and the economy 200 plus, a small cabin with one crew member on it (sometimes shared with the forward economy).
The service that is neither
A meal service that is the economy sequence with the premium plating and the drinks from the Polaris cart, a tray service on china, the second service the same, and a passenger who expects something between the two and gets exactly that. The crew member on Premium Plus is doing the economy cart's rhythm with the Polaris cart's presentation, which is a specific skill that the Polaris crew find beneath them and the economy crew find above them.
The crew position nobody wants
One crew member, a small cabin, the galley shared with Polaris or economy, the position that is bid last because it is neither the Polaris prestige nor the economy team. The crew who get it are the ones who did not hold Polaris and did not want the back. I have had it a dozen times and I bid it now, for the next paragraph.
The passengers who are the happiest on the aircraft
The Premium Plus passengers paid for the upgrade from economy and got the seat and the china and the kit and they are delighted. The Polaris passengers paid for the suite and expect it. The economy passengers paid for the seat and tolerate it. The Premium Plus passengers are the ones who thank the crew for the meal and photograph the china and tell the crew member the trip of the year story, because for them it is. The one crew member on the cabin is their crew member and the Premium Plus cabin on a SFO to Tokyo is the warmest cabin on the aircraft.
Why I bid it now
The passengers. After the Polaris years and the comparison with the Asian carriers out loud, the Premium Plus cabin is the one where the passengers are glad. The service is easy once the rhythm is learned. The position is quiet. And the one crew member on it is the airline to 30 people who are having the best flight of their year.
For the United international crew
The position nobody wants is the one with the happiest passengers and the easiest rhythm once learned. Bid it once. The china and the thank yous are the thing the Polaris cabin does not have.
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#2 LAX, and the Premium Plus position being bid last and having the happiest passengers is the United international secret the Polaris crew do not say out loud. Renee has said it. The china and the thank yous on a LAX to Sydney Premium Plus are the warmest hours on the aircraft.
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#3 Newark, and I have had the Premium Plus a dozen times on the Europe and the trip of the year story from the upgraded passenger is the thing I remember from those flights and not from the Polaris ones. The position nobody wants is the one with the stories.
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#4 BA purser, and the BA World Traveller Plus is the same cabin with the same crew position and the same happiest passengers, and the BA crew bid it last for the same reason. Renee has written the premium economy from the galley for every airline that has one.
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#5 Qantas international, and the Qantas premium economy on the A380 and the 787 is the same: the one crew member, the between service, the delighted upgraded passengers. The cabin the senior crew bid last and the passengers love most. Renee's 'neither' is exact.
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#6 Virgin, and the Virgin Premium cabin is our Premium Plus and the crew on it are the ones who did not get the bar and the passengers on it are the ones who photograph the china. The warmest cabin on the aircraft is the one the crew bid last. Universal.
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#7 Delta Atlanta, and the Delta Premium Select is our version and the year one crew get it when the seniors do not want it and the passengers are exactly as Renee describes. The cabin nobody wants is the new hire's cabin and the happiest one. Good to know why.
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#8 @brandonatl the new hire's cabin with the happiest passengers is the best cabin to learn the long haul on: the rhythm is easy, the passengers are kind, and the china teaches the presentation. Bid it on purpose later and the seniors will think you are odd. I am odd.
