When United Airlines and Continental Airlines merged in 2010, the former inherited the latter’s home base in Houston, where a substantial Latin American and European network had been built up. One of these European destinations was Munich, which, as a hub for Star Alliance partner airline Lufthansa, led United to schedule one of its largest aircraft on the route, the 777-200ER. Today, United sends a 777 between IAH and MUC once per day, with the flight departing around 4:30 in the afternoon and arriving shortly after 10 in the morning the next day. Been a hot minute since we’ve done a flight with the GE-powered 777-200 of United, so this was a fun way to get back into flying it.
Server: Solo
Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 777-224ER
Origin: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas (IAH)
Destination: Munich Airport, Erding and Freising, Germany (MUC)
Flight Number: UA102
Route: KIAH-EDDM
Seat: 21L (United Premium Plus)
Time En Route: 10 Hours 44 Minutes
Sitting in the boarding area at Gate E7 while the ground crew loads bags and cargo containers into our ex-Continental Airlines 777-200ER, registered N19011. United’s original, pre-merger 777-200s and -200ERs can be distinguished by their engines, having Pratt and Whitney PW4000s, while airframes inherited from Continental Airlines have General Electric GE90s. Terminal E at IAH sees a lot of Star Alliance heavy traffic, so we’ve seen some pretty cool aircraft coming and going from here today.
Taxiing to Runway 15L for departure with the old IAH tower in the background. Opened in 1966, the I.M. Pei-designed structure served as both ATC tower and Houston TRACON for thirty years, before being decommissioned in 1996 and replaced with a larger tower that sits just off of Jetero Boulevard.
Getting airborne from Houston with a busy Signature Aviation ramp in the background. We’re seated in one of 24 Premium Plus seats on this 276-seat 777-200ER. The seats are quite striking, being upholstered with purple leather, a stark contrast from the blues of the airline’s other aircraft. The seat itself is quite comfortable, with plenty of room for taller travelers like ourselves. Seems like we’ll have a pretty good time flying to Munich!
Our climbout is taking us over the fields of East Yexas between Houston and Beaumont. We’re watching one of the many movies available on the seatback TV, while also giving the menu a look. Unlike many carriers, United serves its premium economy and business class passengers from the same menu, making Premium Plus closer to a Polaris-lite than just a slightly more comfortable economy seat.
Dinner is served at dusk, just south of Atlanta. Taking advantage of having the same meal options as we would in Polaris, we ordered our usual Colorado flat iron steak, the presentation on which this evening looks excellent. Situated as we are around halfway down the chord of our aircraft’s wing root, the wing appears a gray expanse against the darkening sky.
By the time we’re cruising over the island of Nantucket, we’re getting tired. Fortunately, our seat has a generous amount of recline to make us of, as the seat behind us is unoccupied, as well as having a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow. While not nearly as private as Polaris, the high-end bedding material, combined with the articulating headrest panels, was a thoughtful consideration on United’s part. In no time at all, we drift off to sleep.
Beginning our final descent with the German Alps in the background. We slept all the way across the Atlantic to France and upon waking up, we were treated to a light but tasty breakfast. Now we’re descending into one of the most picturesque parts of Germany.
Late-morning landing in Munich on Runway 26L. Predictably, there’s a lot of Lufthansa traffic here, but we saw several aircraft from other Star Alliance carriers as we landed, including a company 787-8 and a Singapore Airlines A350-900. We had a very smooth touchdown, which was surprising because we came down in a moderate crab. Not that we’re complaining, of course!
Turning clear of the Runway to taxi to the Terminal 2 Satellite. As a testament to Munich being the second-busiest airport in Germany, the landing lights of another aircraft are visible on final in the distance. Right now, we’re listening to the starboard engine power down for a single-engine taxi.
Deplaned at the Satellite. Overall, we had a very good time in Premium Plus on this 777-200ER. While the seats weren’t quite what we’d get in Polaris, they were of very high quality for their price point. Definitely something we’d recommend to travelers who are wanting something above economy without breaking the bank.
