United brings Premium Service to Newark

United Airlines has now officially transitioned its Premium Service hub to New York’s Newark Airport, located just a half hour from the centre of Manhattan.

Premium Service flights are available as an add-on to the Lufthansa round the world fare or Star Alliance, and they include plenty of perks designed to appeal to United’s most valued customers.

Offering the features and comforts of long-haul international services, they’re a particularly good choice if you’re travelling across the country between New York and Los Angeles or San Francisco.  All aircraft have in-flight Wi-Fi and personal on-demand entertainment at every seat, plus in-seat power and USB ports.

In addition, Business and First passengers will also receive –

• Priority check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage handling
• United Club access
• Up to 76 inches of sleeping space in a 180-degree flat-bed seat
• Pre-departure drinks, hot towel service, multi-course meals and a pre-arrival snack

But back to the Premium Service hub in Newark… it has been described as a ‘foodie theme park’ and we can’t argue with that.  Terminal C is absolutely full of shiny new restaurants and bars, with a wide variety of food to choose from, and staffed by more than twenty A-list Chefs.  More than that, you can use one of the 6,000 iPads supplied throughout the terminal to order food & beverages delivered to you at the Gate within fifteen minutes, and you can pay for it with your MileagePlus Award points (or your credit card if you’re not a member of United’s frequent flyer program) via that same iPad.

Wait time at the Gate is less of the usual humdrum with the traditional rows of seats replaced by custom chairs and desks set up with iPads and power outlets (there are 10,000 of those in Terminal C so you shouldn’t have a problem finding an available one).

United has invested considerably in amping up the customer experience at Newark, transforming airport shopping and dining to something completely new.  The airport has gone very high-tech with these services and they’re the first airport in the world to do so.  It’s aesthetically pleasing also, a beautifully designed environment to spend time in.  We’ve got our fingers crossed that others will quickly follow.