Background and Booking
I was going to New Orleans for the first time to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and the only flight leaving after work was on United, so I booked United. When I was searching, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue & American also offered nonstops on this route.
Flight Details
United Airlines Flight 1063
Newark (EWR) to New Orleans (MSY)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-900ER
Seat: 23C (Aisle)- Economy
Scheduled Duration: 3 hours 34 minutes
Date: January 2025
Check-In & At the Airport
Originally, when I booked my ticket, I was only a couple of rows from the back of the aircraft. However, during online check-in, I was able to move closer to the middle of the aircraft as some Preferred seats are free to select at check-in. To select an Econ Plus aisle seat at check-in, it was $69.99.
My flight left from Terminal C, and boarding was scheduled 40 minutes before the planned departure. I grabbed a quick ramen from Little Purse, which was alright, and headed to the gate.
Boarding was scheduled 40 minutes before the planned departure, and since it was a full flight, those who were in boarding group 6 had to gate check their carry-on bags.
The Cabin: United 737-900ER
Our aircraft was 17 years old. The plane was delivered in 2008 for Continental Airlines, and then joined United’s fleet. It still had the old seatback IFE screens with just DIRECTV on them. I believe we had an equipment swap, as the email sent a few days before said we would only have streaming to our device.
Legroom was solid, and I had ample space for this flight, even with my backpack underneath the seat in front of me.
The screen was blurry, and the remote on the armrest was a bit faulty, but I guess I can’t complain too much for a shorter flight. Definitely, the seatback IFE on my Delta flight home was better.
I appreciated how they had sanitizing wipes when you boarded, so I could clean my seat.
Shortly after boarding, the flight attendants came by to give us headphones, which were much appreciated.
Wi-Fi was provided by ViaSat and was complimentary for T-Mobile customers. It was $8 for MileagePlus customers, and free messaging & entertainment to stream was available for all passengers. It generally worked well for most of the flight on my phone, but I did have a few 5-minute disconnections with no service throughout the flight.
For the in-flight service, snacks included chocolate crisps, pretzels, or a stroopwaffel, and the drink cart followed behind. They gave a full can of soda, which was nice.
Between taking a nap and being on my phone with the WiFi, the flight went by pretty quickly. We ended up arriving at the gate 10 minutes early, and New Orleans Airport was nice and easy to exit, so I hopped into a Lyft quite quickly.
The Verdict
Overall, I had a pleasant flight on board the United Boeing 737-900ER from Newark to New Orleans. While the IFE Screen is quite outdated, the flight was on time, WiFi worked for the most part & the seat itself was comfortable.
Have you flown on a United Boeing 737-900ER before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
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