United's Economy Plus legroom: A reality check

United's recent full-page newspaper ad warned, "Don't let the other airlines leave you in a pinch." It touted its own Economy Plus service, which, indeed, does provide more legroom than you get in coach on most other airlines. What the ad didn't make clear is that the extra-legroom seats are available to only a minority of United's elite customers. United puts its ordinary travelers into at least as bad a pinch as its major competitors—and a worse pinch than some of them. The ad also notes that Economy Plus was voted the best premium economy class in the world—an accurate claim, but also a real stretch, since, in my book, Economy Plus isn't a true premium economy at all.

Here's what you really need to know about Economy Plus:

• All coach seats on United's non-stop "PS" flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco to New York are Economy Plus. When I checked in early April, United was selling at least some of those seats at its lowest available fares—the same fares at which it was selling connecting flights. But those are United's only all Economy Plus flights.
• On other United flights, Economy Plus seats constitute only about one-third of the total coach seats. Those premium seats are reserved for travelers on expensive full-fare tickets, or high-ranking members of United's frequent flyer program. If you're an ordinary leisure traveler or business traveler looking to keep your airfare costs low, you'll never be assured one of those extra-room seats.
• If you don't qualify for pre-assignment to Economy Plus, you can't buy an upgrade in advance. However, while United doesn't mention the process anywhere I could find, travelers tell me that United agents sometimes sell Economy Plus upgrades at departure gates to travelers on cheap tickets, if extra seats are available. But you can't ever be assured the seats will be on sale—or that you'll get one even if they are.
• United travelers who do not qualify for Economy Plus will find that they are, in fact, "in a pinch." In ordinary coach, United provides about the same legroom as American, America West, Continental, regular Delta, and US Airways. It provides less legroom than Alaska, Delta's Song, Frontier, JetBlue, and Southwest. Folks, that's a pinch!
• In my book, Economy Plus is not a genuine premium economy at all. Real premium economy requires wider seats as well as increased legroom—at least three inches wider than those on United's 757s. Sadly, United's so-called premium service provides the same wretchedly narrow seats as in regular coach. When it set up PS service, United had a golden opportunity to provide real premium economy. Sadly, it muffed the chance.
• You find real premium economy in intercontinental flights on Air New Zealand (soon), ANA (Chicago, New York, and Washington flights only), British Airways, China Southern, EVA, SAS, Singapore (A340 to 500 flights only), Thai (A340 to 500 flights only), and Virgin Atlantic. On real premium economy, legroom is at least three inches more than on United's typical Economy Plus. Even more important, real premium economy seats are three to four inches wider than on Economy Plus. So far, real premium economy is available only on overseas flights.
• Economy Plus is actually less comfortable than regular coach on JetBlue (at least if you sit in rows 11 to 26). JetBlue not only gives you the same legroom; it also provides seats that are an inch wider than on United. What's more, JetBlue's fares are usually lower than United's.
• Voting Economy Plus as the world's best premium economy is a joke. Yes, it's true; I saw the results on Business Traveler's website. I wonder what those survey respondents were smoking.

Bottom line: Economy Plus is certainly better than regular coach on United—as long as you can score a seat without paying for a top-dollar ticket. But it falls far short of real premium economy. And you can sometimes find a better ordinary coach alternative on a different airline.