The latest look at United Airlines & Air Canada’s Airplanes and Lounges at London Heathrow

Flying with United or Air Canada? Enjoy a whistlestop review of how to maximise your time and start your travel with ease, speed, and efficiency.

Brightsun staff members were recently invited by United Airlines and Air Canada to attend a familiarisation trip at London Heathrow, exploring their aircrafts, departure and arrivals lounges, and gaining tips for travelling seamlessly. The trip highlighted the overall experience from the lens of the customer - from checking in, facilities at the departures and arrivals lounges, to seeing the aircraft and different cabins.

The day began at Heathrow Terminal 2, at the self-check-in service at United Airlines. A great tip when travelling with United is if you download the United app beforehand, and enter all your details including the address you are staying at in the USA, it will already be added to your information so you can check in faster, as you won’t have to type it all in at the self-check in. Another benefit is once you are at the gates, you will be able to access all the on-board entertainment from your phone and start watching movies before you have even boarded!

Our first aircraft tour was on board United’s Boeing 767 aircraft, which is the smallest aircraft from London Heathrow and offers 46 seats in Polaris, 22 in Premium Plus, and 99 in Economy Class. The economy cabin has a 3-3-3 seat configuration, with 31” legroom space between seats in front – for anyone over 6-foot-tall, you will have enough leg room to relax as we tried this out with our tallest staff member! Premium Plus class offers modern luxury, it is super spacious, and everything that can be sustainable is, from the packaging to no plastic wrapping on the blankets or toiletries.

As for on-board entertainment, you have the option to watch the latest films via state-of-the-art screens, complemented with new headphones for a smooth flight. Wi-Fi is available, as well as power outlets and USB ports. The United Airlines app is also a must download for passengers, as there are many features such as continuing the entertainment on your onwards flights, and checking and choosing your seating information as the configurations vary between aircrafts, among many other benefits.  

We then visited the Boeing 777, which is United Airlines’ largest aircraft, consisting of 50 Polaris seats, 24 Premium with a 2-4-2 configuration, and 202 Economy with a 3-4-3 configuration. This aircraft’s Polaris cabin has a seat configuration of 1-2-1, so you can choose whatever suits you whether travelling alone or with a companion, with Wi-Fi, power outlets, USB ports, and a beauty mirror all available at your seat.

The final United aircraft we toured was the Boeing 787, which was similar seat wise to the Boeing 777 with 50 seats in Polaris offering a 1-2-1 seating configuration, 21 seats with a 2-3-2 seating plan in Premium, and 188 seats with a 3-4-3 configuration in Economy.

Lastly, we got to experience a tour of Air Canada’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Economy passengers have great legroom space, in-flight entertainment that includes a personal touchscreen, in-seat power for laptops, USB ports, and a pillow and blanket for a restful flight. If you select their “Preferred” seating, you will enjoy extra legroom and 10cm of additional space between seats.

Passengers travelling in Premium Economy can enjoy larger seats and extra legroom, complimentary wines, spirits, and meals, a personal TV screen for in-flight entertainment, a pillow and duvet, and more.

Air Canada’s Signature product offering business class seats truly stood out, as passengers can lie-flat in the executive pods which also offer a complimentary duvet, pillow, adjustable cushions, and 600 hours of movies, TV and music via the state-of-the-art screens.

We were treated to lunch at the United Club Lounge which boasts a state-of-the-art restaurant offering the finest pastries, a variety of delightful hot food depending on the time of day, and desserts to satisfy your taste buds, along with serviced bars. The lounge also offers complimentary Wi-Fi, with closed rooms for a quieter atmosphere - perfect for meetings on the go.

With floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire length and a stunning modern design, there is a lot of natural light creating a bright, airy atmosphere. There’s also a 25-seat full-service bar featuring beer, wine, a cocktail menu, and champagne.  

To freshen up, apart from regular washrooms, the lounge has 8 large well-appointed shower suites with lovely touches including a rainfall shower, vanity sitting area with mirror, and complimentary toiletries. To be eligible for entry to the lounge, you must be flying Business or First Class or if you are a Star Alliance Gold Member, you are permitted entry along with a guest, and children under two go free. Any additional guests can purchase a one-time pass from united.com/unitedclub.

We were also taken to the United and Air Canada Arrivals lounge, which is extremely beneficial for those passengers flying in on the red eye, as it has 17 bathrooms with showers to freshen up, a full breakfast buffet, and seating and working areas with complimentary Wi-Fi if you need to check in on emails before setting off.

Air Canada took us on a tour of their Maple Leaf lounge, decorated with wood and stone panelling which comes from Canada, offering a chic design in honour of the airline’s origin.

The lounge has a tended bar and a bistro with a chef’s cooking station offering a wide variety to suit all preferences. Their bathrooms offer spa like shower areas, and they have separate areas for working along with a quiet zone and TV-equipped relaxation pods and chaises.

Connectivity throughout the lounge is good, with plug sockets in the floor between armchairs along the window and in many other places so you can charge your devices easily. Aside from washrooms, there are three shower rooms and for design continuity, they are decorated in the same brown Canadian stone featured in the main lounge, offering neutral tones for a relaxing environment.

The great news is as Air Canada is part of the Star Alliance, so you can access their lounge if you are flying a Star Alliance carrier including Lufthansa, SAS, United, and Singapore Airlines, either on a Business Class ticket or with the relevant status. That means anyone with Star Alliance Gold can access the lounge and gold members can bring one guest for free.  

We were all incredibly grateful to United Airlines and Air Canada once again for their warm hospitality. The trip gave us all a fantastic insight into the latest features and facilities on both airlines’ aircraft, cabins, and lounge offerings. We highly recommend choosing them for your travel, and as a preferred partner, we have access to excellent fares, availability and connectivity throughout the US and Canada with United and Air Canada.