Flying from San Francisco to Washington DC with United Airlines

A United Airlines Boeing 737-900. Photo / Paul Sullivan, Creative Commons

Tejas Lamb flies across the USA

The plane: A Boeing 737-900.

Class: Economy.

Flight time: Five hours.

My seat: 12A.

Passengers: Americans on a short holiday to Washington DC for Columbus Day.

How full: About 60 per cent full. The front of the plane was packed, but as you moved towards the back, everyone had a row to themselves to stretch out.

Entertainment: No screens, but you could download the United app to use with the onboard Wi-Fi (that's the only thing you could do with it). I decided to look out of the window to see the Grand Canyon and cities stranded in the middle of the desert.

The service: The service was good on this flight, with the flight attendants doing various jobs at once.

Food: We were offered pretzels and a non-alcoholic drink.

Toilets: They were small and unclean so best avoided after the first encounter.

Luggage: We could take three bags free of charge because my dad has Star Alliance Gold Elite status.

Airport Experience: San Fransisco airport staff were friendly and helpful. The wide range of food and drinks available in the airport equated to full stomachs before our flight.

Washington Dulles International was very quiet as it was nearly midnight.

The actual seat: The seat was the usual Economy seat with limited legroom and recline.

Would I fly again: Yes.

Want more holiday inspiration? Sign up to our new Travel Insider newsletter here.