United Airlines 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus review: the stud-like ‘responsible’ first class

The thing that I like best about United 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus is how inconspicuously stud-like it is. 

I mean, the word ‘economy’ is right there in the name. It even looks like a basic economy class seat. No one’s going to judge you for paying more for an upgrade when a basic economy seat would’ve been just fine. Especially in these challenging economic times. 

Little do they know that you got to enjoy as much legroom as those up in first class did. You also got to be one of the first to board and deplane (just like them). 

It’s basically first class for those who don’t want to look like they’re flying first class. What a stud you are! 

UA2464
West Palm Beach, FL (PBI) – Denver, CO (DEN)
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Aircraft: 737 MAX 9
Registration: N77573
Duration: 3 hours 46 minutes
Seat: 10F (Economy Plus)

My full review of United 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus from West Palm Beach to Denver

Despite all of the glazing of this product that I did in the intro, let’s be real. Of course I would’ve preferred to fly first class. I didn’t even care if I would’ve been judged for it. Unfortunately, it was a bit too spendy for me, so I went with the next cheapest option: Economy Plus. 

Arrival at the West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

This flight to Denver was scheduled to depart West Palm Beach at 3:42 PM. I arrived at approximately 1 PM in hopes of getting a bite to eat before the flight. I mean , stud-like seating situation or not, I already knew that there would be very little food offered on the four hour flight out west. 

The boarding process for flight number 2464 to DEN

The boarding process was delayed by about 30 minutes due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft from Newark. Concourse B at PBI isn’t exactly the most comfortable place to wait out a delay, so it felt more like an hour. Plus two.

They got the boarding process started at approximately 3:40 PM. Economy Plus passengers board with Group 2. I somehow ended up at the very end of that line, so I essentially boarded with Group 3. Leadership has never been one of my strongest traits. 

United 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus cabin and seat overview 

There are 45 Economy Plus seats on the United 737 MAX 9. It’s a standard 3-3 layout, and as you might expect, these seats are located at the very front of the economy class cabin. 

These seats feature large video screen screens and power outlets. A lot of extra legroom as well. About 3 inches worth by my estimation. 

These are the second best ‘extra legroom’ economy seats in the US at the moment IMHO. Delta’s are the best (which you can see in my Delta A321 Comfort Plus review). Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 Premium Class is just as spacious, but it doesn’t feature video screen screens. Same with American Airlines (which you can see in my American A321 Main Cabin Extra review). 

The departure from PBI

They got us pushed off the gate at 4:11 PM, which was about 30 minutes behind schedule. Although I was slightly concerned about making my connection in Denver, I decided not to worry about it considering that the seat next to me had remained vacant. I’d worry about missing my connection later. Not now. Not with so much extra space to enjoy. 

It was a fairly long 23 minute taxi over to runway 10L, and we were in the air at 4:23 PM. Very much behind schedule, but tolerable consider considering all of the stretching out that I was doing. 

In-flight entertainment

United’s 737 MAX 9’s feature their latest in flight entertainment product. It’s the same one you saw in my United 787-9 Premium Plus review, and it’s really good. The only issue I have with it is how long it takes to get to the main menu. There are a lot of questions to answer! 

Basically, this is one of the best in-flight entertainment systems of any US airline at the moment. There seems to be an endless selection of TV shows and movies. And you betcha – it supports Bluetooth connectivity for your wireless headphones. 

Food and drinks

The bad news is that alcohol isn’t free for Economy Plus passengers like is on some other US airlines. The even badder news is that the in-flight menu is void of what I consider to be the most perfect airplane food ever invented: a fruit and cheese plate. 

Economy Plus passengers do get free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks of course. Unfortunately, I don’t think the snacks are any better than what they served back in regular economy class. Snack boxes (and other more substantial food items) are available for purchase from the menu. 

Seat recline and comfort

Those of you hoping and praying for decent seat recline will maybe have to splurge for first class next time. Remember: these are standard economy class seats, so the recline is limited. And not all that comfortable in my opinion. 

And because these are regular economy seats, they are neither soft nor wide. I’d recommend bringing a pillow to sit on if you’ve got a delicate tooshie. And lumbar support! FWIW, a pair of wadded up dirty underwear from your backpack will work. Don’t ask me how I know this. 

The descent and arrival into Denver

To my surprise, we began the descent into Denver only slightly behind schedule (about 10 minutes worth). The captain said that they were hammer-down pretty much the entire way in an attempt to make up lost time. Yeehaw!

We touched down on runway 17R at 6:20 PM, which was only 10 minutes behind schedule. So not only did I have a lot of room to spread out for the entire flight, there was no need to worry about missing my connection to San Diego. A splendid afternoon it had turned out to be. 

Pros and cons of Economy Plus on the United 737 MAX 9

Don’t get it twisted. This is a pretty good ‘enhanced’ domestic economy product. It’s just not the best IMHO (Delta takes that honor). The in-seat video screens makes it better than anything Alaska or American (or even Southwest) is offering at he moment, and for some, that may be all that matters.

Pros

• Access to one of the best in-flight entertainment systems in the sky. At least in the US.
• Fairly high-powered in-seat power to charge all of your devices. 
• Super-trippy skin-staining blue mood lighting (just as intense as what I experienced in a JetBlue A320 Even More Space seat once). 

Cons

• The inflight menu isn’t quite as good as what Delta offers IMHO. A fruit and cheese plate would’ve been nice.
• Speaking of food, I don’t think the free snacks are ‘premium’ (like it is on other airlines). It’s the same stuff they’re slinging in economy class.
• No free alcohol.
• Premium or not, it’s still a very hard and narrow basic economy seat.