United International Business Class is far below that of any other major international carrier. The seats are old and worn. Half the time, they are broken in some regard. Service from United is typical for US based airlines, which is poor. The Red Carpet Club in FRA is always overcrowded and has no real food to speak of, just crackers and prezels. But they do have a good frequent flyer program in terms of upgrades if you fly a lot. Otherwise, stay away.

United's domestic first class seats are similar to most other US-based legacy air carriers: worn and in desperate need of a good scrubbing. The seats and the pockets in front of the seat invariably contain the detritus of a previous occupant. The bottom padding has been flattened by the butts of decades-worth of fat people. The fold-out trays are unsanitary.

The aircraft are old and dirty. Quite often a piece of duct tape will hold a (hopefully) non-essential part of the aircraft interior in place.

All the above being said, elite status gives one the opportunity to fly transcon in a large, roomy, filthy and broken seat instead of a small, cramped, filthy and broken seat.

The 757-200 was clean and pleasant, and the service was adequate. United's audio system is head and shoulders above competitors, combining XM radio, with Channel 9, which gives one the chance to eaves drop on pilot to controller radio transmissions. The Hemisphere inflight magazine is also better than most. My main gripe with United (other than turning over too many routes to sub-contractor Skywest), is their horrible check-in policies. At major airports, like San Francisco and Seattle, they have "ushers", who guide passengers away from the few human beings at the ticket counter, to machines, where they are expected to check themselves in. Many times, people close to "cut-off", get confused on how to use the machine, and miss cut-off. The "ushers" then escort them to a phone bank, to call reservations and book another flight. If you brush past those moronic "ushers" to a human being at the counter, you can get your bag "late checked" and be on your way. Physically push past these "ushers", and always have a human being check you in.