Amenity Kit Review: United Airlines BusinessFirst (Team USA)

Welcome to another installment of our amenity kit review series! Just like the other reviews, I will be reviewing this United Airlines amenity kit on a scale from 1 to 5 (being the best) and I will rate it based on five categories:

Bag/container: design, quality and reusability/collectability of the bag.
Product: quality, size and variety of the facial and body products.
Comfort items: eye mask, ear plugs, etc.
Miscellaneous: pens, tissues and everything else.
Extras: additional items that make your flight just a tad more comfortable including pajamas, slippers, etc.

Today, I will be reviewing United Airlines’ new US Olympics themed BusinessFirst amenity kit. To celebrate their 35 year partnership with the USOC, United introduced these new kits a few months ago for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. These new TEAM USA BusinessFirst amenity kits replaced the current Cowshed amenity kits launched in August 2015. Those Cowshed kits have only been around for a year and were very popular so I’m assuming United will switch back to them after this promotion with the US Olympic Committee. These limited edition United Airlines amenities kits are unisex and offer the same products for men and women.

Bag/Container – These metal tins are awesome and will surely be a collector’s item for any US Olympics fan. Decked out in TEAM USA red, white and blue, the top flip case has a retro feel to it and is branded with the United Airlines and USOC logos. Though not very practical for travel reuse, the metal tin can be used to store stuff but don’t expect the contents to stay put. The lid itself is not very secure and your contents will fall out so it’s best displayed on a desk or shelf. This case scores high for design and collectability but loses half a point for reusability. Score: 4.5

Product – Inside, you’ll find the same products by London based Cowshed Spa including a full-size “Lippy Cow” lip balm, a sample size tube of “Cow Pat” hand cream and a chamomile scented, refreshing towelette. I personally love Cowshed Spa and their face and body products. Their products have a clean and refreshing scent and feel natural to the touch with organic plant extracts and essential oils. These products score big points for the quality but loses half a point for not including a face cream, which I believe is more critical for looking refreshed after a long-haul flight than hand cream. Score: 4.5

Comfort items – I love, love, love the comfort items included in this kit. This kit includes a TEAM USA branded eye mask, non-slip socks and standard ear plugs. The retro designed eye mask is just awesome and the socks are equally cool with red, white and blue colors and a non-slip bottom. I can’t wait to show these off on my next flight! Score: 5

Miscellaneous items – United surprisingly provides plenty of miscellaneous items including a United branded pen, comb, hand sanitizer packets and a dental hygiene kit containing a soft reusable toothbrush (with cap), travel size tube of Colgate toothpaste, a dental pick and breath mints. Score: 5

Extras: None. Score: 1

Overall, this United Airlines amenity kit is fantastic and scores a big 4 on our scale (5 being the highest). I’m so glad I got my hands on one of them and I hope these stick around for a little longer. The metal tin itself is unique and the retro design in partnership with the USOC is just awesome. I love the quality Cowshed Spa products inside and the extra miscellaneous items such as mints and anti-bacterial gels are small but make a world of difference on a long-haul flight.

What are your thoughts? Do you have one of United’s new business class amenity kits? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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