Following up Friday’s post on the next generation of United’s first class seat, here’s the photo, and the press release.

It looks nice, but it also resembles a lot of existing business class seats out there, such as Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, or even the forthcoming Delta seat. Increasingly, first class isn’t looking that different from new-generation business class (unless, of course, you’re Singapore Airlines…)

At the end of the day, if first class seats are only marginally better, the difference between business and first class comes down to service in the cabin (and on the ground, for that matter). But I have my doubts; consistency and top-notch service are necessary, and I haven’t seen a consistent level of service on board United in a while.

(Thanks for the heads-up, Benet!)