theLuxuryTravelExpert

On August 2nd 2017, I flew Business Class in a United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) in France to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in the USA. United’s new Business Class concept ‘Polaris’ – launched in December 2016 – was offered on this flight. Unfortunately, during this trip, I did not have time to visit the Star Alliance lounge in Paris (which does not feature the new Polaris lounge concept anyway) since I had an ultra-short connection (I was flying in from Brussels). Another (small) disappointment was that United’s Boeing 787-9 planes do not feature the new Polaris forward-facing pods yet, as these are currently only found on the carrier’s brand new B777-300ER and some retrofitted B767-300ER aircraft. Nevertheless, I enjoyed a great flight and overall liked the new Polaris concept, which - IMHO - sets United’s service on par with most of its competitors.

On a personal note, my first ever Business Class flight was with United (in 2010), and since then, United has always been my first choice for transatlantic travel. Although I am well aware that United has had its fair share of troubles and negative publicity over the past year, I have always had a good experience with them and never experienced a major problem. Remarkably, all of my transatlantic United flights so far were always piloted with women (which makes me always wonder why there are not more female pilots with other airlines).

I made a Youtube clip (with a new camera) during this flight, which you can watch here:


- Trip: CDG-SFO
- Airline: United Airlines
- Aircraft type: B787-9 Dreamliner
- Aircraft registration number: N35953
- Flight Number: UA984
- Date: August 2nd, 2017
- On time departure: yes (9.15 am)
- On time arrival: yes (11.15 am)
- Miles: 5583
- Flight time: 11 hours
- Seat: 6A
- Class: Business Class

1. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN

United’s B787-9 planes seat 252 passengers in total: 48 in Business Class, 88 in Economy Plus, and 116 in Economy Class. The 48 Business Class fully flat-bed seats are spread over two cabins, with a galley in between them: the forward Business Class cabin features 30 seats in 5 rows, while the second and smaller cabin – which is located further back, in front of the Economy Plus cabin – consists of only 3 rows with 18 seats in total. In both cabins, the seats are placed in a traditional 2-2-2 layout and slightly angled towards the windows. Adjoining seats are staggered by a couple of cm, which – together with a small partition – offers some extra privacy in case you are seated next to a stranger and at the same time allows enough interaction when you are traveling with a companion. All seats face forward and have aisle access, except for the window seats (where you will have to climb over the legs of your neighbour to get to the aisle).

Albeit not bad, United’s current B787 2-2-2 Business Class layout is inferior to the excellent new 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout that the carrier is currently offering on all of its brand new B777-300ER planes. The good news though is that the carrier will retrofit all of its existing wide-body planes with the new seats over the coming years (some B767-300ER have been retrofitted already).

2. THE BUSINESS CLASS SEAT

I had selected window seat 6A for the 11 hour flight from Paris to San Francisco. Business Class seats on row 6 are very popular with passengers traveling with young children because of the bassinet that is present in the bulkhead.

The United B787 Business Class seat is similar to the one that Qatar Airways installed on its A330 planes. The soft cushioned seat has a pitch of 78 inch and a width of 22 inch (56 cm). Below the 15,4 inch HD TV monitor, you find a drawer which is large enough to store your laptop, and an ottoman which becomes part of the flatbed once the seat is fully reclined. The size of the ottoman differs dramatically depending upon the row: the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6 offer a much larger ottoman as compared to the cramp footrests of all the other Business Class seats.

The arm rest that is shared with the adjoining seat features a small shared table (to put a glass and snacks on), the seat controls, and the remote control for the entertainment system. It also houses a moderately sized fold-out tray table which needs to be pulled out for any use (after which you are kind of blocked in your seat). On the other side of the seat, behind the headrest, is a small, somewhat difficult to reach storage compartment, where you find the safety card, a universal AC power outlet and a USB port.

The seat does go fully flat, but again, your sleep comfort will depend on the seat you choose: except for the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6 (which come with large ottomans), the footrests are very narrow, so not very comfortable for a good night’s rest.

What are the best Business Class seats on United’s B787-9? Click here for a seat map.
- All seats in the cabin are excellent for those traveling with a companion because of the 2-2-2 layout.
- The bulkhead seats in row 1 & 6 feature a much larger footrest as compared to all other seats, so these are the seats you want to fly (and sleep) in, although proximity to the galley and lavatory may cause some slight noise disturbance from time to time.

What are the worst Business Class seats on United B787-9? Click here for a seat map.
- The 2-2-2 Business Class layout does not make the cabin very attractive for solo travelers, since you will always end up sitting next to a stranger. There is a small screen though between adjoining seats which are also staggered by a couple of inches, creating some extra levels of privacy (albeit not enough in my opinion).
- Window seats don’t offer direct aisle access.
- As mentioned above, the footrests are very narrow (except for the bulkhead seats in rows 1 & 6), so not very comfortable for a good night’s rest.

3. AMENITIES

The United Polaris Business Class service came with plush sleeping amenities, developed by Saks Fifth Avenue. Thers was a choice of two different blankets, two types of pillows, and a mattress cushions was also provided upon request. Each Business Class passenger also received a stylish United Polaris branded amenity kit created by Saks Fifth Avenue, which contained the essentiel travel items in addition to toiletries from Soho House & Co’s Cowshed Spa.

4. MEALS

I had the following items from the breakfast/brunch menu, which all tasted great:
- Starter: smoked salmon, capers, onion, and hard-boiled egg, served with mixed greens, blueberry, papaya, strawberry, dressing and assorted breads.
- Breakfast entrée: steak and eggs (e.g. grilled tenderloin, scrambled eggs, potatoes, asparagus, tomato).
- Dessert: vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce (which was one of the items offered on a trolley rolled by the crew through the cabin).

During the flight a small walk-up bar was set up in the galley near the exit door, which offered some fresh fruits, salty and sweet snacks. One could also order a mid-flight hot bite (e.g. beef stew with rice, which tasted excellent).

Ninety minutes prior to arrival, a warm lunch was served. I choose the grilled chicken, served with tomato-basil sauce, vegetable couscous, green beans, and a side salad.

All in all, the meal service on this flight far exceeded all my other meal services that I had onboard other USA carriers so far.

5. INTERNET

United offers WiFi onboard its B787 aircraft. Rates on this flight ranged from $11,99 USD for one hour to $32,99 USD for the entire flight. The speed of the internet was decent for most part of the journey. It’s disappointing though that United doesn’t offer complimentary internet in its premium cabin like some of its competitors.

6. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES

# CREW: I realize that many – especially American – people are not fond of the service offered on USA carriers (which is also evident from the comments placed on my Youtube clips of USA carriers). However, I don’t share this opinion, and I have always been taken care of very well during every flight, whether with American, United or Delta. The superfriendly and competent cabin crew on this flight was exceptional. The purser introduced herself to all Business Class passengers during the flight and any requests were promptly dealt with. And no, I am not sponsored by United to write down these comments .

# LAVATORY: There are 3 lavatories onboard the B787-9 for Business Class passengers: one is located behind the cockpit and the two other are located in the galley between the two Business Class cabins.

# VIEWS: we enjoyed clear skies from takeoff to landing, which afforded some stupendous views of Paris (after takeoff), Greenland (mid-flight) and the Bay Area (landing).

theLuxuryTravelExpert

CurbedEnthusiasm

They are still using paper ice cream bowls? What's it been, 6 months? Does it really take that long to find a bowl that won't crack?

Maybe it's just me, but I think the new Polaris crockery and linens look very outdated.

dodgeflyer

You’re quite wrong actually. The 90s are back in fashion... the 90s the decade style forgot.

Looks very outdated and you need sunglasses for that table cloth.

canolakid

that the leg-limbo nightmare continues on premium direct flights is disappointing.

Madone59

Thanks for sharing theLuxuryTravelExpert ^ Recently flew Polaris on a 787 too and found the seats really scratchy when sleeping - did you too?

fly747first

For an airline ran by underachievers who don't take pride in their jobs, yes, wouldn't be surprised if it takes them over a year.

CHOPCHOP767

I enjoyed my non-773 Polaris experience to Europe. It's certainly frustrating that the roll out of the hard-product is taking so long; but I found the FAs to be friendly and happy to provide the service. We've booked a Polaris flight to BCN in January through EWR rather than AA's 777 through JFK. I find the old PMCO seats pretty comfortable. More so than BA-J, which was the other option.

Thanks for sharing!

djjaguar64

It looks TACKY!

N1120A

The Polaris seats are not reverse herringbone.

GetSetJetSet

those looks like the pmCO BF seats that have been in the fleet for a while, not the new Polaris seats.

injian

that beef with rice dish does look appetizing.