Schedule updated through 6/1, adding an 8:30 am 77W SFO-EWR leg. Pricing still on the high end.

Post-May Transcon losing Polaris seating
 

For the last few year, 80%+ of the SFO - EWR and LAX-EWR flights have been the new polaris seating. It seems like starting in May, only 1 flight per day is using the new polaris seating, and the rest are the old 777-200s or 757 lie flats.

Does anyone have insight into the reason for this or if it's just a temporary placeholder?

I would wait. The schedule is not final yet.

Happens every year - aircraft schedules not final and will change at least once between now and the date of the flight as EWR764 said.

Last march I saw the 777HDs return to EWR-SFO and were swapped out about a month before departure. J inventory was zeroed out as well until the aircraft was finalized.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...Jw&oe=63E1C11B

Good to know, thanks!

This has been discussed in the main premium transcon thread. The feeling is that the polarized widebodies are going to move (back) to int'l routes. But, of course, who knows...

Just booked a 777-200 EWR-SFO on 4/11. Polaris 3L 6:05 PM timeslot. The 5:00 PM had the old style 777 and the 8:50 PM has the 757. Hoping that they don't swap the plane, but I am fully expecting it. I wish the FAA just made United scrap the Pratt & Whitney 777s for good. Why United decided to bring back the dorm style business class seating is beyond me. I was seriously considering flying to LAX earlier in the day and connecting up to SFO in favor of the 787-10, but I'll give United a chance on this and there is no guarantee that the LAX route won't aircraft swap.

A key dynamic this year is the return of many flights to Asia (Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc.), which along with another year of an expanded schedule to Europe leaves fewer Polarized planes for domestic routes. The transcon and Hawai'i Polaris-fest was fun while it lasted.

Agreed. But here's the thing: the 777s and 787s I've been on have been either sold out completely in all classes or near sold-out. That's a lot of capacity to lose if the move the widebodies to Asia routes and go back to all 752s. What are they going to do?

To start you'd have to look at other flights those days to see if the widebodies are pulling pax from other flights. Then you have to figure out whether UA is flying too much capacity on other, smaller routes where they can shift some planes to transcon to make up that capacity (say 2x 73X vs. 789). And if all else fails, fares go up!

I doubt they are going to all 752 - even pre-pandemic they had widebodies running, though many were the domestic 777.


Which I presume they could/would use on some of those frequencies. Are there any of those 777HD still in storage? If so, they could always bring those back into service.

Pre-pandemic they also had the sUA 752 with 28J. But either way, the sCO 752 or the 777HD is going have drastic reduction of premium seating. And given the pathetic catering gives even more reason for people to fly the other options on these routes.

Are the sUA 752s really gone or could they be de-mothablled? I sure do miss those.

Some are gone, some are mothballed: (from the UA fleet website: https://sites.google.com/site/unitedfleetsite/ and the removals page: https://sites.google.com/site/united...nline-aircraft)

Probably gotta ask folks like Bunky and UAinAUS about any de-mothballing options.

​​​​​​​David

Those PMUA 752 were the original PS aircrafts. Truly a sentimemtal favorites of many FTers in this forum.

My memory is fading, but I recall those PW engines and airframes require heavy mantenance to comply with Federal safty stanrads that would cost several 10s of milions per aircraft. It would be hard to bringback those stored birds.
Perhaps our experts in this thread can share more. relevant informaiton.