May 29, 2017, 1:21 pm
Last edit by: kirkwoodj
Check the current status of aircraft reconfigured (or delivered) with new Polaris seats: http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris...-desktop-4/p/3.
A Polaris Update and Polaris Mod Schedule to indicate the status of specific aircraft are maintained by those that manage the United Airlines Fleet Website.
Except for 773- and 781-operated flights, and those markets selling Premium Plus, Polaris-equipped planes have not been allocated to specific routes. You won't know until approx. 36-48 hours before departure if you'll have a newly reconfigured aircraft, and even then, it may be replaced with a non-retrofitted aircraft.
777-300ER - All 22 aircraft have Polaris (60 seats) and installation of Premium Plus cabins (24 seats) is complete.
767-300ER - As of September 2020, 31 of the 38 aircraft have been reconfigured with the Polaris seats.
- Retrofit is from 3-cabin to 2-cabin with direct-aisle-access seats. No 3-cabin 767s remain in service.
- 76A configuration is 30J/50Y+/134Y, total of 214; fleet to consist of 17 ships (former 3-cabin 767s).
- 76L configuration is 46J/22PE/47Y+/52Y; fleet to consist of 21 ships (18 former 2-cabin 76C and 3 used ships from Hawaiian).
767-400ER - [16 aircraft] None updated yet; modifications put on hold due to Covid-19.
777-200ER - As of September 2020, 46 of the 50 aircraft have been reconfigured with Polaris and Premium Plus seats.
- Configuration is 50 Polaris seats, 32 in the front cabin and 18 in the second cabin (behind 2L/R)
- Configuration is 10 across in economy, with 24 Premium Plus seats, 4686 E+ seats and 156 E seats, with E+ in front economy cabin plus exit rows and bulkhead at 3L/R, i.e., almost the same as current pmCO planes, except with 4 seats in middle section.
- Seat map (v5) on united.com
787-8, 787-9 - As of November 2022, all 787-8/9 are converted or in mod. No chance of flying old configuration anymore.
- 788 configuration has 28 Polaris seats (20 in front cabin, 8 in rear mini-cabin), and 21 Premium Plus seats (2-3-2).
- 789 configuration has 48 Polaris seats (32 in front cabin, 16 in rear mini-cabin), and 21 Premium Plus seats (2-3-2).
787-10 - 13 787-10s have been delivered in 2020. All come with Polaris and Premium Plus cabins factory-installed. Another 19 should be added by 2024.
FAQ:
Q: Does a Polaris ticket mean the aircraft has the new Polaris seat?
A: No, Polaris is the label UA uses for long haul international business class. It is also the label UA uses for the new seats, so this does create some confusion.
All the 773s and 787-10s are 100% the new seat.
The rest of the long haul fleet in various stages of conversion, see http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris...-desktop-4/p/3
Q: How to tell if my aircraft is the new style Polaris seats?
A: If the unassigned business class section is showing orange seats or all the seats are side-by-side or there is a section for 4 adjacent seats in the middle, this is an old style lie-flat aircreaft
If the unassigned bussines class seats are dark blue seats or the all the seats appear to have direct aisle access, then you aircraft is the new Polaris seat.
You can also look at the FT maintained, United Fleet Site and crosscheck the tail number or check thePolaris Update tab
Q: How to tell if my aircraft has the new PremiumPlus (PP) / Premium Economy seats?
A: If the unassigned seats just behind business class are purple seats or the aircraft is 773 or 787-10, then yes. However, the purple color seat will only show on routes where PP is being sold.
Aircraft with PP seats are being used on some routes but are not being sold as PP. In those cases, the seats are considered to be a part of E+. In those cases, an indicator of PP sold as E+ will be if the first few rows of economy, there are just 2 seats on the sides (with the rest of E+ showing 3 seats).
Q: Will the aircraft I see at booking be the same configuration at flight time?
A: Unfortunately with the fleet in transit, aircraft swaps happen. UA tends to use placeholders until 2 days before travel and even after that last minute swaps do happen.
Q: My flight seat map shows 772 with polaris seats is it a retrofit?
A: Possibly. The flight status page shows the most accurate scheduled aircraft. If a 77W is swapped in, it will list the aircraft as 777-300ER. However, if the 772's seatmap shows blue rectangular boxes in the business class cabin instead of orange "pointy rounds", this would indicate that a retrofit aircraft has been swapped.
See also: United Future/Changed Routes w/ Polaris seats
A Polaris Update and Polaris Mod Schedule to indicate the status of specific aircraft are maintained by those that manage the United Airlines Fleet Website.
Except for 773- and 781-operated flights, and those markets selling Premium Plus, Polaris-equipped planes have not been allocated to specific routes. You won't know until approx. 36-48 hours before departure if you'll have a newly reconfigured aircraft, and even then, it may be replaced with a non-retrofitted aircraft.
777-300ER - All 22 aircraft have Polaris (60 seats) and installation of Premium Plus cabins (24 seats) is complete.
767-300ER - As of September 2020, 31 of the 38 aircraft have been reconfigured with the Polaris seats.
- Retrofit is from 3-cabin to 2-cabin with direct-aisle-access seats. No 3-cabin 767s remain in service.
- 76A configuration is 30J/50Y+/134Y, total of 214; fleet to consist of 17 ships (former 3-cabin 767s).
- 76L configuration is 46J/22PE/47Y+/52Y; fleet to consist of 21 ships (18 former 2-cabin 76C and 3 used ships from Hawaiian).
767-400ER - [16 aircraft] None updated yet; modifications put on hold due to Covid-19.
777-200ER - As of September 2020, 46 of the 50 aircraft have been reconfigured with Polaris and Premium Plus seats.
- Configuration is 50 Polaris seats, 32 in the front cabin and 18 in the second cabin (behind 2L/R)
- Configuration is 10 across in economy, with 24 Premium Plus seats, 46
- Seat map (v5) on united.com
787-8, 787-9 - As of November 2022, all 787-8/9 are converted or in mod. No chance of flying old configuration anymore.
- 788 configuration has 28 Polaris seats (20 in front cabin, 8 in rear mini-cabin), and 21 Premium Plus seats (2-3-2).
- 789 configuration has 48 Polaris seats (32 in front cabin, 16 in rear mini-cabin), and 21 Premium Plus seats (2-3-2).
787-10 - 13 787-10s have been delivered in 2020. All come with Polaris and Premium Plus cabins factory-installed. Another 19 should be added by 2024.
FAQ:
Q: Does a Polaris ticket mean the aircraft has the new Polaris seat?
A: No, Polaris is the label UA uses for long haul international business class. It is also the label UA uses for the new seats, so this does create some confusion.
All the 773s and 787-10s are 100% the new seat.
The rest of the long haul fleet in various stages of conversion, see http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris...-desktop-4/p/3
Q: How to tell if my aircraft is the new style Polaris seats?
A: If the unassigned business class section is showing orange seats or all the seats are side-by-side or there is a section for 4 adjacent seats in the middle, this is an old style lie-flat aircreaft
If the unassigned bussines class seats are dark blue seats or the all the seats appear to have direct aisle access, then you aircraft is the new Polaris seat.
You can also look at the FT maintained, United Fleet Site and crosscheck the tail number or check thePolaris Update tab
Q: How to tell if my aircraft has the new PremiumPlus (PP) / Premium Economy seats?
A: If the unassigned seats just behind business class are purple seats or the aircraft is 773 or 787-10, then yes. However, the purple color seat will only show on routes where PP is being sold.
Aircraft with PP seats are being used on some routes but are not being sold as PP. In those cases, the seats are considered to be a part of E+. In those cases, an indicator of PP sold as E+ will be if the first few rows of economy, there are just 2 seats on the sides (with the rest of E+ showing 3 seats).
Q: Will the aircraft I see at booking be the same configuration at flight time?
A: Unfortunately with the fleet in transit, aircraft swaps happen. UA tends to use placeholders until 2 days before travel and even after that last minute swaps do happen.
Q: My flight seat map shows 772 with polaris seats is it a retrofit?
A: Possibly. The flight status page shows the most accurate scheduled aircraft. If a 77W is swapped in, it will list the aircraft as 777-300ER. However, if the 772's seatmap shows blue rectangular boxes in the business class cabin instead of orange "pointy rounds", this would indicate that a retrofit aircraft has been swapped.
See also: United Future/Changed Routes w/ Polaris seats
✨ Polaris (& PP) Retrofits: Schedule, ....
Jul 17, 2019, 9:22 pm
#1831
Used to be MBS PremExec
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And are they really scattering E+ seats around the cabin like that? Talk about goofy and inconsistent.
Jul 17, 2019, 9:24 pm
#1832
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Trying out low price Chinese carriers will end in tears.
By your logic UA should just dismantle their Pacific operations
Last edited by uastarflyer; Jul 17, 2019 at 9:35 pm
Jul 17, 2019, 9:35 pm
#1833
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Passengers buy on price. That's been proven time and time again.
I know you were saying that you thought they needed even more premium capacity to SIN, but I don't really see it. Eventually SQ or UA will have to blink -- there's just no way that they can sell 200 J seats between SIN and the US on a daily basis.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:01 pm
#1835
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But UA 789 48J is already fairly premium compared to TPAC competitors flying to the US.
SQ A359 are 42J, CX A359/A351 are 38J/46J respectively, QF 789 are 42J, KE 789 are 6F18J, CI A350 are 32J and BR 789 are 26J. Only 789 more premium that I'm able to find is JL 789 with 52J config.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:14 pm
#1836
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SQ, CX et al don’t have the preferred contracts and connections out of SF. UA is leaving money on the table with their current 789 setup.
If it weren’t for Apple the 788 could have been gutted even further (CTU)
Jul 17, 2019, 10:47 pm
#1837
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Double daily 772 providing 100 Polaris seats per day instead of 60. That’s a 65% increase in Polaris and double P+, where it matters.
I disagree. I book weeks out (usually 2-3) and E+ is either wide open or worst case has plenty of seats. I’ve not missed an exit row in long haul E+ in 6-7 years. And my boss (a lowly Silver) has got E+ at check in 100% for the last 2 years.
The reduction in E+ complicates this and there likely will have to be restrictions on advance E+ seat selection. No E+ at check in for Silvers? No way. Cutting E+ at booking for Golds? Disaster. Hiking the E+ fee for kettles? Yes please.
The reduction in E+ complicates this and there likely will have to be restrictions on advance E+ seat selection. No E+ at check in for Silvers? No way. Cutting E+ at booking for Golds? Disaster. Hiking the E+ fee for kettles? Yes please.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:51 pm
#1838
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Still better than DL on the premium seats ratio. And at 48J, the 789 is still relatively J heavy. Could certainly be worse.
The very narrow seat is the bigger issue for me, especially on an ultra-longhaul like SIN.
The very narrow seat is the bigger issue for me, especially on an ultra-longhaul like SIN.
From a passenger experience perspective, not much difference between 77W and Polarized 772 (except for the new lavs on the 77W).
Jul 17, 2019, 11:10 pm
#1839
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Having flown a 788 in Y on a 5 hour flight, there is no way I would ever sit in a 788 Y seat - on any airline - on a TPAC or TATL. If I can't get a PE or C seat, I book away from all 787 series aircraft. Just like I do with 777s that have been converted to a sardine 10 Y configuration.
Jul 18, 2019, 12:34 am
#1840
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It does seem interesting they are cutting the 788 to such a high-density configuration... not sure what the target routes might be. If they had an eye on replacing 767s on EWR/IAD-HNL then I don't think they would put PE on the frames, but maybe they could be seen on some of the East Coast routes seeing 77G today?
) group of E+ rows?
Jul 18, 2019, 5:52 am
#1842
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While the 8 seats of J in the mini-cabin behind 2RL on the 778 feels weird, it might be a very quiet, and thus desirable cabin. Only 8 seats, and 3 rows of P+ as a buffer between J and Y.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
Also, you'll now need 2 FAs for the safety briefing for the 8 passengers in the mini-J cabin. While I'm sure they are staffed for this, it takes away from other pre-departure duties.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
Also, you'll now need 2 FAs for the safety briefing for the 8 passengers in the mini-J cabin. While I'm sure they are staffed for this, it takes away from other pre-departure duties.
Jul 18, 2019, 5:58 am
#1843
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While the 8 seats of J in the mini-cabin behind 2RL on the 778 feels weird, it might be a very quiet, and thus desirable cabin. Only 8 seats, and 3 rows of P+ as a buffer between J and Y.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
Also, you'll now need 2 FAs for the safety briefing for the 8 passengers in the mini-J cabin. While I'm sure they are staffed for this, it takes away from other pre-departure duties.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
Also, you'll now need 2 FAs for the safety briefing for the 8 passengers in the mini-J cabin. While I'm sure they are staffed for this, it takes away from other pre-departure duties.
Jul 18, 2019, 6:30 am
#1844
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While the 8 seats of J in the mini-cabin behind 2RL on the 778 feels weird, it might be a very quiet, and thus desirable cabin. Only 8 seats, and 3 rows of P+ as a buffer between J and Y.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
I do wonder how they will do it operationally, mainly as far as the meal service. Unless the P+ FAs will also be serving those 8 J seats, there will be a lot of back and forth and moving out of the way.
Jul 18, 2019, 7:15 am
#1845
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Post-2/1 service/staffing changes, I think that’s how the 788 is served anyway