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, ....
Mar 9, 2021, 1:34 am
#2341
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,397
If the 788 holds there is a good chance you will have Polaris seats, but in the current times you can’t count on any particular aircraft type on any route until maybe 30 days out, if that.
Well, on second thought, are they selling Premium Economy on that flight. While they can always add or yank the PE cabin later on, it is definitely a better indicator. PE = Polaris Cabin. However, No PE ≠ No Polaris (763s)
Well, on second thought, are they selling Premium Economy on that flight. While they can always add or yank the PE cabin later on, it is definitely a better indicator. PE = Polaris Cabin. However, No PE ≠ No Polaris (763s)
Mar 9, 2021, 9:56 am
#2342
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: BHD/DUB/PTY
Programs: BA Silver / EI Silver
Posts: 419
Just in one day of sitting down and thinking about booking the flights, it seems like they are gone. SFO-DUB is pushed back to October. Now looking at DUB-EWR and EWR-SFO, both on 787-10s so fair to say those will likely be Polaris.
Also looking at IAH-AMS in September. Showing as a 789 with old seats. As HNLbasedFlyer said, most likely a placeholder but don't have high hopes for a Polaris seat on that one.
Also looking at IAH-AMS in September. Showing as a 789 with old seats. As HNLbasedFlyer said, most likely a placeholder but don't have high hopes for a Polaris seat on that one.
Mar 10, 2021, 1:24 pm
#2344
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
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Posts: 9,455
UA was flying a 787-10 on EWR-DUB consistently for over a year pre-COVID. It has a slightly lower J:Y ratio than the rest of the big WBs (except the domestic 772s) and reportedly UA moves a good amount of freight in and out of DUB.
Mar 10, 2021, 9:58 pm
#2345
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,468
BCN was another one, IIRC - competing with Norwegian was one factor.
Mar 11, 2021, 3:31 am
#2346
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: BHD/DUB/PTY
Programs: BA Silver / EI Silver
Posts: 419
Mar 11, 2021, 6:54 pm
#2347
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 187
Not Polaris?
I've got this flight coming up in first class a week from this Saturday. I'm gonna assume based on the seat map that this 787-8 hasn't been retrofitted with Polaris seats? Also assuming that since the flight is less than two weeks away the chances of this been swapped for a Polaris plane are slim to none?
Mar 11, 2021, 7:01 pm
#2348
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,861
I've got this flight coming up in first class a week from this Saturday. I'm gonna assume based on the seat map that this 787-8 hasn't been retrofitted with Polaris seats? Also assuming that since the flight is less than two weeks away the chances of this been swapped for a Polaris plane are slim to none? ...
Worth noting some prefer the prior seats on the 788.
Mar 11, 2021, 7:03 pm
#2349
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 187
Yes I've read that some prefer the prior lie-flat seats so I'm not too worried. I did enjoy the Polaris on a SFO-EWR flight a few months ago. Will they update the seat map when the version is firmed up a few days before? Or you find out the day of? Thank you!
Mar 11, 2021, 7:08 pm
#2350
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
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Posts: 66,861
Mar 12, 2021, 1:51 am
#2351
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,397
About half the 788s (5 of 12) are the prior lie flat config. The standard on iffy routes is show the prior configuration. A decision of specific version on those routes will be deferred until 2 -3 days prior to travel and still might change due system issues.
Worth noting some prefer the prior seats on the 788.
Worth noting some prefer the prior seats on the 788.
As for the 788s, Wine is correct, 7 out of the 12 are in the Polaris configuration, however I could argue that only 2 out of 12 are in the old configuration with the remaining 3 currently having no configuration since they are probably stripped apart getting Polaris and PE installed.
Mar 12, 2021, 12:13 pm
#2353
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Posts: 66,861
Answers in The United Airlines Fleet Website (google.com)
None are parked
787-8 (788) - 12 (3 in retrofit, 7 have the new seats)
787-9 (789) - 35 (12 have the new seats)
787-10 (781) - 13, all have the new seats
Yes they are clearly marked in the search results
None are parked
787-8 (788) - 12 (3 in retrofit, 7 have the new seats)
787-9 (789) - 35 (12 have the new seats)
787-10 (781) - 13, all have the new seats
Yes they are clearly marked in the search results
Mar 12, 2021, 3:14 pm
#2354
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: DL, UA, AA, VS
Posts: 5,226
Thanks, are there more 789 or 781s on order?
so it seems any UA 787 you book is likely to have Polaris seats by now.
Are the remaining 788s going to be converted? Are the non Polaris 788s used only on specific routes?
so it seems any UA 787 you book is likely to have Polaris seats by now.
Are the remaining 788s going to be converted? Are the non Polaris 788s used only on specific routes?
Mar 12, 2021, 3:30 pm
#2355
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
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Posts: 66,861
Yes, not sure but believe 3 789s and 1 781 are schedule for 2021 and more later
I would be wary of 789s. only 1/3 updated and none in the shop -- it was always UA;s plan for those to be among the last
Yes, 3 of the last 5 are in the shop today
Yes, 3 of the last 5 are in the shop today