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✨ Polaris (& PP) Retrofits: Schedule, ....

Old May 29, 2017, 1:21 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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, 46 86 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

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✨ Polaris (& PP) Retrofits: Schedule, ....

Old Jun 24, 2019, 3:44 pm
  #1756  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Originally Posted by BBSHOPSINGER
I flew on a Polarized 777-200 last Thursday, and found everything quite nice. The bathrooms are fine. What is your beef with the bathrooms?
outmoded fixtures that intermittently spit water, tissue dispensers that did not dispense, cramped, poorly lighted. Aged equipment. Purser agreed. Oh- the floor was sticky but otherwise all good. Right out of Greyhound
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 3:53 pm
  #1757  
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Originally Posted by BBSHOPSINGER
I flew on a Polarized 777-200 last Thursday, and found everything quite nice. The bathrooms are fine. What is your beef with the bathrooms?
You must have gotten one of the CO 772s with refitted lavs. There is no other rational explanation for your post.
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 3:59 pm
  #1758  
 
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Is the soft product updated for the 777-200s still in 2-2-2 config? Food + amenity?
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 4:01 pm
  #1759  
 
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Originally Posted by jasonNYC85
I am sure this is a repeat question but couldn't figure it out. Is the older 2-2-2 Polaris seat on 777-200 (long haul EWR > PVG) a lay flat? Apologies for cross posting from simple questions.

I found saver availability for 75k on this flight. I need to get to that part of the world anyway and this seems like a fair deal, even though it isn't a true Polaris hard product.

Thoughts?
Yes, they are lay flat. All UA widebodies J are lay flat.
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 4:04 pm
  #1760  
 
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Thanks! I also edited my question - any info on soft product, meal selection, etc on a flight as long as EWR > PVG?
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 4:12 pm
  #1761  
 
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Originally Posted by jasonNYC85
Thanks! I also edited my question - any info on soft product, meal selection, etc on a flight as long as EWR > PVG?
You will be on an old 772. PJs are available on request. Gel pillow at every seat. Meal selection is usual mediocre UA longhaul food (eat at the Polaris lounge instead). Mid flight - snack basket in the galley and hot snack available on request. Omelet or congee for arrival meal.
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Old Jun 24, 2019, 4:54 pm
  #1762  
 
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I’ve been seeing a 777-300ER pop up on EWR / SJU about once a week for a while. (Subbing out for a 767-400) and this week it looks like I’m a winner on the roulette wheel of AC swaps 777-300ER # 2147 is on the route.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:01 am
  #1763  
 
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Originally Posted by Dublin_rfk
Ive been seeing a 777-300ER pop up on EWR / SJU about once a week for a while. (Subbing out for a 767-400) and this week it looks like Im a winner on the roulette wheel of AC swaps 777-300ER # 2147 is on the route.
I saw this a few days ago as well. What shocked me is that it was full.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 6:35 am
  #1764  
 
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I was teetering on staying a day or two longer but but for 1A I just might have to come home.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 7:42 am
  #1765  
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Originally Posted by jasonNYC85
Is the soft product updated for the 777-200s still in 2-2-2 config? Food + amenity?
UA will say yes, its passengers will say no.

The bedding is good, the service is stressed by understaffing, the food ranges from horrid to mediocre, with horrid increasingly likely.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 7:52 am
  #1766  
 
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This description of Polaris may be over generalized. I found that my choice of foods for recent EWR-HKG and HKG-EWR flights was very good. I had chicken soup and seafood. The salad and appetizer were reasonably good. I had the best congee ever on HKG-EWR flight. The red wines were drinkable. The service was a meh, however.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 7:58 am
  #1767  
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Originally Posted by Kmxu
This description of Polaris may be over generalized. I found that my choice of foods for recent EWR-HKG and HKG-EWR flights was very good. I had chicken soup and seafood. The salad and appetizer were reasonably good. I had the best congee ever on HKG-EWR flight. The red wines were drinkable. The service was a meh, however.
I agree some of the descriptions are hyperbolic. However, I do feel that almost all aspects of Polaris have degraded by some amount, some a little some a lot, since it was introduced. Once you get used to the new normal, it can be OK.

Also, the congee is always better ex-Asia!
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 10:52 am
  #1768  
 
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Originally Posted by fumje
I agree some of the descriptions are hyperbolic. However, I do feel that almost all aspects of Polaris have degraded by some amount, some a little some a lot, since it was introduced. Once you get used to the new normal, it can be OK.

Also, the congee is always better ex-Asia!
Four TATL trips the last 8 weeks. Dreadful food on every leg and poor service 6 of 8. I was one of the guinea pigs to test Polaris Service and recall in detail the fanfare. It has fallen long and hard from that point. There is little to recommend it but for the lounges and the IFE
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 11:03 am
  #1769  
 
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Originally Posted by manstein58
Four TATL trips the last 8 weeks. Dreadful food on every leg and poor service 6 of 8. I was one of the guinea pigs to test Polaris Service and recall in detail the fanfare. It has fallen long and hard from that point. There is little to recommend it but for the lounges and the IFE
I hope you submit feedback to this end.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:13 pm
  #1770  
 
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Originally Posted by EWR764
I hope you submit feedback to this end.
What would the feedback be:

1. Hard product is excellent
2. Polaris lounge is excellent
3. I didn't like food
4. FAs provided poor service

So everything UA corporate can control was excellent. Food is a personal thing (I personally enjoy every meal I have in J). FAs are what they are. UA corporate would love a Singapore model where FAs work for 4 years and then they're out. US labor law and unions don't allow that, so not much you can do with FAs. I'm pleased UA is doing many good things in the areas they can control; route expansion, hard product, aircraft selection, boarding process, culling of the ranks across high-end status tiers, eliminating the flooding of RPUs, etc...
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