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, ....
Feb 2, 2017, 10:40 pm
#31
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Any word on the 764s?
Feb 2, 2017, 11:04 pm
#32
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I have no problem with them leaving the 67I in 3-cabin form. That is my favorite airplane to fly on.
To EWR764's comment above, I do think it may be a product of both of those concerns. The basic J seat is the work of the previous regime, and the company seemed to roll it out with some insecurity, being cloudy at best when it came to commiting to 787 retrofits, the aircraft which will soon become the backbone of the international network.
This IS a high-density business class, and I suspect it is only a matter of time before we start seeing complaints relating to this reality. It feels to me like we're about to see another business class seat by 2020.
To EWR764's comment above, I do think it may be a product of both of those concerns. The basic J seat is the work of the previous regime, and the company seemed to roll it out with some insecurity, being cloudy at best when it came to commiting to 787 retrofits, the aircraft which will soon become the backbone of the international network.
This IS a high-density business class, and I suspect it is only a matter of time before we start seeing complaints relating to this reality. It feels to me like we're about to see another business class seat by 2020.
My guess is they see what response they get on the 773. I would expect (given how Oscar, unlike the prior clown car management, seems to track what customers actually think) some detailed surveys and perhaps even interviews of folks (not the freshpo "I like it, I love, it is awesome" comment cards
) before committing United to a plan by prior management that appears short sided at best.
Feb 3, 2017, 12:36 am
#33
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I really like flying in a 787, much more than any 777 type. They are so much quieter and give a more comfortable ride. Once the seats in the 772 are retrofitted I won't be using the 787 routes anymore if avoidable, unfortunately.
Feb 3, 2017, 1:30 am
#34
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I would assume UA has determined it will be difficult to maintain the same J seat count with the new Polaris seats on the 787-9 (or maybe the new Polaris seats don't fit well into the 787 cabin). In any case, I still agree with you, the 787s need the new seats as well - would be a serious error if someone dropped the ball here.
Wow, that's shocking! Seems a really strange decision.
I really like flying in a 787, much more than any 777 type. They are so much quieter and give a more comfortable ride. Once the seats in the 772 are retrofitted I won't be using the 787 routes anymore if avoidable, unfortunately.
I really like flying in a 787, much more than any 777 type. They are so much quieter and give a more comfortable ride. Once the seats in the 772 are retrofitted I won't be using the 787 routes anymore if avoidable, unfortunately.
Feb 3, 2017, 2:52 am
#35
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Wow, that's shocking! Seems a really strange decision.
I really like flying in a 787, much more than any 777 type. They are so much quieter and give a more comfortable ride. Once the seats in the 772 are retrofitted I won't be using the 787 routes anymore if avoidable, unfortunately.
I really like flying in a 787, much more than any 777 type. They are so much quieter and give a more comfortable ride. Once the seats in the 772 are retrofitted I won't be using the 787 routes anymore if avoidable, unfortunately.
I would assume UA has determined it will be difficult to maintain the same J seat count with the new Polaris seats on the 787-9 (or maybe the new Polaris seats don't fit well into the 787 cabin). In any case, I still agree with you, the 787s need the new seats as well - would be a serious error if someone dropped the ball here.
Personally, I wasn't a fan of the new seats I tried out in the mock up. It felt a bit too confined and coffin-like to me, so I'll stick with the seat that is closer to the opening. I was left with the thought that it felt confining in a warehouse where the event was held. I'm almost afraid to imagine what it will feel like inside an aircraft. I'll find out soon enough as the new seat map is showing on one of my upcoming flights.
Feb 3, 2017, 5:03 am
#36
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On the 787-10, I have no idea how the new Polaris seats are going to fit. The interior is 14" narrower than the 777. Even if you shave an inch off each aisle, that's still 12" to cut across 3 seats...so each seat is 4 inches narrower? I dread to think about how they are going to try and pull this off! Maybe keeping the 788/789 as-is won't be such a bad thing.
On the 772, 50 seats is a weird number. The 77W has 28 seats in the front half, and 32 in the back. 28+22=50 seats, but 22 seats don't line up correctly (not a multiple of 8). I have a bad feeling they are going to pack 6 more seats into the front half...and both 777 versions have the same length between the first two doors.
On the 772, 50 seats is a weird number. The 77W has 28 seats in the front half, and 32 in the back. 28+22=50 seats, but 22 seats don't line up correctly (not a multiple of 8). I have a bad feeling they are going to pack 6 more seats into the front half...and both 777 versions have the same length between the first two doors.
Feb 3, 2017, 6:34 am
#37
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On the 787-10, I have no idea how the new Polaris seats are going to fit. The interior is 14" narrower than the 777. Even if you shave an inch off each aisle, that's still 12" to cut across 3 seats...so each seat is 4 inches narrower? I dread to think about how they are going to try and pull this off! Maybe keeping the 788/789 as-is won't be such a bad thing.
On the 772, 50 seats is a weird number. The 77W has 28 seats in the front half, and 32 in the back. 28+22=50 seats, but 22 seats don't line up correctly (not a multiple of 8). I have a bad feeling they are going to pack 6 more seats into the front half...and both 777 versions have the same length between the first two doors.
On the 772, 50 seats is a weird number. The 77W has 28 seats in the front half, and 32 in the back. 28+22=50 seats, but 22 seats don't line up correctly (not a multiple of 8). I have a bad feeling they are going to pack 6 more seats into the front half...and both 777 versions have the same length between the first two doors.
Feb 3, 2017, 7:58 am
#38
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Will the 50 Polaris fit in the same space as the 50 biz/48 biz-first seats, or will it push back the J cabin into what's now the Y cabin?
Feb 3, 2017, 8:06 am
#39
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Feb 3, 2017, 8:37 am
#40
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I think the point is there are no plans in the immediate future to rip out the existing seats to replace with the Polaris seat.
Feb 3, 2017, 8:51 am
#41
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My opinion and $1.99 will get you a cup of coffee, but... I'm actually glad there is no formal rollout schedule, and hope that the posters' speculation up-thread about them waiting for feedback is correct. The question is, if they get that feedback and it's negative, what will they DO?? The process of certifying a new seat takes an enormous amount of time, and that's time when UA will be stuck with a lot of 2/4/2 J planes while the competition eats their lunch.
I've flown a lot of Int'l airlines over the last 10 years, and I'm here to tell you that just because a new J seat is aisle-access/herringbone/private-pod/suite, doesn't mean that it's comfortable or pleasant for a 12-hour trip. Sleeping in a seat that's slightly too narrow with one of those airbag seatbelts... or weird shell designs that are impossible to clean the interiors of properly, so they're always sticky or have all kinds of crud stuck in the crevices. Leg-rest designs that have a "lump" right under your hips that make laying down for more than 30 minutes impossible. There are ALL kinds of reasons why a "brand new" J seat can be much, much worse than the "old" seat that it replaced. A demo in a hangar, or honestly even a 3-hour ORD-SFO flight, aren't really going to tell you what it's like to be trapped TPAC on one of these birds, until people actually start doing it!
I, for one, want a LOT more data on the magical new Polaris seat before I'm going to start adjusting my travel patterns to hunt for it. Especially on the 787s and some of the 767s, the pmCO seat, particularly the two aisle-only seats in the middle of the cabin, really aren't that bad even by Int'l standards. That's sort of my bare-minimum standard for Polaris, that it can't REDUCE the actual comfort of what they're already flying, in the name of trendiness...
I've flown a lot of Int'l airlines over the last 10 years, and I'm here to tell you that just because a new J seat is aisle-access/herringbone/private-pod/suite, doesn't mean that it's comfortable or pleasant for a 12-hour trip. Sleeping in a seat that's slightly too narrow with one of those airbag seatbelts... or weird shell designs that are impossible to clean the interiors of properly, so they're always sticky or have all kinds of crud stuck in the crevices. Leg-rest designs that have a "lump" right under your hips that make laying down for more than 30 minutes impossible. There are ALL kinds of reasons why a "brand new" J seat can be much, much worse than the "old" seat that it replaced. A demo in a hangar, or honestly even a 3-hour ORD-SFO flight, aren't really going to tell you what it's like to be trapped TPAC on one of these birds, until people actually start doing it!
I, for one, want a LOT more data on the magical new Polaris seat before I'm going to start adjusting my travel patterns to hunt for it. Especially on the 787s and some of the 767s, the pmCO seat, particularly the two aisle-only seats in the middle of the cabin, really aren't that bad even by Int'l standards. That's sort of my bare-minimum standard for Polaris, that it can't REDUCE the actual comfort of what they're already flying, in the name of trendiness...
Feb 3, 2017, 9:00 am
#42
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Feb 3, 2017, 11:24 am
#43
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Whatever the schedule, as with all other UA retrofits, I'm sure it will be way too long.
One data point, but I have 3 of my team and myself on MEL and SYD project. Our corp discount puts ua at $7.5k and DL and AA at $9k biz. We are taking the direct aisle access all day long!!!!
One data point, but I have 3 of my team and myself on MEL and SYD project. Our corp discount puts ua at $7.5k and DL and AA at $9k biz. We are taking the direct aisle access all day long!!!!
Feb 3, 2017, 12:03 pm
#45
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I can understand why AA's 77W/787 seats are preferable, but aren't D/E seats on the UA 787 direct aisle access too? DL's first-gen herringbone coffins face away from the windows, so that cuts against the "I only like window seats" crowd, and neither AA nor DL will get you to MEL unless on QF/VA, respectively (in such case I get why one would choose those over UA).