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, ....
May 22, 2019, 2:53 pm
#1696
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Programs: CO Million Miler now Lifetime UA Premier Gold, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star, Global E
Posts: 32
The IAH-HNL (long haul enough) flights is operated by that old sUA domestic dog with the FC forward/rear facing seats and PW motors and all the B763 flights from IAH also have PW motors I do believe.
May 23, 2019, 6:17 pm
#1697
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 128
Yes, for sure the high density non-ER 777s with the PW engines (at least I think they are the non-ER planes) are the ex-UA planes fitted specifically for the Hawaii leisure market, and you're right, those rotate through IAH daily. I was referring to the international long-haul fleet serving NRT-EZE-LHR-FRA-AMS out of IAH - it looks like all of those are still being served exclusively by the ex-CO planes with the GE engines.
May 25, 2019, 8:57 am
#1698
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Programs: CO Million Miler now Lifetime UA Premier Gold, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star, Global E
Posts: 32
Yes, for sure the high density non-ER 777s with the PW engines (at least I think they are the non-ER planes) are the ex-UA planes fitted specifically for the Hawaii leisure market, and you're right, those rotate through IAH daily. I was referring to the international long-haul fleet serving NRT-EZE-LHR-FRA-AMS out of IAH - it looks like all of those are still being served exclusively by the ex-CO planes with the GE engines.
May 27, 2019, 5:39 am
#1699
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: United Mileage Plus Premier
Posts: 781
Does anyone know if there is a published retro fit schedule for Premium Plus seating? We are booked to fly LAS to EWR to VCE in September. EWR to VCE is listed as 767-300 and the seat map shows E+ and E- seating. Any hope that PP seats make it on this one? Miles/co-pay upgrades are wait listed at this point so I am not happy with the idea of tying up miles and $$$ on a wait list right now.
May 27, 2019, 12:15 pm
#1700
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,761
Polaris Tracker - Mobile
https://sites.google.com/site/united...polaris-update
May 27, 2019, 8:36 pm
#1702
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: New York
Posts: 230
What are your thoughts? UA703 is EWR - LAX on the old 777-200 with 2-4-2 seats. DO you think this will get retrofitted to the new ones? That route is weird, a couple are the new polaris seats, the others are the old 2-2-2, and one is 2-4-2.
May 27, 2019, 9:24 pm
#1703
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,761
The domestic pts (premium transcon service SFO/LAX<>EWR, SFO<>BOS) are likely to stay the older generation lie-flats and no PP for some time. Presently there is only 1 Polaris new seat 781 doing SFO<>EWR (out of 15 most days). New 781 (787-10s) do that route until they are switch to long haul flights. Any significant changes on pts routes are post-2020.
May 27, 2019, 9:25 pm
#1704
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: UA-1K MM, AA-Gold, DL-Silver, AS-MVP
Posts: 2,508
Does anyone know if there is a published retro fit schedule for Premium Plus seating? We are booked to fly LAS to EWR to VCE in September. EWR to VCE is listed as 767-300 and the seat map shows E+ and E- seating. Any hope that PP seats make it on this one? Miles/co-pay upgrades are wait listed at this point so I am not happy with the idea of tying up miles and $$$ on a wait list right now.
You will find out 24-48h before your flight. UA has flown all types of 772 on that route lately. But you should have a less than 25 out of 52 chance to get the retrofitted plane, probably a lot lower since most of the retrofitted planes are dedicated on certain international routes.
May 27, 2019, 9:27 pm
#1705
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,454
Nothing definitive until boarding. As an example, I had a recent transcon flight: 787-10 at booking, 757-200 at a few weeks prior to departure, pmCO 777-200 (2-2-2) the night prior, that plane then went MX overnight, and we got a pmUA 777-200 retrofitted with Polaris and Premium Plus. my assigned seat went in and out of PP, and finally scored a window bulkhead PP seat after moving around a few times on the day of.
May 27, 2019, 11:20 pm
#1706
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,392
Does anyone know if there is a published retro fit schedule for Premium Plus seating? We are booked to fly LAS to EWR to VCE in September. EWR to VCE is listed as 767-300 and the seat map shows E+ and E- seating. Any hope that PP seats make it on this one? Miles/co-pay upgrades are wait listed at this point so I am not happy with the idea of tying up miles and $$$ on a wait list right now.
These planes are not scheduled to receive Polaris seats. They are a high-density version designed for Trans-continental service and Hawaii service. These planes were all reconfigured a few years ago from either the old HI version or the non-long-range international fleet. While there are no plans for an additional conversion, I wonder if they will consider redoing the J cabin after all of the Polaris conversions are complete. While I've never been in one of these, I hear that the J cabins in these are highly undesirable with 8 seats across.
May 28, 2019, 2:35 am
#1707
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Portland OR
Programs: United 1K 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 560
These planes are not scheduled to receive Polaris seats. They are a high-density version designed for Trans-continental service and Hawaii service. These planes were all reconfigured a few years ago from either the old HI version or the non-long-range international fleet. While there are no plans for an additional conversion, I wonder if they will consider redoing the J cabin after all of the Polaris conversions are complete. While I've never been in one of these, I hear that the J cabins in these are highly undesirable with 8 seats across.
May 28, 2019, 8:51 am
#1708
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Alexandria, Longboat Key
Programs: UA Gold Marriott Gold AA Gold Choice Gold Wyndham PLAT IHG PLAT Avis President's Club Amtrak Select
Posts: 2,258
The domestic 777s and pmUA 777-200ER aircraft are PW engines, which in the case of the ERs, has limited their MTOW. The GE powered 777-200ERs that were delivered to CAL are rated at 656,000 MTOW, while the PW aircraft are stuck at 648,000 MTOW (might be slightly off here). (On a side note the RR powered 777-200ERs can be uprated to 656,000 MTOW, as Delta has their small 777-200ER fleet rated as this as they were able to flying JFK-BOM, in the first attempt, with 777-200ERs before switching to the 200LR.) As they are older and underpowered, I expect the PW powered fleet will begin their retirements once the A350-900 deliveries commence. (Yes, I still fully anticipate UA will take the A350-900. The 787-10's range is too short and the 787-9 with Polaris and PP will be way too small.) The PW 777 fleet retirement schedule is partially why they are up first for the Polaris/PP retrofit, which will be finished by the end of the year. The GE powered fleet is a possible replacement for the domestic 777 fleet, granted the GE 777 fleet is 22 aircraft while the domestic 777s number 19. If this is the plan, and I think its good speculation to believe it will end up being the case, UA won't have issues with OGG-ORD. I expect that if the GE powered 777s are retrofitted for domestic purposes, the Polaris seating will remain. The former IPTE 2-4-2 seating will go away when the domestic 777s are retired. By then the seating will have reached an age where they'll need to go so to speak.
May 28, 2019, 6:23 pm
#1709
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 352
"This is a hugely important decision for our airline. With the 787-10 offering around 15 percent more space for both customers and cargo than the 787-9, this investment creates the platform for our future strategic direction and opens up new opportunities to grow," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon. "The 787-10 is longer and even more fuel efficient. However, the game changer for us has been that by working closely with Boeing, we've ensured the 787-10 will meet our network needs, including the ability to fly missions similar to our current 777-200 fleet."
Last edited by east_west; May 28, 2019 at 7:32 pm
