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 13, 2019, 1:02 am
#1546
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
Feb 14, 2019, 12:31 am
#1547
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
Well, contrary to what we all thought, it looks like ALL of the 763s will be getting Polaris, including the 7 units 652-663 that were converted from 3 class to 2 class a few years ago.
According to the Fleet Site N662UA is headed over to HKG. I also noticed that the PolarisTracker website says that 13 of 38 planes are complete. 38 planes includes those 9 planes as well as the 3 that came from HA.
The question is will the 9 1992-1993 aircraft be 3 class with High-J or the current 2 class that we have now?
According to the Fleet Site N662UA is headed over to HKG. I also noticed that the PolarisTracker website says that 13 of 38 planes are complete. 38 planes includes those 9 planes as well as the 3 that came from HA.
The question is will the 9 1992-1993 aircraft be 3 class with High-J or the current 2 class that we have now?
Feb 14, 2019, 12:36 am
#1548
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
Wonder if they're going to use them for premium t-cons. They've really not filled that looming gap in the fleet.
Feb 14, 2019, 3:49 am
#1549
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1k
Posts: 312
Yeah that would be great if they used the reconfigured 767 on the tcon. The 757 are feeling really worn out, I took two yesterday and they were just riddled with problems (MX delays, inop bathroom, IFE reboots) - they are simply reaching the end of their lifecycles...
Feb 14, 2019, 4:45 am
#1550
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Portland OR & Bangkok
Programs: United GS, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 662
It must've been calculated that retrofitting the oldies 767s with new Polaris seats is a sound capital expenditure, but to me it feels so counter intuitive!!!
Feb 14, 2019, 5:17 am
#1551
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
Feb 14, 2019, 8:08 am
#1552
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
Feb 14, 2019, 9:09 am
#1553
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Delta DM CO PE OZ GE AMTRAK
Posts: 524
I was on a retrofitted 777-200 from ORD to PEK and can confirm there's no mood lighting and no fancy bulk head wall. I wasn't even sure the overhead bins were updated. I already noticed wears and tears on the seat, so it doesn't seem like the Polaris seats will last very long. Sad. They look nice at first glance and are comfortable but do appear cheap when you start noticing the details.
Polaris is a winner for me. I personally don't see how other airlines (CX, AA, DL, B6's mint, etc.) are much better than this. whatever that is better is certainly not worth the volume trade-off.
Feb 14, 2019, 12:28 pm
#1554
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,468
From the customer-side the Polaris cabin in the 763 is very desirable, compared to the competition flying the same plane.
Feb 14, 2019, 5:49 pm
#1555
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
While it may not pay off in easy-to-measure dollars and cents, I think it is definitely looking at the bigger picture of customer loyalty and repeat business.
Feb 14, 2019, 5:54 pm
#1556
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,455
And it's way cheaper and faster than ordering new aircraft. The "faster" part may be particularly significant here.
Feb 15, 2019, 5:49 pm
#1557
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA PLT the rest, Kettle Power
Posts: 667
I was on a retrofitted 777-200 from ORD to PEK and can confirm there's no mood lighting and no fancy bulk head wall. I wasn't even sure the overhead bins were updated. I already noticed wears and tears on the seat, so it doesn't seem like the Polaris seats will last very long. Sad. They look nice at first glance and are comfortable but do appear cheap when you start noticing the details.
Feb 21, 2019, 12:11 pm
#1558
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 48
Well, contrary to what we all thought, it looks like ALL of the 763s will be getting Polaris, including the 7 units 652-663 that were converted from 3 class to 2 class a few years ago.
According to the Fleet Site N662UA is headed over to HKG. I also noticed that the PolarisTracker website says that 13 of 38 planes are complete. 38 planes includes those 9 planes as well as the 3 that came from HA.
The question is will the 9 1992-1993 aircraft be 3 class with High-J or the current 2 class that we have now?
According to the Fleet Site N662UA is headed over to HKG. I also noticed that the PolarisTracker website says that 13 of 38 planes are complete. 38 planes includes those 9 planes as well as the 3 that came from HA.
The question is will the 9 1992-1993 aircraft be 3 class with High-J or the current 2 class that we have now?
Also, will the 764's be getting Polaris?
Feb 21, 2019, 2:44 pm
#1559
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: EWR, BDL
Posts: 4,471
Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I understand 21 763's will get High-J. This would likely mean that 664-677 (14 units), the 3 Hawaiian units, and 4 of the 7 non-Polaris. 14+4+3=21 which leaves 3 more non-Polaris 763's to either get Low-J or be retired. Do these numbers sound correct?
Also, will the 764's be getting Polaris?
Also, will the 764's be getting Polaris?
Feb 21, 2019, 6:51 pm
#1560
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
Are the 764s still on the bottom of the list, even behind the 78s?
I would imaging that N666UA, the first with High J aND P+,763, will be headed for a test hop soo.. I've been actively watching to see when this plane goes out for its test hop. While this plane is the first in the configuration and requires a little more testing and certification, we're only a day or 2 shy of 3 months in MOD, so it can't be too much longer.
I would imaging that N666UA, the first with High J aND P+,763, will be headed for a test hop soo.. I've been actively watching to see when this plane goes out for its test hop. While this plane is the first in the configuration and requires a little more testing and certification, we're only a day or 2 shy of 3 months in MOD, so it can't be too much longer.