minnyfly

So addressing one of the initial complaints is now a cutback?

Sounds like United is listening to its customer yet again. This is also something that could be reversed in the future when the new seat is commonplace.

1015-1k

OK with me. Next cut: the drink-on-peg trays...Please!

goodeats21

Big problem with the current seats and the mattress pad is the lack of room to use it. When you are in a window or interior seat, and the other seat has already reclined, there is absolutely no room to "make the bed" with the pad.

Once the new seats with direct aisle access are in circulation, the mattress pads become much more useful.

And for a whole strategy for Polaris based on "thousands of hours of research" which was all about sleep on board, this seems really disjointed.

warrenw

AGREED. Regular glasses would be fine please.


In regards to the pillows, I like the small pillow because I place it in the small of my back while seated but I do think that all the polaris bedding is a bit overkill, pillows and blankets and all that. Cutting back isn't a problem IMO and I think it's listening to the customer, not a "cutback".

SFO_UGS

Polaris is all talk, no form, and little content. It's merely a re-branding of their tired business class. If anyone believes Polaris is something "new," I have some wonderful beach-front property I'd like to sell you in Wyoming. :-)

Seriously. I've flown Polaris on a number of flights since December and I don't understand the hype around it. One of my recent "Polaris" flights was a refurbished 757 and the bathroom was a disaster - still untouched from the 1990's.

Yes, too many pillows and when I board, I immediately put them in the overhead bin. Agree with the comment about drink-on-the-peg tray: not cute, not interesting, not anything, but silly. The movies? OMG! I love old Humphrey Bogart movies, but really, how many times can I watch "The Maltese Falcon?" And I LOVE that movie. Are they EVER going to change it up? It's been playing since last spring and to my knowledge, it's the only old black and white movie in the line-up. Hey United - there ARE other old movies! :-)

While I certainly appreciate United's efforts in attempting to update their business class, it still falls short of all European business class and many European economy classes. If you're new to United, you might think it's exciting. If you're a road warrior on United, it's not that impressive. Well, at least not for me. :-)

cfischer

great move. Not cost cutting at all ... WAY too much stuff at your seat. Take away the nonsense small pillow... good move

Ber2dca

Sorry but even with all the hoopla recently that's one of the more nonsensical things I've ever read on here. Pray tell which European economy class beats United business class and then tell me how often you have flown it and what exactly you liked so much about it.

And even business class, I'd rather be on a pmCO 777 in J than in most of BA's CW seats or for that matter Air France's and KLM's old J products which are still around on plenty of planes.

The pmUA 777 product is indeed kinda crappy but every other plane it's really no worse than even the current LH J product in purely 'hard product' terms.

Regarding the changes, I think it's overdue. The sheer amount of stuff in the seats is a bit of a nuisance. No-one knows what to do with it. The little pillow isn't really used except as added lower back padding. Most pax don't seem to use the mattress pads - at least on TATL routs - so it makes sense to reduce their number.

Kacee

It's actually better than the LH J product in terms of seat comfort and privacy.

deskover54

NO!!!! I love the pillows. I use all 3. The big, little & blue. I couldn't read the article quoted, but are they just taking away the little pillow or taking away more? Why not stock a few of them so folks who like lots of pillows can ask for them. One flight, I even used 2 gel pillows, the big & small. I like to put a pillow between my legs when I sleep on my side.

JVPhoto

Have you flown on the 77W?

katan

I'm on board with this. My last run was TPE-SFO, aisle seat on the upper deck of the 744. I had so much stuff I decided to put some behind my seat. I was promptly and directly scolded by the staff that it would damage the seat. I know - if I recline with that stuff back there it would likely break the seat by getting caught in the recline mechanism. I get it, so I removed it. But where else should I put this stuff - I would have remembered to get it before reclining (I hope).

I created a giant pile o' stuff around my feet. The person on the outside has lots of storage so its probably not an issue there, but the PMUA seat with its current density is just not suited.

The weird stem cups - I guess I kind of like them for very impractical reasons. They just seem cooler. I guess UA marketing did their job.

SFO28L

+1. I find the pmUA seat more comfortable than the AF and LH seats. Also think reducing the pads/pillows etc is practical even if it is cost cutting.

deskover54

I totally agree. I love the champagne and chocolate pre boarding. I think it's really cool. I was kind of unhappy when my 17 hour flight was one short of chocolate and I was the unlucky one.

katan

Agreed here 100%. The LH seat is so weird for privacy. When reclined it feels like an operating table. Never have done AF. After flying others such as SA, EK, TG, NH - and maybe even SQ - I still really like the PMCO seat. Blasphemy I know.

Dublin_rfk

Multiple Polaris flugs all TPAC, five 777W (all domestic) and I have yet to see mattress pad or a gel pillow and haven't missed them. The service has been outstanding on all but one flug and that was meh. Color me strange but I find the overhead a good place to store the unnecessary pillows and blankets. All that said I have greater negative feelings over the lose of the queen of the skies than I do over the claustrophobic first cabin on the 777W.