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Pros and Cons of UA 60k 789 Polaris vs. Lufthansa 70k A380 Business class?

Pros and Cons of UA 60k 789 Polaris vs. Lufthansa 70k A380 Business class?

Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:42 pm
  #1  
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Pros and Cons of UA 60k 789 Polaris vs. Lufthansa 70k A380 Business class?

I'm hoping for a Lufthansa F seat to open up for 110k UA miles on an upcoming flight to FRA, but if that doesn't happen I may have a choice between Lufthansa and United business class. It's a 10 to 11 hour flight.

Lufthansa has an A380, for which business class is 70k UA miles. United has Polaris seats on its 787-9 for 60k miles. I've never tried the Polaris seats, and I haven't flown either the 787 or A380. I don't care too much about the food service and I don't drink alcohol at all. So for me it's mostly about the seat comfort for sleeping. There's also the fact that opportunities to fly the A380 are bound to be more limited in the future than opportunities to fly a 787, given the limited number of A380's in existence.

Which would you choose and why?
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 7:56 pm
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Generally I don't find LH biz to be worth the premium over UA unless the flight is exactly the time I want, or for some other reason a UA option isn't workable.

It's a good product, but I'd rather pocket the 10k, in this case. The 787 Polaris product is pretty similar to LH A380 J, and I prefer UA bedding (although LH has improved in this department markedly).
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:00 pm
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If you have to pick between J on a UA 787 or LH A380, I'd pick the 787 for the (1) smaller J cabin and (2) reduce risk of getting one of the D/G seats on the A380 which create "footsie" situations - but I think it's probably a really close call as I prefer the service on LH. Are you deciding between SFO-FRA-xxx (LH) and SFO-MUC-xxx (UA)? Ultimately I'd pick the shorter itinerary.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:03 pm
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Originally Posted by nsx
United has Polaris seats on its 787-9 for 60k miles. I've never tried the Polaris seats, and I haven't flown either the 787 or A380.
That's not the Polaris seat on the 787. It's the B/E Diamond in a 2-2-2 configuration.

It's a close call, but personally I would take LH. The UA seat is more comfortable but I prefer LH's service. If service is less important to you, the UA hard product is better, especially taking into account the superior bedding.

If you can fly UA's 77W that's far superior to either.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 8:35 pm
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Originally Posted by EWR764
Generally I don't find LH biz to be worth the premium over UA unless the flight is exactly the time I want, or for some other reason a UA option isn't workable.

It's a good product, but I'd rather pocket the 10k, in this case. The 787 Polaris product is pretty similar to LH A380 J, and I prefer UA bedding (although LH has improved in this department markedly).
I'm in agreement here and think UA is the strong favorite in order to save 10k miles. I've done most of my long-haul flying on UA and LH.

UA 789 pros (note this is 2-2-2 sCO J and not the new Polaris seat):
- Better cabin comfort (Dreamliner humidity and pressure)
- Better bedding
- Better aisle access (the all-aisle access seats on the LH 380 have the "footsie" problem which is not a deal-breaker but is just really dumb since it was eminently avoidable, but not as bad as the 748 where all seats do this and the climb-out is challenging from the window because the seats meet)
- Better ice cream

LH 388 pros:
- Better service, on average (LH is consistently good, UA is sometimes outstanding but often mediocre)
- Better wine and cheese

Overall I'd consider the two roughly a wash, which is why I think UA is a clear winner for 10k fewer miles.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 9:42 pm
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Definitely UA. I personally find the LH J seat to be the most uncomfortable J seat of any airline. Its extremely hard and narrow, and the bedding is abysmal. Plus, Ill never understand why the seat goes up before it goes down to lie flat mode.

Service on LH tends to be better, food is about the same. The benefit of UA is if service is bad, write to customer care and theyll usually throw a nice ecert your way.

I would only choose LH if the timing is better.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 9:54 pm
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Originally Posted by Kacee
That's not the Polaris seat on the 787. It's the B/E Diamond in a 2-2-2 configuration.

It's a close call, but personally I would take LH. The UA seat is more comfortable but I prefer LH's service. If service is less important to you, the UA hard product is better, especially taking into account the superior bedding.

If you can fly UA's 77W that's far superior to either.
I am so glad I asked. The 77W actually has a better schedule for me than the 787-9. I had incorrectly assumed that the newer aircraft would have better seats. Thanks for setting me straight.

But: You kind people have made my plan to wait for a LH F seat at 110k miles look 10k more expensive. It's now a 50k bump from business class rather than 40k. Ouch. If I lose a 77W seat by waiting, that would hurt.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 9:57 pm
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The real, new Polaris seats are better than the Lufthansa J seats. However, I don't think that any of the United 787-9 has the new Polaris seats. The old 787 seats are inferior.

I get that you don't care about food or alcohol, but service goes beyond that. On Lufthansa, you will be treated like a human being and a valued customer. On United, the odds are about 2 to 1 that you will not.

p.s. I don't want to be a grammar scold, but it hurts me when you form plurals with apostrophes. ;-)
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:01 pm
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Since it's eastbound TATL flight, I would pick UA over LH due to better seat comfort and better bedding since you'll be sleeping most of the way. As noted above, LH seat is hard, uncomfortable, and risk of footsie. An added nitpick, the ergonomics of the shifting the IFE monitor and opening the massive center console just to get the tray table, makes the LH feel like a very poorly designed seat--maybe to get people to pay more for F.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:04 pm
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Originally Posted by nsx
I am so glad I asked. The 77W actually has a better schedule for me than the 787-9. I had incorrectly assumed that the newer aircraft would have better seats. Thanks for setting me straight.

But: You kind people have made my plan to wait for a LH F seat at 110k miles look 10k more expensive. It's now a 50k bump from business class rather than 40k. Ouch. If I lose a 77W seat by waiting, that would hurt.
UA’s 77W Polaris is a really good hard product, but UA’s 787 business class seat is also good, especially if you can get a D or E seat so both seatmates have direct aisle access. If you wind up on the UA 787, try to get a bulkhead seat for the larger footwells. Both UA birds’ seats are appreciably better than the LH 380 business seat. In this instance, saving 10,000 miles is a no-brainer.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:18 pm
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Originally Posted by nsx
I am so glad I asked. The 77W actually has a better schedule for me than the 787-9. I had incorrectly assumed that the newer aircraft would have better seats. Thanks for setting me straight.
UA's 77Ws are newer, in aggregate, than their 789s. UA waited a long time to order the 77W.

Having said that, if you can get a bulkhead center column seat on the 789, I find that more comfortable than the consensus best 77W seat (odd bulkhead window). It's less private, but I actually prefer that, as the 77W J seat is tight.

How are you getting back from FRA? If I had to choose one direction in which to spend the 110K miles, it'd be ex-FRA, because the First Class Terminal is a really cool experience.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:32 pm
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Originally Posted by jsloan
UA's 77Ws are newer, in aggregate, than their 789s. UA waited a long time to order the 77W.

Having said that, if you can get a bulkhead center column seat on the 789, I find that more comfortable than the consensus best 77W seat (odd bulkhead window). It's less private, but I actually prefer that, as the 77W J seat is tight.

How are you getting back from FRA? If I had to choose one direction in which to spend the 110K miles, it'd be ex-FRA, because the First Class Terminal is a really cool experience.
Agreed. I find the center column bulkhead seats to be more comfortable than 1A on the 77W. I find the 77W a little claustrophobic. In any case, both seats are significantly more comfortable than LH J.

LH F is another story. 50k extra miles for LH F over UA J is definitely worth it, especially if you have to connect via FRA or MUC. Not only are the LH Senator Clubs super drab, but the car transfer makes the transfer so much more pleasant. I cant count how many times Ive had to run for 45 minutes from one gate to the next at FRA.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:38 pm
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Consistent with what others have said - if LH F opens up take it, otherwise save the 10K and have a better sleep in C on UA.
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:45 pm
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Originally Posted by nsx
But: You kind people have made my plan to wait for a LH F seat at 110k miles look 10k more expensive. It's now a 50k bump from business class rather than 40k. Ouch. If I lose a 77W seat by waiting, that would hurt.
Eh. 3-class F in general is a vastly better "deal" for miles than J if you compare to revenue tickets, but also still falls to the issue that you don't really "need" the luxury for a comfortable flight.

At that point, the difference is points is basically immaterial unless it's outrageous. Fly F if you want a memorable, excellent flight experience*; fly J if you just want to get to your destination in reasonable comfort. I would second jsloan though that if you have one segment of LH F, it should ex-FRA for the ground service and FCT.


*Certain sub-par F products notwithstanding (looking at you, UA and BA...)
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Old Aug 13, 2018, 10:53 pm
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Originally Posted by nsx
I am so glad I asked. The 77W actually has a better schedule for me than the 787-9. I had incorrectly assumed that the newer aircraft would have better seats.
I'm going to disagree strongly with those who say the 789's seat is equivalent to the Polaris seat on the 77W. I much prefer the 77W . . . the privacy is outstanding, I mean absolutely no contest, it's got much better space to spread out your stuff during the flight, and the cushioning is better.

As for LH F, it's a must-try experience if you play this game. It's best if you're connecting at FRA (or MUC) and have at least three hours on the ground between flights. I do agree with other comments, you get more bang for your buck on the westbound, particularly if you're connecting through FRA (e.g., FCO-FRA-SFO).
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