These seats do a great job of keeping cabin density intact while providing more privacy and comfort. Like its inflight product, United has had delays rolling out new lounges as well. Question: The official UA Polaris tracker website says only 3 of 27 787-9s have been completed with only one currently being retrofitted. A Polaris business class seats on United's 767-300ER back in February, when the world was very different. Learn more. welcome bonus offer of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card! United States. This includes more than 45 United Club locations, five United Polaris lounges and partner lounges. United has revamped its business class seat with the help of Zodiac, and it has received great reviews. United has now updated their Polaris tracker again. Thus the work has been extensively done in China, or perhaps totally in China. Solo travelers will prefer an odd-numbered window seat (A or L). Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. A painfully ironic case in point: When a former TPG staffer experienced one of the worst flights of his life (for reasons well beyond the fact that he was seated in United's outdated business class), he was told to wait under this Polaris ad in the United Club for a manager to come speak to him. Its pretty embarrassing. None of Uniteds 16 Boeing 767-400s sport the new cabins, though many are still parked in long-term storage due to the pandemic anyway. Related: How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program. Unfortunately it gets even more complicated. The seat width is a comfortable 23 inches and the pitch is 75 to 78 inches. But at this point, with roughly 100 Polaris-equipped planes in its fleet, United is doing a much better job delivering on its hefty marketing promises. Polaris Routes Operating with the B777-300ER San Francisco - Hong Kong New York/Newark - Tel Aviv You canearn Marriott Bonvoy pointsand transfer those to United at a rate of 3:1. . Just like there are certain planes (777-300ER and 787-10) that guarantee you the full Polaris experience, there are ones (787-8 and 787-9) that almost guarantee that you won't get Polaris seats, at least not yet. . The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. United used to offer a Polaris tracker for fleet and lounge updates but is no longer updating it. 4 United First, United Business and United Polaris business class. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. United used to offer a Polaris tracker for fleet and lounge updates but is no longer updating it. The menus were developed with the help of The Trotter Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization. This means that there are eight 787-8s and 23 787-9s that still need to be retrofitted. Believe it or not, it's already been five years since United first introduced the Polaris business class product. Don't have an account? If youre sitting in the back, itll take 2 hours to get your meal I dont even want to try to picture how hectic the pre-arrival breakfast would be. While there are no fuel surcharges, you'll need to pay a CA$39 ($29) per-person partner booking fee plus taxes. welcome bonus offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (Enrollment required for select benefits.). Please please please include meal ingredients on each flight. Long before the first Polaris lounge opened or the first plane to feature new Polaris seats completed a single flight, billboards and TV ads were popping up all over the country, promising a re-imagined flying experience. If you notice a flight with a business-class cabin in a 2-2-2, 2-1-2 or the dreaded 2-4-2 configuration, you'll likely wind up with the pre-Polaris product. However, if you do find saver business-class award space (I fare class on United, just like all other Star Alliance carriers), you should be able to book it with any of the below programs. Consultative detailed and customized flight tracking data reports. Related: The best ways to maximize Air Canadas Aeroplan program. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. United's Polaris tracker shows that one 787-8 and three 787-9s are currently flying in the new retrofitted configuration. However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. Since then, United has had repeated delays in expanding its new flagship product, but most aircraft are finally equipped with the new seats. Now there are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Maint/Mod Locations. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Enrollment required. Polaris is Uniteds flagship premium inflight product. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. GE 777s are the exCon seats (currently still featured on 787-9s). - Retrofit is from 3-cabin to 2-cabin with direct-aisle-access seats. Regardless of whether you're alone or with a friend/family member, seats D and G in even-numbered rows are worth avoiding, as they don't provide any privacy, nor do they have any window views to make up for it. The new Polaris product is on the vast majority of United widebody aircraft, including theBoeing 777-300s, 777-200, 767-300, 787-8, and 787-9 aircraft. We'll do our best to update this guide as additional planes are retrofitted and new routes are added. For more information on our advertisers, see here. Could the discrepancy be due to some of the new 789s being delivered with Polaris and not needing a retrofit? Our plan is listed on site as a 767-400ER but I dont even see them listed on the upgrade list. The aircraft are commonly used on transatlantic routes. Flight data API with on-demand flight status and flight tracking data. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. The 787-10 will also fly on domestic premium transcontinental routes from Newark to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Im sure that would be helpful for a lot of people. Useful post. Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site and prior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. The new Polaris seats are swanky. You should also aim to avoid sitting in the front or back of the forward cabin or the front of the second Polaris cabin since these seats are right next to the galleys, lavatories and walk-up bar. United's widebody planes are intended to operate long-haul international routes (think trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights and longer flights to South America). is a former reporter for the site, covering all things points, miles, credit cards, travel and aviation. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. This means that you have an almost 75% chance of scoring an updated onboard product. Aeroplan should have access to the same saver award inventory as United, and you can book directly on their website. Data Products. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Though as NOVA has become more of a hub of high-end flyers, I wonder if that is still correct. With so many allergies in our modern world (garlic for me) it would be so nice to be able to eat a meal after paying so much for the flight! Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. He went from studying abroad in Paris to moving to Shanghai after graduating college, where he covered all things travel in the Asia-Pacific region for TPG. If so this news is cause for celebration. Additional reporting by Zach Honig and Ethan Steinberg. Here are the one-way cost for Polaris award tickets booked through Singapore: While these costs are relatively higher than United and Aeroplan, especially for trips to Europe and Asia, the ability to mix and match your transferable points (by transferring some Ultimate Rewards and some ThankYou points, for example) is a nice option to have. When you say they arent on the upgrade list, if, after calling United, have they verified theyre showing on the list? However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. Case in point: I booked Qatar's fantastic Qsuite from Shanghai (PVG) to the Maldives (MLE) via Doha (DOH), and I specifically reserved a middle pair of seats with a double bed for me and my girlfriend. There should be greater loyalty to American workers, because it affects all of us in the United States when our good jobs are sent packing. Since youre going to be spending so much time in your seat, thats exactly where well start. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Additionally, the inflight entertainment screen and choices have been greatly improved. ExpertFlyer (which is owned by TPG parent company Red Ventures) is one of the most powerful technological tools that award travelers have at their disposal, and learning the ins and outs of this search engine is an important step towards advancing your points and miles prowess. The 16-row, 46-seat cabin is good news for award travelers, as it means more business-class seats (and therefore hopefully more award space), but expect service to be slow with that many passengers. We can see from the Polaris tracker that 27 of the 38 Boeing 767s have been retrofitted vs. only one of the 12 787-8s. Several features will be offered at the Polaris lounge at Dulles, including: A private dining section, where you'll be able to order la carte items What is United Polaris? For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card, click, For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card, click, For rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, click, For rates and fees of the American Express Gold Card, click. At this point United says: Polaris Lounges in San Francisco, Newark, and Houston will be "opening in summer 2018" The Polaris Lounge in Los Angeles will be "opening in fall 2018" Polaris Lounges in Washington, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo Narita, are simply "future locations" Delivery date is an estimate, and could be affected by severe weather, border delays, security inspection, Covid-19, or special delivery requirements. Both configurations offer 78 inches of pitch. Although the program no longer has an award chart, you can still book Polaris seats at reasonable rates when there's saver space available. Due to the smaller fuselage of the 767, the Polaris seats here are 24 inches wide and have 75 inches of pitch. More importantly, what routes are they flying them on? Now United Airlines is a part of it. Single galley for 46 passengers yikes! This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Will they change the aircraft to the 777-300? This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. He notified United and ahead of time and the charged us a $500 change fee for missing a 55 minute flight and they charged him $7,800 to rebook what was supposed to be the exact same other five legs! United Airlines MileagePlus Loyalty Program Review, United 787-10 Polaris Business Class Review - Los Angeles to Houston [Detailed], Full List of U.S. United Club Lounge Locations, Hours & Amenities [2023], United Club Infinite Card - Full Review [2023]. Seat selection also follows a similar pattern for both 777 variants. Fortunately, you have lots of ways to book an award flight with this new product if one of the routes works for you. In many cases, these cards will be the fastest way to earn tons of United miles. See our Advertiser Disclosurefor more details. 763 High J, 19 complete, last 2 now in mod United continues to change the Polaris catering offering so that a number of items from the original Polaris launch are now only available on request: Further cuts previously announced include: As we mentioned earlier, the Polaris inflight entertainment system comes with a 16-inch touchscreen monitor. However, it generally still means you'll check in at a kiosk rather than with a United agent. I quickly logged into ExpertFlyer and, lo and behold, the five-hour regional hop to the Maldives had been upgraded to an A350 with Qsuite! With several ways to earn points and book award flights, you can take numerous approaches to try out United Polaris. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Disclaimer:Upgraded Points, LLC and its website, UpgradedPoints.com, provides information on credit cards, reward programs, travel information and ancillary information concerning travel and credit cards. Of course if you're especially worried about an equipment swap (because you're flying an airline with a non-homogenous fleet), ExpertFlyer is once again your best tool. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Go to unitedwifi.com after opening your browser. Apply for a receiver today and if accepted you'll receiver a free . An important point to remember is that United Club memberships do not gain you access to the Polaris Lounge. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. Access to the Polaris Lounge is very limited. We are sick about this. While not a perfect indicator, a change in seat assignment often corresponds to a change in aircraft type. In reality, for the first couple of years, many passengers who booked expensive tickets marketed as Polaris still ended up flying in older seats. . Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. When you book a business class seat on Singapore Airlines, for example, you will have an awesome meal that you can reserve before your flight to ensure you get exactly what you want. Crocs vs. 'Stocks: Which is the superior travel shoe? $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Card. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Along with the airline's 13 new 787-10s (out of 14 on order) and 12 787-8s, these are the only planes in the fleet where you're absolutely guaranteed to get the new Polaris seats. I quickly changed our reservation back to a middle pair of seats, but without AwardWallet's help, I might have missed this important change. Featured photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy. This is arecurring post, regularly updated withnew information. Polaris Lounge, United Airlines' $41 million VIP space for certain passengers awaiting long-haul flights at Dulles International Airport, opens to the public Thursday. If you scroll down the homepage, you'll see a box on the left with all the different types of alerts you can set. Avoid that at all costs! On a sidenote, I never understood why UA doesnt offer trans[continental] premium service to BOS and Dulles (and possibly MIA) at least on the red-eyes.. The new Boeing 787-10 and the Airbus A350 will be delivered with the new product as well. Connect to our Wi-Fi network. No United product is nearly good enough to be worth the extra flying, layover, border crossing and potential delays at ORD. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Terms apply to offers below. Although it took a while, most long-haul international United flights now feature the airline's top-notch Polaris business-class pods. Find addresses, hours of operation, and product capabilities for our cargo facilities. Above the 16-inch inflight entertainment system, youll find a bar to help you stand up from your seat without rocking the person in front of you. But at this point, the Polaris seat seems to me to be roughly the same quality as the other major carriers. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants. How Many United Airlines Aircraft Have Been Retrofitted To Polaris Business Class Cabin? The industry standard flight tracking platform for business aviation (BA) owners and operators. Crocs vs. 'Stocks: Which is the superior travel shoe? So, overall, the majority of Uniteds widebody fleet now offers the much-improved business-class product. 48 flat-bed seats in United Polaris Business Class, 88 in United Economy Plus, and 116 in United Economy. Hopefully, this guide will help clear this up and serve as the definitive guide on where to find and what to expect in United's full Polaris business class. True 1-2-1 Polaris is roughly equal to the 777 / 787 Air Canada uses on all its Asia routes. Every time through the years that I have seen any information about Uniteds Polaris seat installations, it has always said that the work was being done in Hong Kong or mainland China cities. Ask ExpertFlyer, flew a 772 retrofitted with Polaris seats, Where to sit when flying Uniteds 777-200 Polaris business class, Touring Uniteds first 787-10 Dreamliner (Polaris, Premium Plus, Economy), United just hit another major milestone in its Polaris retrofit program, United exec details reopening plans for airport clubs, Polaris Lounges, several different programs make booking United awards, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points, How to get maximum value from the United MileagePlus program, Heres why you need a healthy stash of Avianca LifeMiles, The best ways to maximize Air Canadas Aeroplan program, Singapore's KrisFlyer program has undergone some devaluations in recent years, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Polaris lounges have been a huge step up from the carrier's tired old United Clubs and Global First lounges. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 777-300ER - All 22 aircraft have Polaris (60 seats) and installation of Premium Plus cabins (24 seats) is complete. These continue to have 2-4-2 seating in business class. They should be able to accommodate your allergies if they know ahead of time. This will fast-track your check-in process. 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