The way you can tell if an aircraft has the new polaris cabin is from the seat map. Couples will want to pick odd-numbered rows (1, 3, 5 and 7) to sit together in the middle seats. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. We charged the fees to the Platinum Card® from American Express, since it earns 5x points on airfare purchases when booked directly with the airline. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Now mostly confined to domestic routes, it was a great experience for a sub-3 hour flight. There’s a USB plug under the IFE screen, and under the small cabinet you’ll find a universal power adapter adapter (and another USB port! Here’s a tip — if you don’t fly United often, remember to jot down your United MileagePlus number (and password, if you don’t remember it), as you’ll need to log in to your account before purchasing Wi-Fi in order to be able to switch between devices. The plan. Until April 2018, United offered its new Polaris business-class seat on just 14 Boeing 777-300ERs, along with a small number of retrofitted 767-300ERs — if you wanted to experience the airline’s latest product, you had to fly one of a handful of -300ER routes, or hope you’d land a last-minute swap to the refreshed 767. Knowing about this “secret menu” of amenities, I asked for slippers early on so I could wear them during the flight. Be one of the first to preview United Polaris, our redesigned international business class, en route this December. The Points Guy will not sell your email. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. I definitely didn’t regret trying some of the ice cream, which was topped with chocolate sauce and M&Ms. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. United’s committed to adding a Polaris-equipped plane every 10 days through 2020, so it shouldn’t be long before the old three-cabin configuration disappears entirely. The United Polaris business class seat will first take flight in December on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and subsequently on Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, as well as on Boeing 767-300 and 777-200 retrofits. United truly does have a competitive business-class hard product to match its improved soft product that it rolled out in 2016. The new configuration for this type of aircraft will include 50 lie-flat seats for the Polaris Business Class section and 242 Economy seats. I got lucky enough to snag a seat on the plane’s flight between DC and Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) on April 23, and was eager to test out United’s brand-new hard product. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. Your view will be partially obstructed thanks to the massive engine that’ll be in full view right outside your window. Thanks to TPG‘s United expert Zach, I knew that the bulkhead Polaris seats provided the most space, extra-large footwells and privacy. Wrong. Earlier this week I flew United’s 777-200 business class from Frankfurt to Houston. BA is also 8 across in business, but at least they have some privacy. The galley at 2L/R handles all the crew meals so that makes it slightly more busy throughout the flight on typical trips. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. Before heading to sleep, I asked for a mattress pad. United Polaris Business class on aircraft equipped with Polaris First is far denser. That said, United does score major points for having an amazing AvGeek feature: a live air traffic control feed. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. Later that year, December 1, they put their very first 77W fit with the new product into service. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. ), IFE remote as well as the jack for the headphones. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. By squeezing an extra row, seat width is reduced to 19”. As a reminder, I’ve reviewed United’s 777-300ER business class, which features their new Polaris seats. I consider these seats a vast improvement from the old ones. The seat map of this United Airlines 777-200 is configured with Polaris first, Polaris business, Economy Plus, and Economy seating. Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. All the 773s and 787-10s are 100% the new seat. However, if you’re a fan of the window, beware that row 7 does not have one! The seat map of this United Airlines 777-200 is configured with Polaris first, Polaris business, Economy Plus, and Economy seating. Polaris class on this aircraft features a standard First Class Open Suite seat in Polaris first and a standard Business Class seat in Polaris business. However, there’s one small thing to keep in mind if you do go for a bulkhead seat in the rear cabin. Each seat is lie-flat, but if you’re stuck in the middle getting over your neighbor may be annoying. While the front of the plane offers a vastly improved passenger experience, the same can’t be said for the back. Through May 4th, however, United operates domestic flights from San Francisco to Newark using the Polaris … The Points Guy will not sell your email. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. I completed the check-in process — including my own documents check — at a self-service kiosk, but was never prompted to check my bag. Two even-row window seats are even less desirable, though — 12A and 12L — since they’re missing a window entirely. The 777-200 business class is flaming garbage, but I guess it’s better than coach. I didn’t inquire if other drinks were available. There were a couple of disappointing points, though. Most excitingly, United also introduced new seats in business class. A small box containing a Polaris chocolate and the amenity kit were left on the side table. They offer 3 cabins — economy class with 202 seats; a 24 seat premium economy class branded “Premium Plus”; and 50 seats in Polaris Business class. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I’d say that you could easily skip dinner to maximize sleep and then be completely satisfied with this meal upon waking up in the morning. The pros: brand-new seat, comfortable bedding and tasty food. United has since begun to step up its Polaris game, opening a second Polaris Lounge, at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and launching service with its first retrofitted 777-200. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. In this trip report I review the Polaris 777-200 business class cabin (there are 3 biz cabins on this plane) EWR to GRU. The United Boeing 777-200 is a long-range wide-body twin-engine jetliner with a cruise speed of 550mph and a wingspan of 199 feet and 11 inches. The menu situation could’ve been handled better — and obviously it would’ve been nice to get a menu for the right flight. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. So, while this refreshed 777-200 offers the airline’s best business-class seat, it also sports one of the tightest coach arrangements you’ll find on any plane in the world. At boarding, each Polaris seat was stocked with a large pillow, as well as a plastic-wrapped blanket and duvet. Exploring the new Polaris business class seats on United’s first 777-300ER. This plane offers several inflight amenities such as music, video, power, internet and food. Note, though, that the wine tasting option will soon be eliminated, as United’s going through a lot more wine than it had anticipated. The total cash outlay for this ticket was just $79 — $23 of which came in the form of the German passenger fee and $50 in the form of the Award Booking Fee, since I’m not a United elite and booked this ticket so last-minute. The cons: some service misses and the new product is only available on one -200 currently. Unfortunately, as United was ripping out first class and that super-dense biz, the airline installed 3-4-3 seats in economy, knocking nearly an inch off of the seat width in the process. Spoiler alert: The answer is yes. Everything US citizens need to know about the Bahamas’ simplified entry process, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. I strongly considered licking the bowl clean. Until it does, I’d avoid those 2-4-2 business-class seats at (almost) any cost — if you can’t get the “real” Polaris seat just yet, choose a 777 with the old 2-2-2 Continental seats, or a 757, 767 or 787, instead. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Among the strikes against that flight were a business-class cabin that had eight seats across, a seat mate that was chewing tobacco, a crew that wouldn’t enforce the airline’s policies, a grossly undercooked meal, a broken seat and a malfunctioning in-flight entertainment system. While they’re by no means terrible, aisle facing center seats have far more exposure, which means more noise and less privacy. Both legs were conducted by a United Airlines Boeing 777-222(ER). Looking through the photos and discussing the experience with my wife (and fellow top-tier AA elite member) Katie, we’re adding United’s Polaris seat to our list of products we want to experience together. United Airlines unveiled its first Polaris business class cabin on a newsly delivered Boeing 777-300 this week. When I asked for a cup of coffee, she suggested a glass of still or sparkling water as well. However, I ended up with a very different main dish. If you’re traveling alone and want a window or ultimate privacy, pick seats on either side in rows 9, 11 or 15 (there’s no row 13 or 14 in this cabin). Meanwhile, if you’re traveling with a companion, I’d go with the bulkhead “honeymoon” style seats — 1D and 1G or 9D and 9G. I was the last to order dinner, but thankfully still ended up with my first choice. Unfortunately for my photo taking opportunities, passengers were held at the boarding door until some final preparations were made to the cabin. Our United Polaris® business class service is designed to bring a new level of quality to every aspect of premium cabin travel - from lounge to landing - and provide the best sleep in the sky. I wouldn’t realize until later that it’s because I was given a menu for a London Heathrow (LHR) to IAD flight. United Airlines unveiled its new Polaris international business class seats and amenities back in June 2016. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. However, there’s not much of a lip to this very deep tray, so you’re not going to want to store anything important (like your passport or phone) in here during takeoff, because it’ll be difficult to fish it back out later. It’s a tremendous improvement, as JT Genter discovered in his recent review. Otherwise, my first picks would be the bulkhead window seats — they’re positioned closer to the window, and offer larger footwells and more privacy. Giving just the main courses a look, I ordered the “chicken” expecting to get the “seared chicken breast with mustard mushroom sauce, chive mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts” that was on the menu. I received both a friendly greeting and goodbye from flight attendants, and they made their way through an impressive number of service aspects, especially considering that the flight wasn’t that long. Although the drink menu I received said that FAs will offer the airline’s specialty beverage service, no one offered me this. I almost learned this the hard way. Upon arrival in DC, my complaints at a customer service desk led to a United agent threatening to call the police on me. The two-prong headphones provided decent-quality sound but didn’t seem to provide any active noise cancellation. I have to fly United out of SFO next week, shame that they still haven’t finished their second Polaris lounge. Each one has a small cabinet rated to hold small items during taxi, takeoff and landing. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. United Business Class “New Polaris” 777-200 United first introduced their new business class, Polaris, back in June of 2016. I recently flew with United Airlines between Denver and Los Angeles, aboard a 777-200 sporting their archaic 8-abreast business class. As you can see in the photo below, there was plenty of room for my feet! The aircraft is used on long-haul intercontinental routes. View list below for exact numbers. From a galley noise perspective row 8 is to be avoided while 6 & 7 may get some overflow. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Once those were complete, it was essentially a mad dash onto the aircraft. 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