Review: United 787-10 Polaris Business Class

Review: United 787-10 Polaris Business Class

FROM: EWR
TO: BRU
CABIN: Business
DATE: August 2019
REVIEW RATING:
SEAT MAP: 787-10
BEN SAYS: An excellent seat with great bedding, which is what matters most on a short transatlantic flight
52


After flying from Hartford to Dublin on Aer Lingus and then from Porto to Newark on TAP Air Portugal, I spent a night at the Marriott Newark Airport. I’ve reviewed the hotel before, so won’t be doing so again.

The next evening it was off to Brussels on the United 787-10. I’ve reviewed United’s 777-300ER with the new Polaris seats, but was excited to check out the 787-10 for a couple of reasons:

How I booked United Polaris with miles

United had a lot of award seats (more than nine) from Newark to Brussels for the date I was looking to travel. To see that kind of award availability during peak summer travel season is pretty awesome.

So I could have easily booked with with Air Canada Aeroplan miles, Avianca LifeMiles, or United MileagePlus miles. But I decided to have more fun instead.

Rather than just terminating in Europe, I decided to connect the same day to Bangkok. So for 77,500 Aeroplan miles plus about $150 in taxes and fees I was able to book a ticket from Newark to Bangkok.

I won’t reveal my connecting itinerary just yet, because what would be the fun in that? But you’re welcome to guess in the comments. 😉

I’d say that was a great award redemption. Aeroplan would have charged 55,000 miles for a one-way ticket from the US to Europe, so for just 22,500 more miles I could continue all the way to Asia.

United 787-10 Polaris business class review

I stayed at the Marriott Newark Airport until 4PM, and then headed over to the airport. I reviewed United’s Newark Polaris Lounge last year, so won’t be doing so again this year. It’s an impressive lounge, though it was much busier than the last time I visited.

And it’s not just that it was more crowded, but it was also a very different crowd. Let me just say that I’m shocked that the seats weren’t stained from the degree to which many of the guests were spray tanned. Also, what is it with so many people from New Jersey not understanding the concept of inside voices?

Beyond the lounge, I have to note how good of a job has been done with United’s terminal at Newark. It’s a legitimately nice terminal, and the contrast between that and the other terminals at the airport is night-and-day.

There was lots of great plane spotting at the airport (assuming you’re like me and like seeing the same types of planes over and over), as 787s and 767s were all getting ready for their Atlantic crossings.

United 767 Newark Airport

I was surprised by just how many 787-10s there were, given that this is still a new plane type for them. As it turns out, United already has nine of their 14 787-10s, having taken delivery of their first one in March 2018.

United 787-10 Newark Airport


United 787 Newark Airport

My boarding pass indicated that boarding was supposed to start at 5:40PM, so I headed to the gate at around 5:20PM. At that point the crew was just getting on the plane.

Personally I find United’s boarding process rather confusing, especially given that they have signs for zones one and two, even though most people aren’t in those zones.

Newark Airport departure gate

I was standing near the gate agent, and overheard no fewer than a dozen people come up and ask her where they should stand since they were in other groups.

One other impressive thing about this flight — it wasn’t full in business class, even after all upgrades and even non-revs. The travel benefits offered to airline employees often aren’t quite as glamorous as they seem, though on this flight everyone got business class, and there were still 10 empty seats.

Boarding actually only started at 6:05PM. The gate agents didn’t make any sort of announcement about why there was a delay.

Boarding started with those who need extra time, followed by active duty military, followed by Global Services members, followed by families, followed by 1Ks, followed by Polaris. Yay, it’s fun to be the sixth group invited to board when you’re in the forward-most cabin on a plane. 😉

United Airlines 999
Newark (EWR) – Brussels (BRU)
Tuesday, August 6
Depart: 6:30PM
Arrive: 7:45AM (+1 day)
Duration: 7hr15min
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10
Seat: 9L (Polaris Business Class)

I boarded through the second set of doors, and the first thing I noticed was just how massive the space between doors one and two is on the 787-10. The Polaris cabin consisted of 44 seats, all between doors one and two.

United 787-10 Polaris cabin

I’ve gotta give United credit, the 787-10 Polaris cabin is really, really pretty, and even prettier with mood lighting.


United 787-10 Polaris cabin

Polaris seats alternate in each row to maximize space:

  • In the center section in odd numbered rows there are “honeymoon” seats, where you’re seated very close to your seatmate, and far from the aisle
  • In the center section in even numbered rows the two center seats are further apart from one another and closer to the aisle


United 787-10 Polaris business class center seats

The same concept is true in the window seats. In even numbered rows, seats are closer to the aisle, meaning that your seat is more exposed and the console is closer to the window.

United 787-10 Polaris business class seats

These would be my less-preferred seats, given that you’re much closer to the aisle, and it’s more difficult to look outside.


United 787-10 Polaris business class seats

The seats you want here are the “true” window seats, which are in odd numbered rows. These seats have better views out the windows and a lot more privacy. My seat, 9L, was one of those seats closer to the windows.


United Polaris business class seats 787-10


United 787-10 Polaris business class seats


United Polaris business class seats 787-10

These “true” window seats have a small walkway connecting the aisle to the seat.


United Polaris seat access 787-10

To the left of my seat was the console. United did a great job with the faux-marble they use, because it actually looks pretty nice in my opinion (for the avoidance of doubt, I’m not being sarcastic, as it’s rare I’d complement faux-marble and call it “classy”)

United Polaris seat counter & storage

Immediately above the counter were the entertainment controls, headphone jacks, and power outlets. Then above that was an enclosed storage compartment and reading light.


United Polaris seat storage


United Polaris seat storage

To the left of the seat below the counter was an armrest as well as a literature pocket.


United Polaris seat literature pocket

The seat controls were along the window-side of the seat, and were easy to use. I especially love the wheel you can turn to adjust the position of your seat.


United Polaris seat controls 787-10

The tray table folded out from underneath the personal television in front, and could be folded over in half. It was sturdy and easy to move around.


United Polaris seat tray table 787-10

Generally with staggered seats the biggest issue is that the footwells tend to be small, which can be uncomfortable when sleeping. The good news is that this footwell didn’t feel small at all.


United Polaris seat footwell 787-10

I was expecting the seat might feel a bit more compact than on the 777-300ER, given that the cabin isn’t quite as wide. However, I didn’t find that to be the case.

Each seat also had an individual air nozzle, which is much appreciated.

Already waiting at my seat upon boarding were a pair of headphones. While not Bose or Bang & Olufsen quality, they were pretty good.


United Polaris headphones

Also already waiting at my seat was United’s spectacular bedding. This is where Polaris really shines, as I think they have the best business class bedding in the world. This included a duvet, a light blanket, a regular pillow, and a cooling gel pillow. Not even pictured is the mattress pad, available on demand.


United Polaris bedding

Spoiler alert: I fear at this point the bedding is literally the only aspect of the Polaris soft product that still impresses.

Also at my seat was a Spider-Man amenity kit.


United Polaris amenity kit

The kit was well stocked, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I walked to the bathroom mid-flight and saw someone with the Spider-Man eye shades on.


United Polaris amenity kit contents

United used to offer chocolates and pre-departure drinks of choice. This time I just had a flight attendant hold out a tray and say “water… orange juice… champagne.” That’s quite a generous pour! Apparently you can still request other pre-departure drinks, though champagne worked for me.


United Polaris pre-departure champagne

Also waiting at my seat was the menu.


United Polaris menu

At 6:35PM the main cabin door was closed, and at 6:45PM meal orders were taken. To my surprise I wasn’t even asked for a second choice.

Around the same time the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 6h33min. At that point the Spider-Man safety video was screened.

We pushed back at 6:50PM — a bit behind schedule — and started our taxi at 7PM. There were several United heavies at remote stands as we taxied to the runway.

United 787-10 Newark Airport


United 767-400 Newark Airport

We had a quick taxi to runway 22R, and surprisingly there wasn’t much of a queue. There was a La Compagnie A321neo taking off right ahead of us, which is another product on my review list.

La Compagnie A321 Newark Airport

Taxiing Newark Airport

Taking off from Newark

Our takeoff roll was pretty quick, and we had a smooth climb out.

View after takeoff from Newark

As we climbed out I played around with the entertainment system, starting with looking at the moving map.

United entertainment selection

Moving map enroute to Brussels


Moving map enroute to Brussels

The entertainment selection was excellent, with a seemingly never-ending choice of TV shows and movies.

United entertainment selection


United entertainment selection

I also connected to the Wi-Fi.

United Wi-Fi 787-10

United had three pricing options for Wi-Fi:

  • One hour for $8.99
  • Two hours for $12.99
  • Full flight for $22.99

United Wi-Fi pricing

The internet speeds were good, and I didn’t notice any coverage gaps.

The crew was quick to start the service after takeoff. The menu read as follows (annoyingly they don’t publish a drink list):

Service began with warm towels being distributed, followed by tablecloths.

United Polaris warm towel

35 minutes after takeoff a flight attendant reached my seat with a cart to offer me a drink. I ordered some champagne and sparkling water, along with United’s signature warm nuts.


United Polaris dinner — warm nuts and drinks

There was a second flight attendant with another cart right behind her, so less than a minute later I was served the appetizer and salad on a tray.

The appetizer consisted of smoked duck, farro salad with dried cranberries, brined carrots, and whole-grain mustard, and just tasted a bit off to me. I also thought the salad of mixed greens, fennel, and bell pepper, was super bland. On the plus side, the pretzel bread was good.


United Polaris dinner — salad and appetizer

55 minutes after takeoff I was served the main course. United has switched from plating dishes onboard to already loading them pre-plated so that the crews just have to put them in the ovens. That most definitely shows when it comes to presentation. Like all changes that are made in the airline industry, United has assured me that this was due to customer feedback. 😉

I ordered the seared lemon grass salmon with coconut red curry sauce, Thai coconut risotto, stir-fried bell pepper, carrot, and onion. The dish was alright.


United Polaris dinner — main course

Lastly the dessert trolly was rolled through the cabin about 75 minutes after takeoff. I asked for ice cream with nuts and strawberries.


United Polaris dinner — dessert

On the plus side, I appreciated that the meal service was done within 90 minutes of takeoff. Unfortunately the speed of the service was the only part of the meal that impressed me.

I’m not sure if this was just a bad flight, but I feel like Polaris has fallen quite a bit when it comes to food quality. They used to be above average for US airline catering, while now I think they’re on par with American (which is not where you want to be).

The flight attendants were fine-ish. Some were friendly-ish. Some were efficient but not friendly. Overall they went through the motions and that’s about it.

After the meal I checked out the lavatory — there were two in front of the cabin and two behind. I’m not sure if the ones behind are shared with premium economy, or what, because the curtains suggested they all belonged to business class (in which case four lavatories for 44 seats is an excellent ratio).

United 787 lavatory


United 787-10 Polaris cabin

I then reclined my seat all the way to get some sleep. After all, I had a long day ahead of me after landing in Brussels.

United Polaris business class bed 787-10


United Polaris business class bed 787-10

I fell asleep just under five hours from landing in Brussels.

United entertainment system

Progress enroute to Brussels

I got a solid 3.5 hours of sleep, and woke up just under 90 minutes before landing.


Progress enroute to Brussels

The sleep quality was excellent, and between United’s great bedding and having an individual air nozzle, the conditions were perfect.

The cabin lights were turned on a few minutes after I woke up, at which point breakfast service started.

A flight attendant walked by my seat and said “you’re not joining us for breakfast?”

This is ultimately minor, but I find this stuff happens on United more than any other airline. Like, I had indicated to the flight attendant when she took the meal order that I wanted to be woken for breakfast, and I was awake before they started serving anyone breakfast.

So was the flight attendant trying to discourage me from having breakfast, or wouldn’t the correct question be “would you care to join us for breakfast?”

Etihad has a partnership with Savoy for training their onboard butlers. Maybe United should have a partnership with McDonalds? In some cases it would represent an improvement in standards…

Anyway, the breakfast was quite large when you consider that this is a short transatlantic flight (many airlines just offer a continental breakfast).

For breakfast there was the choice between a fruit salad and a cream omelet. The omelet came with chicken sausage and potatoes. It also came with a side of fruit and a croissant.

United Polaris breakfast

it was a beautiful morning as we approached Brussels. At 7AM the first officer announced we were just starting our descent and would be landing in 30 minutes.

View enroute to Brussels

View approaching Brussels

View approaching Brussels

Sure enough, we touched down at exactly 7:30AM, and from there had a 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate. I had a great view of the 787-10 upon deplaning.

United 787-10 in Brussels

United 787-10 Polaris bottom line

On the plus side, the 787-10 is a gorgeous plane, and in particular United’s Polaris cabins are very nice. While Polaris seats aren’t my absolute favorite business class seats out there, they’re near the top, and I’d say they’re on par with reverse herringbone seats.

United’s entertainment, Wi-Fi, and bedding are all very good. Furthermore, the pace of service was good, given the short overnight flight.

Everything else left a bit to be desired, though, from the food quality to the service.

Still, on balance I’d say this is a solid transatlantic product.

If you’ve flown United’s new Polaris, what was your experience like?

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  1. Frank Thomas Guest

    Have just flown United Polaris Business class from San Fransisco to Melbourne.
    My seat was 7A closest to the window. The seat is ok, but the very narrow footwell which is angled makes it very hard to sleep comfortably. The on board food is average and their in flight service is adequate but not very personalised for a business class product. I found their toilets incredibly small and the crew didn’t seem to regularly...

    Have just flown United Polaris Business class from San Fransisco to Melbourne.
    My seat was 7A closest to the window. The seat is ok, but the very narrow footwell which is angled makes it very hard to sleep comfortably. The on board food is average and their in flight service is adequate but not very personalised for a business class product. I found their toilets incredibly small and the crew didn’t seem to regularly replace toilet paper rolls or empty the paper towel bin. Overall an average inflight experience, more like a p;remium economy product. The actual Polaris business lounge and dining is superb

  2. Tom Gable Guest

    Thanks for the great review of the 787 Polaris space. Wonderful details, insights.

    My wife (travel advisor) and I had United business class from ORD to GRU and return GRU to ORD. Had honeymoon seats. A little claustrophobic getting in the tight space, but felt better once settled inside. Great seat controls. Easy to adjust the wheel from normal seating to flat. Good storage. Flat shelf at the entry with small cabinet behind for...

    Thanks for the great review of the 787 Polaris space. Wonderful details, insights.

    My wife (travel advisor) and I had United business class from ORD to GRU and return GRU to ORD. Had honeymoon seats. A little claustrophobic getting in the tight space, but felt better once settled inside. Great seat controls. Easy to adjust the wheel from normal seating to flat. Good storage. Flat shelf at the entry with small cabinet behind for water, personal goods. Small space under the TV screen for putting books, iPads, phone. Handy things for travel (goodie bag; still using one we got from Virgin, good design. Soft sided. A bonus design feature: a rigid bar above the TV set for grabbing onto and pulling up or holding on as needed.

    Don’t like the Polaris business class storage bin design above the inside seats. Very high to give the section a more open feel. Looks great but it’s hard for shorter people to access. Even the tall flight attendant who came to help said her shorter colleagues had trouble with it. The bins above the window seats are fine. Easy to access. We had the same issue on the high bins on Lufthansa from SAN to BER and return. Lufthansa had bad seat design; hard to adjust; what looked like a pocket on the side of the seat was a hole! Passengers were always needing help retrieving cell phones, books and vanity kits.

    On ORD to GRU, decent choices during dinner. Moist salmon. Decent spare ribs. Breakfast not that good. Odd egg dish. egg whites with kale in gross pastry. Good fruit bowl. Provided plain greek yogurt. Not sure much got used. Mushy croissant. Hard bread with dinner. Need to have better choices of breads. Perhaps have attendants offer a choice from a basket, as done on some airlines. Good beverage service.

    Friendly crew. Helpful. Right level of attentiveness. Positive demeanors. But major shortcoming: failure to provide guidance on steps to take going through immigration in GRU. São Paulo International Airport is big, sprawling. Landed Terminal 3. Had trouble finding the right line for retrieving bags and going through immigration, before rechecking to the next destination. Could benefit from better signing. For international passengers. Get bags. Then to immigration. And connecting flights. Need to check terminals for connecting flights, including the remote Terminal 1 for Azul and domestic flights (we were going to SDU — Rio). SDU — Santos Dumont — neat little airport on the water in Rio. Pilot circled by Sugar Loaf on the approach.

    Went on cruise from Rio to Buenos Aires, then back. Return flights. BUE TO GRU. Economy 787 Air Canada. Very odd. They moved the boarding up and filled the plane 30 minutes before departure. And we just sat there. Like adding 30 minutes to the flight. Then the pilot said we were delayed pushing back because another plane was blocking the way. For food on the two-hour+ flight, served an odd chicken salad sandwich and small fruit bowl. Decent beverages. Good crew. Friendly, efficient, helpful.

    GRU to ORD. Great crew. Chicago-based. Terrible beef dinner. Dry block of meat. Best was the cheese plate with crackers and Port. Slept pretty well. Maybe 5.5 to 6 hours on the 10-hour flight. As you noted, the best bedding in the skies.

    Okay breakfast frittata and fruit. Good croissant.

    The purser provided great information coming into ORD on steps to take retrieving baggage, going through immigration and exiting or going to connecting flights. She gave specific details (“after the carousel, look for the double doors on the left,” etc.). Delivered in four languages, too. So imminently clear to travelers of all levels of experience. Takes the stress out of arrival in a foreign country.

    Overall: we are fans of United and Polaris Business Class and will recommend it to friends and my wife’s clients.

  3. JC Guest

    Great review - lots of in-depth details. I'm gonna call you out on non-rev travel comment. First of all, "glamour" is a state of mind, and most people might debate what that even means these days. I was an AA employee and can tell you that the gate dance is one of the most fun parts of being an Av-Geek. Will I make it? Which cabin can I get in?
    Don't assume all non-revs...

    Great review - lots of in-depth details. I'm gonna call you out on non-rev travel comment. First of all, "glamour" is a state of mind, and most people might debate what that even means these days. I was an AA employee and can tell you that the gate dance is one of the most fun parts of being an Av-Geek. Will I make it? Which cabin can I get in?
    Don't assume all non-revs are able to or even want business class. Flying outside the USA means the employee has to pay the taxes which can quickly add up, especially to a destination like London for example, where the taxes escalate according to the class of travel. I've taken plenty of economy flights as non-rev out of choice because the gate agent could review the seat map with me and advise where the best bank of empty seats might be.
    Since an employee is not charged for the flight until it is completed there is no obligation to travel in any class or even to board the flight you wait-listed for.
    Cheers.

  4. Tajah Guest

    Just flew First Class UA on 777-200 Polaris SFO-HNL. Do everything possible to not get EVEN nbr seats. They are claustrophobic and awkward. Otherwise for just over $600 each way, it was great. The flight attendants were attentive and the meal was good.

  5. ellyse Guest

    That breakfast meal looks like what I usually get in Y, just with fancier plating...

  6. Marcia Nelson Guest

    Do not waste your money. The food was OK for my husband and horrendous for me with gluten free. The food was brought onto the plane in foil containers (not a good sign). I received fruit, salad without dressing, horribly dry chicken and a dried out roll. The salad had a cold cod chunk on it. The seating area was beautiful on our way to Italy. On the way home, it was so crowded, it...

    Do not waste your money. The food was OK for my husband and horrendous for me with gluten free. The food was brought onto the plane in foil containers (not a good sign). I received fruit, salad without dressing, horribly dry chicken and a dried out roll. The salad had a cold cod chunk on it. The seating area was beautiful on our way to Italy. On the way home, it was so crowded, it would have been awkward had a stranger been next to me!
    The worst part of the trip was because my husband missed the first flight on our trip ( a 55minute flight from Columbia, SC to Dulles, which actually made our tickets more expensive) this terrible airline charged him $7,800 dollars to fly the other five legs of our trip and charged us a $500 change fee on top of it to “change” the rest of the flight to his original ticket. Then they didn’t even “change” the ticket correctly so we didn’t even seat us next to each other for part of the way home. Lovely birthday for my husband United. Do NOT fly Polaris!!! Absolutely horrendous experience and very curt response when we asked for a refund. I will tell everyone I know from our military time, our friends, family and coworkers about this $8,300 charge for the rest of my life. Don’t fly with these awful people. We have flown many overseas flights with other airlines and United is the only airline I would not recommend. AWFUL!!!

  7. Daniel Chung Guest

    'Fauxlaris' is perfect description. Unfortunately, there are still many planes with the arrangement.

  8. Ed Guest

    Just catching up reading -- I've flown on United Business class twice in the last 3 years and had pleasant service experiences with two west-coast based crews, one LAX-SYD on a 787-9 Fauxlaris, and one SFO-TPE on the real deal 777-300ER.

  9. KK13 Guest

    Eh, after reading this review I don't feel bad to book Qatar Qsuites again.

    I so wanted to fly non-stop EWR-BOM-EWR by Polaris business, but the beauty, comfort, quality, food, attention to details and etiquette forced me to consider the JFK-BOM-JFK Qsuites in their new A350-1000!

    Just the presentation of food itself can seriously challenge some restaurants and give a run for their businesses. Plus, being at the 1st class Al Safwa lounge...

    Eh, after reading this review I don't feel bad to book Qatar Qsuites again.

    I so wanted to fly non-stop EWR-BOM-EWR by Polaris business, but the beauty, comfort, quality, food, attention to details and etiquette forced me to consider the JFK-BOM-JFK Qsuites in their new A350-1000!

    Just the presentation of food itself can seriously challenge some restaurants and give a run for their businesses. Plus, being at the 1st class Al Safwa lounge in Doha is a mind boggling experience!

    Guess, I might never get to experience Polaris business.

  10. red_robbo Guest

    @ Kacee... Just FYI, the official code for a 787-10 is 78X, not 781

    @ PCC... Not sure if English is your first language or not, but your spelling, grammar, unnecessary abbreviating and use of CAPITALS make your posts uncomfortable and almost impossible to read. Please proof read before posting!!!

  11. Jayne Peterson Guest

    All domestic airlines, even those who offer international travel, are maximizing their profits by minimizing their staffing. And that puts the burden squarely on the crew serving you in the air. Something’s gotta’ give...pre-plated meals, no offering of wine with dinner, and unfortunately a stressed-out demeanor of the cabin crew. Please don’t blame it on them. They know they’re forced to offer a less-than-stellar service because they know what it used to be. The airlines...

    All domestic airlines, even those who offer international travel, are maximizing their profits by minimizing their staffing. And that puts the burden squarely on the crew serving you in the air. Something’s gotta’ give...pre-plated meals, no offering of wine with dinner, and unfortunately a stressed-out demeanor of the cabin crew. Please don’t blame it on them. They know they’re forced to offer a less-than-stellar service because they know what it used to be. The airlines love to tout their “new and improved” product while at the same time cutting their staff. Anyone who has travelled enough can see through the smoke and mirrors. I’m a retired flight attendant and I know how it works.

  12. henry LAX Guest

    @UA-NYC : and yet your worthless airline of AA and DL *combined* still doesn't know how to fly JFK-HND on their own metal. I guess your time isn't worth much since you have so much time to do connections instead of flying nonstop.

  13. DC Guest

    Flew ORD-FRA last Tuesday. Dreadful. It's a dismal product - but nothing that surprised me considering it's an US airline.

  14. Mark Guest

    Technical correction: first UA 787-10 was delivered in November 2018, not March. I was on the inaugural, um, first scheduled from LAX to EWR in January. Another United slap in the face when they put the aircraft in service before the much hyped inaugural then changed the event to "first revenue scheduled flight for 787-10". I digress.

    @PCC: No APD on transits less than 24 hours UK.

  15. JM Guest

    The lack of boarding signs higher than 1 or 2 means the other customers are not yet supposed to line up. It's an effort to get them out of the way so the higher priority customers can board.

    Even numbered rows tend to be better for those with a little claustrophobia or customers of size as it can be difficult to squeeze through the narrow passageway into the odd numbered rows.

    The pre-plated main dishes...

    The lack of boarding signs higher than 1 or 2 means the other customers are not yet supposed to line up. It's an effort to get them out of the way so the higher priority customers can board.

    Even numbered rows tend to be better for those with a little claustrophobia or customers of size as it can be difficult to squeeze through the narrow passageway into the odd numbered rows.

    The pre-plated main dishes are because United has recently removed two flight attendant positions from the aircraft, including removing a galley position. That may also help explain some, but not all, of the perfunctory service. There are too many customers for too few flight attendants and those who were once inclined to do so no longer have time to offer personalized service. Still, training by McDonalds might help. The current training by Disney is really too advanced for many of us.

    All 4 lavatories are for Polaris Class, but many of the premium economy customers believe they are entitled to them and flight attendants spend half the flight shooing them out of first class.

    And you may think it is a solid product, but I am, more often than not, embarrassed by it. I'm a United FA.

  16. PCC Guest

    BEN I Have A question would appreciate a response at your leisure.
    Subject TAXES DEPARTURE TAXES FROM THE UK TO USA

    Can I enter LONDON REMAIN THEIR FOR UNDER 24 hrs , from time of
    Arrival to time returning back to NY USA, TO AVOID Taxes. Again within 24 hrs

    NOTE OR REMAIN IN TRANSIT 6 hrs and return back to states what taxes
    Do I pay if any in any class...

    BEN I Have A question would appreciate a response at your leisure.
    Subject TAXES DEPARTURE TAXES FROM THE UK TO USA

    Can I enter LONDON REMAIN THEIR FOR UNDER 24 hrs , from time of
    Arrival to time returning back to NY USA, TO AVOID Taxes. Again within 24 hrs

    NOTE OR REMAIN IN TRANSIT 6 hrs and return back to states what taxes
    Do I pay if any in any class of service,

    I travel Stby standby could be in - business coach. first
    Thank you your blog is really excellent your details are always on target
    May not agree all the time We being perfectionist. .
    I followed your wedding and hope you are happy in FLORIDA with your partner and of course the Dog. Ps I have avoided some taxes b f traveling from another city while in transit only .the LHR taxes are really over the top, thanks

  17. Sexy_kitten7 Guest

    I initially LOLed at your boarding comment. After all, I'm not confused by the sign. But then, I'm always in group 2. I can see why the kettles are perplexed. However, the new signage has dramatically cut down on gate lice IMO and it does tell you sit (the heck) down. I guess reading is a lost art.

  18. daniel Guest

    Military people also get first priority upgraded seats too.

  19. Dennis Guest

    Why do active duty military board before families?? That's disgusting! What kind of values are they imposing?

  20. Brian Guest

    Lucky: How do you compare the A350 to the 787-10? Noise level, etc.?

  21. Darren C Guest

    I also love United's -10 Polaris. My first -10 was out of EWR in March, then SFO, LAX and IAH.

    Yesterday I flew an old 777-200 "Polaris", with 2-2-2. The new -10 Polaris is vastly superior.

  22. FlyingHighlander Guest

    " followed by 1Ks, followed by Polaris. Yay, it’s fun to be the sixth group invited to board when you’re in the forward-most cabin on a plane"

    Don't you mean Group 1 (not "Polaris") which includes Polaris + anyone else with status that provides Group 1.

  23. Jeremy Guest

    Is it just me or does the first picture of the seat in bed mode look like there’s a huge gap halfway up the seat where two cushions meet? Doesn’t seem like that’d be comfortable.

    Also the footwell definitely looks bigger than traditional staggered seats, can you sleep on your side and fit feet comfortably? Mine don’t in the narrow wells on 767s like Austrian/Delta.

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ Jeremy -- Yep, I could sleep comfortably on my side, just not with my knees bent very much.

  24. PCC Chris Guest

    T0 whom it may concern

    I was not impressed with this presentation of Polaris especially. They have changed. AA international business class is far superior. UA bedding should be good it comes from SFA. I used to work in their Carlin comfort Dept wonderful.
    The salad and appetizer, lacks luster in presentation .Trays preset bf not a good idea..Not at all sophisticated.The main entree was pleasant. In appearance
    I must ad the...

    T0 whom it may concern

    I was not impressed with this presentation of Polaris especially. They have changed. AA international business class is far superior. UA bedding should be good it comes from SFA. I used to work in their Carlin comfort Dept wonderful.
    The salad and appetizer, lacks luster in presentation .Trays preset bf not a good idea..Not at all sophisticated.The main entree was pleasant. In appearance
    I must ad the dessert lack luster compared to AA Sunday .

    Breakfast as well

    I personally prefer AA business class Domestically Trans con

    is a lovey presentation especially the white tablecloth & white napery
    As well as. Their First class trans con to SFO/lax Lovely indeed

    . .I don’t care for module seating looks like a train
    To be quite honest . You have no idea what f and B class was like in the eighties
    It was fabulous especially on UA &TWA-AA but in the end the FA Attitude
    Says a lot. They can make a big difference . Glad I’m older to experience this

    Fabulous compared to today , May I ad some may be over critical o f AA
    But their trancon service can not be matched FIRSTCLASS To SFO/LAX it is the best . Again ,I agree with most of your comments thank you
    Ben your correct with the FA

  25. schar Guest

    Love love love this review, your sense of humor, the details, LUCKY IS BACK!!!!!

  26. Ivan X Guest

    For those who want to try out this plane, you can get lucky with cross-country fares, especially to SFO. (Google Flights price tracker is helpful for this.) They're sometimes as low as $659 (or I've even seen $549). With a Chase Sapphire Reserve or an Amex Business Platinum, that comes out to about 43,900 points. Not as good as 25,000 point business standard, but I literally have not seen one of those in a year...

    For those who want to try out this plane, you can get lucky with cross-country fares, especially to SFO. (Google Flights price tracker is helpful for this.) They're sometimes as low as $659 (or I've even seen $549). With a Chase Sapphire Reserve or an Amex Business Platinum, that comes out to about 43,900 points. Not as good as 25,000 point business standard, but I literally have not seen one of those in a year or more, so I'll settle for it being not as bad as 60,000 point business standard (soon to be sky's-the-limit).

    United flies 787-10's, 777-200's (avoid), and 757-200's for these routes, so you've just got to look at each flight to find the 787-10's.

    I'm looking forward to flying this plane EWR-LAX in three weeks in seat 3L. Was a $658.20 ticket, which I paid for with Amex Travel, so when the 35% points rebate is returned to me (because I have a Business Platinum), it will have cost 42,783 points. At that price, didn't want to pass up the chance to try out this cabin. And, since the transcon "P.S." (or whatever they call it these days) soft product was always a lesser offering than international Polaris, I won't have my expectations set too high.

    Tiny article correction -- the article suggests that Economy Plus is what's behind Polaris. Not so on the 787-10, which has the new three-row Premium Plus cabin between the two. (Though on domestic and some international flights, the cabin is sold as ordinary Economy Plus, first come first served for the Premium Plus seats.)

  27. daniel Guest

    There is really no comparison to the reverse herringbone design to the UA Polaris if you just simply look at the density of how many people are packed into the same amount of space. UA had managed to pack in the same no. of seats as the last generation 2-4-2 Business class design so you can certainly feel the number of passengers once they are ready to disembark.

    I would be surprised if the seat...

    There is really no comparison to the reverse herringbone design to the UA Polaris if you just simply look at the density of how many people are packed into the same amount of space. UA had managed to pack in the same no. of seats as the last generation 2-4-2 Business class design so you can certainly feel the number of passengers once they are ready to disembark.

    I would be surprised if the seat widths are slightly tighter on this plane than the 777-300 as it is just physically 2 different interior dimensions. The exact appearance on both planes could be just deceptive. You also forgot to mention that the elbow rooms on the Polaris are next to miniscue as compared to any herringbone design layout. You will notice it if you are over 6 ft. tall with broad shoulders!!

  28. Deepeepdx Guest

    I do the the SFO HKG routing a few times a year. Sometimes I upgrade to Polaris, sometimes I just use Premium Plus which is pretty good.
    The caliber of the food and FA’s is consistently good to great. I think it’s due to the fact that the crews are based in Asia.

  29. Kevin Guest

    You mentioned the other 787 models" business seats as old. While the style may not be the current, the seats on a new plane are not old at all. I find them perfectly comfortable.

  30. Matthew N Guest

    United loves the duck appetizer as I've seen this in many other reports! :) Looks like a decent flight with United. I would agree - in what I have read of Polaris in the past, it has seemed better than it does in this report. I'm certainly not jumping to fly United anytime soon though after not flying them for a few years due to some negative experiences I've had with them.

  31. Deby Guest

    Ok. That was you I saw in the Marriott on Monday. I am not crazy or overly jet lagged then

  32. Super VC10 Guest

    Comforting to know that my decision some 30 years ago to NEVER again "Fly The Friendly Skies" was the right one.

    As a native San Franciscan, United was my home-town airline, and as a consequence I suffered through scores of mediocre to awful flights aboard various 'Mainliners', from DC-6's and 720's (Google them) in the 1960's, to 747's and the last of the Stretch-8's in the 1980's.

    It was while being literally screamed-at...

    Comforting to know that my decision some 30 years ago to NEVER again "Fly The Friendly Skies" was the right one.

    As a native San Franciscan, United was my home-town airline, and as a consequence I suffered through scores of mediocre to awful flights aboard various 'Mainliners', from DC-6's and 720's (Google them) in the 1960's, to 747's and the last of the Stretch-8's in the 1980's.

    It was while being literally screamed-at by an obviously unhinged United gate agent at SFO that I turned and walked forever away from UAL; a decision I've never regretted. United doesn't fly anywhere that's not also served by better carriers.

  33. Michale Guest

    As a 27yr UA flight attendant I'm sad to say you'll see more and more of the Polaris service and perks disappear just like PS did. Management has already taken away so much of what Polaris started with. We liked preparing the plated meals and most of us gave extra attention to the way meals looked and were proud to serve a meal that looked great. Now it's just a frozen reheated dish..no more bloody...

    As a 27yr UA flight attendant I'm sad to say you'll see more and more of the Polaris service and perks disappear just like PS did. Management has already taken away so much of what Polaris started with. We liked preparing the plated meals and most of us gave extra attention to the way meals looked and were proud to serve a meal that looked great. Now it's just a frozen reheated dish..no more bloody Mary cart,wine tasting cut back on hot bites and taking away desert selections just ice cream only. We hear so many complaints how Polaris has fallen and now more staffing cuts. We really had chance to be the top at in-flight service but as usual United chose not to give a chance

  34. Gary Leff Guest

    'Etihad has a partnership with Savoy for training their onboard butlers. Maybe United should have a partnership with McDonalds?"

    United used to have a partnership with McDonald's in the early 1990s. I have both the Ronald and Grimace United happy meal toys from their Orlando flights! United replaced the galley carts with ones designed to keep the burger warm while the lettuce and bun stayed cool until served. That was for economy.

  35. Oliver Guest

    Why did you cross the Atlantic twice to have a night in Newark? You could just flown directly from Porto to Brussels, no?

  36. John S Guest

    One thing I’ve noticed about US Airlines in Business on International flights is how they don’t proactively offer Wine or Champagne with the Main Course, treating them as if they don’t exist, this never happens on Foreign carriers. Some have suggested that the US crews do this in hopes of taking unopened bottles, anyone else noticed this?

  37. Rafal Guest

    Hi Ben,
    I want to ask how you booked the flights? Was it on UA website or somewhere else? I have flown Polaris on a number of different routes and I'm not very impressed with the "improvements".... especially the food

  38. Stuart Guest

    Ben,

    Always love reading you’re reviews. I was reading this one on my lunch break and I burst out laughing when I read your line about Etihad butlers and United McDonald’s. Everyone in the break room looked awkwardly at me as I laughed at my phone. Thanks for a good laugh.

  39. Kacee Guest

    The 781seat is definitely narrower with overall less space than the 77W. I've flown both aircraft many times and the difference is quite apparent. I would be leery of selecting the 781 on a true long-haul due to the space issues.

  40. John Guest

    Presumably your next long haul features Austrian? Outside chance you took Swiss, but generally I would rule out you taking a 10ish hour flight anywhere in Asia on Swiss or Lufthansa in J. Basing this on what I would do

  41. at Guest

    How many types of J class seats does UA have?
    Polaris; the standard ones on the 787-8s and -9s and the 767s, and the 2-4-2 arrangement on some of the 777s?

    That's an awful lot of variation.

    I'm also stunned like you, Lucky to learn they already have 14 787-10s! That's impressive.

  42. neil Guest

    Couple of comments:
    The first thing that struck me about your photos of the food was how plain, cheap in fact, the dinnerware (plates, bowls) look. Sort of what I would expect to find at an all-you-can eat lower class restaurant chain:-(

    I found the Polaris seats on the 777-300 to be more than compact -- almost claustrophobic especially when the seat was reclined. It's got to be even more of a factor on the 787 with its narrower body

  43. UA-NYC Guest

    And regarding the seats...sure, 1/4 of them are quite good (I did a TATL on one). The angled seats have minimal privacy, are quite cramped, with a side table that is awkwardly behind you.

    Give me standard reverse herringbone or Vantage XL any day.

  44. UA-NYC Guest

    Re: EWR-C - it truly is lipstick on a pig. IMO other than IAD, it's the worst experience out of all the UA hubs. Disgusting & small bathrooms (the only ones I can remember where there is a line for urinals)...endless crowding pre- and post-security, as well as down the piers. Terrible UClub situation (and now closing one of the two pop-ups). Overpriced, mediocre OTG "selection". Rude TSA.

    Oh, and EWR-A is one of the...

    Re: EWR-C - it truly is lipstick on a pig. IMO other than IAD, it's the worst experience out of all the UA hubs. Disgusting & small bathrooms (the only ones I can remember where there is a line for urinals)...endless crowding pre- and post-security, as well as down the piers. Terrible UClub situation (and now closing one of the two pop-ups). Overpriced, mediocre OTG "selection". Rude TSA.

    Oh, and EWR-A is one of the worst experiences in the US too (other than the renovated UClub).

    Other than that, it's just peachy.

  45. sam Guest

    Hi Ben,

    Flew last week exactly on the same route on United from EWR to BRU on 787-10 in business class, and I agree: it's a pretty awesome plane, perhaps the best I have ever flown in business class. The seats there are as close to being suites as they come, especially odd numbers window seats (and aeven numbers in the aisle).

    Kudos to United for being so generous with the business award seats, at least on this route.

  46. Ricky Guest

    I'll put in a shout for EVA Air 787 on either AMS-BKK or VIE-BKK.

  47. SEM Guest

    I have to agree with most of what you have stated here, just keep one thing in mind...UA Sr Mgmt stated that the changes in the meal prep and presentation were DIRECTLY linked to the complaints they were receiving from passengers about the length of the service...You commented several times on how much you liked the speed/pace of the service so it would seem that Kirby & Co were right to make the changes, albeit...

    I have to agree with most of what you have stated here, just keep one thing in mind...UA Sr Mgmt stated that the changes in the meal prep and presentation were DIRECTLY linked to the complaints they were receiving from passengers about the length of the service...You commented several times on how much you liked the speed/pace of the service so it would seem that Kirby & Co were right to make the changes, albeit with the consequence of a less pleasing meal...

    Of course the real issue here is the staffing levels that all the US carriers are maximizing their profits with...If the Big 3 added a F/A or 2, or 3 [777-300ER's] then the true "Polaris" service could have been delivered the way I am sure we all want...

  48. GDL Guest

    I'm guessing an onward connection to LHR. AMS or VIE with Brussels Airlines and then onto EVA business class over to BKK.

  49. Joshua Guest

    I also flew Polaris in late June ORD-FRA on a retrofitted 777-200 with a similar menu and mine and my wife’s food experience was much better.

  50. Matt Guest

    So, yeah, either you got unlucky and had a bad crew, or I got “lucky” with a good one.

    Just flew SFO-FRA on Tuesday and had the exact same menu. And the exact same food choices. Although my salmon looked really different (and much better). It was cooked perfectly and was true restaurant quality.

    Don’t know if catering is that different btwn EWR and SFO or if my crew just did a much better job...

    So, yeah, either you got unlucky and had a bad crew, or I got “lucky” with a good one.

    Just flew SFO-FRA on Tuesday and had the exact same menu. And the exact same food choices. Although my salmon looked really different (and much better). It was cooked perfectly and was true restaurant quality.

    Don’t know if catering is that different btwn EWR and SFO or if my crew just did a much better job with the prep. My appetizer also tasted great and looked just a bit different than yours.

    One thing I think we all can agree on... experience in United is totally inconsistent.

  51. Terence Guest

    As someone who just started to fly Polaris and Fauxlaris, here are a few observations:

    - Amenities reduction, including PDB/alcohol cut are thanks to Spreadsheet Master Kirby
    - they might have actually listened to the feedback to not print wines options on the menu, every single time I asked for wines, there was one type on the menu ‘not available on this flight’
    - The Polaris Lounge at EWR is gorgeous, but the...

    As someone who just started to fly Polaris and Fauxlaris, here are a few observations:

    - Amenities reduction, including PDB/alcohol cut are thanks to Spreadsheet Master Kirby
    - they might have actually listened to the feedback to not print wines options on the menu, every single time I asked for wines, there was one type on the menu ‘not available on this flight’
    - The Polaris Lounge at EWR is gorgeous, but the almost went passive aggressive with the a la crate dining. Slow pace, and some staffing literally saying ‘go to the buffet area if you don’t need have time to wait’
    - Meals have been consistently meh, I always anxiously arrived at the lounge earlier to get my stomach stuffed, so that FAs could take my meals onboard

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Frank Thomas Guest

Have just flown United Polaris Business class from San Fransisco to Melbourne. My seat was 7A closest to the window. The seat is ok, but the very narrow footwell which is angled makes it very hard to sleep comfortably. The on board food is average and their in flight service is adequate but not very personalised for a business class product. I found their toilets incredibly small and the crew didn’t seem to regularly replace toilet paper rolls or empty the paper towel bin. Overall an average inflight experience, more like a p;remium economy product. The actual Polaris business lounge and dining is superb

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Tom Gable Guest

Thanks for the great review of the 787 Polaris space. Wonderful details, insights. My wife (travel advisor) and I had United business class from ORD to GRU and return GRU to ORD. Had honeymoon seats. A little claustrophobic getting in the tight space, but felt better once settled inside. Great seat controls. Easy to adjust the wheel from normal seating to flat. Good storage. Flat shelf at the entry with small cabinet behind for water, personal goods. Small space under the TV screen for putting books, iPads, phone. Handy things for travel (goodie bag; still using one we got from Virgin, good design. Soft sided. A bonus design feature: a rigid bar above the TV set for grabbing onto and pulling up or holding on as needed. Don’t like the Polaris business class storage bin design above the inside seats. Very high to give the section a more open feel. Looks great but it’s hard for shorter people to access. Even the tall flight attendant who came to help said her shorter colleagues had trouble with it. The bins above the window seats are fine. Easy to access. We had the same issue on the high bins on Lufthansa from SAN to BER and return. Lufthansa had bad seat design; hard to adjust; what looked like a pocket on the side of the seat was a hole! Passengers were always needing help retrieving cell phones, books and vanity kits. On ORD to GRU, decent choices during dinner. Moist salmon. Decent spare ribs. Breakfast not that good. Odd egg dish. egg whites with kale in gross pastry. Good fruit bowl. Provided plain greek yogurt. Not sure much got used. Mushy croissant. Hard bread with dinner. Need to have better choices of breads. Perhaps have attendants offer a choice from a basket, as done on some airlines. Good beverage service. Friendly crew. Helpful. Right level of attentiveness. Positive demeanors. But major shortcoming: failure to provide guidance on steps to take going through immigration in GRU. São Paulo International Airport is big, sprawling. Landed Terminal 3. Had trouble finding the right line for retrieving bags and going through immigration, before rechecking to the next destination. Could benefit from better signing. For international passengers. Get bags. Then to immigration. And connecting flights. Need to check terminals for connecting flights, including the remote Terminal 1 for Azul and domestic flights (we were going to SDU — Rio). SDU — Santos Dumont — neat little airport on the water in Rio. Pilot circled by Sugar Loaf on the approach. Went on cruise from Rio to Buenos Aires, then back. Return flights. BUE TO GRU. Economy 787 Air Canada. Very odd. They moved the boarding up and filled the plane 30 minutes before departure. And we just sat there. Like adding 30 minutes to the flight. Then the pilot said we were delayed pushing back because another plane was blocking the way. For food on the two-hour+ flight, served an odd chicken salad sandwich and small fruit bowl. Decent beverages. Good crew. Friendly, efficient, helpful. GRU to ORD. Great crew. Chicago-based. Terrible beef dinner. Dry block of meat. Best was the cheese plate with crackers and Port. Slept pretty well. Maybe 5.5 to 6 hours on the 10-hour flight. As you noted, the best bedding in the skies. Okay breakfast frittata and fruit. Good croissant. The purser provided great information coming into ORD on steps to take retrieving baggage, going through immigration and exiting or going to connecting flights. She gave specific details (“after the carousel, look for the double doors on the left,” etc.). Delivered in four languages, too. So imminently clear to travelers of all levels of experience. Takes the stress out of arrival in a foreign country. Overall: we are fans of United and Polaris Business Class and will recommend it to friends and my wife’s clients.

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JC Guest

Great review - lots of in-depth details. I'm gonna call you out on non-rev travel comment. First of all, "glamour" is a state of mind, and most people might debate what that even means these days. I was an AA employee and can tell you that the gate dance is one of the most fun parts of being an Av-Geek. Will I make it? Which cabin can I get in? Don't assume all non-revs are able to or even want business class. Flying outside the USA means the employee has to pay the taxes which can quickly add up, especially to a destination like London for example, where the taxes escalate according to the class of travel. I've taken plenty of economy flights as non-rev out of choice because the gate agent could review the seat map with me and advise where the best bank of empty seats might be. Since an employee is not charged for the flight until it is completed there is no obligation to travel in any class or even to board the flight you wait-listed for. Cheers.

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