United Airlines on Tuesday detailed the composition and amenities of the new business-class suites and interiors that will be on its upcoming Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner deliveries.
The new United Airlines Polaris Studio Credit: United Airlines
The new layout will include two business-class sections with the first row of each section dubbed Polaris Studio. The four seats in the first row of each section will be arranged in a one-two-one configuration and will be lie-flat with all-aisle access. The seats will be 25 percent larger than standard Polaris seats and have privacy doors, an extra ottoman seat, "exclusive entrée options," an Ossetra caviar amuse-bouche service paired with Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, wireless charging, separate USB-C and electrical outlets, Bluetooth connectivity, new amenity kits with Perricone MD skincare products, and a 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screen—"the largest among U.S. carriers," according to United.
Polaris Studio customers also will receive hoodie pajamas, slippers and new noise-canceling headphones powered by Meridian technology. In addition, they will have access to the carrier's Global Reception area, receive preferred boarding alongside United Global Services customers, and are eligible for United's tarmac transfer program.
Standard Polaris seats also are getting an upgrade to suites with the addition of sliding doors and 19-inch 4K OLED screens, which are larger than the screens in current Polaris seats. The 56 seats will be arranged in 14 rows across two sections in a one-two-one configuration. Passengers will be able to choose between seats that face the window or the center of the aircraft.
Premium Plus seat upgrades include a new privacy divider with a built-in reading light, Bluetooth and three ways to charge devices including wireless, a quartzite cocktail table and a 16-inch 4K OLED screen. The 35 seats will be arranged in five rows in a two-three-two configuration.
Additional interior changes include a grab-and-go snack bar for Polaris customers and new finishes throughout the aircraft.
The new configuration makes for a total of 99 premium seats, "the highest percentage among U.S. carriers," according to United. The remaining cabin on the new Dreamliners includes 33 Economy Plus seats and 90 Economy seats in 15 total rows arranged in a three-three-three configuration and will have Bluetooth connectivity, six power outlets per row, and a 13-inch 4K OLED screen, "the largest economy-class screens in the world," according to United.
The carrier's current Boeing 787-9 aircraft have 48 Polaris, 21 Premium Plus, 39 Economy Plus and 149 Economy seats.
"Consumers, particularly people traveling for leisure, more often want an elevated experience than they did pre-pandemic. That is a change, and we think it's permanent," United chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said Tuesday during a media event in New York. "Those that fill up these seats are no longer just corporate customers flying to a business meeting in London or Paris. Quite often they're going to Tahiti on a vacation, or they are going to Venice to get on a cruise. Who sits in the premium seats is just different today than it was for previous generations, that's why I feel confident in our ability to fill up these seats."
The carrier also has invested $150 million so far this year in food and beverage enhancements, and these upgrades and more will be on the new planes. New dishware in premium cabins launched May 5, United director of food and beverage programs and F&B hospitality programs Jenny Jackson said at the Tuesday event. The carrier on July 1 will introduce Aperol Spritz to its beverage menu in Polaris, and in September will add a new appetizer course in Economy class. That cabin also is getting a third entrée choice, up from the current two, and new desserts.
The first deliveries of the Boeing 787-9 planes with the new seats and interiors are expected before the end of 2025, with the first international passenger flights planned in 2026 from San Francisco to each Singapore and London Heathrow. United expects about 30 of these aircraft to join its fleet by 2027.