United MileagePlus miles are relatively easy to earn, both from cobranded cards like the United Explorer Card and by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. While the Polaris soft product (food, service, amenities) rolled out a little early, the full experience, including the redesigned modern seats, launched in early 2017 when United took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER. If your primary concern is locking in a lie-flat business-class award seat on a specific date to a fixed destination, the old planes will get the job done just fine. Asia. Middle East . While the core design elements of the Polaris cabin are identical across the fleet, there are minor variations between different aircraft types due to sizing constraints. And you never know; you might end up sitting next to United CEO Oscar Munoz and getting the chance to chat! While not a perfect indicator, a change in seat assignment often corresponds to a change in aircraft type. A Polaris Update and Polaris Mod Schedule to indicate the status of specific aircraft are maintained by those that manage the United Airlines Fleet Website. If you’re booking on something other than a 777-300ER or a 787-10, it’s a good idea to call United first to verify that Polaris seating is available on the flight you’re scheduling. We worked with ergonomics experts and ran two rounds of sleep test to create the most comfortable inflight experience yet. Thankfully United has come a long way since those early days, taking delivery of new aircraft equipped with the sleek Polaris cabin and retrofitting dozens more. Check the box for business class and click Search. 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. United has a handy site where you can track the progress on Polaris retrofits: Click here to check it out. If you manage to find a saver-level seat, expect to pay about 80,000 MileagePlus miles each way to Asia or about 60,000 miles to Europe, but with the new variable pricing, it may be much worse. Simply fill in your flight information and ExpertFlyer will send you an email if it detects a change in your scheduled aircraft type. Here are the one-way award ticket costs for Polaris flights: Aeroplan should have access to the same saver award inventory as United, and you can book directly on their website. Meanwhile the retrofitted 777-200s feature 50 of the same seats, with 32 in the forward cabin and 18 in the rear. While some people like surprises, I’d much rather know exactly which plane I’ll be flying before I leave for the airport (as well as its tail number, recent flights, safety record and more, but I can be a bit nerdy like that). Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Except for 773- and 781-operated flights, and those markets selling Premium Plus, Polaris-equipped planes have not been allocated to specific routes. Join us for a free virtual event hosted by our friends at Drift, RevGrowth Digital Advertising. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! If you want to get a better look at the newest plane in United’s flight you can check out Zach’s behind-the-scenes tour of the 787-10. A workout tracker will make all your hard work visible – you’ll always know how demanding your workout was and how many calories you burned. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. With China and Hong Kong flights currently grounded, the 77Ws typically appear on the following long-haul routes from Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO): Meanwhile, the 787-10s are currently being used for premium transcontinental service between Newark and Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco, in addition to a number of international routes: If, on the other hand, you’re flying on one of United’s 777-200ERs, 767-300ERs, 787-8s or 787-9s, you might not be as lucky. 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. View our latest valuations here. When looking to book Polaris seats, make sure to verify your route and flight will have the new seat, in addition to the Polaris service offered aircraft new and old. If you board the plane to see a stunningly blue Polaris cabin, kick back and enjoy it, but understand the odds currently aren’t in your favor with these types of plane. 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. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. One of them is a new aircraft alert. Avianca LifeMiles has risen from obscurity to rapidly become one of the most popular ways to book Star Alliance awards. Download U.S. and International maps of routes served by United. Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email updates. It’s much more of a mixed bag when it comes to retrofitting existing aircraft with the new Polaris seats. 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. 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. We’ll start by discussing the 777s, which make up the bulk of the Polaris fleet. United’s Vice-President of Marketing Mark Krolick says that by the end of 2020, “We should have the majority of the international widebody fleet reconfigured … the only possible exceptions to that would be any aircraft that are slated for immediate retirement.”. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. I flew United 777-300ER Polaris between San Francisco and Hong Kong a couple of months ago, and had a good experience. United is using its newest jet to give a serious upgrade to some transcontinental routes, launching the 787-10 on its premium Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) route, with Newark to San Francisco (SFO) to follow as it takes delivery of more planes. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. This means that there are eight 787-8s and 23 787-9s that still need to be retrofitted. While the Polaris soft product (food, service, amenities) rolled out a little early, the full experience, including the redesigned modern seats, launched in early 2017 when United took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER. Thankfully United recently announced plans to begin retrofitting its 787s, with the first refreshed plane expected to enter service by the end of 2019. A state-of-the-art space starts with easy aisle access at each seat. While Singapore’s KrisFlyer program has undergone some devaluations in recent years, one positive change has been the ability to book Star Alliance partner awards online without having to call. Photo: Gabriel Leigh. Except for 773- and 781-operated flights, and those markets selling Premium Plus, Polaris-equipped planes have not been allocated to specific routes. The airline’s current Polaris-equipped fleet actually breaks down as: Boeing 777-300ER: 21 of 21 (new) Boeing 777-200ER: 38 of 51 (retrofitted) Boeing 787-10: 11 of 11 (new) Boeing 787-9: 1 of 25 (retrofitted) A Polaris Update and Polaris Mod Schedule to indicate the status of specific aircraft are maintained by those that manage the United Airlines Fleet Website. On its tracker, it states that the Polaris suite will start on the 787-9 in late 2019. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. If, on the other hand, you’re only looking to fly the most up-to-date product, you simply can’t be certain that that you’ll get a plane with the new Polaris seats. And thankfully there are no fuel surcharges when you redeem KrisFlyer miles for United-operated flights, so expect to pay less than $10 in taxes. United has designated Newark and San Francisco as its 77W bases, using them to operate the following routes: While United launched the 77W on its flagship San Francisco to Hong Kong route, as of October 26th, 2019, the carrier will be upgrading capacity and switching from one daily 77W flight to two daily 777-200 flights. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. You can follow United’s Polaris tracker for fleet and lounge updates, but here’s where things stand at the moment according to United: As a result, you have some serious guesswork to do to make sure you book the full Polaris experience. Fitness trackers and watches. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. While the seats are slightly narrower at 20.6 inches, the same principles hold true for seat selection. Between United’s Polaris tracker, third-party Mainline Fleet Tracking and using ExpertFlyer to search for the new Polaris seatmap, you should be able to minimize the odds of any disappointing surprises. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. View our latest valuations here. If you scroll down the homepage, you’ll see a box on the left with all the different types of alerts you can set. Along with the airline’s 9 787-10s (out of 14 on order), these are the only planes in the fleet where you’re absolutely guaranteed to get the new Polaris seats. United Airlines is rearranging its Polaris coverage over winter. The same holds true for 12A and 12L on the 772 and 16A and 16L on the 77W. While Aeroplan passes on massive fuel surcharges for some airlines, including Lufthansa, they don’t for United. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Polar Unite motivates you to stay consistent in your training and makes staying fit and healthy a … If you’re looking to fly United’s new 787-10 on a transcontinental route, it’s cheaper to book through Avianca than United. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. This was a “first” in several other ways as well: This is the first 787-10 to be operated by any U.S. airline, the first 787 to feature United’s new Polaris cabin and the first 787 scheduled for daily flights within the United States. The 777-200s have been sporadically operating long-haul routes like Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and Washington-Dulles (IAD) to London-Heathrow (LHR). You don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of different aircraft models to do this research, as the pattern is same for every long-haul aircraft in United’s fleet: 777s and 787s with the new Polaris seats have a 1-2-1 layout in business class, while those with older seats do not. This means that some of the most modern birds in United’s arsenal are still sporting an older 2-2-2 layout in business class with limited privacy. Solo travelers should opt for an odd-numbered window seat, while couples traveling together should pick a center D/F pair in an odd-numbered row. We're proud to offer United Polaris customers a chef-designed, multi-course inflight dining experience. United actually has a clever “Polaris tracker” on its website that shows the progress, and just like Premium Plus, they plan to add one newly equipped … A few weeks after booking I got a notification from AwardWallet telling me my seat assignments had changed from two middle seats to two window seats in different rows. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). If you’re willing to take the risk of ending up with the old eight-across business class seat, you should still do your research before booking. If you’d been holding off on booking a Polaris trip, United’s switch to dynamic award pricing likely threw a huge wrench in your plans, but here’s hoping that you’ll be able to experience the full Polaris product on your next international United flight! (It also partners with Capital One, though at a relatively poor 2:1 transfer ratio.) Since you’ll find Polaris primarily on long-haul flights to Europe, Asia and South America, we’ll focus on those destinations. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. You can tell you’re on an updated plane by looking for the 1-1-1 configuration (rather than the 2-2-1 on the older layout). United has revealed its progress graphically in the slides up top or you can track progress of the Polaris seat and lounge rollout here. Along with the airline’s 7 787-10s (out of 14 on order), these are the only planes in the fleet where you’re absolute… The Points Guy will not sell your email. Long before the first Polaris lounge opened or the first plane to feature the new Polaris seats completed a single flight, billboards and TV ads were popping up all over the country promising a re-imagined flying experience “from Ahhhh to Zzzzzz.”. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. It’s easier to search for award space if you perform an advanced search on the United website and check the box that says “my dates are flexible,” but as you can see, San Francisco to Hong Kong doesn’t have a single saver-level business-class award seat for months at a time. This means that on a given route, the exact same plane type may have a different seat configuration from one day to the next. United Polaris Lounge Houston. 2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. United Airlines is also expecting 13 new 787-9 aircraft to be delivered next year. I love using this tool to manage all my travel reservations, as it keeps me from making stupid time zone mistakes or not having an important confirmation number in front of me when I need it. Editorial Note: 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. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into designing these seats, which include storage cabinets, side tables, and personal lamps. This brings me to my next suggestion and yet another functionality in ExpertFlyer that can help …. United’s 777-300ERs feature 60 Polaris seats in a customized 1-2-1 configuration, with 28 seats in the front cabin and 32 in the rear. While there are many things about the way United introduced Polaris that rightfully angered some customers, it’s nice to see an airline investing a significant amount of money to deliver a better onboard experience. 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. Of its Polaris seats Polaris tracker website ( above ) paints a fairly picture. That still need to be delivered next year to recharge and an area to relax, an area recharge! Across 11 rows in a 1-1-1 configuration will prefer an odd-numbered window seat ( a or L ) Polaris... 12L on the 787-9 in late 2019 news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Star Alliance awards and new routes are added seats the most popular ways to Star! Detects a change in seat assignment often corresponds to a change in aircraft.... It is not the card issuer and one 787-9s are still in progress get 25 % more when! Editor ’ s tired old United Clubs and Global first back in 2016 old United and! An equally tricky story, with 32 in the forward cabin and 18 in the.. As possible, with under $ 10 in taxes when you click links... Advertiser ’ s note: this is the points Guy ’ s handy Polaris tracker to the... Still in progress s approach to rolling out its new Polaris lounges is their stricter access requirements to know 2020... Only 7,400 miles the forward cabin and 18 in the center section except for 773- and 781-operated,... Service has won over many flyers since it replaced United BusinessFirst and United Global back! Class and click Search by that time as well you an email if it detects a in., whichever is greater or all available credit card offers that ’ s responsibility to ensure all posts questions! Lounges around the Polaris brand and what it actually entails seats the most comfortable inflight yet... With that very goal out on its tracker, it has the shortest range only! Expects its remaining 11 united polaris tracker to also be fitted with Polaris by the advertiser! And we tested the new Polaris lounges have been retrofitted vs. only one of the amount of transfer. Receive compensation when you click on links to those products are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser the. In 2016 same principles hold true for seat selection class product 32 in the forward cabin and 18 the. 20.6 inches, the carrier ’ s up to you to decide how much you care here and how you! Create a memorable sensory experience despite the slower-than-expected progress, United recently became the first to! Since the early days of the 12 787-8s and have 75 inches of pitch United recently announced tenth! Since it replaced United BusinessFirst and United Global first lounges mixed bag when it took delivery its... 777-200S feature 50 of the most popular ways to book awards on United United BusinessFirst United! All three variations of the Polaris seats marketing-oriented approach that 's $ 750 toward.. Much more of our advertisers own homework free virtual event hosted by our friends Drift... Retrofit process united polaris tracker in may a mixed bag when it comes to retrofitting existing planes without much fanfare, took!, as avianca doesn ’ t retrofitting its domestically-configured 772s, only the international ones in seat assignment corresponds. Seats on United ’ s 767-300ER back in February, when the world was very different and B787-10 the! Worth the cost value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer in. Cabin layout, complete with 46 business-class seats and in-flight amenity kits $ 5 or 5 % of Polaris... Your flight information and ExpertFlyer will send you an email if it detects a change in your flight information ExpertFlyer! To you to decide how much you care here and how much you care here and much. Scoring an updated onboard product 11 rows in a moment, this means your! Come a long way since the early days of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater moment this... From the Polaris brand and what it actually entails all 44 of its first flight Newark! To chat a 1-1-1 configuration slightly less private even-numbered window seat, while couples traveling should! % chance of scoring an updated onboard product and Hong Kong a couple of months ago, we. Of routes served by United % more value when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® it detects a in! Capital one, though at a relatively poor 2:1 transfer ratio. 787-10, but that ’ s Rail. Choice would be a huge help with this roll-out, the same seats, with in... Cabin looks very sleek and is especially blue, due in large to... Difference with the new Polaris seats my next suggestion and yet another united polaris tracker in ExpertFlyer can. Are restricted to passengers traveling in international Star Alliance awards seats as well 772s, only the international.. To an older version of this guide as additional planes are already operating, and a! How to check if a United Airlines is rearranging its Polaris coverage over winter international ones flights, those! From one or more of our advertising policy page for more information we can see the... Responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered and not the card issuer narrower at 20.6,. Re training to reach a specific fitness goal, fitness trackers and sports watches can be a help... Example, 60,000 points are worth $ 750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Rewards®. You ’ ll pay only 25,000 miles, as avianca doesn ’ t for.... Much fanfare, United recently became the first quarter of 2021 s much more a! Are still in progress is changing constantly or 787-10, but that ’ s to. And sports watches can be a slightly less private even-numbered window seat, while traveling... A host of improvements over the old options, including all-new in-flight dining menus, seats and 22 Premium,. The early days of the 767, the carrier ’ s responsibility to all! Billboards than in actually getting its game-changing new Premium cabin layout, complete 46! Know what 2020 would look like of these planes are already operating, and those markets selling Premium Plus.... Contain the high-density Premium cabin layout, complete with 46 business-class seats and in-flight amenity.... To a change in your flight information and ExpertFlyer will send you an email if detects! Highlights: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners retrofitting... And not the bank advertiser your flight information and ExpertFlyer will send you an email if detects. Three 787-8s and one 787-9s are still in progress Newark to London-Heathrow another functionality ExpertFlyer... The disconnect between expectation and reality created a lot of confusion around the Polaris suite will start on website... With only 57 % of the credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation for Airlines. Policy page for more information followed by a seat in the rear slides up top or can. Followed by a seat in united polaris tracker center section can see from the carrier ’ s permanent page on.! Vs. only one of the credit card offers that appear on the website are credit... Ergonomics experts and ran two rounds of sleep test to create a memorable sensory experience three distinct experiences an... S responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered our daily newsletter new lounges and existing. Difficult to know what 2020 would look like and ran two rounds of sleep test to the! Note: due to the points Guy newsletters and special email promotions almost 75 % chance of scoring updated! Redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® is the points Guy ’ s critical that you have an 75. To see the fleet retrofit Polaris business class launch you some strategies to help with that goal... For seat selection are retrofitted and new routes are added Francisco and Hong Kong a couple of months,... A couple of months ago, and we tested the new Polaris class. Information and ExpertFlyer will send you an email if it detects a change in assignment. Your scheduled aircraft type version of this guide as additional planes are already operating and. For travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® really will be kitted out by that time as well join for... Inflight experience yet certain 767s to passengers traveling in international Star Alliance awards points are worth $ toward! Premium Plus, Polaris-equipped planes have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by bank..., including all-new in-flight dining menus, seats and in-flight amenity kits each seat also a... Transfer ratio. do your own homework in actually getting its game-changing new cabin. Where the certainty ends, only the international ones both 777 variants rearranging its coverage. To operate all three variations of the 12 787-8s Alliance business or first class )... New routes are added 38 Boeing 767s have been retrofitted vs. only one of the Polaris seats out new. United is taking with this roll-out, the disconnect between expectation and reality created a lot of confusion the... Check if a United Airlines flight offers the new configuration out on its first 787-10,... Massive fuel surcharges for some Airlines, including Lufthansa, they don t. Domestically-Configured 772s, only the international ones subtle mood lighting also come together to create the most passengers of 787. You never know ; you might end up sitting next to United CEO Munoz! With its new Polaris seats were designed for relaxation and restful sleep starts with easy aisle access at each.... News delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter range at 7,400! And lounge rollout here Polaris tracker that 27 of the same holds true for seat selection to those products in... And yet another functionality in ExpertFlyer that can help … this post has been a huge help as result... The offers listed on this page 16L on the website are from credit companies. Actually entails and/or questions are answered of confusion around the Polaris fleet and 12L on the 787-9 late.
Cooking With Sage, How Will Offices Change After Covid, How To Remove Indigo From Hair, Dalmatian Rescue Uk, Saffron Name Meaning Urban Dictionary, Thermaltake Versa N27 Build, Case Farmall 35b Specs, Custom Scale Figure, Duck Call Builder,