United Airlines has been working on improvements to business class. They updated the bedding and amenity kits. They’ve set a new U.S. carrier standard for business class wine. They’ve come to believe that investing more in meals helps them sell premium tickets.
However the Polaris business class seat remains a laggard.
- It was a ‘me too’ product back when it was first introduced in 2017. Approved by penny-pinching disgraced former CEO Jeff Smisek, it was meant to stop the bleeding – customers were avoiding United business class because it lacked direct aisle access even. This seat was chosen because they could get lie flat direct aisle access without taking up more cabin real estate compared to 2-2-2 seating. There’s not a lot of space per passenger. There’s basically no storage space, either.
- While the overall cabin ambiance is nice, the seat itself lags even American’s primary current seat (Super Diamond) and American is introducing a new suite with doors. Delta business class seats are far better, outside of their Boeing 767 fleet. United’s seats lag British Airways, Air France, and even joint venture partners Air Canada (which will be getting a new seat) and Lufthansa’s new Allegris seat.
- United was looking at new seat options with doors three years ago. They even had customers provide feedback on new seat options with doors in 2022.
Yet we still haven’t seen a new product. Aviation watchdog JonNYC says that an announcement is coming in May and that doors remain an open question owing it sounds to me like the FAA’s insistence on additional flight attendant staffing for them. There will be 64 business class seats and a premium bulkhead row! (American’s new premium-dense 787-9s will have 51 business class suites.)
UA some will have seen this (and many are asking about it)
My belief is that the statement:
“New 787-9 (78L) configuration with 64/35/123 has been released to employees.” is false, nothing has been shared internally so far is what I’m told .
Id expect some announcements in early May though.— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Additionally, the doors are still very much an open issue— def not decided at this time— due to FA staffing dispute.
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM
LET ME RETRACT the part about it being false that this has been disseminated — sorry for that error!
Bulkhead Polaris seats having ottomans (for a companion to dine, etc etc— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 5:32 PM
so wild to see *16* rows of 1x2x1 seating– can kinda understand where the AFA is coming from on this
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
JetBlue actually disabled the doors on some of its Mint suites because the FAA wanted more cabin crew onboard to monitor that the doors were locked open for takeoff and landing.
Relatedly, JonNYC notes speculation that brand new Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which would presumably come with new seats, could replace 767s for long haul. The old 767s frequently have broken crew rest seats, and the United Airlines flight attendants union has a pending grievance over this that could result in the airline being limited in its use of the planes to trips of around 8 hours maximum.
Polaris offers a critical advantage that most of the carriers you listed do not – a 100% consistent hard product experience across the entire widebody international fleet. For Delta, you gloss over how large their 767 fleet and just how inferior that product is. None of DL, AA, BA or LH can remotely match United’s consistency here. If you book a United Polaris seat, you know exactly what you are getting.
Is it better than all of these airlines best seat? Possibly not (although I take issue with the premise that Polaris is noticeably inferior). However, is Polaris better than all of these airlines least best seat – some of which still comprise a majority or their respective fleets – yes, vastly.
John nailed it. The Polaris seats can feel a bit claustrophobic and the food generally sucks (although it’s just as good as what AA and Delta offer) but at least I know what I’m getting. If they offered a truly improved (wider) business (or even better a first) class seat again I might forego the ME3 and Singapore/Air France. They probably lose $150K per worth of business per year from me alone.
Not much at all in the grand scheme of things but I can’t be alone. My wife and I fly a fair amount and I know others who fly a lot more.
I personally prefer the United Polaris seat to any business class seat that American or Delta offer. It is not claustrophobic.
Delta seats are flat out awful on the 767 and most A330 – those seats debuted in 2008!
The FAA’s issue could be easily mitigated by modifying the circuit that turns on a green led that FA’s use to check if the seat is locked upright for landing/take off. Add a detector for door open and latched.
No led the FA will open and latch the seat door in the process of fixing the seat position. If led is blue the door is incorrect but seat is ok. Green means all is well per current process.
But as I write I realize the FAA’s position. US airlines are poor in maintaining the cabin so manual checking is the default..
Of all the fascinating airline economics out there, the one the I find most fascinating is how a door is both needed to the point the extra weight and potential maintenance is a non-issue, but also not needed the second an extra FA is needed, whose time amounts to ~$20/J seat/flight.
Polaris was designed purposefully to be the densest business class seat in the US. Because Smizek wanted his 2-4-2 J cabin to be just as dense with all aisle access.
I’m amazed more travel bloggers don’t talk about that.
Good riddance if they ever do get rid of it. It’s a Smizek relic that shouldn’t be celebrated.