My journey from Los Angeles to London on United Airlines was pleasant and restful onboard the 787-10 in Polaris business class. United’s consistent seat and excellent bedding make overnight flights to Europe a reliable choice, even if other parts of the soft product fall short.
United Airlines 787-10 Business Class Review (LAX-LHR)
As I mentioned in the introduction to this trip report, I booked into Premium Plus, United’s premium economy cabin, in order to maximize my upgrade chances. In retrospect, it seems that was not necessary, as I noticed a couple of employee standbys cleared into business class at the gate.
It was a quiet afternoon in LAX Terminal 7 and I encountered no line when I dropped my checked bag off a the Premier 1K counter. My only real annoyance of the entire journey happened here: the agent forced me to use the check-in kiosk even though I knew it would not let me check in (because my final destination was Ethiopia and the TIMATIC system flags the visa required). So after going through the process, of course, the machine started flashing red and an agent had to check me in anyway.
I detest being directed to use a kiosk…let people check in with an agent, if they want!
Wih Touchless ID, clearing security is a breeze at LAX.
Before the flight, I stopped at the Polaris Lounge, but I had had a big Easter lunch with my family, so I just had a glass of green juice before heading over to the gate.
Boarding commenced a bit late a 4:29 pm, just 21 minutes ahead of scheduled departure. However, folks boarded efficiently and by 4:55pm, the jetbridge had been removed and we began our taxi for takeoff.
United Airlines 923
Los Angeles (LAX) – London (LHR)
Sunday, March 31
Depart: 4:50 PM
Arrive: 11:25 AM+1
Duration: 10hr, 35min
Aircraft: B787-10
Distance: 5,456 miles
Seat: 11A (“Polaris” Business Class)
I love UA923, a flight I’ve taken regularly now for almost half of my life as the only transatlantic flight from United’s LAX hub.
Seat
Onboard, I had chosen 11A, which is a “real” window seat (console on he aisle side) in the last row of the cabin.
The 787-10 business class cabin, called “Polaris” by United, features 44 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Rows 1-11, all between door 1 and 2, constitute business class. Seats are 20.5 inches (52 cm) wide and recline into a fully-flat 6’6″ (198 cm) bed. All Polaris seats include direct aisle access.
Cabin bedding includes a day blanket, duvet, large pillow, and cooling gel foam pillow…together, wih a matress pad (available on request), I find United’s bedding to be the best in business clas and with teh air vent turned on and the cabin cool, I slept for 6.5 hours, which is very good for me these days (and also solid considering that we had a srong tailwind and the flight itself ending up being only nine hours.
As always on United, the cabins could have been much cleaner…my seat had what appeared to be Japanese cough drops left in a small side storage pocket.
There was also trash and grime under the windows and around the electronically dimmable window (EDW) control…
Our Takeoff From Runway 7R
LAX is my home airport and it is very rare to depart from runway 7R (departing toward the east rather than toward the West over the Pacific Ocean). But wind conditions made it an unusual takeoff, which meant flying over So Fi Satidrum and downtown Los Angeles moments after takeoff.
Later on as the sun set:
Amenties
A fanny pack-style Therabody amenity kit contained:
- eyeshade
- earplugs
- dental kit
- soft tissue
- pen
- lip balm
- facial spray
- skin creme
Slippers were also placed at each seat–no request necessary.
Food + Beverage
Dinner was served ater takeoff, mid-flight snacks were available, and breakfast was served before landing. United has improved its Polaris offerings and the food was acceptable on this flight (United has more recently updated its tableware).
Dinner
Service began with a hot towel and warm mixed nuts and a choice of beverage (I had San Pellegrino with a lime).
For my appetizer, I chose burrata. I also asked if I could have a bowl of tomato soup from the mid-flight snack menu: I’d just as soon prefer soup to most appetizers, and was obliged. Garlic bread and brown dinner rolls were also offered along with a green salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
For my main course, I had halibut with couscous and found it perfectly acceptable (that is to say, not bad, but also not the quality I would have at home).
For dessert, I had a Tillamook ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce, shaved almonds, and whipped cream and a few bites of cheesecake with raspberries.
A good meal overall.
Mid-Flight Snack
I slept through it, but mid-flight snacks included a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, whole fruit, and packaged sweet and salty snacks, plus leftover cheesecake and cheese trays from the dinner service.
Breakfast
90 minutes prior to landing, breakfast was served, with a choice of a full English Breakfast or banana bread pudding. The English breakfast was good, including buttery scrambled eggs, a cooked tomato, mushrooms, sausage, bacon, and baked beans. It was served with Chobani Greek yogurt, a croissant with preserves, and a fruit bowl.
The food may not be top quality, but you will not go hungry when flying United.
As an aside, I did not drink alcohol on this flight, but United has upped its wine game with a respectable selection of white and red wines plus Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Champagne.
Service
Service was efficient (the entire meal was served on a single tray, when I believe it should have been served in courses) and friendly. I ate quickly, fell asleep, and ate again so my interactions with the crew were limited, but I did appreciate that they were happy to bring me the bowl of tomato soup with dinner.
I give United flight attendants a lot of credit for coming to work each day with a smile when a new contract is years overdue.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available for $29.99. I did not connect…I never take Wi-Fi for granted and had Monday’s work already completed before we took off.
The IFE library includes a generous selection of movies and TV programming with limited audio files (mostly podcasts with some music) and games.
Noise-canceling headphones are functional, but American and JetBlue outdo United on headphones.
Lavatories
The 787-10 has two lavatories in the front and two lavatories in the rear of the cabin.
Approach to LHR
We flew over central London, though I was seated on the worn side of the plane. Had I been paying closer attention, I probably would have noticed that we flew directly over Windsor Castle.
While T2 at LHR is mostly Star Alliance, there are additional carriers like Icelandair, Loganair, and Aer Lingus that use it.
CONCLUSION
My flight on United was fine…sort of exactly as expected. The cabin was kept cool and the bedding comfortable, such that I was able to sleep. The service was good and the food was fine…nothing bad, but also nothing great. I’m thankful for UA923, my only nonstop link to the Atlantic from LAX on United.
Next up: a long day at LHR.
Nice photos. However, does UA really serve the main meal all together on one tray? I thought UA switched to serving starters first and later serving the main course. “All together on one tray” seems more applicable for domestic USA first class and not for long haul business.
In my experience, it depends…it is supposed to be in courses, but often is not…
Why does United have such a strong kiosk push?
No other airline pushes top tier customers at a premium check in area to use a kiosk.
Anywhere. In the entire world.
This feels worthy of it’s own post. I once had a conversation with a senior manager at UA, he told me it’s not the policy, customers can choose. But local stations get metered by self-service percentage (probably to ultimately reduce staff) and that leads to this.
Totally agree. I hate kiosks in general, but it’s at least understandable for economy. But mandatory kiosks for business class is absurd. For what they charge (whether cash or miles), you want the personal touch.
Agree. Perhaps a post on this would raise awareness, as they say.
in lax there was one agent for all international check in
i waited 1/2 hour even there were only two peopole ahead of me
crazy
Jeez that breakfast looks…. interesting.
LOL yikes
They still using that ‘blue balls’ safety video, even on their 787?
Yes.
I have the same cleanliness issue on the United 787’s, and I find it odd. Such a great plane and every time I board I have to clean the seating area. And although I am also LAX based, I have had this issue in other airports.
“very rare to depart from runway 74 ”
Rare indeed! There is no runway 74…you meant either 7L or 7R.
A carefree and cozy journey aboard one of UNITED’s twenty-one B787-10 Dreamliners (average age of 5.4 years).
The new Meridian headphones are much better than their old stuff. Not the best headphones but a stark improvement over the garbage they used to offer
I really hope United & Kirby see these cabin photos of the filthy Polaris seat. Just completely unacceptable. It’s clear surfaces haven’t been wiped down in a very long time.
I know to take the alcohol swab handed out when you step on the plane. I sometimes take 2. Maybe they should also give you a battery handheld vacuum cleaner, would rather vacuum for 30 sec than sit in some strangers dirt.
So basically a perfectly cromulent trip.
In the picture of the Thames, you can see a white circle building at the left. That’s the O2 Arena, built on the site of the Millennium Dome. Guy Richie made a fantastic documentary, The Diamond Heist (Netflix), that involves that site. It’s a documentary that plays like a thriller.