Flying the 777-200 on a longhaul international United Airlines flight? You’ll no longer have to check the seat map to see which type of configuration you can expect in business class. United has completed its Polaris retrofit process and also added Premium Plus seats across its 777-200 longhaul fleet.
United Airlines Completes 777-200 Retrofits
In 2016, United began retrofitting its existing aircraft to install its new Polaris business class seat. This upgrade to a 1-2-1 seating configuration was particularly noteworthy on the 777-200, which featured 2-4-2 seating in business class on the legacy United variants and 2-2-2 on the ex-Continental variants.
All internationally-equipped 777-200s now include:
- 50 Polaris (business class)
- 24 Premium Plus (premium economy class)
- 46 Economy Plus (extra legroom economy)
- 156 Economy
Zach Griff notes there is one model, N77014, that has not been retrofitted. It is parked in long-term storage and may never come back into service. But if it does, it will not fly passengers until it is retrofitted.
So whether you are traveling so Asia, Europe, or South America, you can count on a Polaris cabin and Premium Plus if traveling on the 777-200.
What About The 777HD?
United still maintains a subfleet of 777-200 aircraft for domestic and leisure travel. These aircraft, known as 777HD or 777 high density, feature a 28-seat business class with the old 2-4-2 seats and a huge economy class section (78 Economy Plus, 258 in standard economy). They will not be retrofitted.
This month, for example, you can catch the 777HD on routes including (but not limited to):
- Chicago – Denver
- Houston – Denver
- Los Angeles – Honolulu
- San Francisco – Honolulu
- Chicago – Cancun (through December 16th)
- Washington – Cancun (December 17th – January 4th)
But if you are flying longhaul international, there is zero chance you will get this high-density configuration.
CONCLUSION
This moment certainly represents a milestone for United as it continues its retrofit work on existing aircraft. Expect a retrofit completion on the 767-300 and 787-8 by summer 2021 and the 787-9 by summer 2022.
Be truthful. How many of you have, stolen the saks blankets
Zero for me. But I do have two blankets and two pillows that United gave me during ribbon cutting events over the years.
To note: there are 3 777-200s (219UA/220UA/221UA) in the old 8F/40J/221Y in storage at ROW which as far as I know were supposed to be converted to the HD config. If they ever come back they hopefully will be converted rapidly.
HD flying IAD – LAX as well
N77014 WILL be coming back at some point. It is a sCO 777 with GE engines, younger and has better performance than the sUA PW 777s.
Doesn’t the HD feature on Honolulu-Guam as well?
United often flies the 777HD configuration to DUB and MAD in the summer from IAD and EWR, so your comment about never having the HD configuration on International Long Haul is not completely correct.
The 777HD as you called it is actually commonly referred to as the 777A
I get that it’s most cost effective to retrofit during D checks. But seriously, introducing a product in 2016 and not being able to “guarantee” product until 2022 when conversion is complete across all aircraft types is frustrating. To count their soft product as an equivalent, especially these days, is disingenuous.
LMAO, what a joke of a company!!! 5 years to retrofit 1 fleet???
Exactly,….. I would have said it if you didn’t beat me to it. It took them five years to figure out that people paying (or not) for business class certainly don’t want to sit in a row of four people in a middle section ??? Is there anything they don’t dumb down to the lowest denomination and then some bright light realizes it’s either a mistake or people don’t want it ?
Should put some of these on the long haul Hawaii routes once demand returns. Due to the nature of the recession, those with money ended up well off through this. Thus, there may be more premium cabin demand than merely having 28 seats.
UA needs to capture the high end leisure market.
Also, since int’l travel is way down, why not market the long haul Hawaii routes as Polaris?
There certianly is a high end leisure market forming. They’d be wise to use their higher J planes for Hawaii. Currently first class are selling out and economy is empty. And not all are complimentary upgrades.
@Mark S
agreed 100 percent.
I wonder if with the reduction in business travel and companies that are traveling not wanting to spend as much on travel if we won’t end up where the market supports higher J capacity to the leisure markets, with a smaller J cabin but a larger PP cabin for the business routes?
Lot of 777s in the schedule domestically where PP is still showing up as regular E+…nice benefit while it lasts
will UA eventually sell PP on more domestic routes like they did in the old days when 3 class planes flew (back when it was called United Business)?
They already sell it on all 767 and 787-10 domestic routes…just look on the TCONs, or the hub-hub routes on occasion.
UA sells PP as a separate cabin on routes other than the premium transcons?
Not yet.
@UANYC: Agreed.
@Derek: I believe they will. Hopefully later rather than sooner, though I like the upgraded meals in PP.
Back in the F/J/Y days, did J receive upgraded meals on domestic routes, or more of an economy offering?
If J was upgraded, then why couldn’t PP also have an upgraded offering like on the transcons?
I’d like UA to go further and only sell first/business if it’s a lie flat seat. On the 737s and the A319/320s, sell the front cabin as PP, since it’s more of a PP product. Would also allow for those with domestic connections on transcon/international PP to have a consistent experience throughout the journey
This is the right time to spend millions on upgrading your cabin interior. While the thousands of employees, some with double-digit years of seniority, you layed off are struggling with UI, will be without health insurance in two weeks and may be evicted from their tiny apartments soon. I hope at least the domestic servants at Scott Kirby’s mansion in the Hamptons got to keep their jobs. “Light the fireplace in the library, Jermaine!” Wait for chapter 11 and the million dollar retention bonuses for the executive suite. Nothing new out here.
I was checking the seat map for August 2021 flight from SFO to HNL and it’s showing the Polaris config. Are they reusing some upgraded international for domestic or upgrading domestic to the new configuration?
They are. But still subject to last-minute swaps.