Here’s a brief review of my United Airlines business class trip from London to Los Angeles onboard a 787-9 in business class. I already dedicated a post to the food served onboard and now will briefly offer a rundown of the entire flight.
United Airlines 787 Business Class London – Los Angeles Review
I booked this ticket for $713 one-way, having flown JetBlue on the way out. There was confirmed upgrade space (PZ fare class) using my PlusPoints, which moved me to pay more than I typically prefer for a one-way fare in economy class.
Prior to the flight I enjoyed some time in the United Club and Global Services Lounge…the food in the lounge is far better than the food onboard, so consider eating a heavier meal than you might otherwise do before a long flight.
Boarding was late, though the departure board showed an on-time boarding and eventually “final call,” prompting confusion in the lounge. The agent called down to the gate just to make sure and said he would make an announcements. I was not worried because United always sends out an SMS when boarding begins and that had not arrived yet (and did arrive when delayed boarding began).
UA 935
London (LHR) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Thursday, June 2, 2022
Depart: 04:15PM
Arrive: 07:20PM
Duration: 11hr, 05min
Distance: 5,974 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 1L (Business Class)
I was dismayed to see an equipment swap about 48 hours before my flight from an aircraft configured with “new” (now six years old) Polaris seats versus the older B/E Diamond seats. Every “true” Polaris seat has aisle access while my window seat would not have direct aisle access….and that became a bit of a problem on the flight.
I’m sure the passengers who were seated in Premium Plus, United’s premium economy section, encountered an even bigger letdown when they found their cabin did not exist on this older aircraft.
There was a kind but very immobile old man on my flight. He was settled in his seat when I arrived, but could not move himself. His wife was seated across the aisle and I asked if she wanted to sit next to her husband but she said she preferred to have an aisle seat as well.
He was a talkative old man…a farmer from Bakersfield at the tip of California’s Central Valley and dressed like a stereotypical farmer too in his checked shirt and dungarees.
Anyway…more on him in a bit.
Seat
I’m not a huge fan of this seat. Sure, it is still lie-flat, but I do prefer the privacy of not having anyone next to me. I chose row one because the cutout for your feet has a great deal more legroom than in non-bulkhead rows.
I don’t have many pictures of the seat in order to protect the privacy of my seatmate, but I’ve reviewed this seat on this plane many times in the past:
Importantly, United offers an excellent duvet and two pillows (a standard pillow and cooling gel pillow), which helped me to take an extended nap for the majority of the flight.
Food + Drink
In all honesty, the main reason I flew home on United from Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee was so that I could taste the new menu rolled out last month in Polaris Business Class.
Before departure, a choice of water or sparkling wine was offered.
Table cloths were laid after takeoff, which mark another step in United’s slow return to pre-pandemic service. Warmed mixed nuts were offered along with a choice of beverage.
Printed menus were not boarded. Instead, prior to takeoff the purser welcomed passengers onboard then took their dinner orders. Choices included:
- Beef short rib with a Porto red wine sauce, brown butter pureed carrots, wild broccolini, and glazed pear onions
- Chicken breast with Provence herbs with pumpkin risotto, grilled baby zucchini, sultanas, feta, and toasted pumpkin seeds
- Roasted halibut with arrabbiata sauce, shaved fennel, and pickled onions
- Braised Celeriac with truffle puree, sautéed kale, carrots, and herbed breadcrumbs
It’s nice to see four choices back and a deviation, if ever-so-slight, from the same choices we’ve seen for years.
I love halibut and fennel, so the choice was easy for me. The meal arrived about an hour after takeoff and I give kudos to United for the improved presentation. Finally, it looks like a premium cabin meal again…
That said, I was dismayed that the green salad has been replaced with a roasted cauliflower and fruit salad with almonds, dates, sultanas, apricots, and grapes. It wasn’t bad (though looks like bird food), but I greatly prefer a green salad.
The pretzel roll was served warm.
As for the main course, I’ve had far better halibut. The fish smelled fishy, which is an imperfect way of saying that it was passable, but not great halibut. I’ve also had far better arrabbiata sauce and found the fennel to be rather tough.
Dessert was a highlight of the meal and also a disappointment at the same time.
Choices included:
- Cheese plate with crackers
- Raspberry tart
- Vanilla ice cream with brownie pieces
Prior to the pandemic, you could have one or you could have all three. I requested all three, but was told that I could only have one. I chose the ice cream and found it to be delicious, with a strong flavor of vanilla beans.
It was still hungry, though, but decided just to take a nap.
When I woke up, I saw that a snack basket with packaged treats were available in the front of the cabin:
I got up to use the lavatory and found another cart in the mid-cabin galley and there I spied that raspberry tart I wanted earlier. I had a cup of coffee with it and found it very good – not too sweet and yet still rich.
Hopefully United will board plenty of extra desserts so that more peckish passengers can enjoy a couple items.
Prior to landing, I was offered a choice of vegetables with couscous and pesto sauce or a cheeseburger. I chose the vegetables and found the dish quite satisfying (served with ripe fruit and a packaged cookie).
However, after finishing I was still hungry and asked if I might have a cheeseburger. This time, my request was obliged. It was not bad at all.
IFE + Wi-Fi
United’s library of movies and TV shows is updated each month with fresh content and includes a number of recent releases as well as classics and frankly a whole bunch of movies I would never waste my time watching.
My headphones were broken – I requested another pair so I could watch a movie called Moonfall (with Halle Berry just as beautiful as ever, but still a horrible actress). I’ve noticed that the headphones are non-functional more often than the past…I think it is time to replace them.
A wi-fi pass on this flight was $32.99, which would have been fine if I had work to do…but thankfully it was all done and I used the time to sleep and relax.
The views were really lovely departing from London, with a clear view of Heathrow Airport as we took off.
As we landed in Los Angeles, we flew over downtown LA and then SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams NFL team.
Service
Service was satisfactory on this flight. The purser introduced herself and greeted passengers by surname prior to takeoff, taking meal orders as I indicated above.
The other flights attendants were polite, but not nearly as personal or cheerful. Yes, they just seemed to be going through the motions on this flight, though they were by no means bad.
Let me illustrate by one example. My seatamate did not eat his dinner. He didn’t like it. The flight attendant did not offer him another choice (even if it was from economy class). They didn’t ask how he liked his meal, which seemed like an obvious question when he took only one bite of his beef.
He certainly devoured the cheeseburger prior to landing…
Amenity Kit
I dedicated a post to United’s popular new Away-branded amenity kit, so I’ll just note that I appreciate that United includes a pen in its amenity kit, but wish that a brush or at least a comb would be included.
CONCLUSION
While those traveling with companion may prefer these older seats, I cannot wait for them to be retrofitted out. Just know that if you are traveling on the 787-9, which is United’s international workhorse, you may wind up with this seat due a last minute equipment swap or you may be fortunate and find the older seat swapped out for the newer Polaris seat.
While I am happy for either seat while upgrading, I would not be pleased if I was paying sticker price for business class and found the old seat.
Here we are in July 2022 and United’s food presentation has improved greatly over the last several months, but the quality of the food has not. It is time for United to spend a bit more on catering as well because the food should not just look nice, it should taste nice too.
All that to say, the flight was fine. Service was fine. The seat was fine. The food was fine. But “fine” should not be good enough for United. United did just fine…but United can do better.
Until:
1. All aircraft have the Polaris seats; and
2. United restores all of its pre-pandemic meal service
It is not a viable option for me.
UA, AA, and DL are all the same at this point to be honest.
I’ve been basically “signing up” for trips to Europe because I would fly AF/KLM across the pond and within Europe and would much prefer their service over flying DL. People here are going to crap on me for this, but the “chic” AF FAs are much more friendlier than DL FAs based on my experience so far.
I’ve never found the AF or KLM attendants to be unfriendly, but I must say on my last two flights, first international since the pandemic, I thought the attendants were very friendly and the service excellent. That, and the meal on KL was very good, while the one on AF (the duck lasagna) was the best I can recall every having had on a plane. It certainly has not made me want to pick UA for any long haul flights, and UA has made that easy by also being the most expensive and limiting upgrades at booking.
Then you have to say the same about Delta and their A35Ls
Since you got an upgrade, it is worth what you paid for it, but this year, as I have re-commenced international flying, it has been business class on other airlines, as they have been cheaper (and more upgrade and saver award space available) and with better food and service,
Even if upgrading, I would not have been satisfied with those 2x2x2 seats. A total deal breaker for me. With the Polaris (or similar) business class pod seats, I am comfortable not masking after boarding, as the air circulation and filtration should eliminate any air borne COVID. If am right next to somebody else, then I am not confident that the air circulation and filtration will protect me from that person (or them from me), so I’d feel compelled to mask and that would displease me greatly.
While I know we should be talking miles/points… I gasped when I read Halle Berry is “still a horrible actress”?? She won an Oscar for Best Actress! She’s definitely made some questionable choices of material over the years, but wow, harsh!
Matthew’s real mistake here was watching Moonfall. I, unfortunately, made the same mistake on a flight a while ago. I will never get those brain cells back. 🙂
That’s your mistake! You don’t need braincells to watch Moonfall, just some pop-corn!
But that “horrible actress” comment almost made me puke! He should have taken a moment to think about how he’d feel about reading a similar comment about himself / his own work on a different website…
I read those comments all the time.
Unpopular take: my second best sleep in the air were on these type of seats. (on a similar KLM seat), so I have a soft spot for these
Very unlucky. Of the 45 or so 787-9s that UA has, only 4 are still flying around with these old seats. And if it wasn’t for the PW 777 grounding, they would have been done by now.
They should be done in the next few months, and the first 767-400 is in HKG now for Polaris, so it won’t be long until all planes have the new seats.
There are a few routes on a 787-9 that they don’t sell PP on, such as ORD-GRU and ORD-HND, so they should do a better job of keeping these old seats on those routes.
So after eating in the lounge, and the main meal, and a snack, and the pre-arrival meal…you were still peckish? Dang.
ROFL. I thought the same and I just got back from Ukraine. Is Mat 28 and in the gym every day?
I just had that same sad cauliflower salad on my flight Monday MUC-DEN. I had thought they made a mistake. Not a green thing in sight on my tray. Also MUCH prefer a simple green salad.
I love the concept of a cheeseburger on a flight, but that one looks identical to what was served in my elementary school cafeteria in the early 1990s.
Maybe I was just hungry, but I thought it was pretty good.
Why the completely unnecessary comment on a very talented actress’s acting ability? Did she refuse to get a selfie with you a long time ago or something?
Haha. No, I’m sure she’d be lovely in-person. I just don’t like her acting. She’s not the only one. Matthew McConaughey is even worse and I like him too!
(and I’m not saying I could do better…)
@Matthew, can you confirm if the rumors that they are cutting LAX-MEL are true?
UA has been advertising SFO-MEL, and announced SFO-AKL will return, but has made no mention of LAX-MEL. Seems like the current management just wants to move everything from LAX to SFO.
It has not been permanently cut, but a resumption date sadly has not been announced. Same with the launch of LAX-HND.
It is very unfortunate how they prioritize SFO so much more than LAX, even though LAX is a way larger market. I get it is way more competitive with all the international airlines but still.
Do you think we will see any new routes out of LAX, either domestic or long haul international, over the next year or so? It is sad they have such a nice Polaris Lounge in LAX with only 3 flights a day.
Of course SFO takes priority, LAX will never be to UA what SFO is or what they are trying to rebuild at SFO.
LAX-MEL will make its return in the future especially with United’s new partnership with Virgin Australia. However I understand UA prioritizing SFO-MEL, SFO-AKL and the launch of SFO-BNE over LAX-MEL. But the delay in relaunching LAX-MEL does not mean it is permanently canceled in fact UA said the opposite when they announced SFO-BNE. They announced both LAX-MEL and IAH-SYD would be returning the outstanding question is how is demand looking for travel to Australia this coming fall and winter?
proschwit, when do you think LAX-MEL will return? Right now it is on the schedule staring Oct 28 (the same day SFO-BNE starts) do you think this is realistic?
And what about other long haul flying out of LAX? I doubt LAX-PVG will ever return, and who knows if HND will ever launch. Do you think there is any room for new Polaris routes out of LAX? Or even domestic, the fact they don’t serve Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, etc. all seem crazy to me. I just don’t understand what their strategy is at LAX, and that is frustrating as an LAX based flyer.
Japan has reopened to tourist but with strict restriction still in place. United already flies LAX-NRT there simply isn’t enough demand at this time to justify adding LAX-HND. Until Japan fully re-opens and drops most if not all restrictions demand both from tourist and business travelers will remain depressed. China is still for the most part closed to outsiders LAX-PVG will make its return but that won’t happen until China first re-opens and then drops all covid restrictions, then you will see demand for travel to China return, which is completely out of United’s control. I do think LAX-MEL will return either this coming fall or winter season will it actually re-launch on Oct 28th I don’t know. But what I do know is I don’t put much stock in rumors. Take for instance LAX-LHR and BOS-LHR if rumors were to be believed the rumors were United would never launch BOS-LHR and after UA didn’t relaunch LAX-LHR over the summer 2021 the rumors were that route wasn’t coming back. Yet here we are in 2022 United is operating both routes.
Domestically United wasn’t operating LAX-MIA before the pandemic, they even canceled SFO-MIA years earlier it was reported United was loosing money on SFO-MIA. LAX-ATL and LAX-DFW are two routes where United would be burning money. LAX is more of a O&D hub for United and United has no onward connections out of DFW or ATL meaning these routes would be 100% dependent on O&D traffic. But United has added flights out of LAX to MCO and TPA and other domestic destinations.
I understand your frustration but launching money loosing routes is no way to run an airline. When you put things in perspective neither Delta or American are back to their pre-covid levels of flying either domestically or internationally out of LAX. The only major carrier that may be close to their pre-covid flying levels out of LAX is Southwest. While I understand your frustration United has to continue to be strategic in how they utilize their assets. United posted a Q2 profit despite the sky high fuel prices and inflation, looking back at United even after they exited bankruptcy it took United over 7 years to post a quarterly profit. Yet 2 years after one of the worst downturns in the world wide economy United post a profit. That doesn’t happen if your flying unprofitable money loosing routes.
Wow proschwit thank you for explaining this all and laying it out! That all makes sense, I just wish they would experiment more out of LAX. They could easily make FRA or MUC work if they wanted to but seems like they’d rather put those planes somewhere else. I wish you were on the network team!
I agree with you on LAX-FRA and LAX-MUC, I’m hoping we will see those routes launched in the few years because LAX is the only hub where United does not fly to FRA or MUC on their own metal instead choosing to allow their joint venture partner Lufthansa to take over both routes.
However I think United is very much in a holding pattern at LAX and even SFO because it isn’t exactly clear when Asia will fully reopen without any covid restrictions and how demand will respond when Asia does reopen. Both of these hubs no matter the airline are heavily dependent on traffic to and from Asia. If there is no rebound in traffic like what we are seeing to Europe this summer United may decide to experiment with both LAX and SFO. An example I can think of in terms of traffic rebounding and the importance in international traffic is EWR. Look at UA’s operation at EWR over the summer of 2021 and look at where UA’s operation is at at EWR today. If UA had not removed 50 daily flights to help alleviate delays UA at EWR 2022 would be operating at 2019 levels thank in no small part to international travel to Europe that has rebounded. If there is a rebound in travel to Asia in the future both LAX and SFO will come back but if there is a lag in demand or demand doesn’t rebound I think we would see UA get experimental at both these hubs. But right now it is to early to make that determination or adjustment because no one knows what is going to happen in Asia, and no one knows when Asia will fully reopen.
Proschwit your analysis is really spot on. I think that makes a lot of sense, and the future of Asia (which is unknown as of now) will dictate what the future of LAX and SFO hubs looks like.
I still would like to see UA be a little more aggressive in these markets, particularly LA. Has UA ever operated LAX-FRA on their own metal, or any other Europe route from LAX, or has it only ever been LHR?
I also think they could get a little more competitive with the domestic market out of LAX. I get it is super competitive, and kudos to Kirby for getting back into the JFK competition, but use Southern Florida as an example. Between MIA and FLL, do you know how many flights a day there are between those airports and Southern California? United could easily fill 1 or 2 737s a day just with the O&D demand between the LA and Miami markets. I just wish they would be more competitive in areas like these.
I agree with your seatmate, that beef is awful. And I have had that old seat switcheroo too. Was IADLHR.
How did you have the switch to non Polaris seats on LHR-IAD? One flight is a 777 and one is a 767, and the Polaris programs have been done on both of those planes for a while now.
Sorry Chris, too many flights. Was IADLHR on the 2200 flight. Surprised me also.
I agree with you on LAX-FRA and LAX-MUC, I’m hoping we will see those routes launched in the few years because LAX is the only hub where United does not fly to FRA or MUC on their own metal instead choosing to allow their joint venture partner Lufthansa to take over both routes.
However I think United is very much in a holding pattern at LAX and even SFO because it isn’t exactly clear when Asia will fully reopen without any covid restrictions and how demand will respond when Asia does reopen. Both of these hubs no matter the airline are heavily dependent on traffic to and from Asia. If there is no rebound in traffic like what we are seeing to Europe this summer United may decide to experiment with both LAX and SFO. An example I can think of in terms of traffic rebounding and the importance in international traffic is EWR. Look at UA’s operation at EWR over the summer of 2021 and look at where UA’s operation is at at EWR today. If UA had not removed 50 daily flights to help alleviate delays UA at EWR 2022 would be operating at 2019 levels thank in no small part to international travel to Europe that has rebounded. If there is a rebound in travel to Asia in the future both LAX and SFO will come back but if there is a lag in demand or demand doesn’t rebound I think we would see UA get experimental at both these hubs. But right now it is to early to make that determination or adjustment because no one knows what is going to happen in Asia, and no one knows when Asia will fully reopen.
I had that same exact menu on my flight yesterday from LHR to DEN. I actually thought the fish was quite good. The “salad” was dreadful. Service was nothing special – I mean the crew were attentive enough but nothing to rave about.
I think the food is improving, I ate well in the United Lounge (your favorite) before the flight so only ate the first meal l onboard and skipped the second one.
And with regards to your drinking buddy, you need to take some long haul flights to Australia on Qantas. I think what he consumed was average. I know if it had have been me, I would have been up and down like a brides nightie.
LOL. Yes, I know they’d have to keep the wine away from you, but I thought you had standards and would not drink three buck Chuck. 😉
Your trip reports are greatly missed and anytime you’d like to post them on LALF, drop me a line!
Not sure about your comment regarding the bulkhead rows having more foot space. I recently flew DEN – LHR in 1A and back in 3L. The foot space was identical as far as I could tell.
They are different – I am 100% sure.
That’s not a very informative response. Based on what?
The bulkhead sears do have a bigger footwell. So on a 787-9 that would be rows 1 and 9.
I find row 9 much more pleasant as it is in the mini cabin, and row 1 seems closer to the galley even though there is a galley in front of 9 too, it just doesn’t bother me as much.
That’s very strange. 1A and 3L were definitely identical in footwell configuration on my flights. I did like 1A, especially from a point of getting early service and first menu choice. The galley didn’t bother me.
I don’t know how many of you can recall first class in the 1960’s or 1970’s, but these pods drive me crazy. I get cramped and almost claustrophobic. I’m 6’2” with very ling arms and legs. I also can’t stand not being somewhat isolated from my travel partner, my best friend, my wife. Whether a 3 hour or 15 hour flight. Can’t have this. Fortunately, I can afford a Gulfstream or Bombardier 5,000 nautical mile range aircraft.
Hello
We had a very unsatisfactory experience at the end of June flying from Incheon, S. Korea to San Francisco on the 787-9 Polaris Biz class. We heard rave reviews and were looking forward to this 10.5 flight
Unfortunately, there were multiple issues. Out flight was delayed by more than 2 hours, as our plane had to head back to the departing gate to fix the IFE, which was ahem fixed so we departed 2+ hours late
Soon after takeoff, IFE stopped working and no power to the whole seat, meaning no movies, no power/usb, no light, no power to seat. Nothing
I had just adjusted my seat to a semi recline position and the leg rest portion somewhat extended, it was stuck that way. I had to eat my meal in that position
Later the purser did come by to do a onetime manual adjustment but we basically did not get the full polaris biz class experience for the whole 10.5 flight, which makes the flight feels extremely long and dreadful
The purser announced he had call during flight into their HQ requesting compensation for the passengers. But he did not get a response
I did write to UA but their customer care email reply basicslly jist said ‘sorry. Oops’ so nothing
Our usual goto airlines are Asiana, korean or ANA to Asia, but thought we tried out UA polaris class. Never again
Not much has improved. I prefer AA and BA on that route any day. Better seats. Better service
Matthew-not applicable to your flight here but can you tell me if my Zurich to SFO flight which is 11 hrs. 55 min will have pajamas in business or do they take a hard stand and stick to the 12 hour flight rule when it comes to stocking them? Seems close enough. Thanks.
Sadly, no pajamas.