United’s sleekest plane takes center stage at Singapore unveiling

Craig Stephenson had about 1.5 million United Airlines miles in his MileagePlus account and was eager to use them.

Longtime Premier 1K status member, recently found himself browsing airline photos New luxurious Polaris business class suites. Before long, I was examining fares and considering a spot on the first international flight those seats would be on.

“It’s expensive to go to Singapore,” he said.

But you only live once.

“I thought, ‘You know what? This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,'” Stephenson said. “‘I have to do this.'”

It took him half a million miles, but he did it. And he was sitting right behind me, Wednesday night, as United returned to San Francisco for a flight that would mark the airline’s biggest push yet into “premium.”

The new Polaris makes its world debut

United’s 17-hour cross-Pacific crossing to Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) marked the true and difficult launch of the airline’s “lifted” Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the luxury plane that may now be the sleekest commercial airliner of any U.S. airline.

This 222-seat aircraft features a whopping 99 premium seats between business class and premium economy.

Polaris Business Class Reimagined

Up front, this plane is the first to house United’s next-generation Polaris product, complete with sliding privacy doors that have become a must-have for airlines hoping to court big-spending travelers.

Improved Polaris concept

But what really catches the eye on this aircraft are the eight ultra-luxurious Polaris “Studio” suites.

These oversized pods now represent the highest-end seating option United has ever offered, and will likely be an attractive upgrade option in the future for travelers looking to splurge on more amenities.

A new look from nose to tail.

The arrival of United’s 787 “Elevated” to the world stage came less than a year after the airline announced the renewal for the first time to its flagship long-distance product.

To be clear, it wasn’t just the fancy seats that were reinvented.

The plane’s premium economy and coach cabins also received a special shine. as TPG saw during a preview of the plane last month in Los Angeles. Among the improvements in economy: seatback screens that United has called the largest in coach of any airline in the world.

The cabins are broken down like this:

Less than half of the seats on board this plane are standard economy seats, a sign of how premium this plane is.

17 hours in the United elevated cabin: SFO-SIN

Where did I spend this plane’s maiden transpacific voyage? Up front in seat 1A is one of the fancy new Polaris Studios.

Here’s what it was like aboard United’s first “elevated” international flight and what you need to know if you’re hoping to score a seat on one of these planes in the not-too-distant future. Helpful tip: you don’t need to fly to Singapore.

‘Welcome to the dream’

As expected, enthusiasm surged from United employees and crew during the first departure to Singapore.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Dream,” the United flight attendant said as the United Dreamliner designated UA Flight No. 1 departed the SFO gate at 10:43 pm PDT.

By this time, I had already become familiar with my spacious home away from home for the next 17 hours.

United’s new studios feature everything you’d expect from Polaris: a reclining seat, Saks Fifth Avenue bedding, and stylish Bluetooth headphones.

But these capsules come with a lot of interesting new features.

What really catches your eye is the 24-inch 4K screen. There is also a buddy seat that you can use to dine with a companion (which TPG’s Summer Hull and I tested last month).

If you are traveling with your spouse or partner, you may prefer the middle two suites in row 9, which can be configured as a pseudo double bed.

All United Polaris suites are equipped with a number of thoughtful, high-tech touches, from ample storage space to custom in-suite ambient lighting features and plenty of charging ports.

Up front, the airline has surrounded the Polaris Studios with new touches of “soft goods,” like hooded pajama shirts you’ll want to wear again after the flight, as well as Perricone MD amenity kits and Polaris playing cards.

New Polaris Experience: Food and Drink

Shortly after takeoff, flight attendants delivered on one of United’s promises for its new Polaris Studio luxury seats: caviar served alongside a sip of Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose.

The food kept coming after that palate cleanser.

The four-course dinner service was certainly a step in the right direction for United after years of catering criticism. The ricotta gnudi (a Polaris Studio exclusive selection) was fabulous.

As a wine enthusiast, I also appreciated the flight of creating your own wine.

Additionally, Polaris passengers received tapas upon request mid-flight (which tasted better than they looked). The breakfast service shortly before landing in Changi was less memorable.

Snack bar on board

The highlight of this plane, however, was the walk-in cafeteria, which was essential during the long-haul trip that required many breaks to get up and stretch.

I should note that while this pantry was only available to Polaris passengers, United plans to roll out value snack bars on two of the newer aircraft types. announced last month.

growing pains

Any new airplane is bound to have problems at first. On this flight, the biggest obstacle customers encountered was Wi-Fi.

United is in the process of Implementation of the Starlink service throughout its fleet.which is free for MileagePlus members once installed.

But this 787 still offered an older, paid and very unreliable service from Panasonic. (United didn’t even wait for me to ask before refunding my $8 Wi-Fi fee.)

A spokesperson told TPG that the airline hopes to begin equipping its twin-aisle planes with Starlink service this summer. The service is already widely available on their regional aircraft.

Additionally, while sliding privacy doors are a key new feature on these Polaris cabins, you’ll have to wait a little longer to enjoy that feature.

The doors are locked in the “open” position for now while they wait for certification.

This has been a common regulatory bottleneck for multiple US airlines that have added business class doors to their aircraft; American Airlines suffered the same delay with the launch of its new Flagship Suites.

A United spokesperson told TPG that the airline hopes to have the gates in use by summer.

What to know about booking United’s new ‘elevated’ planes

UA Flight No. 1 landed in Singapore shortly before 7 a.m. local time on Friday morning, completing the first of what will likely be many trips to Asia.

The Elevated Dreamliner will be a fixture on United’s SFO-SIN route in the future.

But if you want a seat on this plane, or others like it, you don’t need it. have to fly to Singapore.

In fact, next week another of these sleek 787s will make its European debut on United’s route from SFO to London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

And there are many more planes to come: United expects to have 20 Dreamliners with the new cabin by the end of the year.

If you’re hoping to get your spot on a Polaris Studio, you’ll want to start by booking a regular Polaris suite on one of these planes and then pay to upgrade to the fancier seat.

That’s exactly what Stephenson, a United millionaire, is doing on his return trip.

After trading in half a million miles for a spot at Polaris, he gladly shelled out another $600 to sit in the front cabin.

It’s an investment in line with the strides United has made, he said, in catching up to its main rival, Delta Air Lines, with its high-end offerings.

“United have understood,” said Stephenson, “that they needed to improve their game.”

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