The first United 787 refurbished with Polaris is entering service Wednesday
The first United 787 retrofit with Polaris business class entered service Wednesday, when it was scheduled to fly a redeye from San Francisco to Washington Dulles.
A check of the United site showed that flight UA1912, scheduled to leave SFO at 11pm and arrive at IAD Thursday morning at 6:47, was operated by the first United 787-8 refurbished with the new all-aisle-access Polaris. But that flight went awry when a malfunction forced the plane to return to San Francisco shortly after takeoff. The 787 landed safely. United said that it had suffered a cracked windshield.The retrofit 787 is now scheduled to fly from SFO to Osaka, Japan, on Friday.
The entry into service of the refurbished 787-8 is a major step in United's plan to bring all of its 777 and 787 long-haul fleet up to the most recent standards, replacing biz seats that are mostly the same as those introduced by Continental in 2009. The airline operates all models of the 787: the base -8 version, the stretched -9 which serves ultra-long-range flights, and the still even more stretched 787-10, which trades range for capacity and serves mostly European hubs. United's 787-10s come from the factory with the new Polaris, but 787-8 and 787-9 models still have the old biz class in 2-2-2 layout without aisle access for all seats.
The seat map for the flight shows 28 Polaris seats. The older version of the 787-8 had 36 biz seats, meaning your chance of an upgrade on the retrofit jets goes down by about 22% — but into much better seats. United 1912, by the way, is sold out Wednesday.
Behind Polaris, there's another new addition: three rows of Premium Plus, United's true premium economy, for a total of 21 seats in a 2-3-2 layout. Then there are 158 standard coach seats in the usual 3-3-3 configuration.
Back in July, United had said it expected the first retrofitted 787-8 to enter service in December 2019; the airline is just a week late on that schedule. The first refurbished 787-9 is expected to enter service early this year as well.
The new Polaris is, even at a glance, clearly a vast improvement over the existing product.
Flight-tracking site FlightRadar24 shows that the plane operating Wednesday's flight, registered N27908, spent more than three months in Xiamen, China, between October and January. That's a time frame consistent with heavy maintenance, during which the new biz seats were also installed. According to the site, the plane is now scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Osaka on Friday as flight UA35.
Zach Griff contributed reporting for this story. The story has been amended first to reflect a change in the plane's schedule by United Airlines, and then to include that the plane had suffered a mishap and was taken out of service.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees