United takes delivery of first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with new cabins
January was an exciting month for the fleet of Dreamliners at United Airlines.
At the beginning of the month, we saw the first "baby" Dreamliner, the 787-8, get retrofitted with the new Polaris and Premium Plus cabins. I had the opportunity to fly this plane earlier this week, and it's a big improvement compared to the old version.
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And on Friday, United took delivery of its first 787-9 featuring the new cabins. This plane, registered N29975, was ferried from Charleston, South Carolina, to the airline's hub in Chicago as United Flight 2710. Since this is a new plane, it's got a factory-fresh cabin installation. It joins United's existing fleet of 25 -9 Dreamliners, which are getting their cabins retrofitted over the course of the next few years.
United has got 12 more brand-new 787-9 Dreamliners on order, which are all slated for delivery in 2020.
The airline also operates the largest version of the Dreamliner, the 787-10, but those planes already sport the new interiors.
The 787-9 will feature 48 Polaris pods, 21 Premium Plus recliners, 39 extra-legroom economy seats and 149 standard coach seats. And on the outside, the plane is painted in the carrier's newest logo.
The biz cabin is spread across 12 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. Premium Plus occupies just three rows in a 2-3-2 layout, and coach takes up the rest of the plane.
Fortunately, United is not downsizing the biz cabin with the new interiors, which is great news for those looking to score an upgrade or redeem miles.
We can't wait to get a look inside this new Dreamliner and we'll report back on what we see.
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