How You Can Fly United’s Polaris-Equipped 777-200 This Week
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Update 4/21: United has adjusted the retrofitted plane’s schedule, following the initial 4/20 leg from San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR). The updated schedule is below. Unfortunately business-class awards are not available at this time, but they are available in first class on some flights. If you book a first-class award and you fly in business class, you can request a refund of the difference in miles. Note that the flights listed below are still subject to change.
Last week, United’s first retrofitted 777-200 finally made its way back to the US. It’s spent the last week and change undergoing inspections in San Francisco (SFO), but now UA’s finally added the updated Polaris-equipped plane to its international schedule. The first flight departs tonight.
To recap, United has begun updating its three-cabin 777-200s, replacing all of the seats and eliminating the first-class cabin entirely. The refreshed planes will offer the same Polaris seats otherwise only available on the new 777-300ERs, seen below. On average, United plans to roll out one Polaris-equipped plane every 10 days through 2020.
Previously, these particular 777s offered a three-class configuration, with eight first-class seats, 40 biz seats in an entirely unpleasant 2-4-2 arrangement, 113 Economy Plus seats and 108 regular coach seats. After the retrofit, they’ll have 50 Polaris business seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement and a whopping 242 seats in coach, with a super-dense 3-4-3 configuration. So while business class represents a huge improvement, you’ll have less room for your shoulders in coach.
Armed with that info, my recommendation is to select United’s older configuration if you’re flying economy, but opt for the refreshed plane if you’re in biz. The good news is that there are currently a couple of opportunities to redeem miles to fly Polaris this week — below is a tentative initial schedule for N786UA, the first plane to undergo an update.
| Date | United Flight | Departure | Arrival | Awards Available | Upgrades Available |
| April 20 | 930 | SFO | LHR | 0 | 0 |
| April 21 | 925 | LHR | IAD | 0 | 2 |
| April 21 | 932 | IAD | FRA | 0 | 0 |
| April 22 | 59 | FRA | SFO | 0 | 0 |
| April 22 | 930 | SFO | LHR | 0 | 0 |
| April 23 | 925 | LHR | IAD | 0 | 0 |
| April 23 | 932 | IAD | FRA | 0 | 0 |
| April 24 | 59 | FRA | SFO | 0 | 0 |
Note that these flights are subject to change — the aircraft could end up getting reassigned, though as of this writing, United expects to assign it to the schedule above. Currently only the first two flights are displaying the new seat map, though I wouldn’t expect it to appear on any others until roughly 24 hours before departure. Be sure to keep a close eye on the arrangement to avoid disappointment.
If you see the below map within 24 hours of departure, you’ll almost certainly have the new plane:
Meanwhile, if this is the map you see 24 hours out, chances are you’re flying the old three-cabin config:
Again, it’s important to note that substitutions are possible, so if you’re booking one of the flights above just to fly Polaris, there’s a decent chance you could end up very disappointed.
That said, until there are enough updated aircraft to operate regular confirmed routes, United will use this “surprise and delight” method of adding the new config to flights at the very last minute. So substitutions will be possible for weeks if not months to come.
For more on United’s Polaris refresh program, see:
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,650
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Plus earn up to $50 in statement credits towards grocery store purchases within your first year of account opening.
- Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.