UA Launches All-new 'Polaris' Business Class Seat Part 1

KarelXWB · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:28 pm

No, it's not AMD's newest graphics card. UA launches a new business class seat called 'Polaris', a custom-made seat with direct-aisle access. New seats will debut on the newest 777-300ER aircraft later this year. The lounges will be upgraded as well.

Quote:
United chose to outfit its widebody fleet with a custom-designed, exclusive-to-United seat, rather than select an option already in the marketplace. Designed in partnership with Acumen Design Associates and PriestmanGoode and manufactured by Zodiac Seats United Kingdom, each United Polaris seat will offer direct access to the aisle, 180-degree flat-bed recline and up to 6 foot 6 inches of bed space.

Crafted as individual, forward-facing, suite-like pods, each customer's personal suite will feature a "Do Not Disturb" sign, mood lighting, one-touch lumbar support, several storage areas, multiple surfaces for simultaneous working and dining, a 16-inch high-definition entertainment screen and, for seats in the center of the cabin, electronic privacy dividers. Complementing the new seats, United and PriestmanGoode have also conceived an all-new look for the United Polaris cabins.

Seats will also find their way into the upcoming A350s and 787-10s.

Source
http://twitter.com/AirlineFlyer
http://newsroom.united.com/2016-06-0...ence-United-Polaris-Business-Class

[Edited 2016-06-02 07:34:01]

spinzels · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:31 pm

Quoting KarelXWB (Thread starter):
The lounges will be upgraded as well.

Yes, more great news from UA - EWR's wretched lounges will continue well until 2017 ! Yay!

STT757 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:34 pm

Website:

http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris-business-class/p/1

commavia · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:34 pm

The seats and lounges look nice - pretty much like all the other new longhaul premium stuff AA and Delta are in the process of installing.

I'm not sure about the brand name "Polaris," though.

Sightseer · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:39 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 3):
I'm not sure about the brand name "Polaris," though.

Agreed. My first thought upon reading that was of the ATV manufacturer.

But the seats look good.

AeroVega · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:44 pm

Quoting Sightseer (Reply 4):
Quoting commavia (Reply 3):
I'm not sure about the brand name "Polaris," though.

Agreed. My first thought upon reading that was of the ATV manufacturer.

Mine of a nuclear missile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-27_Polaris

a380787 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:45 pm

A decent effort overall. Color palette is slightly on the dull side, and 16" TV is smaller than state-of-the-art, but overall looks reasonably competitive. Let's see how long before the 1-2-1 purists show up.

ericm2031 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:48 pm

Will also be put on 777-200 and 767-300 retrofits. United Global First will be United Polaris Global First but will eventually phase out first class all together.

Heavierthanair · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:49 pm

G'day

More orders for the infamous Zodiac business class seats? Presumably Airbus are now looking for added parking space to store all those upcoming United A 350-1000's awaiting their business class seats

Cheers

Peter

avi8 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:50 pm

What about the 787's already in service?

wn676 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:51 pm

1) All I can think about right now is Dave Mustaine singing, "launch the Polaaaaris!"

2) The color scheme gives off a Star Wars droid kind of vibe.

That said, I'll echo the decent effort comment.

KarelXWB · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:52 pm

Quoting avi8 (Reply 9):
What about the 787's already in service?

Existing fleets will be retrofitted, a process that will take up to 3 years.

AA777223 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:55 pm

Just stumbled across the video on YouTube and scurried here to see if I could find a thread, haha. I'm on holiday so not checking the forums. I am very pleased as a UA J flyer. It seems to keep up seat count, while significantly stepping up the product. It's a similar structure to the J on NH, Thai, EK A380, etc. Looks like a significant upgrade to me.

This seems to be the end of the BusinessFirst moniker. Farewell CO...

codc10 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:55 pm

A few highlights:

- New bedding by Saks Fifth Avenue (duvet, day blanket, 2 pillows, mattress pad, gel pillow on request)
- All-new serviceware
- Pre-flight dining in Polaris lounge available
- Polaris lounges to be built at EWR, IAH, LAX; existing GFLs to be renovated and rebranded elsewhere
- New seat will fit in 767 cross-section, to be installed with upcoming 67I reconfigurations
- 2 USB ports
- Vanity mirror in seat

United1 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:57 pm

Quoting AeroVega (Reply 5):
Mine of a nuclear missile:

Destroying the competition one flight at a time....

402679 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:58 pm

This is the seat that United should have installed in their 787 from the get go, imo. Very good and up to date.

And it looks like a seat (including color palette) that ANA could use as well.

KarelXWB · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:58 pm

Quoting Heavierthanair (Reply 8):
More orders for the infamous Zodiac business class seats? Presumably Airbus are now looking for added parking space to store all those upcoming United A 350-1000's awaiting their business class seats

From Twitter:

http://twitter.com/ReutersAero

United Airlines CEO says seat-maker @ZodiacAerospace has assured there will not be delays for its new business class

avi8 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:59 pm

Quoting KarelXWB (Reply 11):
Existing fleets will be retrofitted, a process that will take up to 3 years.

Thanks.

I personally love the new business class seat. It has a very homy tone to it. It's definitely a significant improvement compared to the current one.

LAXintl · Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:59 pm

I am so underwhelmed.

Hardly the product that will leap frog the competition and will remain relevant during its 10+ year lifespan.

This is merely a catch up.

commavia · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:02 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 18):
I am so underwhelmed.

Hardly the product that will leap frog the competition and will remain relevant during its 10+ year lifespan.

This is merely a catch up.

Agree. Reading through the press release and browsing the new Polaris website, it seems - at least to me - that every aspect of this is very much a "catch up" to where AA and Delta were already heading, in terms of both hard and soft product, on the ground and in the air.

But that seems fine - what United announced looks like a solid, competitive offering. And I think that's perfectly good enough. Did United need to "leap frog the competition," realistically? When I think of what the "standard" for longhaul premium cabins was even just a decade ago let alone several decades ago, it's hard to imagine how any U.S. carrier - given intractable economic and competitive realities - could radically alter today's "standard."

slider · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:02 pm

Damn, this is gorgeous. Nice way to up the game, UA!

I hope the seat---the seat itself--is comfortable. That's 90% of the satisfaction right there. But wow, what a nice innovation for a domestic carrier to really raise the stakes.

Polaris. The north star. Ironic in a sense that UA has found a direction, especially given the naysayers around here for whom UA can do no good. This is fantastic.

codc10 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:03 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 18):
I am so underwhelmed.

Hardly the product that will leap frog the competition and will remain relevant during its 10+ year lifespan.

This is merely a catch up.

It's really the density that's a concern. The soft product, however, at first blush, appears to be better than AA/DL.

Of course, that makes it ripe for cutback during the impending downturn when the product doesn't drive the revenue premium United hopes it will.

STT757 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:04 pm

Will these be deployed on the PS and International 752s?

commavia · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:09 pm

Quoting codc10 (Reply 21):
The soft product, however, at first blush, appears to be better than AA/DL.

How? (Not being sarcastic - I'm genuinely asking.)

What of this new Polaris soft product isn't already substantially similar to what AA or Delta already offer or soon will offer?

Soft duvet, light blanket, slippers and pajamas, regional menus, Sommelier-curated wines, ice cream, wine flights and mid-flight hot snacks in the air, plus "custom-designed" chairs and daybeds, "spa-like" showers, "chef-inspired" meals, snacks and water in the lounges. I've had every single one of those things on AA and/or Delta with the exception of the "chef-inspired," seated-at-tables meals at the lounges, but of course AA already announced that same thing three months ago.

Reading through the press release, it sounds like the big difference is the "gel-cooled pillow" and perhaps a piece of chocolate with the pre-departure beverage.

FriscoHeavy · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:20 pm

Great product and lovely colors.

It's mind boggling that so many people don't like it or are "underwhelmed". Get with the program. It's a very very nice update and will be very comfortable.

Amazing -- someone always has something to complain about.

Polot · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:21 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 18):
Hardly the product that will leap frog the competition and will remain relevant during its 10+ year lifespan.

I'm not exactly sure how you can "leap frog" current business class hard products while still remaining business class with suitable density. The only major improvement I can think of that UA's seats could use is a bigger TV- but smaller is still fine considering you are sitting feet away from it, not across the room.

I think we are reaching a plateau on business class designs, with only minor refinements to the overall seat/layout. Most of the newer seat "innovations" seem to be in the extreme upper end of the market (i.e. EY Apartments) or in the Y+ market.

LAXintl · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:21 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 19):
Did United need to "leap frog the competition," realistically?

IMO, when you are left on the back end of the upgrade cycle, just matching your peers will not move the needle much and still leaves you always playing catch up in some manner.

When UA rolled out IPTE, it was on the forefront of the new cabin race in the U.S, having put pressure on AA and DL to come up with something.

Today's move simply puts UA back in the same ball park with AA+DL, and something it will be stuck with for 10-15 years as competitors move onto better things much sooner most likely.

Overall this looks tight, too plasticky, and cheap based on the photos shared by OPer.

777ord · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:25 pm

definitely an improvement from the current product both CO and UA models.

ual777 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:26 pm

https://youtu.be/o8nKNY8U3do

UA put up a video.

DLPMMM · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:29 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 23):
pajamas

This is new for J class and not available on AA or DL.....but UA will only supply the PJs to J customers that request them on flights over 12 hours, so not that many flights.

commavia · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:30 pm

Quoting Polot (Reply 25):
I think we are reaching a plateau on business class designs, with only minor refinements to the overall seat/layout. Most of the newer seat "innovations" seem to be in the extreme upper end of the market (i.e. EY Apartments) or in the Y+ market.

That's where I am, too - outside of extreme examples that are simply not feasible for U.S. airlines, anyway, I think carriers are beginning to push up against the physical limits of what is realistically economically viable inside of an airplane cross section, and I'm not really how much more it can be improved, beyond perhaps some minor or cosmetic elements.

Stitch · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:31 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 26):
Today's move simply puts UA back in the same ball park with AA+DL, and something it will be stuck with for 10-15 years as competitors move onto better things much sooner most likely.

A fair point, but when have the US3 ever really been the world leaders in premium cabins?

If they're competitive with each other, it will keep the frequent fliers and corporate accounts happy, which is where the real revenue is for the US3 in terms of premium cabin.

a380787 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:32 pm

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 29):

This is new for J class and not available on AA or DL.....but UA will only supply the PJs to J customers that request them on flights over 12 hours, so not that many flights.

On UA's route map, that's actually quite a lot of flights, more so than DL or AA. Out of EWR alone there will be 7 or so routes that qualifies for this amenity, to say nothing of the massive TPAC networks out of SFO LAX ORD.

cosyr · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:34 pm

I am really happy with this product, but I guess that means they are not going to follow AA and DL by introducing W class on a new plane type arriving this year. I've been patient for a long time, but it may be worth finally defecting.

commavia · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:39 pm

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 29):
This is new for J class and not available on AA or DL

Both AA and Delta offer pajamas in J on LAX-SYD, and AA specifically mentioned with that introduction that it was "with the thought of eventually rolling these out on other longer-haul flights."

I don't dispute that United might be the first to announce the widespread rollout of this amenity, but they're by no means the first to offer it at all. Again, both of their main U.S. competitors have been doing so since at least last year.

[Edited 2016-06-02 08:42:56]

Alitalia744 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:39 pm

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 29):

This is new for J class and not available on AA or DL.....but UA will only supply the PJs to J customers that request them on flights over 12 hours, so not that many flights.

DL has been providing pajamas on several DTW-Asia and LAX-SYD/Asia flights recently. Rumors are to be deployed across all D1 flights (except transcontinental) in the future....

runway23 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:40 pm

Any reason why these seats are not being retrofitted to the 752, 764, 788 and 789s (at least they aren't mentioned on the press release).

ldvaviation · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:43 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 3):
The seats and lounges look nice - pretty much like all the other new longhaul premium stuff AA and Delta are in the process of installing.

Not the same at all.

As I suspected, to maximize space not every seat is the same. The outside, window, aisle seats have no console to insulate them from the cold air. The inside, window, aisle seat is too exposed to the aisle.

The middle seats have very little sense of space. The inside, middle seats are right up against each other, with only a partition between them. The shell of the inside, middle seat projects into the space of the outside, middle seat. This is most apparent when the outside seat is in the upright position.

The window-side seats also have the defect I noted in the other thread. In the upright position, they are very close together. As for the middle seats, it is unclear whether those seats have the same defect. What is clear is that there is very little sense of space between them.

Altogether, I suspect that this is a much tighter layout than the one that is typical with the SuperDiamond.

(It should also be noted that Acumen designed and Zodiac manufactured AA's now-defunct Concept D seat. As such, they do not have a good track record with engineering and manufacturing seats in a very tight layout such as the new United Polaris seat.)

[Edited 2016-06-02 09:39:57]

cosyr · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:44 pm

Quoting runway23 (Reply 36):

Any reason why these seats are not being retrofitted to the 752, 764, 788 and 789s (at least they aren't mentioned on the press release).

My guess is because they are so far down the retrofit schedule that they don't want to imply they could be flying this seat on those planes next year. I am surprised they didn't mention the 764. The 788/789 are so new, and the seats are acceptable compared with the pmUA J seats that are much more of a priority, as is consolidating products on the 777's. I bet the issue with the 752 is 16 seats won't fit in the front section, so depending on how much longer they'll be in the fleet, it will take some different reconfiguration.

qf002 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:44 pm

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 29):
This is new for J class and not available on AA or DL

AA and DL both started providing pyjamas on selected routes (such as LAX-SYD) at the end of last year.

lesfalls · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:45 pm

Impressive! Finnaly UA is changing for the good! Pity that they didn't introduce a new economy class though

YYZYYT · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:47 pm

Quoting AeroVega (Reply 5):
Mine of a nuclear missile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-27_Polaris

My thought was that these seats would be welcome on this:

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Richard28 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:51 pm

the seats look pretty decent, but the colour scheme sucks...

to much bland grey, and the blue touches look cheap and like an afterthought..

May look better once installed... lets see.

MSPNWA · Thu Jun 02, 2016 3:58 pm

Looks very nice. Exciting to see UA finally move towards an all-aisle access crowd, and this should at least put them in a competitive position with the best out there. And I'm very glad they shied away from reverse herringbone. On the surface, this should be a large improvement over any of DL's current offerings, and it could be a step-up from AA's best. And for those that despise reverse herringbone, this won't even be comparison.

AABB777 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:28 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 19):
Quoting LAXintl (Reply 18):
I am so underwhelmed.

Hardly the product that will leap frog the competition and will remain relevant during its 10+ year lifespan.

This is merely a catch up.

Agree. Reading through the press release and browsing the new Polaris website, it seems - at least to me - that every aspect of this is very much a "catch up" to where AA and Delta were already heading, in terms of both hard and soft product, on the ground and in the air.

But that seems fine - what United announced looks like a solid, competitive offering. And I think that's perfectly good enough. Did United need to "leap frog the competition," realistically? When I think of what the "standard" for longhaul premium cabins was even just a decade ago let alone several decades ago, it's hard to imagine how any U.S. carrier - given intractable economic and competitive realities - could radically alter today's "standard."

While this is certainly a better product than what UA currently offers, it's by no means an industry-leading product as some had hoped. To me the seat seems a bit claustrophobic and it also resembles the EY Business Studio.

I'm happy to see US airlines stepping up their game and seriously competing with foreign carriers from an onboard product perspective.

ldvaviation · Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:28 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 26):
Overall this looks tight, too plasticky, and cheap based on the photos shared by OPer.

I just saw the picture of Oscar sitting in the seat.

It is even tighter than it looked to me at first.

jsnww81 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:28 pm

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 26):
IMO, when you are left on the back end of the upgrade cycle, just matching your peers will not move the needle much and still leaves you always playing catch up in some manner.

When UA rolled out IPTE, it was on the forefront of the new cabin race in the U.S, having put pressure on AA and DL to come up with something.

Today's move simply puts UA back in the same ball park with AA+DL, and something it will be stuck with for 10-15 years as competitors move onto better things much sooner most likely.

Agree. As in so many other regards, United still seems to want to follow its competitors once a concept has been fully proven. It's insanity that they've been receiving Dreamliners with the old, less competitive product, but they were on the front end of the last J upgrade cycle and had to see that investment through.

By the same token, though, think back to 2006 when American hastily threw together a new J seat in response to United, and AA fliers got stuck with the clunky, angled monstrosities that are now finally - FINALLY - getting replaced. By waiting, United is incorporating the best of today's design features into its seat, rather than gambling on tomorrow's features. It's not what everyone on this site would have liked, but that's the business decision they made, and it's a relatively sound one.

And of course, all the new seats in the world can't fix sloppy, inconsistent, careless J class in-flight service, which all three US carriers provide in spades. How much training are crews receiving on what this new product stands for and what the service expectations are going to be, and how will they be held accountable for delivering it? Without a plan there, this is just a fancy new seat that comes with a lot of broken promises.

airzim · Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:35 pm

Quoting ldvaviation (Reply 37):
As I suspected, to maximize space not every seat is the same. The outside (window), aisle seats have no console to insulate them from the cold air. The inside, aisle seat is too exposed to the aisle. The middle seats have very little sense of space. (Compare the Polaris middle seat in sleep mode to the SuperDiamond middle seat and you will see what I mean. On the SuperDiamond, the shell of one seat does not intrude into the shoulder space of the seat in front of it. )

I think this is the definition of nit-picking. Looking for small, nearly irrelevant details, to justify a prejudicial negative opinion that was formed way before these seats were shown for the first time. My favorite is, "the outside (window), aisle seats have no console to insulate them from the cold air." I've been flying for nearly 40 years and I can't think of one example where "cold air" was bothersome in a window seat. Maybe in 12A a ERJ-145 in the exit row. But this is really grasping at straws when a blanket might solve any perceived "cold air"

In fact, the middle seat arrangement solves the issues around couples traveling together that actually want to talk. I think they've done a nice job given the multitude of requirements/constraints.

But if you're a AA/DL loyalist, it's hard to give any positive credit where it's due.

codc10 · Thu Jun 02, 2016 4:52 pm

Quoting commavia (Reply 23):

I haven't flown the product, obviously, but if the renderings are to be believed, the mattress pads, pillows, pajamas, preflight dining, wine flights, and the appearance of the serviceware are, IMO, are more impressive-looking. Of course it's a matter of taste, but the catering presentation in the promotional materials is much nicer than currently, and is more aligned with D1. I don't think AA does a great job of this at present... though they are much better than United's current iteration of J.

It is by no means miles ahead of AA and DL, but you can point to some aspects right off the bat where I think United is trying to raise the stakes just a bit.

nyc2theworld · Thu Jun 02, 2016 5:18 pm

So now we have Polaris Lounges and United Clubs. Since the Polaris lounge is for premium cabin customers (of which united will only have business) what does this mean for *Alliance benefits.

Will the new Polaris Lounges be the designated *Gold lounge for partners or will they stick with the United Club, or both?

Who is online

Popular Searches On Airliners.net