Review: United’s Old 787-9 Polaris From Washington Dulles to Munich
The Flight At A Glance:
| Aircraft: | Boeing 787-10 |
| Origin: | Washington Dulles International Airport |
| Destination: | Munich Airport |
| Flight Time: | 8h 5m |
| Date: | June 12, 2020 |
| Class of Service: | Polaris Business Class |
| Airline: | United Airlines |
| Flight Rating | 78/100 |
| Flight Number: | UA106 |
| Seat Number: | 5A |
| Time of Departure: | 5:30 PM |
| Time of Arrival: | 7:35 AM |
| Departure Terminal: | Concourse C |
| Aircraft Tail Number: | N26960 |
Pre-Flight
Originally, we booked an itinerary from Washington to Hannover in Germany for 77,000 United miles in Business Class on Lufthansa via Munich, as United didn’t actually have any award availability on their own flights to Germany on the required dates (which generally would have been cheaper in miles). However, Lufthansa later then canceled their Munich to Washington flight (because of COVID; they will resume it shortly), we were automatically transferred over to Lufthansa’s Dulles to Frankfurt flight with a different connecting flight with a 12-hour layover in Frankfurt.
However, then they canceled the afternoon Frankfurt to Hannover flight, and then we would have only had a 50-minute layover in Frankfurt with this new itinerary on the morning Hannover flight (with no better connecting options), which, if you know Frankfurt Airport, is not doable unless the flight is somehow an hour early. So then we called United and they were able to re-book us on United’s flight to Munich on a 787-8 (in business) for no extra charge, which would have been ideal. However, a couple of days before our flight, United changed the equipment for our flight from a 787-8, all of which now have United’s new Polaris seats, to a 787-9, of which only a few aircraft have the new Polaris seats (and of course, we got the plane with United’s old Diamond seats).
Anyway, there are two takeaways from this: firstly, within only two months our plane or itinerary changed five times, which is a first for me and is truly a sign of the times. And secondly, while this is most definitely one of the most extreme first world problems, United’s new Polaris seats really are miles ahead of their old Diamond seats, and for 77,000 miles (which isn’t nothing), it was somewhat of a disappointment to get a plane with their old seats.
We arrived at the airport about two hours before the flight, and check-in was (only fairly) efficient as always in United’s Premier Access lane but was without any problems. I’ve covered the United ground experience at Dulles many times, so I won’t go as in-depth here. Afterward, we headed through TSA Pre-Check and toward the United Club by gate C7, which was very crowded, largely as United has kept its two other lounges in Concourse C closed for some reason (the only other United Club open is in Concourse D). The food selection there was not amazing but also wasn’t terrible, with all offerings being packaged in individual containers, a difference from normal times. The selections included chips (of which there were many types), Milano cookies, along with a few other packaged items (I’ll be honest, I forgot what else was there, which is why I really should have taken a photo. Problematically, I always feel awkward taking pictures in a crowded airport lounge…).
We then headed to our gate at C6, which was conveniently right across from the lounge. There was a long line for document checks (because of COVID), though we had done the check already at check-in. Boarding commenced about 10 minutes late at 4:50.
The Flight:
After I entered the cabin I was given a package of cleaning wipes (standard for all planes now) and headed left into the first of two business class cabins. This was my second time flying United’s “old” 787-9 business class; the first time was back in 2015 to Australia which we booked with United’s semi-famed “R Class” fares (aka using miles and money to upgrade). I honestly remembered the cabin as being a lot bigger (though I was a lot smaller back then) and the seats a lot nicer (though that was only my second time ever flying business class, so I understandably was much more excited back then). I don’t like complaining about business class at all simply because it’s always a privilege, though undoubtedly, United’s new Polaris seats are significantly better than their older Diamond seats.
The first thing I noticed when entering the cabin was the mood lighting and all of the dimmed windows, which are both standard and unique features onboard the 787, which I felt helped create a better atmosphere while boarding. The seats were configured in a 2-2-2 configuration and were fully flat and used the highly standard B/E Aerospace Diamond seats. The first cabin between Doors 1 and 2 has 5 rows and the cabin behind Door 2 has 3 rows. These seats were debuted with Continental and once United merged with Continental the seats became management’s top choice for new wide-body aircraft, of course, until Polaris debuted in 2016-2017.
The seats are the second generation of Diamond seats that United took delivery of, with the first generation having slightly different seat controls. One (very minor) detail that was curiously missing was remote controls with a touchscreen, which I had previously thought was a standard feature on the 787-9, though United has moved away from them on their newer aircraft (unfortunately), so that might be an explanation.
In terms of comfort, the seats were somewhat tight, as they have somewhat narrow footwells, in contrast to a seat such as the Safran Aura. However, the armrest can be lowered, which I felt increased the amount of personal space while sleeping drastically. There are also a privacy partition and table in between the seats. In terms of storage, there is a little cubby behind the seat, which was practical for storing water bottles, the amenity kit, etc, while there was also a literature pocket and cubby on the side that was practical to store a phone.
Overall, the seats were fairly comfortable, though, for an airline trying to be the “flag carrier” of the US, they clearly are not up to standards. Fortunately, United is in the process of installing their Polaris seats onboard their 787s, so these seats won’t be around for too much longer.
In terms of entertainment, the screen was fairly crisp, though clearly wasn’t of the same quality as United’s newer 787-10 Polaris screens. I also like United’s new entertainment interface, which I find to be more intuitive than their older versions. One of my favorite things about flying US airlines (namely United, Delta, American) is that the entertainment selection is always far better (generally, with some exceptions, such as Emirates) than those of most foreign carriers, with hundreds of movies to choose from.
United now has Team USA Olympic amenity kits, which had all of the standard items expected (i.e. toothpaste, a toothbrush, hand cream, etc.), though wasn’t industry-leading by any means. What I liked was the drawstring bags provided which are much more useful beyond the flight than your standard amenity kit.
The best thing about United Polaris always is the amenities and bedding, and this flight proved no exception. At the seat was a large pillow and United’s signature (and fantastic for sleeping) Cool Gel Pillow, a combination that I would argue is among the best in the world. The Polaris duvet is also quite comfortable, though United’s old standard day blanket wasn’t present, and I fear that it probably won’t ever come back (though I could be mistaken). I mean, this really is a very small complaint, as I never had much use for the smaller blanket anyways as I felt like the duvet did the job well on its own. Later on during the flight, I requested a mattress pad, which was exceedingly comfortable and made the seat feel significantly more like a bed.
Unfortunately, at about 5:30, when we were supposed to depart, the captain came on the PA and said that we would be about 30 minutes late because there were a few more connecting passengers that were having document issues (fair enough, given the times). I would imagine that nowadays this would be a fairly common issue, given the travel restrictions and requirements in place.
At about 6:00, we started pushing back from the gate, only to taxi forward five minutes later back to the gate, which, according to the captain, was because there were a few more bags missing. Again, fair enough, though clearly, United’s logistics could improve. I honestly didn’t really mind the delay because we had a 4-hour layover and because the later we took off, the more tired I would be when trying to go to sleep (going to sleep at 6:30 is not exactly easy for someone like me). And plus, I don’t really mind spending an extra hour on an airplane :).
At 6:25, we finally pushed back and headed to runway 1R, which is fairly standard for European departures. We followed United’s flight to Brussels and a couple of other regional aircraft, along with a United 767-300 in a Star Alliance livery, which I flew on in 2016. Interestingly, that plane was now heading to London and departed from Terminal B, which United flights historically have never departed from. It seems as if all of United’s flights now fly out of Terminal B, along with a couple of other domestic flights. I’m not sure of the exact reason for this, but I would imagine that it would have to do with gate constraints and that there is more room in Terminal B as fewer airlines fly to Dulles now.
We finally took off at about 6:40 and headed up through the fairly low clouds en route to Munich. Before we took off, a flight attendant came around to ask what I wanted for dinner. There were only three options (I think there was also a pasta and a fish dish), though I selected the short ribs, which I find United generally does a fine job with. A minor complaint is that United doesn’t offer menus (because of COVID cutbacks) in Polaris, though many airlines such as Lufthansa still do; I personally find that it is past time to bring them back.
Meals were served approximately 30 minutes after takeoff, which was a fairly impressive rate. The entire meal was served on one tray, due to COVID cutbacks, though I personally liked that on such a short (relatively speaking, of course) red-eye flight. Besides the main meal, the dish consisted of a side salad, a cold pretzel roll (which was quite disappointing), some (not heated) assorted nuts, and a delicious mango sorbet. The actual short rib was honestly quite good and is definitely among the best meals I’ve ever eaten on United; the meat was very soft and was not too well done (which is hard on planes) and generally just fell apart, while the sauce was also delicious. The dish was served with rice, which wasn’t the best in the world, along with carrots and broccoli.
After the meal and about an hour after takeoff, I requested the mattress pad, which I personally think is the best offering of United Polaris and gives them a huge advantage over Delta and American. I know I’ve emphasized it in previous reviews and in this one, but I really do appreciate United’s bedding (especially the mattress pad), which really makes the seat much more comfortable. I think that on long-haul and especially shorter transatlantic red-eye flights (where sleeping is the priority), bedding is (again, just in my opinion) more important than the food or even the seat. Maybe I’m just being a fan of United Airlines, but United’s bedding really makes Polaris shine in comparison to American, Delta, Lufthansa, etc.
Overall, I slept fairly well and woke up about 45 minutes before landing. I, therefore, missed breakfast, though I generally only try to eat one meal on such short transatlantic flights as to maximize sleep (i.e. on flights departing at 5-6, I generally would eat breakfast, and on flights departing at around 10, I generally eat breakfast). Plus, only 5 hours after dinner, I’m not really hungry for any food; I ended up eating breakfast later in the Lufthansa Lounge.
We landed in Munich about 30 minutes late at 8:00 AM as we were able to make up some time. We taxied through the unusually sunny weather of Munich (for me, as I usually am in Germany only in the winter) and parked at the northern end of Terminal 1, which is where United usually departs from at Munich. Immigration was very quick and efficient, and then we headed to the Lufthansa Business Lounge before our connecting flight.
Conclusion
I would say that this flight was highly satisfactory for a quick transatlantic flight, though wasn’t exceptional by any means. It was unfortunate that we had an aircraft swap resulting in having United’s old business class seats, though they were generally comfortable enough for a quick transatlantic flight. I would also say that, despite there being reduced service due to COVID, the food was slightly above average for United, which I appreciated. As always, what stuck out to me was United’s fantastic bedding in Polaris.
