Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

After months of hype, United’s inaugural flight featuring the new Polaris hard product took off Thursday, with all the fanfare accompanying such an occasion. The carrier’s revamped product debuted on United’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER. United expects to put thirteen more 777-300ERs into service in 2017.

I’m sure the Polaris product makes for a wonderful flight between New York and San Francisco, but when will customers have a chance to experience the product for the first time on a long-haul international route? I’d be much more interested in flying Polaris on a route that makes more sense as an overnight.

United Polaris seat - from United website

United Polaris seat – from United website

Fortunately, the time and place of the United Polaris international debut have been known for a while. United’s first international flight featuring the revamped hard product will be on March 25, 2017 from San Francisco to Hong Kong. The new 77W planes will replace the aging 747-400s that fly the route, which United has planned on retiring anyway before the end of the year.

What to expect from Polaris

I recently flew Polaris First on a flight between SFO and Seoul on one of the old 747s. The route featured the Polaris soft product, but the hard product was one old Global first seats. The experience was pleasant, but I wouldn’t call it spectacular (SEE: United Polaris First SFO to ICN: A Review). I found that the food could use some improvement, but the rest of the service and amenities were great. I’m quite interested in flying the new hard product to see how the seat compares.

If you are interested in flying the new Polaris product, search either the hub-to-hub service between SFO and EWR, or the Hong Kong service starting late March. You’ll know which flights feature the product by the seat map, which shows a whopping 60 Polaris seats.

Featured image courtesy of Oliver Holzbauer under CC 2.0 license. 


Points With a Crew has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Points With a Crew and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them

User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.

BoardingArea