The United Airlines 787-8 and 787-9 fleet will soon start its Polaris conversion process. The update will give the twin-aisle aircraft the company’s updated business class seats as well as add the Premium Plus premium economy product. Both of these changes should generally be seen as improvements for passengers flying the long-haul routes the planes focus on. But for regular economy class passengers the changes mean more seats and fewer EconomyPlus extra legroom options on board.
United’s 787-8 cuts business class, boosts economy seat count
For the 787-8 the retrofit means a reduced business class capacity of just 28 seats in the Polaris Cabin, down from 36 in the current layout. The planes will still feature a mini-cabin behind the 2L/R doors, but just one “cluster” of 8 seats in that section. The Premium Plus cabin adds three rows for a total of 21 premium economy seats on board. But the biggest changes come in the economy class cabins.
On the current 787-8 layout United offers 183 seats, 70 of which offer extra leg room for EconomyPlus customers. In the newer layout a total of 194 economy class seats fill the cabin. Only 36 (or 34 if the 3L/R exit windows are still excluded) of these appear to be EconomyPlus layout. For passengers willing to pay a little extra for a little extra room on board – or for United’s MileagePlus elite members who get E+ assignments for free – the reduced inventory of these seats is a big blow to their chances for a more comfortable on-board experience. Unless, of course, they splurge for the Premium Plus seats.
Comparing the seat maps it appears that pitch will be reduced in the rear section of the plane. An extra row is being added in the outboard sections, albeit just two seats up against the rear lavs rather than three.
In total the new 787-8 layout for United Airlines carries a total of 243 passengers, up from the current 219.
United’s 787-9 sees more economy seats on board
On the 787-9 the changes are similar to the 788, though not quite as drastic. The Polaris cabin offers the same 48 seats in the new layout as it does in the current configuration, though now with direct aisle access for all passengers. The Premium Plus cabin will be the same 3 rows on the 787-9 as on the 787-8 (and 787-10).
For economy class the current layout is split 88/116 between Economy Plus and regular economy class seating. In the new layout the E+ section drops by more than half to just 42 seats, while economy gets a 30 seat boost to 146.
In total the new 787-9 layout carries 257 passengers compared to 252 on the older configuration.
Fewer Lavs on board
For both new layouts United is removing lavatories as part of the cabin densification project. Both the 787-8 and –9 offer economy class passengers bathroom options at doors 3L/R and 4L/R today. On the new 788 layout the lavs mid-cabin are removed while on the new 789 arrangement the rear lavs disappear. As a small win, the mid-cabin lavs on United’s 787-9 will now offer an option for passengers with reduced mobility.
Update: It appears that the 788 will still have a mid-cabin lav for PRM, similar to the 789. Still not a great ratio overall, but not quite as bad as it seemed initially.
On the 787-8 United will reduce the premium cabin lav count by one. Both lavs are at the front of the aircraft. This can be somewhat justified by the reduced total seat count in that cabin. For Premium Plus passengers it will be a long walk to the back of the 788 to get to a restroom.
On the 787-9 the forward cabin keeps its three lavs, though the layout shifts, putting two in the front galley rather than just one. And Premium Plus travelers only have to walk half way back to find a loo.
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Wow! Barely a week after Scott Kirby is officially announced as incoming CEO and the “US Airwaysization” of United is already underway.
I mean where does one begin!
– Fewer lavs!
– EVEN MORE impossibly small & narrow “no legroom” Economy seats at even less pitch (for ultra-long hauls no less [yes, all those emoji’s apply])
[Shameful, absolutely SHAMEFUL]
– Fewer E+ seats (the fewer & more scarce they are, combined with an even more intentionally horrible Main Cabin [think: E minus, minus in terms of sadism], the more demand there will be – but with fewer seats, the higher the upcharge will be)!
– Fewer Biz Class seats. Again, the fewer the seats, the more that can be charged especially with so many poor souls desperate to escape hideously horrible conditions in steerage.
Only positive I can say from this is that this is a perfect example of the expression “Be careful what you wish for!” – since this is the price one must pay for whining like little spoiled brats demanding so much privacy and “All Aisle Access” aboard single decked aircraft that when conceived last decade were NEVER INTENDED to outfitted with so few seats per row that take up so much space.
Indeed, this NEXT LEVEL GREED & ARROGANCE is a perfect example as to why if passengers want to have these types of spacious, all access, private suites (which I’m perfectly fine with provided they’re placed aboard aircraft like a 747-8 or A380 that do NOT UNFAIRLY TARGET Economy class passengers with these types of loathsome, sadistic & WHOLLY UNACCEPTABLE – and possibly dangerous [DVT, anyone?] – cabins), then they must also demand that the airlines they fly buy aircraft that are designed to properly accommodate these types of luxurious configurations without placing an unfair, and again, possibly even dangerous & unsafe burdens on Economy class passengers.
Make no mistake, unless one is in Biz Class, Premium Economy & kinda sorta E+ these horrifically configured 787s will surely be total “Nightmareliners” for those poor, unfortunate souls being abused by a greedy, soulless airline that’s all too happy to profit at their misery.
With examples like this, more and more, the case for **REREGULATION** of our airlines becomes more compelling.
For this is the embodiment of greed & arrogance at it’s worst.
And it’s only possible because there’s too few airlines, with little or no real meaningful choices for flyers anymore.
We need new entrants, who are provided with sufficient gates, facilities & slot pairs via forced divestitures at congested airports; forced divestitures to reduce a grotesquely, overly concentrated industry – or REREGULATION itself.
Because this is next level insanity for the types of long haul missions this plane is mostly used for.
I have long avoided flying the 787 (and densified 777s) unless in a premium cabin (their horribly narrow seats & limb clogged super narrow aisles have been experienced/sampled first hand, though) already.
And for sure, all the more so with horrible configurations like these.
Anyone who thought Scott Kirby wouldn’t embark on a campaign to do to United what he did to American – take notice: he’s not even officially CEO yet & the destruction is already underway⚠️
Just sayin’
I’d argue that Kirby has been responsible for most of the product changes since he arrived at United. Becoming CEO is much less about that stuff than about investor and employee relations. And I think those areas will suffer, but we haven’t seen that happen yet.
Agree 100%!
But still, coming after announcement of current CEO, Oscar Munoz, passing the baton in May kinda bares the “fingerprints” of the mastermind (industry professionals/reporters/savvy travelers will easily recognize as Kirby’s) for the dastardly deed of turning the vice on what surely won’t be the last sharp twists of Kirby’s favorite tool in his bag of tricks – the aircraft “densification” vise – if his well known reputation, not to mention the abysmal & loathed (so NOT an) “Oasis” cabins aboard mainline aircraft at his last gig for American Airlines is any indication of what’s in store for beleaguered flyers as Kirby takes more and more control as United’s “official” (instead of shadow) CEO 5 or so months from now…
These changes have been in the works for months and have absolutely nothing (like, 0.0) to do with Kirby becoming CEO. They probably have quite a bit to do with Kirby, just totally irrelevant to last week’s announcement.
Mixed feelings. I have long argued (hoped/waited) for UA to introduce Premium Economy on the 788/789 fleet because I have been unwilling to subject myself to long flights in the economy cabin (I did a red eye years ago when the 788 was new, rubbing shoulders with a stranger in E+ all night long, and neither of us was built like a football player). So now, if the price is right, I can finally fly UA long haul again on revenue tickets.
But on the other hand I am not thrilled that the march towards less and less comfort tor economy passengers continues. I remember crossing the Atlantic on UA’s then-new 772s in E+ with good leg and shoulder room in a 2-5-2 config back in the late 90s. Now that I am 20 years older, my body just won’t let me do these trips in today’s configurations.
Yeah, it is hard to see any scenario where PremY is added and E+ doesn’t suffer as a result. Still, I’m a little surprised at just how many extra seats the 788 ends up with on board.
Also agree 100%.
I’m 5’8”, still reasonably fit enough to wear W33/L32 Levi’s jeans, with 18” width at the shoulders.
And just 2-months ago on what turned out to be an approximately 6-hour flight (due to heavy rains & high winds at NY’s JFK that had us doing an extra hour’s worth of “old school” circling just off the New Jersey after a gate hold in Mexico City before taking off) stuck in the window seat (thankfully in a 34.5” pitch Comfort+ row – whew!) aboard Delta’s 757-200 rubbing shoulders/ arms with the very pleasant, but an even more petite female middle seat passenger next to me that had us rubbing bare skin against each other when I didn’t take time out deliberately leaning against the wall so she didn’t feel like the total stranger next to her was unaware of boundaries within the tight/cramped space for the 4.5 hours’ flight that had us seated together for 6 hours instead, I was yet again reminded of just how horribly uncomfortable, not to mention wholly inappropriate it is to expect most older than a middle school aged person, to squeeze into a 17.2” wide seat – especially for flights longer than 2, maybe 3 at most, hours.
It’s just NOT appropriate – and it suggests a subtle form of sexism, misogyny, arrogance – or for some, perhaps, creepy old man’s pervy-ness, by expecting total strangers to rub shoulders for 3, 4 and more hours’ long flights, much less the ultra-long haul, often overnight “red eye” slogs aboard darkened cabins.
Sheesh.
Sorry, but whenever possible, it’s back to my long standing preference/policy for Airbus’s with 18” wide Economy class seats ONLY for flights longer than 3 hours that cannot be upgraded to PE or the pointy end as this recent 6 hours MEX-JFK flight in a 17.2” wide C+ seat just was too confining for my hardly broad 18” shoulder width.
I mean, seriously! We would NEVER buy furniture too small to sit in or sleep in; or clothes & shoes that are too small for our bodies to fit into or to walk in.
So, why are we being expected to pay good money for seats too narrow and small for most people older than a 5th grader to fit into, or to use lavatories most can barely squeeze into – and some have even gotten stuck once inside when nature calls?
After all, did anyone else notice how NEITHER American Airlines’ CEO, Doug Parker NOR NBC Evening News’ anchor, Lester Holt, could fit – even when sitting sideways so they could face each other across an empty seat when they recorded their interview segment in the middle 4 seats of an AA 3-4-3 densified 777?
So, if the CEO of the airline cannot fit in the seats aboard his own airline’s aircraft, why should flyers be expected to pay for a product that the CEO cannot even use him/herself?
Ridiculous!