Flying the 777-200 on a longhaul international United Airlines flight? You’ll no longer have to check the seat map to see which type of configuration you can expect in business class. United has completed its Polaris retrofit process and also added Premium Plus seats across its 777-200 longhaul fleet.
United Airlines Completes 777-200 Retrofits
In 2016, United began retrofitting its existing aircraft to install its new Polaris business class seat. This upgrade to a 1-2-1 seating configuration was particularly noteworthy on the 777-200, which featured 2-4-2 seating in business class on the legacy United variants and 2-2-2 on the ex-Continental variants.
All internationally-equipped 777-200s now include:
- 50 Polaris (business class)
- 24 Premium Plus (premium economy class)
- 46 Economy Plus (extra legroom economy)
- 156 Economy
Zach Griff notes there is one model, N77014, that has not been retrofitted. It is parked in long-term storage and may never come back into service. But if it does, it will not fly passengers until it is retrofitted.
So whether you are traveling so Asia, Europe, or South America, you can count on a Polaris cabin and Premium Plus if traveling on the 777-200.
What About The 777HD?
United still maintains a subfleet of 777-200 aircraft for domestic and leisure travel. These aircraft, known as 777HD or 777 high density, feature a 28-seat business class with the old 2-4-2 seats and a huge economy class section (78 Economy Plus, 258 in standard economy). They will not be retrofitted.
This month, for example, you can catch the 777HD on routes including (but not limited to):
- Chicago – Denver
- Houston – Denver
- Los Angeles – Honolulu
- San Francisco – Honolulu
- Chicago – Cancun (through December 16th)
- Washington – Cancun (December 17th – January 4th)
But if you are flying longhaul international, there is zero chance you will get this high-density configuration.
CONCLUSION
This moment certainly represents a milestone for United as it continues its retrofit work on existing aircraft. Expect a retrofit completion on the 767-300 and 787-8 by summer 2021 and the 787-9 by summer 2022.
