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United Airlines is now offering a new front-row business class seat with added space called ‘Polaris Studio’. It is the third airline in the US to jump on this increasingly popular trend, following in the footsteps of American Airlines’ ‘Flagship Preferred’ suites and JetBlue’s ‘Mint Studio’ before that.
It’s come as part of United’s latest update to its long-haul cabins, titled the ‘Elevated Interior’, and the planes on which it’s available are United’s most premium aircraft in recent years, featuring 64 Polaris suites (including eight Polaris Studios) and 35 Premium Plus seats. The new ‘Elevated Interior’ is debuting on United’s premium Boeing 787-9s, coded ’78L’, which feature just 222 seats and are currently flying from San Francisco to Houston and Washington-Dulles for crew familiarization.
On April 22, they’ll make their international debut from San Francisco to Singapore (UA1 and UA2), and will debut on the San Francisco to London route on April 30 (UA901 and UA900). United expects a total of 33 78L aircraft by 2028, with future 787-9s in a denser configuration, and 
Boeing 787-10s will also feature these interiors.
An Overview Of The United Polaris Studio
United Airlines is now taking delivery of new 78L aircraft with the Elevated Interior. These planes feature just 222 seats, divided between 64 Polaris suites, 35 Premium Plus seats, and 123 economy seats (including 39 Economy Plus seats). All cabins have been updated, with the biggest change coming to Polaris. United is switching from the Safran Optima to the Elevate Ascent, a popular reverse herringbone seat that comes with privacy doors and is highly customizable.
Notably, however, the center suites in the last eight rows of the 78L are configured in a herringbone layout. The Polaris Studio is a new front-row ‘business class plus’ offering. Located in rows one and nine, these seats eliminate the bulky monuments that are traditionally needed for footwells. In place of the monument, the Polaris Studios include a larger 27-inch (68.6 centimeter) screen, as well as roughly 25% more overall space.
In addition, six of the eight Polaris Studios on the 78L include a buddy seat (not present in seats 1D and 1F), while seats 9D and 9F offer a partial double bed. With the upgraded seat also comes upgraded service, as Polaris Studio passengers will receive exclusive pajamas and slippers, new headphones, upgraded amenities kits, a velvet throw pillow, and United-branded playing cards.
Furthermore, Polaris Studio passengers will receive upgraded catering, including caviar, Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, and a premium snack box. Such ticket holders also get access to the Global Reception area, priority boarding, and the occasional car transfer on the airport apron.
How Much Does United Want For The Polaris Studio?
The Polaris Studio is now flying on domestic routes and bookable for the San Francisco to Singapore and London routes. When booking with Google Flights, the product can be differentiated by its description of ‘Individual Suite’ rather than ‘Lie flat seat’, and United flags flights that offer the Polaris Studio. As for prices, however, United is currently charging a flat fee of $499 per segment to upgrade to the Polaris Studio from a standard Polaris ticket. This fee is the same regardless of distance or the original Polaris fare.
Currently, JetBlue is charging a flat fee of $199 per segment for the Mint Studio on domestic flights and $299 per segment on transatlantic routes, while 
American Airlines is not yet charging any fee for its Flagship Preferred seats. As a whole, however, it was generally expected that United would charge slightly more for this product and that it might move to dynamic pricing. It also remains to be seen if United sticks with this practice, as the carrier expands Polaris Studio and gathers more data on demand.
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US Airlines ‘Business Class Plus’ Pricing |
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JetBlue Mint Studio (A321neo/A321LR): $199 domestic, $299 transatlantic |
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American Flagship Preferred (787-9 ’78P’): No fee |
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United Polaris Studio (787-9 ’78L’): $499 |
Airlines as a whole are still figuring out how to price business class plus seats, given that it’s a relatively new product. Virgin Atlantic, as a comparison, prices its ‘Retreat Suite’ differently depending on the distance of the segment. Within United’s product offering, its most comparable product is Economy Plus, which consists of an economy seat with added legroom (but without upgraded service or amenities). Economy Plus tickets are dynamically priced, and the same is true of American’s Main Cabin Extra or Delta Comfort.
What United Airlines’ New Relax Row Economy Beds Will Likely Cost On Long-Haul Flights
These beds could come with an appealing price tag.
How Does This Fit In With The New Polaris Pricing?
In addition to the Polaris Studio, United Airlines has also rolled out new Polaris fare classes. It’s long been rumored that airlines were looking to unbundle business class, and some carriers have already begun to offer such tickets, like Emirates, while others have added new fees for services such as seat selection, like British Airways. On April 3, United announced three new fare classes for Polaris as well as Premium Plus, consisting of a base, standard, and flexible option.
Regarding the Polaris Studio, the base fare does not permit upgrading to the Polaris Studio, while upgrades are permitted with the standard and flexible fares. The $499 fee is consistent across the two fare classes, with the main differences being that the flexible tier offers a higher mileage earning rate and is fully refundable, whereas standard fares only give you travel credit. This same logic is applied to the Premium Plus standard and flexible fares, although both tiers allow you to upgrade to Polaris.
The base fare, on the other hand, not only restricts you from upgrading to the Polaris Studio, but it also comes with fees for seat selection. In addition, you do not earn miles from base Polaris fares and are not permitted entry to the Polaris lounges, although United Club access is granted instead. What’s more, flights booked on a base ticket do not count as Premier Qualifying Flights, and changes are not permitted, while the number of checked bags is limited to only one rather than two. The same logic applies to base Premium Plus fares as well.
Where To Find The Polaris Studio
United intends to take delivery of 33 787-9s featuring the Elevated Interior in the 78L subfleet, along with another 14 787-9s in a layout similar to the standard 257-seat 787-9 layout by 2028. United also holds orders for 56 787-10s, which will begin arriving in 2028 and will, in all likelihood, also feature the Elevated Interior. United’s current layout for the 787-10 only has a single Polaris cabin rather than two, and United would only be able to offer four Polaris Studios on the 787-10 if it retains the same layout.
United also holds orders for another 38 787-9s to come later. While the airline has yet to announce retrofit plans to its existing widebodies, it’ll likely want to do this to maintain a level of product consistency. American Airlines, which debuted its Flagship Suites in 2025, has since begun retrofitting its Boeing 777-300ER fleet with the same seats and has also announced plans to retrofit its entire 777-200ER fleet. While United’s 767s will soon be replaced by the 787 and its 777-200ERs will likely meet the same fate, its 777-300ER fleet is extremely young.
As for the 78L, these planes are serving a dual purpose of taking over ultra-long-haul routes and adding premium seats to other markets. With only 222 seats, gone will be the days of blocking seats on the route to Singapore, while United’s San Francisco-to-London service will benefit hugely from swapping a 777-200ER with 50 Polaris seats to the 78L. These planes are also a direct replacement for United’s 24-strong subfleet of 767-300ERs with 46 Polaris seats and only 167 seats in total.
What You’ll Find On United Airlines’ Luxuriously Retrofitted Boeing 767-300ERs
The widebody features a premium heavy configuration designed to create higher yields for the airline.
Why ‘Business Class Plus’ Is Becoming More Popular
The front-row monument in business class is heavy and adds no value. By replacing it with a gussied-up business class seat and then charging extra for it, airlines can boost revenue without sacrificing any floor space. While there is an increased cost in offering a business class plus, mainly from the upgraded service and amenities, this is relatively minor compared to the added revenue potential, and the trend is catching up. What some airlines are doing with upgraded front-row business class seats is instead branding them as an international first class product.
Starlux Airlinesand 
Etihad Airways are doing this with their Airbus A350 and A321LR jets, where first class consists of the same hard product as business class, but with added space, an ottoman, and higher walls. In addition, these seats come with first class service and amenities. With this, airlines can offer first class without dedicating floor space to a bespoke seat, which can take up twice as much space as business class.
While first class is expensive to operate, there remains demand in many markets for a product above first class. Introducing business class plus is a surefire way to address this demand in a manner that is also cost-effective. While it’s a new product, it’s one that’s sure to remain as airlines continue to chase premium demand.
