United Airlines Polaris Passenger Was Told That The Seat Buttons Don’t Work ‘All The Time’

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When Cathy realised the seat buttons were not working, a flight attendant was called over, and she explained that this ‘happens all the time’. Eventually, the seat was wrenched into the lie-flat position, with the seatbelt inaccessible. Unfortunately, the seat then got stuck in the fully reclined position, and the passenger had no choice but to remain in the fully horizontal position for the remainder of the 14-hour flight.

Cathy explained to the NY Times that, as there were no empty seats in business class or economy, she was forced to lie flat even during turbulence when seatbelts should have been fastened. When the passenger raised the issue that the seatbelt was inaccessible, flight attendants allegedly brushed off the issue.

Simple Flying reached out to United for comment, but an airline spokesperson was not immediately available.

The Polaris Seat Was Wrenched Back Into The Vertical Position For Landing

Credit: United Airlines

Before landing, two flight attendants came back to Cathy’s seat and were able to get it back into the vertical position for landing, and this freed up the seat belt. Cathy was not impressed with the experience and complained to United. The airline responded with what the passenger is claiming is a pittance offer, of just a $150 travel voucher. This was countered by Cathy asking for 250,000 miles, the equivalent of $3,000.

United responded with a $350 voucher, in addition to the original $150 and another $150 for her daughter, which the passenger has claimed is a huge disappointment and a poor experience when traveling in the airline’s premium product. This has led to the passenger writing to the NY Times for advice, and while Cathy’s experience is undoubtedly unfortunate, she likely got a better offer than most.

Had there been an available economy class seat on the flight to Beijing, it would have been likely in this scenario that Cathy would be downgraded, meaning a cash refund would be applicable. As per federal regulations, the airline would be required to offer a refund of the difference in fare between the fare paid and the cost of an economy class seat.

One recommendation is for passengers to always be familiar with the airline’s conditions of carriage, which stipulate that ancillary services or amenities are not always guaranteed.

United Airlines Flights To Beijing

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Looking at flight radar, currently, United deploys its Boeing 777-200ER family of aircraft between San Francisco and Beijing, with these widebody long-haul capable aircraft that cater to a total of 276 passengers across three classes. Configuration as below, as per the carrier’s website:

All seats onboard feature power outlets and USB ports, and complimentary seatback entertainment. WiFi is available for passengers, and you can also access entertainment onboard via your own personal device. The plane itself can reach a cruising speed of 550 miles per hour (885 kmph), and the flight duration from San Francisco to Beijing is usually completed in around 14 hours.

For Cathy, her experience on this United Airlines long-haul flight was less than ideal, and as the airline confirmed in the report by the NY Times, she will likely be well treated on her next long-haul flight to a potential upgrade to make up for the poor experience on this recent flight to China.