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United Airlines is bringing its most premium planes to four more long-haul routes.
This fall, the carrier will debut its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with the “Elevated” interior at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
This is the aircraft that has United’s brand-new Polaris business-class suites with sliding privacy doors — and eight of the ultraluxe Polaris Studio suites.
The whole cabin, though, offers a refresh from United’s current long-haul fleet, and includes what the airline has deemed the largest economy seatback screens in the world.
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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
More routes for United’s new ‘Elevated’ Dreamliners
Currently, you’ll only find the posh 787 on two long-haul routes: from San Francisco to Singapore and London.
But with more of these high-end planes joining United’s fleet with every passing month, the aircraft is about to make its first appearance at the carrier’s Texas hub.
It’ll be phased onto routes to four different cities across four continents.
Starting Oct. 24, United’s new 787-9s will begin flying three routes out of Houston:
- IAH to Governor Andre Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) in Sao Paulo
- IAH to Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo
- IAH to Sydney Airport (SYD)
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Then, the Elevated Dreamliner will start service from IAH to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) just after the new year, on Jan. 5.
United’s poshest plane yet
This is United’s next-generation, long-haul aircraft, which sports a configuration that skews heavily toward the upper-echelon seats.
Across the Polaris business-class and Premium Plus (premium economy) cabins, there are a whopping 99 premium seats on board.
| Seating product | Seat count on United’s Boeing 787-9 Elevated Dreamliner |
|---|---|
Eight lie-flat suites in row 1 and in the first bulkhead row | |
Polaris business-class suites | 56 lie-flat suites across two cabins |
35 recliners | |
33 extra legroom seats | |
90 seats | |
222 seats |
The highlight of the new plane is certainly the two rows of brand-new, extra-spacious Polaris Studios, located in the first row and across the first bulkhead.
These pods have 27-inch 4K screens and come with a host of “soft product” upgrades, such as a caviar service. I was on board the inaugural long-haul flight with these suites back in April, and it certainly wasn’t a bad way to spend 17 hours in the sky en route to Singapore.
To access those seats, you’ll want to book a Polaris seat and then upgrade from there. Note that if you book the carrier’s new basic business (“Polaris Base”) fare, you won’t be eligible to upgrade.
Bottom line
United had already announced plans to (briefly) phase the Elevated 787-9 onto two additional routes from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) beginning earlier in September:
- SFO to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul
- SFO to Zurich Airport (ZRH)
After October, the plane will phase out the SFO-ICN route again, and the SFO-ZRH route will end for the winter season.
Both routes will see this plane in the future, though, the airline said.
As of March, United had expected to take delivery of 20 of these jets in 2026.
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