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As carriers around the world look to tap more heavily into the premium market, 
United Airlines has made waves this year with the introduction of its Elevated interior onboard certain examples of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Those modern and luxurious planes have just 222 seats onboard across three classes, with some 99 of these being in business class and premium economy.
As far as the deployment of these special 787s is concerned, United is targeting long-haul corridors with the highest levels of premium demand. It recently revealed four more routes for the type, bringing its overall total to eight as it continues rolling out the Elevated interiors on the 787-9.
Four Routes From Houston Have Been Added
United’s most recent additions to its Elevated route network for the 787-9 were announced last week, when it was revealed that the type is set to be deployed on four routes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). From its hub, the aircraft will begin flying to São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo Narita as soon as October 2026.
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Thereafter, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will be added to United’s Elevated route network from Houston on January 5, 2027. By the end of next year, United reportedly expects some 30 787-9s with these interiors to be in service. Andrew Nocella, the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at United, spoke about the aircraft earlier this year.
“We never stand still and are always looking for more ways to set ourselves apart from other carriers. And we’re confident this elevated experience will take international flying to new heights.”
San Francisco Was The Launch Hub
Houston will be the second of United’s hubs from which it will deploy its premium-heavy Dreamliners. Indeed, these jets are already in service at 
San Francisco International Airport (SFO). From here, United began operating Elevated 787-9 flights to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) on April 22. LHR followed eight days later, on April 30.
Going forward, United plans to add two more Elevated routes from SFO before the year is over. According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland will be the first to be added, with daily flights commencing on September 8. Seoul Incheon (ICN) will then be added on September 15.
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These premium-heavy flights between San Francisco and South Korea’s capital will also operate daily. According to ch-aviation, United currently has a grand total of 58 787-9s at its disposal (plus 74 on order) with an average age of 6.2 years. Of these, the youngest 10 units already have Elevated interiors installed.
What’s It Like Onboard?
As noted, United has configured its Elevated 787-9s with just 222 seats onboard. 64 of these can be found in the luxurious Polaris business class cabin, which is laid out in an angled four-abreast (1-2-1) setup that offers direct aisle access at every seat. This cabin is split across two sections and stretches back 16 rows to the middle of the aircraft’s wings.
Behind it, the rear part of the second cabin section is occupied by 35 ‘Premium Plus’ premium economy recliners. As is standard for the 787’s premium economy seats, these are laid out seven-abreast in a 2-3-2 setup, and it should be noted that the rear row has no window. Meanwhile, the rear section of the jet’s cabin has 123 economy seats in the Dreamliner’s classic nine-abreast (3-3-3) seating configuration.
