United Boeing 777-300ER to fly San Francisco-Hong Kong from March
By David Flynn, December 10 2016
United Airlines will begin flights of its new Boeing 777-300ER – with the Polaris business class seats – between San Francisco and Hong Kong from March 25, 2017, replacing an ageing Boeing 747 on the route.
It's the first international route for the factory-fresh birds, and will follow almost three months of domestic US runs between Newark and San Francisco from February 16 to May 4.
United has 14 Boeing 777-300ERs on order and expects them all to be flying before the end of 2017 as the Star Alliance member moves to simultaneously roll out its Polaris product and wind back its Boeing 747 jumbo jet fleet.
Fully-flat beds, large video screens, direct aisle access from every seat, upmarket meals and bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue are all part of the Polaris package, with 60 business class seats in the Boeing 777-300ER (along with 102 seats in Economy Plus and 204 in economy).
Read more: United Airlines launches new 'Polaris' business class seat
San Francisco and Hong Kong are both in line to see new Polaris business class lounges in 2017, with San Fran sporting a flagship split-level design which will take over the space currently used by the Singapore Airlines and EVA Air lounges.
Each Polaris lounge will feature a tended bar
Those lounges will be restricted to business class travellers (and first class, at least until United rips out all first class seats from its aircraft), with all Mileage Plus card-holders and Star Alliance Gold equivalents directed to the less salubrious United Club lounges.
Read more: 10 things you'll love about United's new Polaris airport lounges
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Moves by UA has got me thinking long and hard about the future and shape of loyalty. What is the airline business idea of loyalty.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
You still get access to a lounge. This seems like a very big rant just because you don't get access to their top lounge.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
I shudder to think what a rant is to you, if you believe an articulated explanation is a rant.
I fear you too have missed the point, that being that the competition has chosen to make available the best lounges to their most loyal members, where loyalty is defined in more traditional terms.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
By that logic, you should rant about not having access to CL when flying Qantas
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
Fair point, to an extent.
Are you suggesting however that Polaris and SIN Silver Kris lounges = QF CL = BA Concorde Room?
If that is your logic then one can naturally conclude that SIN Krisflyer Gold Lounge/United Club needs to be on par with QF First Lounge, QF Domestic Business Lounge and Galleries First Lounge.
Do you think SIN Krisflyer Gold and United Club are in fact on par with theses?
If they are not on par, does that not throw your logic?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2014
Total posts 124
Of course your loyalty is worth less flying economy. A few thousand less.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
But the competition does not subscribe to that belief. Do they expect the competition to move in that direction too?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Jun 2011
Total posts 88
The UA model is just a different model. It has advantages for some and disadvantages for others so it will attract or repel customers depending on their situation
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
I agree. I guess I'm curious as to the demand under this model given the more traditional model adopted by competitors.
We know SQ is in a unique situation being market leader for longest time, although one wonders if they remain so in light of ME3, but that's a separate discussion.
What is UA's strategy aping this model? If they feel they're able to do this in their current state, are they seeing a change in the competition landscape with respect to frequent flyer models?
We don't necessarily bat an eye lid when SQ or QR (annoyed but not surprised) does this. But UA? That's something else...
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