United Airlines says Polaris business class seats will be available on its three daily flights between London Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare from November 15.
The route its operated by B767-300ER aircraft, which United is retrofitting in a new premium-heavy configuration.
The planes will have 46 seats in business and 22 seats in Premium Plus – the airline’s premium economy product, which debuted this year – as well as 47 seats in ‘Economy Plus’ and 52 seats in economy.
Passengers in Premium Plus get perks including checked bags, more spacious seats, “upgraded” dining, an amenity kit and Saks Fifth Avenue bedding.
Polaris seats, which launched in 2016, are in a 1-2-1 configuration and offer a fully-flat bed.
The roll-out of the product since its 2016 unveiling had been slow until this year, when United launched a Polaris tracker and said it would add the cabins to one aircraft per week until the end of 2020.
Polaris is now on all five of United’s daily services between New York Newark and London Heathrow.
United also has Polaris lounges in five US airports, including Newark and Chicago, though it has not announced any timeline for bringing the concept to the UK.
Lounge review: United Polaris Lounge, San Francisco International
The airline has made several announcements targeting its premium passengers recently, removing the expiration restriction for Mileage Plus miles and upgrading benefits for Premier Platinum and 1K members.
“On our New York/Newark and now Chicago O’Hare services, we are offering our Polaris business class seating as well as a new class of service with our new Premium Plus product,” said United’s head of sales for the UK and Ireland, Bob Schumacher.
“We are committed to making United the airline that customers choose to fly.
“As we are seeing a significant increase in customer demand for premium seats, we are excited to be able to expand the number of seats on all of our flights between London Heathrow and our hometown Chicago hub.”
