In May 2025, United Airlines unveiled its new Polaris business class. These seats are being installed on newly delivered Boeing 787-9s, which are in an uber-premium configuration. United is just taking delivery of the first of these planes, and the expectation is that they’ll enter service in the coming weeks.
In this post, I want to focus specifically on the United Polaris Studio, which is the carrier’s “business class plus” concept. That’s because the first flights with the new product are now on sale, so we know what pricing will be like. Let me recap the basics, and then I’d like to analyze this product a bit…
Basics of the new United Polaris Studio concept
On newly delivered Boeing 787-9s, United is introducing Polaris Studio seats, offering an elevated business class experience. While the new 787s feature 64 Polaris seats, eight of those are Polaris Studio seats.
United is following the industry trend by introducing a special business class experience in the bulkhead rows (given the size of business class, it’s spread across two cabins, which is why there are two rows of these special seats). The idea is that bulkhead seats have a bit more space to work with, so United is bundling a special experience, in hopes that people will pay extra to sit there.
The Polaris Studio seat is 25% larger than the standard Polaris seat, with an ottoman, and a 27″ 4K OLED touchscreen monitor (compared to a 19″ monitor in Polaris). On top of that, United is offering an elevated soft product. Polaris Studio customers will receive:
- The Global Services ground treatment, from access to Global Reception check-in, to boarding with Global Services members, to surprise and delight tarmac transfers by car
- Upgraded food and beverage, including a caviar amuse bouche, Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, a premium snack box, and an expanded selection of main courses
- Upgraded amenities, including hoodie-pajamas and slippers on all flights, noise canceling headphones from Meridian, amenity kits with Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ skincare products, United branded playing cards, and a plush velvet throw pillow
The problem with United Polaris Studio seating
I have to give United credit for creating a thoughtful “business class plus” product. The hard product is exactly what you’d expect, while the soft product is a bit more elevated than I was anticipating.
While this all sounds great, there are also some serious downsides to this product. The most significant is that you’re seated at the very front of the cabin, right by the galleys and lavatories. On some foreign airlines, that might not necessarily be a huge deal, but:
- US airlines don’t generally have “real” curtains between the galley and cabin for safety reasons (or whatever), so you can expect a lot of light pollution from the galley
- US airline crews aren’t exactly great about keeping their voices down in the galley, and I’d be worried about noise from the galley, whether it’s flight attendants talking, or just loud meal preparation
- Being near the lavatories is never ideal, but especially not on US airlines, given that they aren’t properly cleaned, and these planes will be operating United’s longest flights
So United Polaris Studio might not be a dream product in terms of the sounds, sights, and smells. I mean, just look at the first picture in this post, at how close the seats are to the lavatory. Maybe United hopes that special noise canceling headphones and better champagne will make people overlook that?
The additional issue is just United’s service delivery. Much like American, United has some great flight attendants, but also has some not-so-great flight attendants. The airline doesn’t have a culture of great service (at least not yet), so it’ll be interesting to see how crews do with delivering this elevated service.
I imagine there’s going to be quite a bit of back-and-forth between management and the union over staffing these flights. As we all know, management always wants as few flight attendants as possible, while the union wants as many flights as possible. But if you want flight attendants to actually be able to deliver decent service to 64 passengers, with eight of those being premium seats, you also need to invest in staffing.
United Polaris Studio pricing & how to book
United’s new premium Boeing 787s are now bookable for travel as of late April 2026, for flights from San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) and Singapore (SIN). So, how will United go about monetizing the new Polaris Studio product?
Based on the flights that are now on sale, it looks like upgrading to Polaris Studio will be similar to just paying a seat assignment fee after booking any Polaris seat, so you can access the product for a fixed cost on a particular flight, regardless of whether you paid cash, redeemed miles, or whatever.
So, what’s the pricing like? As of now, it’s rather straightforward — if an international flight has the Polaris Studio for sale, the price is $499 per segment. It doesn’t matter if you’re flying to London or Singapore, or whether you choose a window or center seat.
If you ask me, that pricing is fair, and is probably on the low end of what I was expecting United would try to charge (not necessarily the same as what I think it’s worth). When you consider the improved soft product being offered, both on the ground and in the air, I couldn’t see it being much lower.
Even so, I maintain that this might be a tough sell, simply because of the proximity to the galleys and lavatories. So I imagine that factor is already sort of “priced in,” or else United might try to charge even more.
With eight of the 64 business class seats being Polaris Studio seats, that means 12.5% of the inventory in the cabin consists of these special seats. I’m sure people will book this for the novelty, though I’m curious how long term demand evolves, and if United formalizes some sort of process for upgrading to this (either using PlusPoints, or even on a space available basis for Global Services members, for example).
Presumably any leftover seats will go to employees with travel privileges traveling on a space available basis, since they’re entitled to the best available seats, once all other passengers have been processed.
Bottom line
United is rolling out a new Polaris business class experience. That’s not all, though, as the airline is also introducing the Polaris Studio product, which will be front row business class seats with 25% more space, bigger entertainment screens, and improved amenities.
I’m impressed by the amenities that United is including with this product, as this more of an upgrade than you’ll find on most airlines with a similar concept. The catch is that sitting so close to the galleys and lavatories, especially on a US airline, isn’t necessarily desirable.
With the first flights with the new cabins now on sale, it appears that United is treating the Polaris Studio the same way as a premium seat assignment fee, and the cost is $499 per segment. I’d say that’s reasonable pricing, all things considered.
What do you make of the United Polaris Studio concept, plus the pricing? How popular do you think it will be?
