What are United Business and United Polaris?

First things first — what is the difference between United Business and United Polaris?

United Airlines describes its premium business class offerings in two ways:

• United Business refers to the premium travel class for short-haul international flights and some transcontinental ones.
• United Polaris is for long-haul international flights that offer a luxurious experience — new Polaris seats that are spacious and can turn into lie-flat beds, Saks Fifth Avenue bed covers, a sleek and newly retrofitted cabin, world-class dining experience, in-flight entertainment, and connectivity.

Most, if not all, of United’s international business class tickets are now branded as Polaris. However, United is still transitioning some of its long-haul transcontinental flights to offer the complete Polaris experience — lounges and new retrofitted cabins included.

If you’re considering the United Polaris experience, Business Class Experts can help you determine whether a particular flight will have superior Polaris seats.

You can also tell whether the flight offers United Polaris by the cabin’s layout. United Polaris has a 1-2-1 or 1-1-1 configuration. The old business class premium cabin has two columns on each side, with the middle ones alternating between facing the aisle and facing forward.

Booking a United Airlines Business Class Flight

When booking United Polaris, there are things you need to know about seat selection and how you can take advantage of perks and discounts.

Seat Selection

United’s business class passengers get a free choice of seat. MileagePlus members can also get better seats when booking flights.

Some seats are better than others, even when talking about a premium, sleek, and majestic cabin.

Here are some power tips for you to make sure you have the best in-flight experience and privacy:

• While most elements of a Polaris cabin are identical, there are subtle differences across fleets. United’s 777-300ER has 60 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, including 28 seats in front and 32 at the back of the cabin. The newly retrofitted 777-200s have 50 Polaris seats — 32 in front and 18 in the rear.
• If you’re a private person traveling on your own, you should go for the window seats with odd numbers as they are closer to the windows and offer more privacy. You won’t be sitting directly next to anyone in these seats. Note, however, that 7A and 7L do not have a window.
• Some even-numbered seats also have no windows, such as 12A, 12L, 16A, and 16L on the 777-300ERs.
• If you’re a solo traveler looking for the most spacious seats (more leg room), you can choose the bulkhead window seats at 1A, 1L, 9A, and 9L.
• Let’s talk about rows D and G. If you’re booking for a couple who want to interact on the flight, pick the odd-numbered seats. However, even numbers in this row must be avoided if you want privacy or a window.
• 787-10 has 44 Polaris seats with 11 rows. Solo travelers who want privacy are better off picking window seats at odd numbers, while couples can choose the middle seats in rows D and F.
• Forward seats and the rear of the cabin are high traffic areas as they are located near lavatories, the bar, and galleys.
• All the aforementioned is valid for 787-8s and 787-9s, except for its Polaris cabin split between the main cabin and a smaller one just past the second exit doors.
• The smaller 767s have 30 or 46 Polaris seats in a 1-1-1 configuration.