Background
After visiting Paris, the Loire Valley, and London, it was time to return home. I flew onboard United Polaris Business Class on the 767-300ER, which is the same aircraft type and configuration that I flew on the outbound. But, this time, I decided to sit on the opposite side of the aisle to see if there were any pros/cons. As you’ll soon see in the post, there is a preferred seat to choose. With the flights on the 767, plus my other ones on the 777 and 787, I have now flown the Polaris experience on all of United’s current widebody fleet.
Flight Details
United Airlines Flight 147
London (LHR) to Newark (EWR)
Departure: 1:35 PM
Arrival: 5:10 PM
Scheduled Duration: 8 hours 35 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
Cabin: Business Class (Polaris)
Seat: 5A
At the Airport
Once I got to the airport, I visited the United Club. It is a bit of a trek from the main security checkpoint, and where the main shops are located. But, thankfully, it was also located right in front of my departure gate. Overall, I found the lounge to be quite good, and definitely a step up over any United Club in the US. I have a separate review on the United Club London Heathrow here if you’d like to check it out.
Boarding
It was scheduled 50 minutes before our departure time. Thankfully, the gate was just right in front of the United Club, so I left the Club at the exact boarding time and they were already boarding my zone. A quick check of my passport, and a scan in the machine and I was on the jet bridge!
I flew on the same aircraft type, Boeing 767-300ER, on the way to London, but this time I decided to sit on the A side of the plane (left) versus the L (right) side of the plane. Immediately, I noticed that the L side is more private as the D (middle) opens up to the A side at the same point on the aisle so you can see the person sitting next to you, versus on the L side, you see a seat wall from the F seat, as their seat opens up a bit further ahead of yours in the aisleway. It may be easier to picture if you see the map on aeroLOPA.
But look at what you see from 5L. Mostly a wall!
I know that’s getting possibly too nitpicky. Haha. Honestly, all Polaris seats on the aircraft are more private than most other planes due to the 1-1-1 configuration. There are no seats with a neighbor directly beside you!
But if you want to be in an extra private seat…
Takeoff Tip:
On the United 767-300ER, the odd-numbered window seats (A and L) offer the most privacy as they are positioned closer to the window and further than the aisle. (And L beats A)!
The Aircraft
The United Boeing 767-300ER version that I was flying on is quite premium heavy which is nice. It has 46 United Polaris Business Class seats set up in a 1-1-1 configuration. For the rest of the plane, it has 22 seats in a Premium Plus Cabin in a 2-2-2 configuration and there are a total of 99 Economy and Economy Plus seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.
My specific aircraft was on the older side at 31 years old from 1993, but it was reconfigured in May 2022, so the plane’s interior did not feel too old in any way (minus my window shade, which you’ll see shortly).
Lavatories
There are 2 lavatories in the front of the cabin for Polaris Passengers, which is a bit on the low side given how large the cabin is. There is also 1 in the rear of the Polaris Cabin, but that’s shared with Premium Plus. Inside, they had Therabody Hand creme, garment grooming, and hydrating mist which were nice touches. During my visits, I found them to be maintained well. One thing that I do wish is that they add automatic sinks.
The United Polaris Business Class Seat on the 767
I was in seat 5A, on the left side of the aircraft. The 767 has a 1-1-1 configuration in United Polaris which is quite cool for solo travellers as you’ll never have a neighbor right beside you. It can be hard for couples to converse, though. There was this couple on our flight that wanted to converse so they kept blocking the aisleway which was disrupting service and other passengers’ access to visit the lavatories, so the purser did tell them to move their conversation to the galley, which I supported. I’m not sure why the couple didn’t think of that in the first place.
The seat has 77″ (195 cm) of sleeping space, as well as 20.6″ (52.3 cm) in seat width. For charging, there’s a power plug and USB outlet next to the storage cabinet, as well as another USB port next to the TV Screen. The storage cabinet had a mirror in it and also contained the headphones which worked fine.
As for the seat controls, they were located closer to the window and were pretty easy to use.
Amenity Kit
A Therabody Crossbody Bag Amenity Kit was waiting at my seat. It came with standard items such as a pen, tissues, earplugs, an eye mask, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Also, there was a TheraFace branded towelette, hydrating mist, lip balm, eye serum, and hand cream. I got the tan-colored one this time and had the black one on my outbound flight, so it was cool to collect both. I totally prefer the old AWAY Hard cases, but I guess this Crossbody Bag is still better than the Delta One Someone Somewhere kits.
Blankets and Pillows
Waiting at my seat were two blankets (one duvet, one lighter blanket) with Saks Fifth branding. Additionally, there was both a memory foam pillow and a full-sized traditional pillow. I found the blankets and pillows to be quite comfortable. Shortly after boarding, the FA came around to hand slippers which was nice.
In-Flight Entertainment
The seatback screens are nice and crisp and feature the latest movies, plus a selection of TV shows and music. Unfortunately, they seemed to not have the same software as the 777 and 787, which is a bit disappointing because I loved the “Relax Mode” those aircraft had, but this plane had a different “Relaxation” feature that’s not the same. I did watch a few movies during my daytime flight.
Wi-Fi was also offered on the flight, and it was $36.99 for the full flight, $25.99 for 2 hours, or $21.99 for 1 hour. There was Free Messaging available for iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. And, there was also free Wi-Fi on a mobile device for T-Mobile customers. On this flight, the Wi-Fi worked pretty well!
Old Window Shade?
While the seat itself and everything felt recently refreshed, I’m not sure if the window shade was left out of it. I do wish that they replace that as it looked bad and was hard to pull up/down.
The Flight and Meal
Shortly after I got situated in my seat, I was offered a pre-departure beverage of water or champagne. Then, we were offered slippers which was a nice touch.
The boarding door closed 10 minutes before our scheduled departure and we left the gate 5 minutes beforehand. We had a bit of a queue for the runway, so we ended up taking off about 20 minutes past our scheduled departure. The captain said our flight would be 7 hours 57 minutes in the air.
Once we reached our cruising altitude, we were given a hot towel, which was shortly followed by a mixed nuts service and drink. To my delight, the mixed nuts were warm on this flight, compared to being room temperature on my last one.
For my main entree, I pre-ordered the Seared Chicken Breast. The entree came along with a Mediterranean Salad and it came with a cold appetizer of either Grilled Salmon or a Burrata dish, of which I chose the former.
Other entree options included Braised Pork, Grilled Salmon, and Tomato and Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli. Via the pre-order, they have Special Meals available (Kosher, Asian Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Child’s)
The wine list matched my outbound flight.
Main Meal
I was excited to try the Chicken as I’ve heard good things about the catering from London.
And, I’m glad I tried the chicken as it was probably the best entree I’ve had in United Polaris! The chicken was flavorful and juicy. The salmon appetizer was alright, and the salad was a bit bland. The salad contained a Lime and Yogurt dressing on the side.
For dessert, the options were an Ice Cream Sundae with assorted toppings like hot fudge, almonds, whipped cream, and strawberry sauce. Also, there was a tart and cheese plate.
I had the ice cream sundae with fudge and almonds. The vanilla ice cream was better on this flight than my outbound, but sadly the fudge was too liquid-y than I would have preferred.
Mid-flight snacks included a snack basket left at the front of the cabin, There were oranges, apples, water bottles, and packages of snacks like corn nuts, biscuits, and chips. Service was quite attentive during this flight, and many different flight attendants would walk around the aisles to top off beverages, pick up trash, etc. It was definitely much more service-oriented than my Delta One flight from Amsterdam to New York a year prior.
An hour and forty minutes before landing, the cabin lights came back on, and we were offered hot towels.
Before Arrival Meal
Before landing, one could choose from a Croque Monsieur, or a Grilled Zucchini and Chickpea Curry.
I took the Grilled Zucchini and Chickpea Curry and regretted it.
First, just the look of it reminded me of what you see at the exits of roller coaster rides. Second, the taste wasn’t great either.
Sadly, they also provided the Lime and Yogurt dressing for the side salad. That was the same dressing served with the main entree, so I really wish they offered a new dressing. My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate chip cookie, which was the quality that saved the arrival meal from being a complete bust. The main room for improvement in United Polaris Business Class is the catering.
As we began our arrival to Newark, the head purser handed me a thank you postcard, which was a cute gesture.
We touched down 18 minutes early and got to our gate about 7 minutes early. We parked next to a nice plane with a Star Alliance livery.
A very quick stroll through Global Entry, and I was on my way to the AirTrain to head to the city!
The Verdict
Overall, my experience on the United Polaris Business Class onboard the Boeing 767 from London to Newark was pretty solid. I really liked the full experience from visiting the United Club, to the seat and the attentive service onboard. But, while the main entree was quite good as far as meals on United go, the chickpea curry wasn’t tasty nor visually appealing. Thus, room for improvement lies with the on-board catering, and once they fix that I think they’d be great.
Have you flown United Polaris Business Class on the Boeing 767? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
The food on United always reminds me of the buffet at Circus Circus. It just feels… off. Maybe it’s because everything is chopped too coarsely?
Haha, that’s a good comparison! Thanks for reading!