UNITED Polaris B787-10 BRU-EWR

UA998

Boeing 787-10 N12003

11A Polaris business

Brussels BRU - Newark Liberty intl. EWR

17/12/2019 10:37 - 12:07 / 7h30

seat map 787-10

After a long time I was able to fly United's 787-10 and the new Polaris Business cabin which comes with 44 seats in Polaris, 21 in Premium Plus and and 253 in Economy. Not only the aircraft is brand new but so is the cabin as it features the redesigned Polaris cabin as well as a separated Premium Plus cabin. On today's flight I got assigned 10A at first but since this seat is slightly angled as shown on the seat map. I hoped the seat behind me stayed empty once boarding was completed as not only it's closer to the fuselage but also comes with 2 windows. And so it happened, the seat stayed free so I could move one row behind to have a better view and stunning engine view. Today's load wasn't full house with still some seats empty in all 3 cabins. The big improvement of the 787-10 compared to the 777-200 is that Polaris is on one single cabin where on the 777-200 it's divided over 2 parts. If you're in the part right in front of economy you have a busy boarding as everyone passes through Polaris.

Once on board the cabin looked fresh and bright, every seat came with a day blanket and duvet as well as 2 different pillows, a Star Wars branded amenity kit and a bottle of water. The seat itself has a lot of storage space compared to the previous cabin, next to seat there's a small compartment big enough for personal stuff where the headphone is stored. You also have a big table as well as the actual tray table which is located underneath the TV screen and slides horizontally and can be folded open to have a bigger surface. Between the tray table and the TV screen there's another storage compartment for smaller items such as a passport or tablet. You also have a cosy light as well as 2 reading lights (one in the overhead panel and one next to the seat). Right away the new seat gives you more privacy if you're travelling alone and that's if you pick the window seats as the middle seats come in pairs with or without privacy.

As soon is I moved all the bedding to the overhead bin and got seated I got greeted by a friendly flight attendant who brought me the menu. A little later another one came by with a tray of classic options (water / orange juice) of course other drinks can be asked as well as the boarding can take a while.

As soon as the doors were closed the plane was pushed from the gate and we were on the way to the runway for a take off from runway 25R.

Once the cruising altitude was reached the crew started the inflight service, first a hot towel followed by an aperitif with the well known warm nuts. I opted for the sparkling wine which didn't disappoint at all, it had the right temperature and was just perfect. A little while later they brought the tray which already had the salad and appetizer on it. Today's appetizer was a buffalo mozzarella (which I skipped). My tray only had the salad as I skipped the appetizer.

Followed by the Beef short rib which was accompanied by rice and vegetables. During the service the crew passed around regularly with refills of bread and drinks to made sure you had everything you needed.

The beef was really tasty and not dry at all. It also was well seasoned as mentioned on the menu slightly spiced (I could really taste the spicyness).

Not long after I finished my main course the crew was in the aisle with the famous desserts cart including their signature sundae offer and sweet treats. As I skipped the appetizer the purser convinced me to try the sweet treats as well beside my sundae with chocolate sauce and without whipped cream. By offering the extra sweetness I didn't have any coffee or tea proposed to accompany the dessert.

Once the dinner service was completed and all service items were cleared away it was time t to relax a bit and checkout the IFE and enjoy the spaciousness of the cabin even more. The cabin of the 787-10 really gives an open feeling and doesn't feel crowded at all. Another advantage from the 787-8/9 is you're all in one cabin while so you see what's going on and have the galley in between Polaris and Premium Plus gives more privacy as well.

The IFE itself has many features, it not only has an updated moving map but is also very responsive , it's a full touch screen or you can use your controller as well. When watching a movie or listening to music you can split the screen and have your map on one side and your movie on the other side which is a really cool feature too.

If you feel hungry during the flight the crew has a setup of snacks, fruits and more sweet treats in the galley waiting for you as well as unlimited drinks at any time of the flight. Another thing I really appreciated was the fact you could control your window at any time as on my previous flight to SFO the crew blocked the setting the whole flight after the meal service. After a good 6hrs and a little nap the crew started their before landing service, again with a hot towel but no napkin on your table this time and a one shot service with everything on the tray. The choices were a chicken ragout with gnocchi or a pizza margherita which I didn't take but the purser proposed me the vegan chilli which was absolutely delicious, didn't look like it but the flavors were good.

Soon after, the descent into Newark started and the weather wasn't that great as clouds were very low before seeing the landscape upon approach.

What you can hear near the end of the movie is there was medical assistance needed for a passenger who fell sick during the flight. And the announcement did work as everyone stayed seated until the paramedics assisted the sick passenger to get off the plane.

Overall the service wasn't different from my previous flights with them, the only difference was the 787-10 with the Polaris cabin which is truly a pleasure to fly in. It not only gives you more space but also more privacy and storage space for your personal items. The biggest improvement by far is the direct aisle access as you don't need to crawl over your neighbor during the flight when you have a window seat. The crew from their side were friendly and engaging as I'm used to with them, they pay attention to the smallest detail and somehow remember what you're having in your glass during the entire flight which for me is really a plus.