Just two days before United Airlines is set to offer its first Starlink-equipped flight, which will deliver internet speeds up to 50 times faster and offer a ‘living room in the sky’ experience, the airline is making more waves by unveiling its next-generation cabin experience.
United Airlines’ Polaris seat offering is already impressive, with a large, bright screen, plenty of ports, and a full lie-flat seat. But the airline has put years of work into its next product, stretching beyond the flagship seat.
Arriving first on the new Boeing 787-9, which United expects to land before the end of 2025, is the next-generation of Polaris seat and the entirely new Polaris Studio, along with upgrades to Premium Plus, Economy Plus, and even Economy – yes, those who travel in standard extra legroom will also get some significant enhancements.
Polaris gets more ways to recharge, a larger screen, and a door for privacy
Leading the enhancements with United’s core Polaris Business class seat are four ways to recharge your device, likely your phone, within your pod. You’ll still get a standard outlet, but United is promising three others, including a wireless charging pad supporting the Qi-standard baked into your counter space, meaning you could just lay your iPhone 16 or Galaxy S25 Edge on the surface and let it recharge without bringing out a wire.
In addition to the standard outlet, you also get USB-C and USB-A ports. Basically, it affords you plenty of power, which is handy if you’re hoping to work while at 35,000 feet.
The entertainment screen is again touch-enabled, and gives you access to a wide array of movies and TV shows, as well as a flight map if you’re an aviation geek like myself, but it’s now stretching to a full 19 inches diagonally and is a 4K OLED panel. This should mean that if you’re by a window the screen can get bright enough to compete with the sun, and it can also be angled or pulled out.
Bluetooth is of course supported, so you can connect your favorite Bluetooth headphones or some of the best true wireless earbuds directly to the infotainment system. You’ll also get a pair of Polaris-branded over-ear headphones in the amenity kit.
With the press of a button you’ll get a seat that can be transitioned to a bed for a lie-flat experience or various other positions. It’s now a wool-blend covered seat, with United promising that the new material is more breathable, and to top it all off there’s now a door on the Polaris seat to afford you more privacy.
The Polaris seating configuration will also be in a 1-2-1 setup on the Boeing 787-9 when it arrives later this year, with 56 seats spread across 14 rows.
United’s brand-new Polaris Studio is larger-than-life if you’re looking for the best seating in the sky and are willing to pay for it. As United Airlines teased when it first announced Starlink, it’s our best look at the living room sky vision. You get the classic Polaris lie-flat seat, but you’re facing a massive 27-inch 4K OLED screen that should be excellent to watch. It also supports Bluetooth connectivity to listen with your own cans.
There are also four ways to charge, including the Qi-standard wireless charger, multiple wall plugs, and a USB-C port to plug right in. The real kicker, though, is that as the Studio nomenclature hints at, there’s an ottoman to have someone else join you in the Studio. You’ll also get more countertop space and more storage.
This one feels exceptional. Just imagine Starlink connectivity plus the ability to kick back and watch a favorite film on a 27-inch screen on an airplane. It’ll likely be costly, but for long trips you might think it’s worth it.
More chargers for Premium Plus and Economy
While Polaris is leading the news, United Airlines isn’t leaving Premium Plus – a step-up class for long-haul domestic and international flights – or Economy hanging. The ‘purple seats’, as they are known on the plane, get bigger, brighter 16-inch 4K OLED touchscreens with the aforementioned Bluetooth support, but more importantly, they give you more ways to charge your devices.
Each Premium Plus seat has a wall plug, a USB port, and a wireless charger – so you can charge how you want. You also have a dedicated spot next to your seat to hold your headphones.
Passengers in Economy or Economy Plus will get 13-inch 4K OLED screens, but the real win is now six power outlets in each row. That’s way better than the two spread across three seats or three for four seats in some configurations, and should put an end to the dreaded fight over ports.
All in all, the focus on tech and making flying less stressful, at least in terms of the in-flight experience, is a major upgrade. And in addition to the new cabin tech, United has committed to bringing much faster, free for MileagePlus members Starlink internet to all of its regional jets by the end of 2025, and this is due to arrive on its first mainline jet by the end of the year.
Starlink will also be on the Boeing 787-9 when it arrives. The new aircraft will be fitted with 56 Polaris seats, eight Polaris Studios, and 35 Premium Plus, 33 Economy Plus, and 90 Economy seats.
The first of these planes will be delivered by the end of this year, and they’ll go into service in 2026, starting with United’s San Francisco to Singapore and San Francisco to London routes.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
