For months, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been hinting about a big new announcement this year and we now have a better idea of what it will be: a new Polaris business class seat and ultra-premium configuration on the Boeing 787-9.

Coming Soon: Premium-Heavy United Airlines 787-9 With New Business Class Seats

A new business class seat has been rumored for years on United, but the carrier has remained tight-lipped about its plans. But recently, information has been leaking out and we now know that the new 787-9 will have a premium-heavy configuration including:

• 64 Polaris business class seats
  • 16 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration
  • Eight of those seats will be designated “Business Class Plus” (the bulkhead seats in rows 1 and 9) and have extra room
• 35 Premium Plus premium economy seats
  • five rows in a 2-3-2 configuration
• 123 economy seats
  • 15 rows in a 3-3-3 configuration
  • 39 will be Economy Plus (extra legroom) seats

United has also hinted at a premium business class product in customer surveys and focus groups.

> Read More: United Airlines Considering Polaris Plus Cabin With “Press For Champagne” Button
> Read More: United Airlines Offers More Insight On “Polaris Plus” Product

I tend to trust whatever Jon NYC shares, though I went a step further and asked my contacts at United to verify and indeed, this configuration is not just a rumor. Flight attendants have been introduced to the new 787-9, dubbed 78L, and briefed on features including:

• doors, which must remain in an open and locked position for takeoff and landing
• suites with ottomans will have a second seatbelt on the ottoman and three oxygen masks
• business class will be divided into cabins, each with 32 seats (eight rows of 1-2-1 seating)
• the forward business class cabin will feature a reverse herringbone layout (window seats facing the window and cetner seats facing each other) while the rear business class cabin will have reverse herringbone window seats but the center section seats will be herringbone (face away from each other toward the aisles)
• two types of seat belts; a buckle-type seat belt in economy and a push-to-release type in Polaris
• new seats on the 78L will include wireless charging pads

I have now personally seen the LOPA (seat map)…though not the seat itself. Thus, the 78L is 100% confirmed and, unlike Lufthansa introducing its new Allegris business class products years before it debuted, my hunch is that United is going more ANA or Air France-style on this and will introduce the product as it debuts, as early as next month.

The new seat comes as American Airlines prepares to introduce its brand new business class seat on its 787-9 in the weeks ahead.

Jon NYC adds that though the doors will be present, flight attendant staffing disputes may torpedo their use, at least for now. United and its flight attendants seemingly remain far apart on a new contract.

These aircraft may represent a replacement for United’s aging 767-300 fleet and it appears United will utilize the Adient Ascent, as we see on Qatar Airways and Hawaiian Airlines.

United Must Avoid The Lufthansa Problem

Lufthansa is just a hot mess right now, made worse by the fact that is now has so many business class products. There’s Allegris, there’s the “old” Lufthansa business class seat, there’s the ex-Philippine Airlines 787 seats, and there’s the ex-Hainan 787 seats…the standardization is gone.

One thing that United has going for it now is a standardized Polaris product across its 767, 777, and 787 longhaul fleet. You know what you are going to get when you fly United, which is not an industry-leading seat, but a seat I find very comfortable.

United must guard expectations closely as it markets its new suite… something it did not do a great job of a decade ago when it unveiled Polaris, when almost all of its flights had older eight-across seating in business class on the United side and 2-2-2 seating on the Continental Airlines side.

CONCLUSION

United will shortly be debuting a new premium variant of its 787-9 with a new business class seat featuring doors and wireless charging. The timeline for the debut is yet unknown, though the new aircraft will have a whopping 64 business class seats. With American Airlines debuting new seats on its 787-9, the competitive pressure is on to offer a leading product as premium cabin demand shows no signs of slowing down during this time of economic uncertainty.