Review: United Polaris Boeing 787-9 (HND-LAX)

HND-LAX

UA 876

Depart: 7:40PM

Arrive: 12:40PM

Duration: 10 hours

Seat: 1L

I flew United to get home from my Japan trip in November 2025. Usually, I’d take ANA or JAL for this route, but award spaces for either has been really tough to get lately.

United became my alternative after finding a saver award space for it, and it was my first time flying long-haul in business class with an American airline, so it’s another new product to try.

United Polaris Boeing 787-9- Booking

I booked a one-way ticket for 100k United miles thanks to the IN fare class. IN fares are basically business saver award space reserved for United elites, and it can be a fine alternative to the more popular ways on booking lie-flat seats to Japan because it’s less competitive.

I was able to access IN fare class as United Silver thanks to my Marriott Titanium Elite status. Alternatively, you can get United co-branded credit cards with annual fee to be able to see IN fares if you don’t have United status.

United Polaris Boeing 787-9- Check-in

I arrived to HND with ease from JW Marriott Tokyo that’s situated right next to Takanawa Gateway Station. The train route’s direct from there with the Keikyu Main Line and took roughly 30 minutes to get to the airport.

Check-in line was empty for business class surprisingly even though the cabin was filled. I got access to the ANA business lounge just a level below ANA Suite Lounge for First Class. I only got to check it out briefly after passing through security check.

After making my way through my gate, it was packed, and many had already lined up for boarding.

United Polaris Boeing 787-9- Flight Experience

The 10 hour flight to home was smooth, but the service was shockingly lacking compared to any other airlines I flew. During meal service, I was skipped multiple times for both the main course and dessert.

I wonder if sitting in bulkhead makes it harder for me to see? But, I’m giving some grace since we all have bad days. They were very apologetic about it up until I deplane.

Seats

United Polaris has 1-2-1 seat configuration. Odd-numbered seats feel more private as they are placed right next to the window and facing straight compared to even-numbered seats that are angled facing towards the aisle.

As I arrived to my Seat 1L, there are pillows and blankets already placed. They’re all designed by Saks Fifth Avenue.

Seat comfort wise, it has a pretty good cushion, but it is on the tighter end when it comes to moving around while sitting. It comes with a shoulder strap on top of the regular seat belt as well.

Water is prepared inside the storage compartment. By the table’s also where you can find the power ports, remote, and headset.

Amenity bag is made by Brooks Brothers. I do like how it matches with the Polaris’ color scheme. Below the amenity kit is where the seat controls are. The recline controls have wheel/scroll control which is a nice touch.

Inside amenity includes dental kit, earplugs, socks, tissue, and Perricone MD lotions.

Apparently, there were stacks of pajamas that were set on top of the composite panel of the bulkhead you can request. They were limited, and I found out too late at the time and managed to only get the L/XL size. They’re too big for me, but they made for nice gifts for my dad. The pyjamas have United Polaris text with United logo donned in blue and paired with grey pants.

Entertainment

The entertainment is vast with the latest Hollywood movies you can find and even TV series from HBO Max.

Wi-Fi’s unfortunately not free and costed $16.99 on my flight which isn’t too terrible. It did work nicely at least.

Food & Drinks

I found the food overall to be pretty decent. In this route, you can expect to choose between Japanese and Western menu. After nonstop Japanese food in Japan, I figured I’d try the Western menu here.

To start, I got the marinated spiced chicken breast served with polenta. On the side, there’s bread, salad, and trail mix. I also got Coke Zero for the drink. The chicken was the best one I had on this flight. Flavorful and juicy.

For dessert, I got the mango mousse that’s also good and pairs well with a cup of hot black tea.

As I mentioned before, I was served last because I was skipped service for some reason, and ended up finishing my meal last just before midnight. I was so sleepy after the meal that I crashed to sleep.

After waking up, the pre-arrival meal came. Thankfully, they were served in line with other passengers compared to last night. I got the lamb loin served with roasted potatoes and ratatouille. The lamb was a little bit on the dry side, but the potatoes were good.

The menu for this flight was concise and can be found on the pictures below:

Conclusion

My first time with United Polaris was pretty decent. Other than the mishaps on the meal service, it’s still a solid lie-flat product for long-haul flight that I wouldn’t mind flying again.