New Polaris and Premium Plus Coming to United's 767-400s

It was high time United brought its old-school Boeing 767-400 cabins into line with the rest of its long-haul fleet.

We can now confirm, thanks to an update to United’s website with a new cabin layout, that the airline will be retrofitting its entire fleet of Boeing 767-400 aircraft.

The plan is to have completed the Boeing 767-400 retrofit program by the summer of 2023.

Here’s what you can expect from United’s retrofitted Boeing 767-400s.

Table of Contents

United Starts Retrofitting Boeing 767-400 Fleet
Where Does United Fly Its Boeing 767-400s?
Final Thoughts

United Starts Retrofitting Boeing 767-400 Fleet

With an average age of at least 20 years, the 767-400s are still relatively young compared to some of the airline’s oldest Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft.

Rather than swap the jets out with more modern, newer aircraft, United has opted to give them a longer lease of life by updating their cabins instead.

As it stands, the 767-400s cabin layout (version 1), has 29 lie-flat Polaris Business seats in a 2-1-2 configuration and 201 seats in economy with 70 of those being United Economy Plus seats.

The version 1 layout of a United Boeing 767 400 — The version 1 layout of United’s Boeing 767-400s shows a tightly packed Polaris cabin with a 2-1-2 configuration. Image Credit: United

The so-called Version 2 layout of the same aircraft depicts an improved picture.

Up front passengers will get to experience United’s most up-to-date Polaris seat in a staggered 1-1-1 configuration providing more privacy and direct-aisle access at each seat.

The version 2 layout of a United Boeing 767 400 — The seat map for United’s updated Boeing 767-400s paints a far superior picture than the current product. Image Credit: United

The keenest of eyes among you will also notice the addition of 24 Premium Plus seats. This is United’s premium economy offering and will be in a 2-2-2 configuration.

United Premium Plus with Economy cabin — United’s Premium Plus cabin features larger seats with larger IFE screens. Image Credit: United

Where Does United Fly Its Boeing 767-400s?

The majority of United’s Boeing 767-400s are based at its Newark (EWR) hub, with some also departing from Washington (IAD).

The aircraft operate long haul flights primarily to Europe including to select cities such as Barcelona (BCN), Berlin (BER), Edinburgh (EDI), Dublin (DUB), Madrid (MAD), Paris (CGD), but also to Honolulu (HNL) and short-haul routes to places like San Juan (SJU).

The 767-400’s little sister, the 767-300, also operates transatlantic flights but already has United’s most up-to-date version of Polaris.

United Polaris 767-300 seat. Image Credit: Victoria M. Walker

You’ll find these jets on more premium business routes such as from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR), and Washington (IAD) to Geneva (GVA), London (LHR), and Zurich (ZRH), as well as a couple of vacation destinations like Naples (NAP) and Venice (VCE).

Hot Tip: Take this as a reminder to pay attention to the aircraft you’ll be flying when making your next Polaris booking as the difference between each jet’s configuration can make a noticeable difference to your experience.

Final Thoughts

The dated cabin interiors of United’s Boeing 767-400s will be getting a glow-up ready for summer 2023. The retrofitted jets will include United’s newest hard products — Polaris and Premium Plus — which will be a noticeable upgrade for passengers.