United Airlines Launches Inaugural Flight to Dubai [EWR to DXB]

Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Flight #: UA 164
Route: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023
Duration: 12 hours and 27 minutes
Cabin + Layout: Economy Class; 156 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration
Seat: 52A
Miles Used: None
Typical Retail Fare: $700

Introduction

After months of hyping up its partnership with Emirates, United Airlines has completed its inaugural flight to Dubai.

The 12-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey, to the United Arab Emirates took place on Saturday, March 25, 2023, with much fanfare — and we’ve got all the details.

This flight may not seem like a big deal to some, but the United and Emirates partnership now opens up codeshare agreements, allowing passengers to connect seamlessly through Dubai and beyond. Just a few years ago, a partnership like this would have been considered impossible as the Big 3 U.S. airlines actively protested against Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways. Oh, how times change!

To get a firsthand look at the experience, Lays, also known as @SkywardsFreak, was onboard this inaugural flight.

At Newark Airport

It was no secret that this was a special flight, as the festivities started by the boarding gate area in Terminal C.

There were plenty of food, speeches, and photo opportunities, for the 270+ passengers on this sold-out flight.

United’s Senior Vice President President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, Patrick Quayle, discussed the importance of this route and relationship, pictured below.

Passengers also enjoyed some live music including an oud, a traditional Arabian instrument.

Boarding

The festive mood continued along into the boarding process, as the crew seemed just as excited as many of the passengers.

All of the seats in each class of service received extra amenities to bring home to remember the trip. Economy class received a commemorative poster, a postcard, and a gift box with baklava.

United Polaris business class received all of that, the standard Away amenity kit, plus a teddy bear and United pajamas displaying the inaugural flight information.

Lays, unfortunately, was flying in the very last row of economy, so she did not receive a teddy bear.

Although she was able to negotiate a set of pajamas from someone…

Inflight

The flight was scheduled for almost 13.5 hours, which is a long time to be sitting in coach.

Fortunately, there were some tailwinds that knocked almost an hour off of the flight time. FlightAware shows the duration as 12 hours and 27 minutes, although there was some mention that the active flight time was actually under 12 hours — a new record for the route.

The only option for dinner, at least when the crew got back to 52A, was the chicken with a side salad.

The food was flavorful, and it even came with a truffle crumb cake from Milk Bar.

If you got hungry between meals, there was a snack station in the galley set up with water, almonds, and more cake.

Arrival

After a long 12 hours, the United 777 finally landed in Dubai and promptly pulled up next to a fleet of Emirates aircraft.

Unfortunately, there was no water cannon salute to welcome UA flight 164.

After deplaning, there were plenty of signs and ambassadors welcoming the United passengers to Dubai and the U.A.E.

Additionally, more United Airlines sweets were met with more “Welcome to Dubai” messaging.

Hot Tip: The route is historic on many different levels, but it’s certainly a long one. If you do fly this route, we highly recommend learning the best ways to book Polaris business class!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this flight is wonderful news for passengers who will now have more access to the Middle East and beyond — plus the option to redeem United MileagePlus miles on Emirates.

The inaugural flight from Newark to Dubai was a success, with lots of fanfare from the airline and frequent flyers alike.