I flew from San Francisco to Taipei on a United Airlines 777-300ER, known as the 77W for short, in Polaris Business Class. It was a pleasant flight with plenty of peace and quiet… after the initial drama at the gate.
Review of United Airlines 77W Business Class (SFO-TPE)
I had quite an adventure at the gate before departure. I showed up to check in about an hour before departure (as I had just been rebooked after missing my connecting flight to Singapore) and was told that business class was full and I had no seat.
There were nine seats available just now…in my opinion the upgrade campaign had obviously been completed and there might even have been non-revs who had been admitted to business class. I wasn’t worried as I waited for the gate agents to sort it out…but the lead gate agent said that no one had been upgraded at the gate, let alone non-revs, and business class was simply overbooked.
She wanted to offer me a seat in Premium Plus (United’s premium economy product) and give me downgrade compensation in the form of vouchers for future flights (we never got around to negotiating the exact amount), but someone didn’t show up and I got the last seat… 2G… and was the last one on board.
I had already stayed up all night in preparation for the long journey ahead and was very grateful to have a bed to rest in.
United Airlines 871
San Francisco (SFO) – Tapeh (TPE)
Tuesday, March 21
Departure: 13:30
Arrival: 18:45+1
Duration: 13 hours, 15 minutes
Distance: 6,469 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (77L)
Seat: 2G (Polaris Business Class)
I’ve tested United’s 777-300ER many times, most recently to Manila (and based on my staggered travel reporting, that flight was after this one), but I’d like to point out that United generally offers a consistent product with good service, great bedding, and mediocre food.
I would say the food on this flight was actually above average and, most importantly, I slept for about seven hours straight.
seat
The 77W is United’s largest widebody aircraft, with 60 seats in Polaris Business Class. Polaris is divided into two cabins, with rows 1-8 in the front cabin and 9-16 in the rear cabin. Seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and the odd-numbered A and L seats are “true” window seats and offer the most privacy. These seats are custom-built for United, but modeled on the Safran Optima platform.
The seats are 20 inches wide and convert into a 78-inch-long (6-foot, 6-inch) flat bed. I always prefer bulkhead seats (rows 1 and 9) when available because they have wider leg room, but on this flight I was happy to have a seat at all… although I wouldn’t choose 2G if I could avoid it because you’re pretty open to the aisle and it just feels tighter than an odd window seat.
Each seat has a universal air conditioning socket and two USB-A chargers, one above the air conditioning socket and the other below the screen.
The Saks Fifth Avenue bedding included a comforter, a cooling foam gel pillow, and a larger pillow. Mattress pads are (theoretically) available upon request, but I was told they were not loaded on this flight. United has changed its bedding slightly since my flight, but only in terms of external appearance.
equipment
There was an amenity kit and slippers at each seat. Pajamas were available upon request (United used to offer pajamas on flights over 12 hours…now a flight has to be over 14 hours for pajamas to be provided). I don’t waste amenity kits anymore so I didn’t open it, but you can see a standard United amenity kit here.
Tip: S/M pajamas are big enough…I’m a tall guy with long arms and find the L/XL pajamas way too big
Food + Drink
Lunch was served after take-off and breakfast before landing.
Lunch
Service began with a hot towel, mixed nuts and a drink selection. I had a glass of champagne (Duval LeRoy).
The shrimp appetizer and green salad were acceptable and the steak was actually cooked nicely medium. No, it certainly wasn’t Angus quality, but compared to United meals, it was above average.
Colorado Flat Iron Steak (Steak from Colorado)
with Yukon potatoes, roasted rapini mustard sauce, spring onions, cherry tomatoes and Fresno chili peppers
I ate everything…
The dessert cart came by and I had an ice cream sundae and an custard tart.
Snack during the flight
I woke up with about 4.5 hours of flight time left. Since I was hungry, I got some chips from the concession stand and also ordered a pastrami sandwich and creamy onion soup. You can see the sandwiches at the concession stand, but I asked for mine to be heated up and that made it much better.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served 90 minutes before landing (even though we landed in Taipei in the evening). The choice was chicken porridge or Belgian waffles. I didn’t fancy either so I ordered baked eggs from Premium Economy (for some reason Premium Economy had a choice of eggs or waffles). My request was granted… I found the eggs (served with mushrooms and cooked cherry tomatoes) much better than the two options in Business Class.
Yoghurt, fruit and a croissant were served with it.
IFE + WiFi
The WiFi worked well during the flight, at least at the beginning and end when I used it. A plane ticket cost $29.99, but I just bought a two-hour ticket that lets you “pause” it when you don’t need it. That was more than enough for me.
United offers a generous IFE library of movies and TV shows, but games are limited and audio is even more limited. Channel 9 (ATC) is currently available but has been shut down.
I saw a movie called The Independenta well-made political thriller. Every passenger is offered noise-cancelling headphones and this aircraft does not have Bluetooth connectivity unless you bring your own headphones or earbuds.
Toilets
I used the toilets to change into and out of my pajamas and they were clean…even at the end of the flight. Business class has two toilets in the front of the plane (shared by crew members) and two between the front and rear business class cabins.
service
Great service on board by the flight attendants, in my section all were older, Chinese-speaking ladies. It felt like the time I flew to Hong Kong with Hong Kong-based crews.
I appreciated the willingness to get the eggs from Premium Economy…that was much appreciated.
DIPLOMA
We landed early in Taipei. There, a United ground employee offered me a hotel voucher for the night at the Plaza Premium in the terminal, as the night connection was necessary due to the earlier delay in SFO.
Overall, United offers a consistent product. This flight was better, with very friendly service and good food, but one reason I stay loyal to United is because I know I can sleep well in my seat, the cabin stays cool, and the bedding is excellent. That’s certainly an important factor in deciding which airline to fly with.
This is part of my Asia travel report.
