United Airlines 787-9

Overview

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is United's core long-haul international aircraft and the most numerous 787 in the fleet, with 48 jets flying from the airline's largest hubs. United is Boeing's largest 787 customer, and the 787-9 anchors a historic Dreamliner expansion: its December 2022 order for 100 Dreamliners was the largest 787 order in Boeing history, with deliveries running into the early 2030s as the type replaces aging Boeing 767s and 777-200s.

The newest 787-9s are also United's most premium jets — they introduce the Polaris Studio suite and a premium-heavy "Elevated" cabin, making this the flagship of United's widebody fleet.

Seat Configuration

Most of United's 787-9 fleet flies the standard 257-seat layout below, and it remains the majority configuration today. The newest deliveries use the premium-heavy "Elevated" layout shown beneath it.

Standard layout — 257 seats

"Elevated" layout — 222 seats (newest jets)

United's latest 787-9s trade some economy space for a far larger front cabin: 99 premium seats (64 Polaris plus 35 Premium Plus) — the highest premium ratio of any U.S.-carrier widebody. Economy Plus remains a section within Economy.

Polaris Studio & the "Elevated" 787-9

Polaris Studio is United's new ultra-premium suite, and it is exclusive to the 787-9 — no other aircraft type carries it. Each Elevated 787-9 has 8 Polaris Studio suites at the front of the Polaris cabin.

Every Studio suite is roughly 25% larger than a standard Polaris seat and adds a sliding privacy door, a 27-inch 4K OLED touchscreen, Bluetooth audio, wireless charging, a companion ottoman for dining with a guest, and Saks Fifth Avenue bedding. It sells for roughly a $499 upsell over a standard Polaris seat.

Polaris Studio entered service on April 22, 2026 (San Francisco–Singapore), followed by San Francisco–London Heathrow from April 30. United expects to fly about 20 Elevated 787-9s in 2026, growing to 47 by 2028. Until then, the standard 257-seat 787-9 remains the majority of the fleet.

WiFi & In-Flight Entertainment

Every 787-9 currently flies with Ku-band satellite WiFi, seat-back AVOD plus personal-device entertainment, and 110V AC power at every seat. The Dreamliner cabin adds larger dimmable windows, higher humidity, and a lower cabin altitude to reduce jet lag on ultra-long-haul flights.

United began rolling out free Starlink WiFi across its widebody fleet in June 2026 — the first widebody Starlink flight was a Boeing 777 on June 22, 2026 — and aims to equip the entire widebody fleet by summer 2027, so 787-9 retrofits are on the way. Starlink is free for MileagePlus members.

Routes & Hubs

• Newark (EWR) — Europe, Middle East, India
• San Francisco (SFO) — Asia-Pacific and Australia; launch base for the Polaris Studio "Elevated" jets (SFO–Singapore, SFO–London Heathrow)
• Los Angeles (LAX) — Australia and Asia
• Houston (IAH) — South America and Europe

With a range of roughly 7,600 nautical miles, the 787-9 reaches nearly all of United's long-haul network; see the Specifications table for full figures.

Related Dreamliners

787-8 (12) is the smaller sibling. 787-10 (21) is the stretched, highest-capacity variant.

Specifications

Key technical specifications for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as operated by United Airlines.

Aircraft Registry — All 48 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Complete list of every United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with registration, delivery year, seat configuration, WiFi, IFE, and current status. Data updated daily from public aviation records.

Frequently Asked Questions

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