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I first wrote about United’s most premium aircraft back in May 2025. Now, it’s broadening the rollout of its newest Boeing 787-9 cabin design and bringing the aircraft to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) for the first time as it expands beyond its initial base at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Starting October 24th, travelers departing Houston will begin seeing the redesigned Boeing 787-9 on nonstop flights to:
- São Paulo/Guarulhos-Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU)
- Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)
- Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT)
A fourth destination to/from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is scheduled to receive the upgraded aircraft beginning January 5th.
The addition of the Texas hub marks the next phase of United’s deployment strategy for its newest long-haul cabin product, which first entered service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). By the end of the year, the airline expects the aircraft to operate regularly on several of its flagship international routes.
Once the new routes are added, United plans to schedule the aircraft on the following nonstop services (in addition to the four listed above):
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Zurich Airport (ZRH)
United’s redesigned Boeing 787-9 is configured with 222 seats, including 8 Polaris® Studios, 56 Polaris® (Business Class) suites, 35 Premium Plus, 39 Economy Plus, and 84 Economy Class seats. On these aircraft, nearly half of the space is dedicated to premium seating.
Anthony’s Take: As with all scheduled aircraft assignments, United notes that equipment remains subject to operational changes. I’m happy to see these flying more routes and can’t wait to check out on of these aircraft in person.
(Image Credits: United Airlines.)
(H/T: Live and Let’s Fly.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
