TravTalk India Online Magazine
United Airlines will add more than 1,600 United Polaris Business Class and United First seats to nearly 250 international and domestic aircraft. Harvinder Singh, Country Manager— India, United Airlines, shares more.
Kalpana Lohumi
Q. Which United planes have the new Polaris seats?
United Polaris is a reinvention of our international premium cabin travel experience, offering enhanced comfort and service from the lounge to landing. Our customers here in India can enjoy the new Polaris seat on board United’s Mumbai-NewYork/Newark service, operated by our newest aircraft Boeing 777-300ER. With an aim to provide international travellers better sleep in the sky, United Polaris features exclusive United Polaris lounges with new rest spaces and high-end pre-flight dining options; a custom-designed personal onboard suite with added privacy, comfort and convenience; sleep-focused amenities and reimagined dining options.
Q. How many more United Polaris Business Class and United First seats are added to aircraft?
Currently, we have 50 aircraft with Polaris seating and on an average, United plans to add one aircraft with the new United Polaris Business Class seat every 10 days from now through to 2020. The airline recently announced the next step in its commitment to making customers more comfortable by adding more than 1,600 United Polaris Business Class and United First seats to nearly 250 international and domestic aircraft. Additionally, United will revolutionise the regional flying experience by introducing the two-cabin, 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 550 aircraft to its fleet, offering customers on key regional routes more legroom, storage and amenities than any other 50-seat regional aircraft operating today.
We will introduce a daily non-stop seasonal service between Delhi and San Francisco starting December 7, 2019 to provide customers with greater travel choice
Q. Are you planning to expand the network in India?
We will introduce a new daily non-stop seasonal service between Delhi and San Francisco starting December 7, 2019 – subject to government approval. The new route will be United’s third daily non-stop service from India in addition to the existing daily year-round services from Mumbai and Delhi to New York/Newark. The new flight will further strengthen our international route network and provide our customers from India with even greater travel choice, with connections from San Francisco to other destinations across the US and Canada. Connecting the Indian capital to the US west coast opens new opportunities for both business and leisure travellers.
Q. How profitable is the India market for the airline?
We have carried over three million customers on more than 14,000 flights between India and the US over the past decade. Our services not only offer direct access to New York but also an unparalleled network of onward connections via Newark Liberty International Airport to destinations throughout the Americas.
Q. What makes United popular among Indian flyers?
We offer over 90 non-stop connections from New York/Newark to other destinations across the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean for our Indian customers. The airlines’ newest premium seating, United Premium Plus is now on sale for travel on select international flights including our Mumbai-New York/Newark service, starting March 30, 2019. Customers travelling in United Premium Plus will enjoy an elevated travel experience before their flight even leaves the ground. United’s flights to and from India feature special products and services specifically for Indian customers, including Hindi-language, subtitled movies and Indian audio entertainment.”
