The Many Layouts Of United Airlines’ Boeing 777-200s

On June 7th, 1995, United Airlines became the launch customer for the Boeing 777, operating an inaugural flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD). In the nearly 30 years that have followed, the Boeing 777 has served as the backbone of United’s long-haul operations. Initially, the carrier purchased and operated the 777-200 and 777-200ER. Later, in the mid-2010s, United would go on to place a rather unusual order for the Boeing 777-300ER, the family’s most well-known variant.

Photo: Kent Raney | Shutterstock

Today, United’s fleet contains 74 different Boeing 777-200 aircraft, split between 19 of the standard variant and 55 of the extended-range version. The carrier flies these twinjets with a variety of different cabin configurations. In this article, we’ll break down all the various layouts of this jet flown by United.

The newest product

Of United’s 777-200ER aircraft, 51 have been equipped with the carrier’s newest Polaris business class product featuring the airline’s most modern cabin configuration. These aircraft, which have a total capacity of 276, offer 50 fully flat seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and 24 Premium Plus seats (United’s premium economy product) arranged in 2-4-2. In the main cabin, seats are arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration split between 46 Economy Plus seats (extra-legroom economy) and 156 standard economy class seats.

Photo: United Airlines

This design allows for maximum comfort among all the carrier’s 777-200 configurations. Travelers in Polaris can enjoy a full 6’6″ of sleeping space, while those in premium economy are offered 38″ of pitch. For those in standard economy, the pitch is 31″, but this is slightly enhanced to 34″ for Economy Plus.

The standard 777-200 jets

All the carrier’s standard 777-200s have a far more dated configuration, with business class arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. These jets are equipped with 28 business class seats branded as United First instead of Polaris. The aircraft features 102 Economy Plus seats and 234 standard seats in the economy class cabin.

In terms of legroom, despite having 6’4″ of sleeping space, premium cabin seats on these aircraft have only 19″ of seat width, which falls far short of the 22″ offered by Polaris. In the main cabin, economy passengers can enjoy 31″ of legroom while those in Economy Plus can enjoy a reasonably comfortable 35″. On United’s website, two configurations are listed that have 364 seats split into 28 business class seats, 102 in Economy Plus and 234 in economy, with the only notable difference between the two being the placement of bassinets and lavatories.

The domestic 777-200ER

Four of United’s Boeing 777-200ER are equipped with a high-density domestic configuration and are most commonly used for long-haul services to Hawaii from United’s major US hubs. These jets have 32 business class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, alongside 124 Economy Plus and 206 economy seats in a traditional 3-4-3 configuration. In terms of seat pitch and width, all measurements are identical to the carrier’s standard 777-200 configuration.