1. Business class award space between North America and Tel Aviv is notoriously scarce. So it’s news when non-Shabbos dates have business class award space from Tel Aviv.
United launched San Francisco-Tel Aviv nonstop service earlier this year and it has been wildly successful.
It’s operated by United’s 787-8 Dreamliners.
This Sunday there are 3 business class saver award seats from Tel Aviv to San Francisco and this Tuesday there are at least 9 business class saver awards seats.
You can book those with 70K United miles one-way, but if you have Singapore miles (AMEX, Chase, Citi, and Starpoints can all be transferred there) you can book it for just 57.5K miles!
The only other non-Shabbos dates with nonstop business class saver award space from Tel Aviv to San Francisco is on September 4 and 11, which each have at least 9 seats available.
These business class seats include United’s newly launched Polaris business class service with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding and pillows. Smart travelers will also request a Saks Fifth Avenue mattress pad, gel cooled pillow, and Pajamas, as those are not offered proactively by flight attendants. The Pajamas are officially only offered on routes that are 12 or more hours.
2. There are also at least 9 business class class saver awards from San Francisco to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, 12/28.
That is currently the only business class class saver award from San Francisco to Tel Aviv that is not on Shabbos or Yom Tov until November 14th, though saver award space can change frequently.
It can also be booked for 70K United miles or 57.5K Singapore miles.
That’s a value of 13.4 cents per mile!
3. I previously wrote about United having 747s masquerading as A320s on the Chicago-San Francisco route.
Well now they have 747s masquerading as 777s on the same route:
United discontinued regular 747 domestic flying earlier this year, but you can find them occasionally making their way between Chicago-San Francisco. The problem is that unless you look at the seat map it can be very hard to tell that it’s a 747. If you search using ITA Matrix for 747s or if you click flight details or flight status on the United.com search page you won’t find a thing. United is discontinuing 747 service altogether in 2018.
I found them operating from Chicago-San Francisco and vice versa today, tomorrow, and Sunday.
I flew with Rafi on the upper deck on that route earlier this year and he had the time of his life. 8 months later and he still talks about all the time. Now that was a good use of miles!
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8 Comments On "Rare United Polaris Dreamliner Award Space Between Tel Aviv And San Francisco; United Now Has 747s Masquerading As 777s"
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Don’t forget you can use NH for 104k Rt with no YQ. Although by the time the transfer is complete the space will probably be gone.
Is united planning on retrofitting their 787s with all aisle access? I haven’t heard the schedule
Non-related but I’m very curious. Someone dan from Cleveland OH. Called in before to the Curtis & cuby show. Was that you?
@Moe: Maybe it was the other Dan from Cleveland, OH.
Can I travel United business with a newborn?
@High end hobo: nops. Only the 777 and 767-3 are being retrofitted. The 767-400 and 787-8/9 (that has the co BusinessFirst seat) is not being retrofitted. The new 787-10 will have it thiugh, so will the A350 (which is apparently under question mark now with Kirby at the shisel)
My father just flew home from tlv to ewr in United Polaris. I told him to request pajamas since the flight was scheduled for 12.5 hours. The flight attendant told him they changed the time to 11 hours 55 minutes and they wouldn’t give him the pajamas.
Even economy is quite attractive at 42.5k o.w. – any other angles to get from SFO to TLV I should consider or is this the best?
@Ilan: please don’t.