American Airlines has begun operating new Boeing 787-9s in a new premium configuration and updated seats, and shortly after the planes entered service in spring 2025, United Airlines announced new interiors for future 787 deliveries. The first example is set to be delivered by year’s end and will enter service in early 2026. Not only will these aircraft come with new seats, but they will also be configured in a more premium layout. The new interiors will be the future standard for both airlines.

Two of America’s largest airlines are configuring Boeing 787-9s in a new premium-heavy layout, and United’s new 787s will enter service less than a year after American’s new Dreamliners. Additionally, the two competing airlines are introducing new cabins and seats that are relatively similar to each other. As such, today we’re going to compare and contrast the new 787s being operated by American Airlines and United Airlines to see which is more premium, which one has the superior onboard experience, and how they’ll be used differently.

Overview Of The New 787s For American And United

American Airlines and United Airlines are both taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. American Airlines currently has 33 787-9s, of which 22 are in the carrier’s standard configuration for this aircraft type. Meanwhile, 11 aircraft as part of the « 78P » subfleet feature a premium-heavy configuration with 51 Flagship Suites and new interiors. American has a further 20 examples on order, and Planespotters.net shows that these aircraft’s fleet numbers begin with 8M (starting at 8MA), whereas the older 787-9s are labeled from 8LA to 8LY.

United Airlines has taken delivery of 48 Boeing 787-9s, which are all configured in the standard layout, and is awaiting delivery of the first aircraft in its new « 78L » subfleet. These planes feature 64 Polaris Suites, which is the largest business class cabin of any 787 operator in the world. Planespotters.net shows that the first 78L aircraft, N61101, will be labeled as 1101, whereas prior 787-9s fleet numbers start with 0950 and end with 0997 (displayed at 3950 to 3997 online).

Both aircraft will come with new cabin designs and seat models, but rather surprisingly, United and American Airlines are using largely the same seats. Business class on both aircraft features the Elevate Ascent, while both carriers use the Collins Aspire for economy. However, United is installing the Collins MiQ for Premium Plus, while American is using the Safran Z535i for premium economy. In addition, both carriers are increasing screen sizes and adding headrest wings in premium economy, while business class will now see privacy doors and a front row « business class plus » product.

Comparing The New Layouts

When discussing which airline has the more premium 787-9, the winner is United. United’s new 787-9 will feature just 222 seats, because, as per aeroLOPA, the carrier will install 64 Polaris Suites (including eight Polaris Studios), 35 Premium Plus seats, 39 Economy Plus seats, and only 84 economy seats. In total, 99 out of the 222 seats onboard will be premium seats, and this number goes up to 138 if you include the Economy Plus cabin. Not only does it beat American’s new Dreamliners, but it’s also the most premium aircraft in United’s fleet.

By comparison, aeroLOPA shows that American’s newest 787-9s feature 51 Flagship Suites (including eight Flagship Preferred Suites) and 32 premium economy seats, in addition to just 18 Main Cabin Extra seats and 143 economy seats. This totals 244 seats, with 83 of them being premium seats. If you include the Main Cabin Extra seats, this number jumps up to 101, significantly less than United’s new Boeing 787s, although this is significantly more than American’s older 787s.

Rather surprisingly, American’s newest 787-9s are closer to United’s older, denser layout for the 787-9. The standard 787-9 configuration features 257 seats, including 48 Polaris seats, 21 Premium Plus seats, 39 Economy Plus seats, and 149 economy seats. Combined, there are 69 premium seats on this aircraft, which jumps up to 108 if you include Economy Plus. These planes only have slightly fewer business and premium economy seats than American’s newest 787s, and they have more premium seats if you include extra-legroom economy.

Why Is American Airlines Being More Conservative?

American Airlines has long been more conservative with the size of its premium cabins. While United’s current 787-9s feature 48 Polaris seats, American’s older 787-9s come with just 30 Flagship Business seats. Its 787-8s also have fewer business class seats than those flown by United (20 versus 28), and the same is true of its 777-200ERs (37 versus 50). The one exception will be its future configuration for the Boeing 777-300ER, which will have 70 Flagship Suites, while United’s 777-300ERs currently have 60 Polaris seats with no retrofit plans announced yet.

United Airlines holds a dominant market position in San Francisco and is the largest international airline in Washington DC. It also holds a strong position in New York (via its Newark hub) and Chicago. These are all cities with high local business demand. The crown jewel of American’s network is Dallas/Fort Worth, which is a large business hub, but its other dominant hubs simply have less international business travel. American also cut corporate contracts in recent years and has shifted away from premium business travel.

American initially deployed the 78P subfleet to London from Chicago and New York, two large cities where it is a weaker player. This winter, the aircraft is also being deployed to London from Philadelphia and DFW, as well as to Paris, Buenos Aires, Auckland, and Brisbane from DFW. United’s first 78L routes will be from San Francisco to London and Singapore, a city that American does not serve. For United, the 78L will serve not just as a premium aircraft, but also as an ultra-long-haul airliner, as the reduced seat count will extend the aircraft’s range.

Comparing The Interiors Of The New 787s

Both airlines are using these aircraft to debut new seats and design standards. At the front of the cabin, American and United are introducing the Elevate Ascent with suite doors and a front-row business class plus product. The Elevate Ascent is a customizable product that American has configured with reverse herringbone. On United, however, the first eight rows are reverse herringbone, while the center suites in the last eight rows are configured herringbone, giving couples an option of booking « honeymoon suites » similar to those found on the older Polaris seats based on the Safran Optima.

While United and American are using identical seats in business class and economy, United is notably introducing larger screens than American Airlines. United will also offer more extra legroom seating in economy than American. In addition, while the Flagship Preferred suites offer more space and a large counter area underneath the screen, United is installing a smaller counter area in exchange for installing an ottoman that can be used as a buddy seat. This will allow for face-to-face dining, a feature that is not currently offered by American or Delta.

Other than the screen sizes, the Collins Aspire seats used by American and United are largely the same. In premium economy, American Airlines is installing the Safran Z535i, while United will use an updated version of the Collins MiQ found on its current widebodies. Both seats feature new designs, along with privacy wings, Bluetooth connectivity, and multiple ways to charge devices. In addition, United will offer passengers a reading light and dedicated storage for headsets as well as water bottles.

What Is Delta Air Lines Doing?

Delta Air Lines first unveiled its DeltaOne Suites on the Airbus A350 in 2017, and later installed them on the Airbus A330-900. Apart from adding wireless charging, these seats (based on the Thompson Vantage XL+) have seen few updates since then, and Delta’s premium cabins are also modestly sized. It’s reconfiguring Airbus A350-900s to have 40 DeltaOne Suites (up from 32), while its A330-200s, A330-300s, and 767-400ERs have 34 DeltaOne seats. Meanwhile, its A330-900s have 29 DeltaOne Suites, while its 767-300ERs either have 26 or 36 DeltaOne seats.

Next year, Delta Air Lines will begin taking delivery of the Airbus A350-1000. Not only will these planes have larger premium cabins, but they will also feature new seats. While no information has been released by the carrier, it’s been reported that Delta will install 50 DeltaOne Suites on the A350-1000. While this is significantly fewer than the 64 Polaris Suites on United’s newest 787s, it tracks with the Atlanta-based carrier’s strategy of limiting business class capacity.

It’s also been reported that Delta is planning to install the Thompson VantageNOVA for DeltaOne. This is a reverse herringbone seat similar to the Elevate Ascent, and it will naturally come with suite doors as well as a front row business class plus product. While no other details have been leaked, the seats will naturally also come with larger screens and more charging options.