United Business Class To London, Up To 9 Seats

United has some business class award space to London on several routes this summer. It’s not widespread, but I wanted to flag it just in case you’re still looking for a flight this summer.


Now, let’s get into it!

United Polaris business class seat, front view

Straight To The Points

Routes: DEN, EWR, IAD, LAX, ORD, SFO - LHR
Operating airline: United
Class of service: Business class (Polaris)
Dates: July - September 2024
Seats available: 2 (up to 9)
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (777-300 and 787-10); 2-2 (757)
Book with (per person, one-way): 

  • *Air Canada Aeroplan:

    • EWR, IAD, ORD: 60,000 points

    • DEN, IAH, LAX, SFO: 70,000 points

  • ANA Mileage Club: 100,000 miles (round-trip only)

  • Asiana Club: 40,000 miles

  • *Avianca lifemiles:

    • EWR, IAD: 60,000 miles

    • DEN, LAX, ORD, IAH, SFO: 63,000 miles

  • EVA Infinity MileageLands: 65,000 miles

  • Lufthansa Miles & More: 56,000 miles

  • Singapore KrisFlyer: 81,000 miles

  • Turkish Miles&Smiles: 90,000 miles

  • *United MileagePlus: 80,000 miles


*No Surcharges


Taxes/fees (per person): 

  • From US: ~$5.60

  • From LHR: ~$330


Aeroplan and LifeMiles have partner booking fees.


Bank transfer partners: 

  • Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Marriott

    • 20% Chase transfer bonus

  • Asiana Club: Marriott

  • Lifemiles: Amex, Capital One, Citi, Marriott

  • EVA: Capital One, Citi

  • Singapore: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Marriott

  • Turkish: Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Marriott

  • United: Bilt, Chase, Marriott


Current Airline Transfer Bonuses
Best Card Offers


Let me know if you book!

United Polaris business class cabin

Available Dates

Book Your Stay In London With VIP Perks

United Polaris business class seat, rear view

Flight Experience


A quick look at the flight schedule shows that United is operating their Boeing 787-10 and Boeing 777 on these routes. The business class (Polaris) cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 layout. Each seat is lie-flat and has direct aisle access.

Please note that some flights to/from Newark are operated by a Boeing 757. This is a narrow-body aircraft with a 2-2- layout. The seats are lie-flat, but not all seats have direct aisle access.

When departing from the US, I generally suggest eating at the Polaris Lounge and skipping meal service on the flight. Polaris Lounges typically have much better food and a solid selection of drinks.

Best Ways To Book


ANA: Great Round-trip Option, Slow Amex Transfers

At 100,000 miles round-trip, ANA Mileage Club is your best round-trip option with Amex points. However, transfers can take a few days to process.

Connections won't increase the award rate but could increase the taxes/fees if you connect in Europe on a Star Alliance partner that has surcharges.

Aeroplan: Best East Coast Option, Chase Transfer Bonus

From IAD or EWR, Aeroplan is a great option at 60,000 points one-way for the non-stop. If you connect to IAD or EWR, the extra flight distance will almost always bump the rate to 70,000 points.


From other airports, 70,000 Aeroplan points is a solid option, but lifemiles might be a better option if you have Amex, Bilt, Capital One, or Citi points. With the 20% Chase transfer bonus, that could make Aeroplan the best option from ORD as well.


With the Chase transfer bonus, you’d need to transfer the following points:

  • EWR/IAD: 50,000 Chase points

  • Others: 59,000 Chase points


If you have the Chase Aeroplan Card, you can also get a 10% transfer bonus when you transfer 50,000+ Chase Ultimate Rewards points. That would bring the total bonus to 30% which means you’d only need to transfer 47,000 points from EWR/IAD and 54,000 points from others.


If you connect from the west coast and within Europe, the total flight distance could bump the award rate up to 90,000 Aeroplan points.

You can also include a stopover for 5,000 additional miles. Use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's award chart.

Lifemiles: Great Option For Many Routes + With Connections

With Amex, Bilt, Capital One, or Citi points, LifeMiles is often a better option than Aeroplan at 63,000 miles one-way if you need a connecting flight and/or you aren't flying non-stop from IAD or EWR.


If you redeem a ton of lifemiles each year, it might be worth getting a lifemiles+ subscription to get a 10% rebate on Star Alliance redemptions. A Lite membership is only $240 per year while a Basic membership is $600 but you get free changes  and cancellations. Most people probably don’t need the higher tier memberships.

How To Book

  1. From United's homepage, select Advanced search

  2. Choose to show price in miles

  3. Select Roundtrip or One-way

  4. Enter the origin & destination

  5. Select Nonstop only (if you don't need a connection)

  6. Select the number of passengers

  7. Select your dates or choose Flexible dates and choose a month

  8. Select Business

  9. Run the search

  10. If booking with another Star Alliance partner, confirm space by searching with that program

  11. Transfer points (if necessary)

  12. Log into your account

  13. Run the search again

  14. Complete the booking


Happy booking!