United Airlines To Remove Boeing 757-200 Flights Between Phoenix & Newark

Chicago-based United Airlines will soon make some changes to flights between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Beginning next month, the airline will operate the route with only Boeing 737s, removing the 757-200 from its flight schedule.

The change does not affect the airline’s capacity on the route, as its largest 737 variants carry more passengers than the 757-200. However, it does represent a decrease in its premium product on the route, with the loss of the Polaris business class.

Six months of the 757

United has operated the 757-200 between PHX and EWR sparingly for several years, with the 737 almost always handling the majority of the route’s frequencies. Both aircraft types, besides the 737 MAX 9, formerly flew with Continental Airlines before it merged with United in 2010. Continental also scheduled the 757-200 from PHX to EWR occasionally, but not on a regular basis.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

After six months of being consistently deployed, United will remove the flying pencil from the route beginning April 1st, according to aviation analytics and data provider Cirium. It comes after the aircraft was scheduled on the route during two periods in 2023, with a break in the middle of the year. Throughout January and February, the plane was deployed regularly. In March and April, United significantly reduced the number of flights operated by the aircraft before it was taken off the flight schedule until the Fall.

In September 2023, the plane returned to the route and operated flights consistently throughout the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year travel periods. The trend continued into this year, with the plane operating 46 total flights in each direction in January. In February, the schedule was virtually the same, with a total of 41 flights operated in each direction. This month, 60 flights are scheduled – 30 each way – before it goes dark next month.

Premium with Polaris

When deployed on domestic routes, United’s 757-200s have the most premium product than any of its other narrowbody aircraft. This is due to the aircraft’s versatility, in that it also operates international flights that exceed seven hours. Similar to the airline’s widebody aircraft, its 757-200s are equipped with Polaris business class. The upscale class features private seats with fully lie-flat capability, a larger inflight entertainment screen, and noise-reducing headphones.

Polaris passengers can also take advantage of more space to store their personal items and keep their devices charged with several personal charging ports. Additionally, amenity kits are passed out to every passenger. While United’s newer Airbus A321neos boast a premium domestic first class product, the the seats do not recline into beds.

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There are 16 Polaris seats on the 757-200. The remainder of the cabin comprises 160 economy seats, 42 of which are branded as Economy Plus, which feature more legroom. With a total of 176 seats, the aircraft accommodates fewer passengers than 737-900, -900ER, and MAX 9, which are configured with 179 seats.

An all-737 operation

According to Cirium, United has the -900/-900ER, MAX 8, and MAX 9 scheduled to operate flights from PHX to EWR from April through August, excluding the A319, A320, 737-800, and 757-200, which all have been deployed on the route in the last year. Starting in September, the airline will reportedly shift the route’s equipment to one aircraft type: the 737 MAX 8.

Have you been on United’s 757-200 before? Let us know in the comments.

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