Ben Mutzabaugh

USA TODAY

United Airlines celebrated the delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft Wednesday.

United took the proverbial keys to its new widebody jet at Boeing’s assembly line in Everett, Wash. It's the first of 14 777-300ERs that United expects to place into service in 2017,

The jets will be the first to feature United’s new Polaris cabin, unveiled by the airline to great fanfare in June.

United's new Boeing 777-300ER jets will debut in February

United's first 777-300ER – and its updated cabin interior -- will enter commercial passenger service on Feb. 16. Initially, the jet will fly domestically between Newark Liberty and San Francisco – a hub-to-hub route for United that connects two of its biggest bases and will allow crews to become familiar with the cabin layout

United’s new 366-seat 777-300ERs will feature an updated cabin interior that the airline says represents the new cabin design for its widebody aircraft.

The most-anticipated feature on the plane will be the 60 Polaris business-class seats that United describes as “suite-like pods.” They include seats that recline into full-flat beds and are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout. Each will have direct-aisle access. For premium fliers, that will be a significant upgrade from United’s current six- and eight-abreast business-class layouts, where some customers must climb over seatmates to get into or out of their seats during flight.

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