United Airlines Launching Newark To Dubai Route

I am writing this from gate A21 at Concourse A DXB from where United 163 boards their daily flight service to Newark. We are a family of 5 We had booked our flight from DXB-EWR on May 5. We were offloaded from our original flight due to issues with updating API at check in as the agent was going back and forth with her colleagues in the US. By the time it came through the gate closed and we were left to our devices. Initially the senior agent said he would try to rebook us on an Emirates flight to JFK. He spoke to someone and came back and told us if we are willing to pay the fare difference he would rebook us. We refused and he said he would re book us on UA 163 the next day which was 24 hours after our original flight. When we insisted we had to be in the US the next day their tone changed and they started blaming us as we had our visas in our old passports hence the API needed to be cleared from the US United security staff which delayed the process. The fact is the Emirates contract staff whom United has employed are not well versed with UA procedures and shockingly there is not one United direct staff at DXB. We were not provided any assistance with the hotel stay food and transportation to and from the airport in the middle of the night. We are not locals in Dubai as our country of residence is India hence we had to pay for an expensive last minute hotel stay in Dubai. I would want to know what are my rights ?How I could claim my hotel stay reimbursed from United as it was an involuntary denied boarding. Thank you!

Great service started, all the very best and good luck to United/EK!!!

I booked this flight from DXB-EWR for coming May. I checked in the Flightradar24 app today that the inaugural flight has taken off from EWR enroute DXB. It is a B777-200 and with the registration code I found out that it’s a 23 year old aircraft. Someone also tweeted that it’s the same aircraft which operated this sector last in 2016. (What consistency!) Now I am having some apprehensions as it is going to be a 14hr flight from DXB-EWR Will this aircraft have decent seats,in flight entertainment etc. I avoid flying on airlines which use very old planes like Air India and Royal Jordanian to name a few. I want to know if this United flight had any updates on the interiors recently ? I saw the add in the website that this aircraft has the Polaris seats I am though booked in Economy. Just wondering whether new seats will be available in Economy class with seat back entertainment? I flew with United on DEL-EWR-DEL on a B777-300ER it was a decent experience the seats were comfortable with seat back entertainment and the aircraft in general was in good condition. I booked DXB-EWR I was anticipating a similar experience though I was aware that it would be a B777-200. Can someone pls update on the conditions on the aircraft United B777-200!

I travel to Dubai frequently. I am so happy to see United flying the Dubai route. I love the Polaris experience.

I was hoping to see a different Business Class Seat. The United Polaris Business Class seat is the most uncomfortable, closed-in and claustrophobic seat I've ever flown on. It doesn't come close to the Emirate Airline Business or First Class. You would have to be a person under 5' 5" to sleep/rest comfortably in the Polaris Business class seat. You would have to be insane to take a 14+ hour trip from the US to Dubai in one of those seats. I felt crippled just flying to Paris from New York and that was half the time it takes to fly to Dubai. On a positive note, The Polaris Club at the airports is First Class.