United's new 777s struggle with luxury seat delays

United faces a new setback in its bid to win back business customers as production snags hinder deliveries of Boeing jetliners outfitted with new luxury seats. “Short delays” are affecting two 777-300ER aircraft with United’s Polaris luxury interiors, said Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the airline. United and the planemaker are working with French seatmaker Zodiac Aerospace to expedite shipments, said McCarthy and Doug Alder, a spokesman for Boeing. The stumbles will slow United’s efforts to woo international travelers with a rebranding campaign centered on the Polaris cabins, which offer pod-style suites with Zodiac’s lie-flat berths. Zodiac, which agreed to be acquired by Safran SA, has also held back production of Airbus Group SE’s marquee A350 with delays of seats and lavatories. “It’s not just seatless in Seattle, it’s seatless in Toulouse,” said aviation consultant Robert Mann, referring to the planemakers’ manufacturing hubs and a Tom Hanks movie. “It’s a serious problem and it’s been building.” Even delays of a month or two could hurt Chicago-based United if, after a year of marketing build-up, the airline misses a chance to deploy the brand-new 777s on high-profile routes to Asia during the peak summer travel season, Mann said by phone. “You can only make the most money when you have a product in the market at the right time,” Mann said. “You are talking consequential damages.”<br/>