As discussed on FlyerTalk, United Airlines has just sent out an interesting survey to select frequent flyers, which gives us a sense of what the airline may have in store for a premium cabin refresh (thanks to Live and Let’s Fly for flagging this).
In this post:
United surveys a premium business class experience
Polaris is the name of United Airlines’ long haul business class product. The airline has just sent out a survey to get feedback on the concept of a more premium experience within the Polaris cabin. The idea is that select seats would be more spacious, and would also feature more amenities. As the survey explains:
United is considering the introduction of a limited number of new seats within the Polaris business class cabin. These seats would be more spacious than the standard Polaris seats. If available, after purchasing a Polaris ticket, you might have the option to purchase an upgrade for the more spacious seat.
In addition to the more spacious seat, United is exploring premium amenities that would only be offered to customers in the upgraded seats.
The survey then presents a variety of amenities at varying price points, and asks if you’d be willing to pay for this over the standard Polaris business class experience. Here’s how the airline frames this:
Imagine you are taking a 14-hour flight that departs at 11 am, and you have purchased a Polaris ticket for $2.500. You have options to upgrade to the more spacious seat with the features and price below, or you can choose “No upgrade” to remain in your standard Polaris seat. Select your preference.
Then below you can find the three upgrade bundles, ranging in price from $300 to $650.
As you can see, the premium amenities range from access to a more exclusive check-in area, to pre-boarding with Global Services members, to a more premium amenity kit, to access to a special menu, to a gift at your seat, to a “press for champagne” button at your seat (oh c’mon!).
I’ve gotta say, the relative pricing of these bundles makes no sense. For example, Upgrade 1 is at least as good as Upgrade 3, yet the former costs $300, while the latter costs $650.
My take on United’s premium business concept
Understandably, many people are confused by the very basis of this question. Is United planning on reconfiguring existing jets with better seats in some rows? Will United simple charge more for some existing seats that have more space?
That’s not how I interpret this. Rather, United has a lot of Boeing 787s on order. While nothing has been formally announced, there are strong rumors that the airline will introduce an updated Polaris product with doors on these jets.
A lot of premium airline products can be configured efficiently by using the space to the side of the seat in front. However, in bulkhead seats there’s often a bit of extra space, and United is probably looking to monetize this.
This is no different than the Retreat Suites on Virgin Atlantic’s A330-900neos, or the Prime Seats on Condor’s A330-900neos, or the Mint Studios on JetBlue’s A321LRs.
So while airlines do survey all kinds of things, my guess is that United knows it will have more spacious seats at the bulkheads (so that will be eight seats on most jets), the airline is just deciding what it wants to do with them. Clearly the airline is seriously considering charging extra for these seats (rather than just assigning them to certain frequent flyers), and is trying to decide how best to monetize them.
I think we’re just getting started when it comes to airlines introducing premium business products in the first row, so United won’t be alone here. American is introducing new Flagship Suites soon on its premium Boeing 787s, and those will also feature a special product in the first row, known as Flagship Suite Preferred seats.
Bottom line
United is considering introducing a special business class experience in Polaris business class, for select passengers. This sure suggests to me that United is working on a new 787 Polaris business class, and that this product will have spacious bulkhead seats.
What’s interesting is how United plans to offer an elevated soft product as part of the experience, with concepts ranging from pre-boarding with Global Services, to a “press for champagne” button.
What do you make of the concept of United introducing a premium business class?
Having just completed a Polaris flight from JNB to EWR, my suggestion would be that UA simply focus on the basics: food quality and quantity. For a 16-hour flight the food out of both EWR and JNB was awful, objectively inedible on the JNB-EWR segment with several passengers simply sending their food back barely touched. FAs graciously gave up their own salads to feed Polaris passengers so bad was the main meal. Sandwiches had to...
Having just completed a Polaris flight from JNB to EWR, my suggestion would be that UA simply focus on the basics: food quality and quantity. For a 16-hour flight the food out of both EWR and JNB was awful, objectively inedible on the JNB-EWR segment with several passengers simply sending their food back barely touched. FAs graciously gave up their own salads to feed Polaris passengers so bad was the main meal. Sandwiches had to be scrounged from Economy to provide for the snack mid-flight. The FAs were wonderful, but it was clear that they were deeply embarrassed by the meal offerings. Before launching hocus-pocus "upgrades" get the basics of business class services right, then build from there.
Matt - I'm very curious to know what your feedback was. To me, this is insulting. United should be focused on elevating the standard Polaris product, not transitioning Polaris to Spirit Air style a la carte flying.
That said, I don't have as much of an issue with an upcharge for the more spacious bulkhead seats. I personally would not opt for that because I hate being close to the bathrooms and galleys.
Wrong blog! Meant Ben, not Matt.
Seems like an idea of first class but not. I wonder about the execution of such and isn't it basically what was provided until recently in business?....
I think' First class' would be a good idea-------four seats,separate cabin,Premium service------- just like a number of carriers. There is a market for it------Me incuded!
So after removing first class they are thinking about putting first class back in will premium travel demand trend skyward forever? It's got to come back down at some point.
In the reddit unitedairlines forum there's a thread about this where someone posted a visual mockup of the proposed Polaris Plus seat. I'd paste it in but we all know what happens with the filter if i do that. The thread is called "Email survey - United considering add-ons to Polaris" if you want to go look at it.
I think that the hard product is fine. The soft product is simply inferior to many airlines. Would I pay for a better soft product? Maybe, if I am guaranteed to actually receive better service. The issue is that the vast majority of United's staff are US-trained which advocates a philosophy/culture of providing only the very minimum. Just speaking from 30 years of experience with Continental and now United.
Only 8 seats and likely only on new planes? It’s too small for United to properly invest any meaningful service/amenity updrades. Sounds like an operational headache and lack of economies of scale. Maybe if the base it out of one hub like EWR
Greedy cash grab once again.
The exact same thing happens on the other end of the plane with the introduction of Basic Economy.
They promised lower fares but in reality, you actually get what you would normally get at a higher price.
Why do I have to be paying $300-650 for what I should already be getting in a premium cabin, unless they blackmail you by reducing and unbundling just like basic economy.
Given their obsession with PP, i'm certain they'll name this PolarisPlus. That way, as a PremierPlatinum i can use PlusPoints to upgrade from PremiumPlus to PolarisPlus...
But yeah, does my P+ seat get me an actual meal rather than a single, deconstructed rice ball that they had the gall to call "bimbimbap"?
Does the champagne button just attach to a beautiful dispenser in my seat or does it require the exhausted, "just trying...
Given their obsession with PP, i'm certain they'll name this PolarisPlus. That way, as a PremierPlatinum i can use PlusPoints to upgrade from PremiumPlus to PolarisPlus...
But yeah, does my P+ seat get me an actual meal rather than a single, deconstructed rice ball that they had the gall to call "bimbimbap"?
Does the champagne button just attach to a beautiful dispenser in my seat or does it require the exhausted, "just trying to get thru service" FA's to come over and fill it back up by hand? (Cuz if it's the latter, I don't have a lot of hope for it).
Does it guarantee the people in the middle seats for rows 1 and 2 (where there's no overhead storage due to the crew rest) don't hog all of my overhead space?
Do I get a mattress pad that has attach points/pockets so it will stay in place on my seat?
How much to have the FA clean the bathroom a few times during service?
How much to have the amenity kit INCLUDE FACE MOISTURIZER? you know, the second most important thing for a kit after a toothbrush...
it's really galling to me that United charges $10,000+ for long-haul Polaris and somehow they're already figuring out how to make you pay extra for every single amenity that should be included on such a premium fare. Priced like Singapore, service like ZipAir.
Omg those friggin mattress pads that you need to ask for and then fall down! The worst! We fly with twine to tie them up but they still fall. Yes RPP but come on!
The "standard" Polaris experience is no bargain and United cannot serve food fit for human consumption. The Polaris lounges are a step in the right direction. United doesn't have the capicity to differentiate one type of pajamas from another resulting in disenfranchised customers. Sell only what can be delivered.
Priority seating at the sit-down area of the Polaris lounges will only mean even longer wait times for all other business class passengers. I am not in favor of monetizing every single customer interaction.
I was 1K for like 7 years in a row. Post-COVID, the Polaris experience has gone to trash. How about United actually reinvests in making their Polaris product better before searching for new revenue streams building on a bad product?
The food on my last few Polaris flights has been significantly worse in quality than random domestic first flights on Delta and domestic business class on any non American carrier. It is not good..
Is it April 1st?
United should vastly improve its catering before trying to charge more for the product.
UA trying to charge extra for pre 2020 polaris meal service. While Delta and American offer the extra course and multi step service standard - they went back to pre 2020 standards.
What a joke UA. Get your main product right first.
Well if they serve food like Bob Bob Ricard here in Soho London and install the iconic “press for champagne” button this restaurant is famous for it might encourage some travellers to switch sides.
I have an idea for an alternative to the champagne button - you could instead just install a kind of general button where when you press it, a friendly flight attendant shows up and helps you with anything from more water, a snack or, heck, even champagne. I've experience this concept on other airlines and I think United should move forward with that.
Where do we find this mythical friendly flight attendant?
What is the advantage of a boarding with global services if you are flying in the Polaris cabin? It is not like you won’t have enough overhead space.
When UA first rolled out Polaris, it had some of these features, which were gradually pared back even before the pandemic and then never returned. The Polaris seat is good. The soft product, including food and other attributes, needs a lot of work. Segmenting a mediocre product from a mediocre airline isn't the right solution.
I'm sure UA employees are looking forward to this.
Does this mean I cannot have champagne in regular Polaris?
Let's just go back to 3 cabin configurations with a true F class product.
Bingo
few people cant book first (even sometimes business) for intl travel. My company for example you have to be a director JUST to get Premium Economy for intl travel.
This is a way to to potentially add some first amenities without placing the seats in a different class.
Many of these "upgrades" are standard on AA and DL long-haul premium cabins. What am I not understanding?
The survey looks like a marketing tool called conjoint analysis. They are not actually evaluating the bundles as a whole but rather trying to asses what relative value customers place on individual options within the bundles.
Utter stupidity! A better meal? It's United the meal is crap. At most people would pay more for a better seat, but the seat is beside the galley or washroom on a 787.
@Toby: That was exactly my reaction seeing how the various "upgrades" were distributed among the "packages"
This is accurate in terms of the methodology being used. My guess is it’s a little of both - they are going to roll out the highest rated aspects in a bundle - whether that bundle is also associated with a different hard product or if they just offer a “Polaris plus” bundle that *any* Polaris pax can add on after purchase remains to be seen.
This is kind of hilarious. On almost every other airline but US airlines, there already is a "press for champagne" button in long haul premium business class cabins. It's only US airlines where the crew call the police to arrest you on landing if you press the call button when someone isn't dying.
lol right? and on the international carriers, you rarely even need to push the button because someone has already come by and proactively offered to top off your drink for you.