We knew this change was coming, though perhaps it’s happening a bit sooner than we were expecting, as flagged by Zach Griff.
United rebrands select domestic premium cabins as Polaris
Polaris business class is the name of United’s long haul, international business class experience. Historically, the forward cabin on domestic flights has simply been marketed as first or business class, but not as Polaris business class. That has now changed.
Effective immediately, United has introduced Polaris business class branding on select domestic flights:
- This applies in premium transcontinental markets, including from Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), and vice versa
- This applies in long haul Hawaii markets, including from Chicago (ORD) and Newark (EWR) to Honolulu (HNL) and Maui (OGG), and vice versa
In the interest of clarity, let me emphasize that this branding applies specifically if booking nonstop flights in those markets. So if you fly from Newark to San Francisco via another airport, you wouldn’t somehow magically be booked in Polaris business class.
While United recently rolled out “basic” Polaris fares, for the time being, those aren’t being sold on domestic Polaris flights. I think it’s a given that these fares will be rolled out as well, so it’s just a question of how long it’ll take for that to happen (my guess: not long).
What are the implications of this Polaris branding change?
Why should customers care about the forward cabin on some domestic flights now being marketed as Polaris business class? The implications are very simple — those booked on these flights will be eligible for Polaris lounge access.
Up until now, the most premium domestic flights at best provided United Club access, so to instead get access to United Polaris Lounges is a huge upgrade. This is part of a massive overhaul of lounge access at United, essentially reshuffling who gets access to Polaris Lounges:
- With the introduction of “basic” Polaris fares, those booked on these kinds of tickets no longer receive Polaris Lounge access, but instead, receive United Club access
- United has just cut Polaris Lounge access for most travelers on partner airlines, so that’s a pretty major update
- With United introducing its new Coastliner A321neos, the airline promised it would introduce Polaris Lounge access on these flights, though clearly this change is coming even earlier than that
From a competitive standpoint, the change on the part of United is perfectly sensible. American and Delta both provide access to their premium lounges — American Flagship Lounges and Delta One Lounges — on premium transcontinental flights, so it makes sense that United would do the same.
Admittedly to avoid crowding, this requires a reshuffling by denying access to others, but United has upside there as well, because “basic” Polaris business class tickets no longer provide Polaris Lounge access. So it gives passengers an incentive to buy up to a higher fare by making the lower fares punitive, and United views that as a win-win.
Bottom line
United is now marketing the forward cabin on select domestic flights as Polaris business class. The practical implications are that those in Polaris business class receive access to Polaris Lounges, assuming it’s not a basic fare (and basic Polaris fares haven’t yet been loaded for domestic flights).
This applies specifically in premium transcontinental markets, plus on select Hawaii flights, and we knew this was something that United had planned.
What do you make of United’s domestic Polaris changes?
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