United is known for its excellent Polaris Lounges, which are for long haul business class passengers. The carrier’s first-ever Polaris Lounge was at Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and it opened back in 2016.
For the past several months, the airline has been working on expanding and renovating the lounge, and there’s now an exciting update — the lounge has reopened as of today, and it looks like there are some awesome improvements!
Expanded United Polaris Lounge Chicago opens
Today (April 29, 2025), the updated United Polaris Lounge Chicago has opened. It’s located in Concourse C, near gate C18, and is open daily from 7AM until 9PM. With these updates:
- The lounge has been expanded from 16,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet, so the size of the lounge has increased by over 50%
- The lounge feature twice as many seats as before, so clearly the additional space is primarily being used for more seating, as there’s now capacity for over 350 guests
- The lounge expansion includes more restrooms, amenities like private seating and workspaces, a larger 50-seat dining room, and a second (speakeasy-style) bar
- The lounge features updated decor and tableware from Crate & Barrel
The additional space for this lounge was made possible by the former United Club that was adjacent to this lounge, which closed back in 2023. So United basically knocked down a wall to create this expanded space.
Here’s how Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, describes the lounge updates:
“Our vast international network is one of United’s unique strengths, and our United Polaris lounges help set the tone for business class travelers before or after their long-haul flights. Customers are going to love our new Chicago lounge because it gives them more of all of the things they want most—more space, more amenities, and more dining options—and we’ll carry this new elevated design into future lounge openings and renovations across our United Polaris lounge portfolio.”
This Polaris Lounge expansion is long overdue
An expansion to the United Polaris Lounge Chicago was most definitely necessary. United has huge premium cabins on its long haul aircraft, and has continued to grow its wide body fleet in recent years. When you combine that with booming demand for international premium travel, this lounge has become uncomfortably crowded in the afternoons. Beyond that, United has massively grown its market share in Chicago, at American’s expense.
Also keep in mind that Star Alliance partners All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa depart from this terminal, and send their premium passengers here.
Bottom line
The updated United Polaris Lounge Chicago has just opened. The lounge is roughly 50% larger, with a lot more seats and amenities, including more dining and bar seating. Not only has the lounge been expanded, but it also has updated design, in partnership with Crate & Barrel. These changes look great, and I can’t wait to visit!
What’s your take on the United Polaris Lounge Chicago changes?
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