United Airlines has today announced what it’s calling “the largest overhaul since 2016 of United Polaris.” I wouldn’t say that these changes are all that substantial, so perhaps it reflects how little has changed about United’s international business class product (well, other than the reduction in food quality). Let’s go over the details of what’s changing.
In this post:
United Polaris gets Therabody amenities
United Airlines is partnering with Therabody to introduce a variety of wellness products across the travel experience, including onboard United Polaris flights and in United Polaris Lounges.
For now, United is partnering with Therabody on its new Polaris amenity kits, which include TheraFace skincare products that are intended to help passengers refresh (United also recently introduced new domestic amenity kits). The new amenity kit is in a reusable belt bag made with recycled plastic, and includes:
- TheraFace eye serum, with niacinamide, caffeine, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B5, and allantoin; United is the only US airline to offer eye serum in its amenity kit
- TheraFace face spray, with hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B5, calendula flower extract, aloe leaf juice, and glycerin
- TheraFace cleansing towelette, with ingredients like Vitamin B5 and E, calendula flower extract, aloe leaf juice, and glycerin
- TheraFace hand cream, with ingredients like niacinamide, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, sweet almond oil, and Vitamin B5
- The kit also includes a bamboo toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, ear plugs, socks, and a pen
United is also promoting how customers will have access to free Therabody wellness videos onboard flights, intended to help passengers incorporate simple wellness practices into their trip, like movement, breath work, and guided meditation.
On top of that, United will be opening Therabody Reset Suites at Polaris Lounges. The first will open at Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO) as of late October 2023, followed by Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and Washington (IAD).
Each lounge will offer at least one semi-private room outfitted with Therabody wellness technology, including one Theraobody Lounger, which combines sound and vibration therapy for full body relaxation. There will also be Theragun and RecoveryAir JetBoots to support circulation, lymphatic drainage, and muscle recovery.
TheraFace skin and body care products will also be available in the bathrooms and shower suites of United Polaris Lounges.
United Polaris gets refreshed Saks amenities
A major part of the Polaris soft product since launch has been Saks bedding, which has been very popular with passengers. United will be refreshing this going forward, with some very minor changes. As before, United will offer a duvet, a day blanket, a large pillow, and an extra cooling gel pillow, to each passenger.
So, what’s changing? United will be updating the day blanket, and it will feature a pattern by fashion designer Claude Kameni, made from 100% recycled plastic. This new blanket will be available in early 2024, and the designer has a cool story:
Kameni is a self-taught, Cameroon-native designer who won a competition to design the new United Airlines x Saks Fifth Avenue day blanket, as part of Saks’ designer accelerator program, The New Wave. The design reflects Claude’s sharp eye for patterns and colors and Saks’ fashion-forward point of view, in addition to the modern United brand experience.
Bottom line
United Airlines is making some minor changes to United Polaris, including introducing new Therabody amenity kits, along with adding some Therabody amenities in Polaris Lounges. On top of that, United is updating the Saks day blankets in Polaris, with a cool new design.
I suppose this is nice and all, but calling this “the largest overhaul since 2016 of United Polaris” seems like a bit of a stretch… or perhaps reflects how few positive changes there have been since the product was introduced?
What do you make of United’s new Therabody and Saks amenities?
I flew lax nrt ten days ago and they had the therabody amenities and sax blanket. I was given a mattress pad but no pajamas.
The food and wine was a big improvement from the last time I flew Polaris which was pre pandemic. The short rib was well cooked and in addition to the normal wines the had 2019 Groth Cabernet which I love and costs $75 a bottle. The service was friendly and attentive. Only complaint is the seat is a bit narrow.
Flew Polaris for the first time post-pandemic in June - it seemed like the food in particular had gone from quite good (particularly in the Polaris lounges) to questionable.
It made me wonder if Polaris wasn’t too far away from a refresh. If this is what’s counting as that refresh, it’s not terribly encouraging for the future outlook of the product.
The new bedding is fine, just flew iah to nrt. The pillows are very similar if not the same. The new blankets are an improvement. There was no mattress topper and no pajamas on a nearly 14hr flight. That is a big miss if you ask me. The amenity kit is solid, nothing great. I preferred the hard away case more.
So UA wanted to see how they could become worse. Mission accomplished!
This can't be Polaris 2.0 because no one has been complaining about the bedding nor the amenity kit. United customers want better quality food. We want to see restoration of the FA position in business class for better service.
Who really thinks Saks Fifth Avenue is premium or luxury. They really need to find a new and more current brand to partner with. Saks Fifth Avenue just screams 1980s to me.
The only useful amenity kit case I’ve gotten in recent times is on LH. The case doubles as a reusable shopping bag to do your groceries.
Had the Thera fanny pack + new blanket on a Polaris flight ex-GVA last week.
Has Tim Dunn analyzed what the EBITDA impact is of locally sourced amenity kits?
I know we are all worried about the proxy statement impact for delta if United starts locally sourcing amenity kits. Are they grass fed?
If only they could get decent food and a crew that actually smiles.
completely agree. Flew MAD-IAD on Saturday and the food was disgusting. The steak was uneatable and the 2nd meal was "crispy" chicken sandwich that was even worse.. It was my first and last time flying United...
While the contents of the amenity kit, the kit itself is a small "bum bag" with a strap to go around one's waist - a virtually useless bag except for, perhaps, carrying a pair of sunglasses.
Normally, I find uses for the amenity kits themselves after I use the toiletries, toothbrush, etc. I use them to pack electronic cables, medication bottles, and other small items. However, I received the new kits on a recent...
While the contents of the amenity kit, the kit itself is a small "bum bag" with a strap to go around one's waist - a virtually useless bag except for, perhaps, carrying a pair of sunglasses.
Normally, I find uses for the amenity kits themselves after I use the toiletries, toothbrush, etc. I use them to pack electronic cables, medication bottles, and other small items. However, I received the new kits on a recent round-trip to Japan, and the straps just got in the way while onboard and the bag was useless in real-world terms. I kept the toiletries and threw away the kit bag itself. Their previous "Away"-branded kits were much better.
Agree - strap on bag is annoying. Product is meh except for lip balm - the most important thing in the kit for me - is AWFUL! Blanket is fine.
It's not a bum bag. It's a cross body bag which is in fashion now. If you google it you'll see how it is intended to used. Hope that helps.
Lipstick on a pig.
The blanket is ugly.
Does Therabody make toiletries?
Nope, unless this is a way to introduce it.
ages ago I put a pencil to the hard cost of all those, minus the samples of "beauty" supplies, way under $1. Dinky little bag, maybe another $1. And United is proud of that?
The bedding is already on flights.
While I like the Away ones better, content wise this seems to be a positive change.
Oppose to Delta which is completely trash and a huge fall from Tumi.
Consider the prices Tim Dunn approved for Delta One and how Delta is treating its customer, we should have all noticed it. The writing was all over Someone Somewhere.
Makes me feel bad from all those hard working artisans from Michoacan and Oaxaca that are forced to knit trash for a greedy corporation.
Unrelated, Ben are you going to cover the big SAS leaving Star Alliance (at a later time) and joining SkyTeam news?
Pending regulatory approval.
The ITA SAS swap might make it easier.
@ David -- Yep, working on it right now! Sorry, am in Japan and woke up a bit ago, so always a bit of a rush when waking up. Stay tuned, and thanks for the interest.
Do we know what is happening with the pajamas and mattress pads?
@ Jason -- No changes have been announced regarding those, so I'd imagine they're the same as before.
Which is weird, right? Since it was reported in recent weeks that they were running out/out of stock on many of the 12+ hour flights and it was surmised it was because new pajamas would be part of this refresh. I guess it's just poor planning/supply chain issues.