United recently rebranded their premium cabins as United Polaris and introduced a new all-aisle access business class seat. The Polaris soft product launched on December 1 of last year, but the new seats won’t start to be installed for a few more months. And it will take a few years to trickle out across the entire fleet.
To accompany the on-board product, United is also launching a series of premium Polaris Lounges. One of the key features of these lounges is that they will have restaurant-style dining, meaning you’ll get to place an order and have it delivered to your table.
I think this will be a nice option, especially for trips to Europe where the flight is so short that it’s hard to have enough time to both eat and sleep.
Well, I recently flew Polaris for the first time and also had a chance to visit the new Chicago lounge. (I’ll try to share my thoughts on that shortly.)
I must say that I was a bit disappointed to discover that the sit-down dining service wasn’t yet available though I suppose if had I done my homework I would have known that.
While chatting with one of the food service staff, however, I asked when the Polaris restaurant-style service would start. She informed me that sit-down dining service would begin on January 11, which is of course tomorrow.
So there you have it, straight from the trenches. United Polaris restaurant-style dining (potentially) starts tomorrow.
This is obviously a rumor but rumors about good changes can be fun so I feel comfortable sharing it, and others are also reporting rumors of table service beginning January 11th. Plus, we know sit-down dining is coming to the Polaris Lounge sooner or later. Maybe tomorrow is indeed the day.
Anyone flying Polaris through Chicago this week that can confirm?
In the Polaris ORD lounge now and about to enjoy the a la carte lunch/dinner service. Menu is the same for both lunch and dinner. Link here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27744635-post261.html
@Brian LOVED the bear comment. Couldn't stop cackling for nearly a minute. LOVED IT.
Nico: Eventually there will be a Polaris Lounge at most of the hubs, but the first one (and for now only) is in Chicago.
You need to be flying in First or Business to have access.
So funny to hear people complaining about an airline clearly improving. The ORD Polaris lounge is actually quite nice, easily in par with the best domestic lounges and better then 90% of what other domestic airlines offer.
The onboard soft product is objectively nicer than what the other domestics offer. Yes, disappointing to see such a slow roll out of the hard product and UA deserves some criticism for the timing but to complain...
So funny to hear people complaining about an airline clearly improving. The ORD Polaris lounge is actually quite nice, easily in par with the best domestic lounges and better then 90% of what other domestic airlines offer.
The onboard soft product is objectively nicer than what the other domestics offer. Yes, disappointing to see such a slow roll out of the hard product and UA deserves some criticism for the timing but to complain about positive moves and vastly upgraded product is not only ridiculous but also a bit sad.
I very recently had the opportunity to experience the POLARIS Lounge at ORD and the Saks Fifth Ave premium cabin bedding. It is great stuff. Anyone who says otherwise just because it is "the same ol' United" or because "the same ol' United botched the launch" is either a born naysayer who has to be ignored or is clueless and should also be ignored.
See my experience with the POLARIS Lounge at ORD here: https://goo.gl/hnVTjH...
I very recently had the opportunity to experience the POLARIS Lounge at ORD and the Saks Fifth Ave premium cabin bedding. It is great stuff. Anyone who says otherwise just because it is "the same ol' United" or because "the same ol' United botched the launch" is either a born naysayer who has to be ignored or is clueless and should also be ignored.
See my experience with the POLARIS Lounge at ORD here: https://goo.gl/hnVTjH ; and the POLARIS GlobalFirst "theme" here: https://goo.gl/XDV6eH
I was there December 30 enroute to London. The place was pretty empty. The cold food offerings were abysmal and picked over while the coffee was lukewarm, apparently not having been refreshed in hours. No one offered a shower so I requested one. Cowshed amenities were excellent, like London. Day beds went unused, I took a look. The roving concierge (formerly employed as a Visa Signature concierge) couldn't answer basic questions about Fast Track immigration...
I was there December 30 enroute to London. The place was pretty empty. The cold food offerings were abysmal and picked over while the coffee was lukewarm, apparently not having been refreshed in hours. No one offered a shower so I requested one. Cowshed amenities were excellent, like London. Day beds went unused, I took a look. The roving concierge (formerly employed as a Visa Signature concierge) couldn't answer basic questions about Fast Track immigration and the Arrivals Lounge in London, although she was pleasant. Other staff smiled by seemed out of their element. The bar was the center of the limited activity, and the bartender did mix a good Manhattan, while apologizing for this and that.
Who cares. United is such a despicable airline. The launch of Polaris shows how awful they are and that picture is funny. With the beer taps, it looks like the bartender is wearing a bear costume
@FNT Delta Diamond:
I'm the same way. I really want to like it but UA screwed it up so much that I have zero hope for it. Not only was it an abysmal failure marketing-wise given it's not even industry-leading and the schedule couldn't have been worse, it's still ultimately lipstick on an anti-passenger pig from a soft-product perspective.
I'm hearing (from a close friend who's a UA purser) that the new hard product is...
@FNT Delta Diamond:
I'm the same way. I really want to like it but UA screwed it up so much that I have zero hope for it. Not only was it an abysmal failure marketing-wise given it's not even industry-leading and the schedule couldn't have been worse, it's still ultimately lipstick on an anti-passenger pig from a soft-product perspective.
I'm hearing (from a close friend who's a UA purser) that the new hard product is finally instilling a modicum of pride in wearing the UA uniform, but that we're still left with bitter crews who ultimately dislike passengers and see customer service as something to be done quickly and perfunctorily so they can get back to reading and gossiping in the galley. My friend is one of the few FAs I've met that actually loves his job, best I can tell, but he probably has some of the worst things to say about UA employees of anyone I know - pax and crew alike.
I really, really want to like Polaris. I have to make a connection for most of my flights on Delta so changing to United and connecting through Chicago wouldn't be that big of deal.
What disappoints me, however, is the way United decided to unveil Polaris. It was, in my opinion, an epic fail to release the new product -- backed by so much hype and spin -- without a single aircraft featuring the new...
I really, really want to like Polaris. I have to make a connection for most of my flights on Delta so changing to United and connecting through Chicago wouldn't be that big of deal.
What disappoints me, however, is the way United decided to unveil Polaris. It was, in my opinion, an epic fail to release the new product -- backed by so much hype and spin -- without a single aircraft featuring the new releases. Moreover, they should have waited until at least one of the much-hyped Polaris lounges with sit-down, menu dining was operational. The fact is that United's Polaris business-class won't be fleet-wide until 2021, which means there will be a great deal of uncertainty for anyone flying long-haul for the next several years.
I'm out of the loop on this one - is it only in Chicago, or are they introducing this elsewhere as well?
I heard they're going to have a fantastic 41 cheese lasagna on offer
@June - Yeah, they will offer 3 different types of packaged cheeses and trail mix flatbread.
Any info available yet about the food options and menu? If they're opening tomorrow, I'd guess they already have plans for those details...
It's not a rumor; the date has been known for a while. Eventually it will be possible to reserve a table ahead of time. 45 minute slots will be available.