Originally Posted by
cubfan99
If DEN is not already, it is soon to be UA's busiest hub. It's pathetic that they don't have a Polaris lounge. The excuse has always been that there are not enough international departures, but that completely disregards the connecting international traffic, of which there is much.
I think disregarding non-direct-international travel is intentional. Unlike UCs which are positioned as an O/X/D product Polaris Lounges are strongly positioned as an O/D (even more specifically "US gateway" product)
As DEN is UAs most profitable hub I don't doubt that a PL will appear if/when there are sufficient --departing seats on UA to direct PL-eligible destinations--. Any other traffic, currently, doesn't matter to UA in the PL cost/benefit equation be it "eventual International" or "partner international" or ...
Of course if another carrier launched a competitive attack that UA felt the need to retaliate against that could change the equation and may move up a PL without regard to directly departing INTL J seats, but absent that threat I think UA needs to build inventory before a PL makes financial sense in the OpEx side.