jpr1953

Just arrived SFO on way to TPE - The usual club at gt98 was closed...no signs along the way to indicate!!....my wife is in BUS - I am on GPU - waiting to see if I make the upgrade... - they would not let me in to the Polaris club. (By the way same in Term C in OHare this week- only Polaris club is open - I was on a paid first class domestic tkt but not allowed into the club!). Anyway - wonder what people think about the Polaris only clubs - I am a bit miffed I guess - I am 2MM, 1K for years, AND I paid life member of the club in 1989!!! (It was a decent amount of money). I understand UA wants to keep us rabble out of the Polaris clubs, but, I paid big time for club membership and it was a forward investment/risk I took. The clubs are crammed (there is not a single seat available in Gt 68 club right now).....

so UA is spending big for business travelers...I guess its a purely business decision as that is probably where they bring in the most $$..my point I guess is I pay (paid for life) for club membership (its not my flight status that gets me in) but I don't qualify to get into Polaris unless I am in BUS..

Aussienarelle

Centurion lounge is the answer. Just experienced the lounge in SFO two weeks ago and it was so much better than the United Club.

I hear you on the lifetime lounge membership. I did the same with Ansett (in Australia) back in the 1990s and they went under so that was money not well spent. Learnt my lesson. In contrast my dad had lifetime membership with PanAm and United honored this for many, many years. However, once they stopped honoring the PanAm lifetime membership my dad then switched carriers.

Time for a new lounge strategy. UA has told you what you need to do to get into their Polaris lounges. Better alternatives out there.

JVPhoto

You bought a United Club membership. There are those available to you at SFO.

You are not in INTL J/F on UA/*A so I don't understand the complaint about not being able to go into the Polaris lounge other than your DYKWIA sentiments.

Flying Machine

Centurion lounge in SFO has a crowding issue as well. Its discussed in another thread on FT. I do agree the offerings at the centurion lounge are far superior than UA. Seems to me SFO has had increased traffic at the lately that's causing the crowding

aCavalierInCoach

Do you mean the arrivals lounge? There isn't a Polaris lounge at SFO (to my knowledge... would've been a big upgrade over the massively overcrowded temp UA club occupying the old Global First space )

Arrivals lounge policy is just really explicit on the no guest rule unfortunately. Same with Polaris. Were you unhappy with the exclusivity of the First lounges? If not, then I don't think the Polaris lounges should strike you differently. The UA Club being closed seems strange though.

Silver Fox

I tried to get in there on Thursday and they refused me entry. This came as a complete shock to me as I regularly give to charity, rescued a distressed bird just the other week, and saved a field mouse from certain death on the South Downs Way recently. I always stop the car to let little old ladies cross the road and am more than willing to escort them across even if they don't want to go. I might take out a United club membership just so that I can cancel it in disgust at the way I was treated. I also fully explained that I couldn't be bothered to walk 5 minutes to the other club due to terminal laziness which didn't resonate with them either. How can people be so heartless? Have they no compassion? And do you know what the lame excuse was for not letting me in? Apparently I was not flying in business or first! How does that work? Didn't they know who I was? How very, very dare they!

JHake10

I'm pretty confused by this post.

1. There is no Polaris lounge at SFO
2. Your UC membership would get you access to any underwhelming UC at SFO
3. Polaris lounges are separate from the standard UC network and your membership doesn't apply there

laxmillenial

I think the OP is trying to say that he's flying SFO-TPE with SFO-TPE waitlisted as a GPU. So he's sitting in economy, and they won't let him in the UC club.

And then on a separate ticket, he was in a paid first DOMESTIC ticket, he tried accessing the ORD Polaris club with his UC membership and was turned away.

Nothing to see here, OP didn't read the entrance conditions.

findark

OP is referring to the old Global First Lounge in SFO G pier. It's been converted into a Business and First departure lounge which is neither a United Club nor a *G lounge, while the G club is closed for remodeling into a Polaris Lounge.

sinoflyer

Sorry to be harsh, but IMO it's attitude like this that contributes to the dilution of a supposed "premium" product into ordinariness. The Polaris lounge admission policy is clearly stated. Based on a domestic F ticket, you should be denied entry 100% of the time.

porciuscato

I'm even more confused -- because of the bullet point you missed

1. The former Global First lounge is a sad shadow of what it used to be, which was itself a sad shadow of what a Global First lounge ought to be (e.g. LH FC lounge). I was there on Thursday evening and it was like the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof -- everybody speaking German, no place to sit, people barging around the pathetic food..... The only consolation was that the Rombauer Chard is still there. Other than that, you are missing NOTHING.

mahasamatman

But not to the OP's question. Unless you're willing to pay the outlandish membership fees for everyone, this is not a useful suggestion.

(I don't want to quote the whole original, but ...) Excellent post!

porciuscato

I'm not getting the "outlandish membership fees." You pay $450, but you get

* $200 in uber credits
* $200 airline fee credit (which can go to the Mileage Bank, if it ever works again)

That by itself nearly repays the fee. But you also get a Global Entry credit, Priority Pass, and other benefits. Seems like a no-brainer. The Centurion Lounges I've visited, in SFO and IAH, have the best food at those airports -- at any price.

transportprof

I'm not confused, but I am amused.
This thread shows FT at its best!

txaggiemiles

Went through SFO just yesterday and there were literally multiple signs indicating the location of the open clubs PLUS a uniformed attendant just inside the INTL terminal security directing those with questions to the proper club for their gate, cabin, membership status, etc.