Duke787

I have to say after taking my first Polaris (not seat) flight on LAX - SYD, I was actually very pleasantly surprised. I feared the worst since it was the first time in a while I'd been on United and the FAs on both RDU - ORD and ORD - LAX were very much the worst that UA has to offer (on RDU - ORD while sitting in 3E, the FA repeatedly came over to yank her bag out from behind my seat while pushing my seat forward to do so and shaking it -- it was great and then when I asked her for some more water she insisted she had to wait until the seatbelt sign was turned off even though the Captain had literally 30 seconds earlier turned it off and announced it to the cabin).

6E on the 789 was exactly as I expected based on my old 757 PS flights when I flew UA more frequently. I actually like that seat quite a bit as long as I can get in the middle section with aisle access (and of course getting the bulkhead is the ideal option). It's comfortable, seat controls are easy to use, TV isn't huge but is close enough to not matter, and my 5' 11'', 160 pound frame fits with ease.

I proactively asked for pajamas which the FA was more than happy to get for me but turned out not to be necessary since the crew came through the cabin to actively offer pajamas before take-off. The FA working my side of the aisle was older but clearly one of the UA gems. She was incredibly nice and actually seemed happy to be working the flight. I thought the gel pillow and regular pillow made a nice combination for head and neck support.

Food was better than I expected -- I saw the spicy chicken on the menu and based on the reports throughout this forum, I jumped on it and it lived up to the hype. The breakfast omelette was equally satisfying and of course the Buffalo Trace nightcap is always welcome. I managed to sleep for 9 hours so the timing was perfect for me (work up about 3 hours before landing or ~5am which was exactly as I'd hoped).

Comparing it to my most recent D1 flight on CDG - RDU on a 763 earlier this year, I actually give UA a slight nod based purely on the seat comfort which at the end of the day is the most important thing for me when traveling for work. Personal travel is a different matter, if I'm investing my own hard earned money or miles I want some of the bells and whistles, but for work travel getting a good night's sleep (when applicable) and having a crew that is at least pleasant to be around (doesn't need SQ / CX / NH / JL level of attentiveness) is all I want and UA delivered.

PTahCha

You are not supposed to smother your face with it.

The entertainment selections are updated monthly.

narvik

Well. Sort of. They are updated, yes, but not all entertainment selections are rotated out.
For the last few months the actual new content has been pretty sparse!
In the NEW RELEASES, CLASSIC and INTERNATIONAL sections there may have been ~5 new additions in the last 60 days or so...or so it seems.

wanderingkev

Not sure where they are at with the mixing ofcrews up,but I am pretty sure that the SYD flights from the West Coast are (were) Ex Co operated

PTahCha

I really don't know any airline, or any subscription service, that would rotate out the entire selection of TV and movies. That would be insane to suggest as a requirement.

Then again, there are 89 movies and 29 TV shows to choose from. *shrug*

StuckinITH

Yes, but only 5 movies that I would be mildly interested in watching and I can see all 5 in the direction of the ORD-HKG flight with nothing left to see for the return.

Artpen100

dimramon

The lounge was a disappointment. I spent maybe 5 minutes in there and was not impressed with the choices. The only advantage was the seating: plenty of seats available.

I boarded and had chosen 1L. Fare was fully-refundable C.
As I am getting settled, a flight attendant walks over.
FA: "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT"
Me: "Uhm, I havent had a chance to look at the menu yet"
FA: "BEEF, FISH, OR PASTA"
Me: (looking at the menu real quick): Let me check
FA: "BEEF, FISH, OR PASTA"
Me: "Uhm, I'll have the fish"
FA: "AND YOUR SECOND CHOICE"
me: "Pasta"

She didn't say another word and went over to 2L and startled that passenger with her line of questioning.
Dinner service was careless, no refills, or anything else offered.
When it was time for dessert, the same FA goes: "DO YOU WANT ICE CREAM?"... "WHAT DO YOU WANT ON IT"
She didn't offer cookies or anything else, and from the Polaris seat, I couldn't see what else she had. After the put the ice cream on my table, she went on to 2L. I asked for a dessert wine, and that visibly annoyed her. I later saw a flight attendant leave for the back with a tray of cookies.

I walked around about mid-flight and went to the back to see what "mid-flight snacks" they had. I saw a box of noodles, a couple of wrapped up sandwiches, a bunch of Mars candy bars, and a single bag of chips, all arranged in a sloppy mess.

I went to the front and I inquired what they had available. A nice flight attendant offered noodles or soup with a cheese sandwich. I picked the soup and the flight attendant delivers it a few minutes later, while asking if I need anything else.

With about 3 hours left in the flight, I get up and ask a (different) flight attendant if they have some soup left. She gives me a grumpy look and says "I'll look". She pulls two little containers out of a cupboard, slams the little door shut, and says she'll bring it to my seat. She appears a minute later, looks around, and says: "Are you the one that asked for the soup". I acknowledge and she slams the cup on the little desk, thereby spilling soup. She walks away without saying a word.

The seat did not impress me. I thought it was awkward getting in, and I don't like how the buttons give way when you push them. At 6'2", I didnt find the seat overly comfortable, and I'd have no clue what to use the little mirror for.

This is my 2nd time flying HGK-SFO, and the time before was not pleasant either, when a male flight attendant yelled at me and belittled me.

Duke787

Fair enough -- could have been ex-CO, she just reminded me of the old school ex-UA who were real gems.

warrenw

I haven't really visited Sam's blog but he has a ton of videos on Youtube. They always pop up in my feed and I literally cringe when watching them because I can't stop thinking about how annoyed I would be as a passenger being seated near him. He's always following around the FA's, asking them stuff, watching them plate food, talks a lot at his seat, etc. If a FA was trying to offer me my appetizer and he was distracting them instead while they're walking through the aisle I'd be pretty upset.

His written blog is fine though.

Also he seems to "love" everything and everything is "great". I have never, ever once heard him criticize a single thing LOL

porciuscato

our
Well, yeah. You probably asked for something, so what do you expect? Remember, they're here primarily for your safety -- provided they can squeeze down the aisle between the seats.

wanderingkev

Fair enough -- could have been ex-CO, she just reminded me of the old school ex-UA who were real gems.[/QUOTE]

I did that trip a couple of times last November/December in December one FA had a cake in the galley , she was was celebrating 45 years flying ! they were exCO then.
UA had the AUK route on the new 777

CMK10

My first Polaris experiences

UA 888 PEK-SFO 777-300

Lounge: The SFO Polaris Lounge is incredible. One of the best lounges I've been to anywhere in the world. The hard product, the bartenders, the liquor selection, I didn't eat though the food looked pretty good. I wished I'd had more time.



Seat: I had 5A which is flush against the window and it was a really good seat. Comfortable seating upright, lounging and one of the best flat beds I've slept in. I'm tall and bulky so this was really appreciated.







Entertainment: Meh. Not United's strong suit. Not enough movies and shows honestly and there's no music either. Channel 9 was on though which was nice. The Wifi is of course terrible. It was incredibly slow for the first few hours of the flight then didn't work at all for at least the last four and a half hours

Service: Overall very good. Excellent f/a on my side of the aisle who complimented me for dressing up and did his best with the fact that he has to handle a 50 seat cabin with just one other person. The only part I didn't like was when I asked for a mattress pad and a flight attendant handed it to me without a word. So I just made up my own bed.

Food: The worst part of the flight. My entree (Three Cup Chicken) was awful. Tasted worse than frozen food microwave Chinese food. The appetizer was also uninspired and when you're serving everyone plastic trays it looks a little chintzy. I do like that PDBs are served in real glasses though.


















Amenity Kit: Nothing flashy or interesting, crappy bag too



Overall I'd say this was a B- experience. Nothing remarkably better than the American Business Class I flew to New Zealand and back from Australia last year.

CMK10

UA 142 NRT-DEN 787-800

Lounge: I split my time between the ANA Lounge in Satellite 5 for sushi and Santory and the United Club for the quieter and better atmosphere. They also had really good spicy chicken wings

​​​​​​​Seat: What can I say about the 787 seat that hasn't been said? It sucks if you have a neighbor, which I did. And try and get row 4 or 1 for a full space to put your feet.





Entertainment: Same as the last flight with the same weak selection in movies and shows (but with no channel 9 this time) and poor wifi which barely worked most of the flight.

Service: Overall again very good. Flight attendants were friendly and helpful and seemed happy to be working. The purser also came up to me and congratulated me for earning Premier Gold on this trip which was a nice touch.

Food: Better than the outbound, I think the Japanese meal really helped. Though annoyingly they ran out of IPAs really early into the flight so I couldn't get a refill. The breakfast was pretty bad though.

















Overall a C+ mainly because of the seat.

StuckinITH

UA Polaris Business is not BA First Class where they do make your bed.