RandomBaritone

UA's marketing team probably has a persona for you on their customer segmentation board: someone who expects only the best, and is willing to pay for it. But for better or worse it's also safe to say you're not their target market. UA has to design their Polaris menus for the broadest possible American palate. OK, maybe not those who think Applebee's is the pinnacle of fine dining, but not far off: honeymooners, small business owners, retirees, you get the idea. Many of them are are thrilled at the idea of a good steak in the air, followed by a sundae. And there are a heck of a lot more of them than there are of you.

In addition, UA's research showed that what their long-haul premium cabin customers wanted wasn't immaculately presented, internationally sourced meals, but rather a good night's sleep. So they spent accordingly.

To sum up: UA knows you exist. They're just not that into you.

TCD

It never fails to amaze me (as a European expat) how popular burgers/sliders are in the US across all levels of society. And steak is another level of popular again.

I'm also repeatedly surprised at how many wealthy American's choose beer over champagne. When we first started doing finance conferences in NYC we always offered free champagne at our drinks receptions, only for it to go mostly untouched while the Bud Lite sold out.

narvik

It is said by some that "Americans" are less pretentious than "Europeans". But we are generalizing, and it's getting rather OMNI.

I like what United did and is doing with Polaris, and am a little surprised at the negative comments.....wait, no, actually I am not really THAT surprised.
Will get a chance to compare to SAS today. We'll see.

JetAway

Beer is considered a social beverage in the U.S., as it is in Germany and, to a lesser extent, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Champagne is considered a "celebration" beverage. A conference reception is a social event.

CCIE_Flyer

Ah, actually, I concede that point, and now clarify my comment:

There are, of course, fabulous FAs doing UA proud every day. I don't take advantage of my lie-flats throughout wide swaths of certain flights, and I often make a uniform-wearing friend. If I fly the route often enough, I get to know them, and even sometimes have exchanged e-mails to carry on some discussion we were in the middle of when it came time for the next meal service, etc.

Here's the rub: these rockstars represent an exception rather than the rule, and they have nothing to rise to - they're already doing the good work they do. My comment was directed at the majority battle axe fixtures that will never lift one extra stub of a finger just because some of the kids at corporate came up with some new-fandangled "product." I confess that I didn't have the stomach to make it through this entire thread in full, but my read was that I'm pretty close to the mark here: rockstars who were always rock stars to begin with, and all the rest who are probably downright annoyed at all of the extra effort and bother - and probably have already begun to sort out ways out of it all.

Lori_Q

Looking at the Beautiful People in the Polaris marketing materials, the luxury customer segment is precisely what United is targeting. However, in reality, I believe they're trying to appeal to corporate travelers whose company travel policies permit paying $4k-$10k for a long-haul roundtrip ticket. That's one reason why United made the sleep amenities the #1 priority, as stated repeatedly in United's press releases and product information.

cerealmarketer

Ding, ding, ding. Other peoples money.

Make them think they'll run into people like those pictured on board, ply them with lots of liquor and some food before the flight, smother them in bedding, and they pass out happy.

Dublin_rfk

FLT 881 ORD-NRT had bears today.

RandomBaritone

Actually I have a secret to tell you: it's all a ruse. Those beautiful people are not intended to be representational, but rather aspirational. They're not targeting the true luxury customer any more than DL or AA is. They just want people willing to spring for J to feel luxurious in the process!

exerda

I do wish they'd consider bringing back espresso machines. That would be a really nice touch for Polaris.

villox

UA944 ORD-FRA did not

FlightNurse

I disagree here, the applebee crowd wont be flying Polaris, even if they do on a special occasions they aren't wanting applebee style food. So that means international type of foods, steak and seafood or even something a little more fancy. I haven't flown Polaris but the menu's really don't look all that bad, just remember this service isn't suppose to compete with SQ or CX in J.

747FC

+1000. Illy or Starbucks would love to fly...

Parikh1234

Flew EWR - ZUR today.

Huge stack of pillows and blankets on my seat. Had no where to put them. No matteress in the overhead. Didn't really want the PJs or Cooling pillow. The amenity kit was bulky but contained all the same stuff as the old ones, just a ne case. Nice to have the "do not disturb' Sign though.

Food service was a mess. Ordered the executive meal. Got the meal but no tablet cloth and then had to hold my tray while the person went to get tablet cloths. Then they came back and offered the warm nuts halfway through my meal. The person next to me didn't know what th executive meal was so got upset as to why my food was out and theirs wasn't. I went to sleep right after eating, woke up about 1.5 hours later and they are still working through the meal service in a totally random order. Just seemed like chaos.

The illy coffee does taste great though.

RandomBaritone

If you'll reread my post, you'll see that's just what I said. I even went out of my way to ensure folks didn't think I was talking about, as you put it, "the applebee crowd."

Steak and seafood are precisely what most of UA's Polaris customers want. If you'll scan the thread, you'll see that an earlier poster chided UA for not instead offering more adventurous, immaculately plated international cuisine comparable to QR or QF.