Jan 22, 2017, 3:51 pm
Last edit by: wilp888
Sleep-Enticing Amenities
In addition to the sleep-enticing United Polaris personal suites, several other amenities were designed with our customers' sleep in mind.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, United has worked with leading luxury specialty store Saks Fifth Avenue for custom-designed bedding. All designed to provide the best sleep in the sky, the new bedding collection will feature plush duvets, lightweight day-blankets and a large and small pillow for each United Polaris customer. In addition, mattress cushions will be available upon request.
Slippers will be available on all flights, and customized United Polaris pajamas will be available by request on flights longer than 12 hours*. Flyers will also be able to request a gel-cooled pillow. New amenity kits will feature ergonomically designed eye shades, calming lavender pillow mist and additional products from Soho House & Co.'s Cowshed Spa.
With the introduction of United Polaris, the airline intends to donate tens of thousands of pillows, blankets and other inflight service items to Fisher House Foundation, which United and its employees have long supported.
In addition to the sleep-enticing United Polaris personal suites, several other amenities were designed with our customers' sleep in mind.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, United has worked with leading luxury specialty store Saks Fifth Avenue for custom-designed bedding. All designed to provide the best sleep in the sky, the new bedding collection will feature plush duvets, lightweight day-blankets and a large and small pillow for each United Polaris customer. In addition, mattress cushions will be available upon request.
Slippers will be available on all flights, and customized United Polaris pajamas will be available by request on flights longer than 12 hours*. Flyers will also be able to request a gel-cooled pillow. New amenity kits will feature ergonomically designed eye shades, calming lavender pillow mist and additional products from Soho House & Co.'s Cowshed Spa.
With the introduction of United Polaris, the airline intends to donate tens of thousands of pillows, blankets and other inflight service items to Fisher House Foundation, which United and its employees have long supported.
SFO - ICN, PEK, PVG, HGH, XIV, TPE, AKL, HKG, CTU, SYD, TLV, SIN
EWR - NRT, PEK, DEL, BOM, HKG, PVG
ORD - NRT, PEK PVG, HKG
LAX - PVG, SYD, MEL, SIN
IAD - NRT, PEK
IAH - NRT, SYD
(from United Twitter feed https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyjFHZLW...jpg&name=large
Trip reports with photos:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...l#post27799060
Polaris In-flight Experiences
Apr 6, 2017, 4:15 pm
#1291
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: London
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,438
New IFE interface on the 767
Just boarded UA987 ORD-CDG. Seems they've replaced the interface on the IFE. Very different navigation and instead of 6 iMovies per screen it's 4. Seems a lot less intuitive.
Apr 6, 2017, 4:40 pm
#1292
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Oh and I didn't go for the wine tasting, just chose Burgandy.
Btw, UA has a wine shortage now because wine consumption has increased 300% on the wine cart flights. Maybe most people will drink even if the wines are not of the vintages which appeal to oenophiles with expensive palates.
Apr 6, 2017, 4:44 pm
#1293
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,424
I also wonder if the focus on wine presentation and the flights has caused more people to choose wine who were otherwise drinking cocktails or beer.
Apr 6, 2017, 4:51 pm
#1294
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
SFO-HND
Sadly as a 1K I couldn't get the Japanese meal but the no-status JPN pax on each side of me were able to.
During the delay back to the gate the REALLY awesome JPN FA did come to me specifically and take my arrival order so I could get the chicken katsu instead of some horrible cereal or an omelette for a 3pm local arrival.
Waiting to ask for a gel pillow once meal finishes.
Edit: Actually I didn't even get my second choice of duck. I was given the beef. It tasted good and the sauce was sweet/cherry/tangy so I thought maybe this is just over-cooked duck. I just checked the menu right now (I was a little buzzed earlier).
Sadly as a 1K I couldn't get the Japanese meal but the no-status JPN pax on each side of me were able to.
During the delay back to the gate the REALLY awesome JPN FA did come to me specifically and take my arrival order so I could get the chicken katsu instead of some horrible cereal or an omelette for a 3pm local arrival.
Waiting to ask for a gel pillow once meal finishes.
Edit: Actually I didn't even get my second choice of duck. I was given the beef. It tasted good and the sauce was sweet/cherry/tangy so I thought maybe this is just over-cooked duck. I just checked the menu right now (I was a little buzzed earlier).
Apr 6, 2017, 5:00 pm
#1295
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Pacific
Programs: UA GS, Lifetime 4 MM, BA Gold, , Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 476
That's an interesting observation. I was poured champagne in a wine goblet ( rounded) when the champagne flute (slim and long) was available. I also was served three wines in smaller glasses to taste. Interesting concept. I get that they pour a lot more wine but do passengers then drink more? Don't we want to just go to sleep?
Apr 6, 2017, 5:42 pm
#1296
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
I didn't realize it was a new thing. It was different on the 767 from EWR to CDG than the IFE in the 757 from SFO-EWR.
Oh and I didn't go for the wine tasting, just chose Burgandy.
Btw, UA has a wine shortage now because wine consumption has increased 300% on the wine cart flights. Maybe most people will drink even if the wines are not of the vintages which appeal to oenophiles with expensive palates.
Oh and I didn't go for the wine tasting, just chose Burgandy.
Btw, UA has a wine shortage now because wine consumption has increased 300% on the wine cart flights. Maybe most people will drink even if the wines are not of the vintages which appeal to oenophiles with expensive palates.
Not a tripling of total consumption.
Still meaningful.
Though in my handful of personal experiences have had to proatively ask for the wine setup - it was never offered straight up.
I'd rather they put the extra $$ in to better quality than carrying more onboard to handle the tasting gimmick.
Although maybe just the presence of a printed wine list drove consumption back up!
Apr 6, 2017, 6:35 pm
#1297
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,010
"United Business Class Wine Consumption Up 300%, Airline Facing Shortage"
by Gary Leff on April 6, 2017
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....cing-shortage/
Mods- please delete is this was posted elsewhere.
by Gary Leff on April 6, 2017
http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....cing-shortage/
Mods- please delete is this was posted elsewhere.
Honestly, the only thing I would say is that the wine 'flight' is not really a tasting at all; they are pouring you 3 glasses of wine in what you would otherwise get in those narrow wine glasses. So if you get the flight, you are inherently tripling consumption (which is only a 200% increase anyways).Hard to say if that is accurate or not, but UA should take heart that people are enjoying what is being offered...and not indulge their first instinct, which is probably to start buying Two Buck Chuck by the box.
Apr 6, 2017, 8:31 pm
#1298
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
I wonder if some of the wine "increase" is also just wasted bottles from the tasting.
I was in 6 on the 789 and the FA opened each bottle of wine as I did the tasting flight. It was a cab, CdR and something from Macedonia (worst of the lot). I would wager that if they didn't offer the flight they probably wouldn't have even had to open the Macedonian one.
Mid flight I just asked for some green tea and I was given a whole pot and a Japanese style cup. I think I've only had that on LH NH TG F.
I was in 6 on the 789 and the FA opened each bottle of wine as I did the tasting flight. It was a cab, CdR and something from Macedonia (worst of the lot). I would wager that if they didn't offer the flight they probably wouldn't have even had to open the Macedonian one.
Mid flight I just asked for some green tea and I was given a whole pot and a Japanese style cup. I think I've only had that on LH NH TG F.
Apr 6, 2017, 8:42 pm
#1299
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,703
Apr 7, 2017, 1:36 am
#1300
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Austin TX
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, AA "nothing",Delta "wannabe", Marriott Platinum
Posts: 72
i could not lay on my side and bend my knees because my shins hit the back of the seat infront, and when laying on my back i coukd not saise my knees due to the table being so low..
i didnt enjoy my flight.
The bear was the best thing.....
Apr 7, 2017, 2:31 pm
#1301
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
I haven't had them do this in a while (it was on MEL-LAX the last time) but it was when I was a lush so I didn't mind the easy access.
Now it feels cheap and distracting. When I took the photo it was only on my seatmates side but a minute later they set up all the same bottles and stuff on mine as well.
Now it feels cheap and distracting. When I took the photo it was only on my seatmates side but a minute later they set up all the same bottles and stuff on mine as well.
Apr 7, 2017, 3:30 pm
#1302
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,362
Apr 7, 2017, 5:34 pm
#1303
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 818
Thinking about it now though, you're right in that it shouldn't be a nuisance for the flight attendant to leave the trolley in the aisle and go get what the customer wants from their bar trolley. I guess every flight attendant is different when it comes to execution?
Apr 7, 2017, 9:00 pm
#1304
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: AA PP, UA 1K/MM, WoH Globalist, HH Gold
Posts: 1,203
They have also gone with this UI on the 747s as well. This UI was/is the sCO style. Shame that they replaced the more modern/intuitive UI that sUA metal had.
Apr 7, 2017, 10:33 pm
#1305
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: SFO
Programs: United 1MM GS, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 283
I've only flew the new Polaris on a EWR-SFO run. I was worried about shoulder and knee space as I'm not a small guy. Turns out I loved the seat. I find it a VAST improvement to any current UA J seat.