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
Dec 5, 2016, 7:37 am
#211
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Portland
Programs: UA 1K, AK Gold 75K, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,660
Really? so a 9 hour overnight flight doesn't get PJ's? Losers!
Dec 5, 2016, 9:28 am
#212
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: CLE
Programs: UA 1K MM, DL Plat
Posts: 982
Flew SFO-ICN on 2-Dec, B747, upper-deck. I have to say, I was underwhelmed. 
I was actually really excited, because staff were excited, the new offerings had been pumped-up not just on FT, but with advertising and a media blitz. I was looking forward to a revelatory experience. And, I rather suspect, that had I been on a pmCO 777 or a 787, it may have been a bit different.
As it was, the teddy bear is cute. But the trip itself was actually pretty painful... I've had better TPAC flights in the past, even on UA.
1) The new in-seat swag is nicer, but it consumes a heck of a lot more volume than the old business class offerings. 2 pillows (large+small), two blankets, the portfolio-like amenity kit, slippers, and later in the flight, the mattress pad. But the pmUA upper-deck seats are still the same size. When the time comes to eat or otherwise change from sleeping to reading/movies config, there is literally no place to PUT everything on this plane. I sort of felt wedged-in by all of the "stuff" now occupying the space, with few options of where to put it all when not in active use. Hopefully the new planes, or the pmCO config will solve some of this.
2) The food offerings were interesting, but there's still a lot of kinks to work out. I had the Thai chicken soup -- which turned out to be somewhere between a noodle curry and Tom Ka Gai... when it was first served, it was nearly ice cold. They took it back and re-heated it, but the silverware roll doesn't contain a spoon, and they had to go downstairs to get some, so it was once again nearly cold before I got a spoon to eat it!
3) The WiFi on the flight was not working the entire flight, so I couldn't get any online work done as I'd hoped. As annoying as that was for me, I really pitied the folks down in Y, who had no personal-device entertainment available on a 12+ hour flight, and no personal IFE on that plane...
4) The entertainment system itself was glitching out the entire flight. They tried to play the safety video no fewer than 5 times, and it kept freezing up. It finally played well enough to make it to the end, but then they had to reboot the entire system twice. When it finally came up, everything "worked", but movies would glitch out and skip periodically. (Just my personal opinion, but the December entertainment roster is one of the worst loaded for quite awhile, too...)
5) While excited about the concept, the crew didn't actually know what they even had onboard. I was curious about the pajamas, so I asked if they had any. They first told me that they didn't know, because the flight was only stocked for 60% of pax. Then they told me that they didn't have any because it's only on flights over 12 hours (which this was) -- and tried to tell me that while it's LISTED as over 12, it's actually only 11-something. (It isn't.) I didn't really care, so I just told them "no problem" and moved on. But then about 9-hours into the flight, the FA came back and told me that they'd found some, and handed me a pair if I still wanted them. So, now I have them, but never even unwrapped them yet...
Anyhow... long-story-short, I like the _concept_. But the execution is currently a bit hobbled both by its newness, as well as the Polaris amenities' inability to overcome the basic shortcomings of the pmUA business class hard-product. I wanted to give it a whirl, but at least until the new seats are in broad deployment, I'm definitely back to flying NH and SQ for my TPAC flights. *shrug*
I was actually really excited, because staff were excited, the new offerings had been pumped-up not just on FT, but with advertising and a media blitz. I was looking forward to a revelatory experience. And, I rather suspect, that had I been on a pmCO 777 or a 787, it may have been a bit different.
As it was, the teddy bear is cute. But the trip itself was actually pretty painful... I've had better TPAC flights in the past, even on UA.
1) The new in-seat swag is nicer, but it consumes a heck of a lot more volume than the old business class offerings. 2 pillows (large+small), two blankets, the portfolio-like amenity kit, slippers, and later in the flight, the mattress pad. But the pmUA upper-deck seats are still the same size. When the time comes to eat or otherwise change from sleeping to reading/movies config, there is literally no place to PUT everything on this plane. I sort of felt wedged-in by all of the "stuff" now occupying the space, with few options of where to put it all when not in active use. Hopefully the new planes, or the pmCO config will solve some of this.
2) The food offerings were interesting, but there's still a lot of kinks to work out. I had the Thai chicken soup -- which turned out to be somewhere between a noodle curry and Tom Ka Gai... when it was first served, it was nearly ice cold. They took it back and re-heated it, but the silverware roll doesn't contain a spoon, and they had to go downstairs to get some, so it was once again nearly cold before I got a spoon to eat it!
3) The WiFi on the flight was not working the entire flight, so I couldn't get any online work done as I'd hoped. As annoying as that was for me, I really pitied the folks down in Y, who had no personal-device entertainment available on a 12+ hour flight, and no personal IFE on that plane...
4) The entertainment system itself was glitching out the entire flight. They tried to play the safety video no fewer than 5 times, and it kept freezing up. It finally played well enough to make it to the end, but then they had to reboot the entire system twice. When it finally came up, everything "worked", but movies would glitch out and skip periodically. (Just my personal opinion, but the December entertainment roster is one of the worst loaded for quite awhile, too...)
5) While excited about the concept, the crew didn't actually know what they even had onboard. I was curious about the pajamas, so I asked if they had any. They first told me that they didn't know, because the flight was only stocked for 60% of pax. Then they told me that they didn't have any because it's only on flights over 12 hours (which this was) -- and tried to tell me that while it's LISTED as over 12, it's actually only 11-something. (It isn't.) I didn't really care, so I just told them "no problem" and moved on. But then about 9-hours into the flight, the FA came back and told me that they'd found some, and handed me a pair if I still wanted them. So, now I have them, but never even unwrapped them yet...
Anyhow... long-story-short, I like the _concept_. But the execution is currently a bit hobbled both by its newness, as well as the Polaris amenities' inability to overcome the basic shortcomings of the pmUA business class hard-product. I wanted to give it a whirl, but at least until the new seats are in broad deployment, I'm definitely back to flying NH and SQ for my TPAC flights. *shrug*
Dec 5, 2016, 10:07 am
#213
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Naples - Chicago - Park City
Programs: UA 1K Million Miler, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Amex Plat
Posts: 290
Flew Polaris yesterday UA88 PEK-EWR.
Not much to add regarding the bedding etc. but 2 things I noticed that felt like a definite downgrade:
The appetizer and salad on the same tray at the same time. I always liked the salad cart with the choice of 2 hand-spooned dressings (my go-to was a spoonful of each) and the croutons. This salad simply had a small bottle of blah vinaigrette. Also the bread was pre-plated with one roll and one slice of garlic bread. By the time the FA came around with any other bread options we were already done with the starter and salad.
And speaking of bread, the breakfast came pre-plated with a croissant. By the time another FA came around with the full assortment of breakfast breads, our original FA had already cleared away our trays (on the 2nd attempt...the 1st time was merely minutes after she set them down...it was 90 mins to landing).
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. Compared to the amazing FA we had back from Paris recently who took the time to explain each cheese on the cart with little flags stuck in each one and willing to create a custom plate this was a total let-down.
And though no fault of the new Polaris service, the bilingual Chinese-speaking FA we were unlucky to have was brusque, hurried and uninterested in the service at all.
Not much to add regarding the bedding etc. but 2 things I noticed that felt like a definite downgrade:
The appetizer and salad on the same tray at the same time. I always liked the salad cart with the choice of 2 hand-spooned dressings (my go-to was a spoonful of each) and the croutons. This salad simply had a small bottle of blah vinaigrette. Also the bread was pre-plated with one roll and one slice of garlic bread. By the time the FA came around with any other bread options we were already done with the starter and salad.
And speaking of bread, the breakfast came pre-plated with a croissant. By the time another FA came around with the full assortment of breakfast breads, our original FA had already cleared away our trays (on the 2nd attempt...the 1st time was merely minutes after she set them down...it was 90 mins to landing).
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. Compared to the amazing FA we had back from Paris recently who took the time to explain each cheese on the cart with little flags stuck in each one and willing to create a custom plate this was a total let-down.
And though no fault of the new Polaris service, the bilingual Chinese-speaking FA we were unlucky to have was brusque, hurried and uninterested in the service at all.
Dec 5, 2016, 10:20 am
#214
Join Date: Jul 2016
Programs: United, Southwest
Posts: 571
THANKS msg75! I like the food on your menu way more than the trans Atlantic menus I have seen where there are mushrooms in 3 of the 5 entrees. Another poster mentioned that her menu choices involved far too much salmon, which was not HER favorite. So glad I reserved a bulkhead seat as there's that little shelf? At least I can stash the bedding there while I get organized. Thanks also, Darlox! These posts are helpful . . . at least to me!
Dec 5, 2016, 10:45 am
#215
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: UA 1k, AA EXPLT, NZ GE, VA PLT Hyatt Diam, Marr Plat, HH Diam
Posts: 3,445
Anyone had a chance to see how the midflight snacks look? The sad little stale cling-wrapped sandwiches still around?
Dec 5, 2016, 10:54 am
#216
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,453
Dec 5, 2016, 1:37 pm
#217
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA 1K since 1998 & 3 Million Miler & ex-GS; DL Diamond 2015-2022; BAEC Silver; Bonvoy LT Titanium
Posts: 1,018
Dec 5, 2016, 3:09 pm
#218
Join Date: May 2016
Location: In btw SJC & SFO
Programs: Marriott Titanium & LTP, Hilton Diamond (Aspire card), Hyatt Globalist, UA Gold (almost free agent)
Posts: 510
POLAR ICE class 
I was looking at the pictures and it is also strange that the food is still served on a tray. The finer airlines do them like restaurants...
Then the under-catered items....
I now wonder if it is a good idea to roll this out on existing aircraft with more C seats instead of just doing this on reconfigured and new aircraft...
Also, I wonder if there is/should be some kind of "User Guide" - maybe part of the menu - so the customers know what to expect/ask and crews can't take shortcuts?
I wish they can find a way to do the garlic bread better - lots of the time it is soggy and with unmelted butter inside...
I was looking at the pictures and it is also strange that the food is still served on a tray. The finer airlines do them like restaurants...
Then the under-catered items....
I now wonder if it is a good idea to roll this out on existing aircraft with more C seats instead of just doing this on reconfigured and new aircraft...
Also, I wonder if there is/should be some kind of "User Guide" - maybe part of the menu - so the customers know what to expect/ask and crews can't take shortcuts?
I wish they can find a way to do the garlic bread better - lots of the time it is soggy and with unmelted butter inside...
Dec 5, 2016, 3:21 pm
#219
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,256
...
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. ....
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. ....
I really hope you submit this on a feedback form to United. Maybe, just maybe, they'll try to straighten it out.
Dec 5, 2016, 7:47 pm
#220
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
From the pictures, it seems at least we get full cashews in Polaris?
Dec 5, 2016, 8:03 pm
#221
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Flew Polaris yesterday UA88 PEK-EWR.
Not much to add regarding the bedding etc. but 2 things I noticed that felt like a definite downgrade:
The appetizer and salad on the same tray at the same time. I always liked the salad cart with the choice of 2 hand-spooned dressings (my go-to was a spoonful of each) and the croutons. This salad simply had a small bottle of blah vinaigrette. Also the bread was pre-plated with one roll and one slice of garlic bread. By the time the FA came around with any other bread options we were already done with the starter and salad.
And speaking of bread, the breakfast came pre-plated with a croissant. By the time another FA came around with the full assortment of breakfast breads, our original FA had already cleared away our trays (on the 2nd attempt...the 1st time was merely minutes after she set them down...it was 90 mins to landing).
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. Compared to the amazing FA we had back from Paris recently who took the time to explain each cheese on the cart with little flags stuck in each one and willing to create a custom plate this was a total let-down.
And though no fault of the new Polaris service, the bilingual Chinese-speaking FA we were unlucky to have was brusque, hurried and uninterested in the service at all.
Not much to add regarding the bedding etc. but 2 things I noticed that felt like a definite downgrade:
The appetizer and salad on the same tray at the same time. I always liked the salad cart with the choice of 2 hand-spooned dressings (my go-to was a spoonful of each) and the croutons. This salad simply had a small bottle of blah vinaigrette. Also the bread was pre-plated with one roll and one slice of garlic bread. By the time the FA came around with any other bread options we were already done with the starter and salad.
And speaking of bread, the breakfast came pre-plated with a croissant. By the time another FA came around with the full assortment of breakfast breads, our original FA had already cleared away our trays (on the 2nd attempt...the 1st time was merely minutes after she set them down...it was 90 mins to landing).
When it came time for cheese, the FA simply said "Want some cheese?" and threw down a plate of 3 unnamed cheeses, a single cracker, 3 grapes and walked away (sorry didn't snap a picture). Mrs_msg75 is no fan of blue cheese and that was half the plate. No cheese cart with a selection as we've been accustomed to. Also she didn't offer Port and seemed annoyed that I asked for a glass and ran back to the galley for it in a huff. Compared to the amazing FA we had back from Paris recently who took the time to explain each cheese on the cart with little flags stuck in each one and willing to create a custom plate this was a total let-down.
And though no fault of the new Polaris service, the bilingual Chinese-speaking FA we were unlucky to have was brusque, hurried and uninterested in the service at all.
I also had the croissant pre-plated but no offer of other breakfast breads. But my dinner breads for the first meal were not pre-plated. That means one of the FAs on your flight chose to do that.
The garlic bread ex-PEK wasn't very good and there was only one other bread option. So I just drank more instead.
Dec 5, 2016, 8:03 pm
#222
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,158
UA can do it great as well. Out of NRT, it is consistently very good and often excellent. Most other stations are inconsistent...and usually not too good.
Dec 5, 2016, 8:11 pm
#223
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
Pleased to see these items on the HNL to SFO flight yesterday. We both felt the duvet was nicer as it did breath better than the old ones. The strings are attached so you always know the bottom versus the top. But as stated the lack of personal storage space makes the extra items harder to manage and keep from ending up on the floor.
Dec 6, 2016, 12:10 am
#224
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
Flew SFO-ICN on 2-Dec, B747, upper-deck. I have to say, I was underwhelmed.
4) The entertainment system itself was glitching out the entire flight. They tried to play the safety video no fewer than 5 times, and it kept freezing up. It finally played well enough to make it to the end, but then they had to reboot the entire system twice. When it finally came up, everything "worked", but movies would glitch out and skip periodically.
4) The entertainment system itself was glitching out the entire flight. They tried to play the safety video no fewer than 5 times, and it kept freezing up. It finally played well enough to make it to the end, but then they had to reboot the entire system twice. When it finally came up, everything "worked", but movies would glitch out and skip periodically.
I noticed in the bootup that the Panasonic software was still on v1.01 dated 2006. Didn't UA get any kind of support contract that ensured all bugs were fixed by some point?
In any case, this is one area that UA still falls well short of the competition. Are the new seats getting a new IFE system or will it be only BYOD per Smisek-era decision?
Dec 6, 2016, 12:16 am
#225
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 52
Had my first experience in Polaris. Lots of nice things, some not so nice. There's a ton of "stuff" on the seat - I noticed people having trouble finding a place for all of it and a lot of it just ended up getting stuffed into the overhead. I was also on a 2-4-2 set up and the guy next to me grumpily commented that "this isn't what I expected booking a business class ticket."
Flight attendants seemed pretty stressed with all the changes. They couldn't find the slippers anywhere and seemed a little bit annoyed when I asked for the pillow and mattress pad. With that said, they are both very very comfortable!
One flight attendant was a sort of typical UA "friendly" FA. She asked me, "dessert?" And then I said I'll take some ice cream and she yelled that she couldn't hear me. She then said that they have ice cream and then pointed at a sort of brownie thing and said, "and we have whatever that is over there. I don't know what it is."
All in all, it didn't feel particularly different but all of the amenities are certainly nicer - as has been said many times, the FA attitude will be the deciding factor, plus of course, the seat!
Flight attendants seemed pretty stressed with all the changes. They couldn't find the slippers anywhere and seemed a little bit annoyed when I asked for the pillow and mattress pad. With that said, they are both very very comfortable!
One flight attendant was a sort of typical UA "friendly" FA. She asked me, "dessert?" And then I said I'll take some ice cream and she yelled that she couldn't hear me. She then said that they have ice cream and then pointed at a sort of brownie thing and said, "and we have whatever that is over there. I don't know what it is."
All in all, it didn't feel particularly different but all of the amenities are certainly nicer - as has been said many times, the FA attitude will be the deciding factor, plus of course, the seat!