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Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-202x

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Old Mar 3, 2017, 10:56 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Working summary (Updated May 2018)

ORD - OPEN near C16, opened Dec 1 2016
SFO - OPEN in previous UC space in International Terminal G, April 30, 2018 (occupies previous UC+ SQ + BR lounge space)
EWR - OPEN old UC near Gate C120, June 4, 2018
IAH - OPEN - E11/E12, top floor of existing UC June 29, 2018
LAX - OPEN 12 January 2019 - Above rotunda near gate 73
IAD - "Under Construction" (2020?) - near C4, existing GFL (GFL converting to UC end of June 2018)
LHR - "Future location" - T2 opposite B46 at existing GFL (still open)
NRT - "Future location" - above existing UC
HKG - "Future location" - above gate 61, existing GFL (still open)


Polaris Progress Tracker 2017.06.26
Originally Posted by UASleeper
United has installed a Polaris Progress Tracker on its webpage, which tracks the progress of aircraft types/routes with Polaris seats and Polaris lounge openings. Here is the link:

http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris...-desktop-4/p/1

Under the "Aircraft" tab, all currently existing routes serviced by the new 773 (SFO-HKG, EWR-TLV and SFO-NRT are listed) are listed as well as (yet to be converted) 763 and 772 types. For the 763 the listed starting date is "Fall 2017." For the 772 the webpage states "Winter 2017," which sounds optimistic to me as it sounds more like 4th quarter of 2017 than the previously announced first quarter of 2018. Zodiac's output of Polaris seats for all three aircraft types must be ultra smooth by now, if United wants to stick with its predictions. Can't wait to see the first converted 763 in mid July...
Original summary
http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris-tracker-mobile/p/2
From [email protected] on 02/27/2017:
Dear XXXXX:
No announcement has been made to let us know when additional United
Polaris lounges will be opening. We are still renovating some of the
locations. Our United Premium Cabin Lounges page on our website will be
updated once the dates are announced. I've included the link for you
below.
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...n-lounges.aspx
This does not preclude any rumors from being true.

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Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-2018 (wiki) (thread)
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Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-202x

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Old Apr 18, 2018, 11:55 am
  #481  
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Originally Posted by UAL250
Can someone tell me why LAX is getting priority over IAD for a Polaris lounge?
Polaris lounge at IAD isn't presently scheduled. The conventional wisdom is that UA has had second thoughts about making substantial capital improvements to that decrepit facility.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 11:59 am
  #482  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Tag on a quick back and forth to LAX? Fares as low as $89 RT.
Originally Posted by chavala
or just no-show. I’d do it to be there for the grand opening.
I wasn't going to do it since I'll be using the lounge anyway twice in June, but then I realized I have a certificate expiring at the end of the month that covered the entire LAX ticket with a bit to spare. Win! So I'll be using the new lounge as an arriving passenger on 4/30. I'm disturbingly excited by the prospect :-)
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 12:05 pm
  #483  
 
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I hope SFO opens on time - I'm flying SFO-HKG May 4.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 1:32 pm
  #484  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Polaris lounge at IAD isn't presently scheduled. The conventional wisdom is that UA has had second thoughts about making substantial capital improvements to that decrepit facility.
Which goes along with United’s refusal to chip in pay their share of the cost to build a proper terminal at IAD. Just another example of the folks in Chicago showing their usual love to their DC customers.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 4:17 pm
  #485  
 
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IMO Bogota should qualify as a Polaris route based on average fares in the market and the amount of business travel that occurs. Ex EWR this flight surpasses 6hrs.

In a market such as Mexico, Canada or Caribbean, F fares are often sub $1K, and those markets cater heavily to leisure travel.

Point being, UA often complicates policies creating a bad experience. If Bogota isn’t Polaris, stop collecting a GPU for this route.

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH


So you think $3-4K is an expensive fare and that should be the reason for access?

Sorry - someone who buys a $3-4K United business class ticket to/from Colombia WILL be sent to the UC. It’s not a front cabin marketed as Polaris.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 4:46 pm
  #486  
 
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Originally Posted by globetraveler

IMO Bogota should qualify as a Polaris route based on average fares in the market and the amount of business travel that occurs. Ex EWR this flight surpasses 6hrs.

In a market such as Mexico, Canada or Caribbean, F fares are often sub $1K, and those markets cater heavily to leisure travel.

Point being, UA often complicates policies creating a bad experience. If Bogota isn’t Polaris, stop collecting a GPU for this route.


i just priced out a sample EWR-BOG trip in Z and it came to $1852. And it’s on a 737. Sorry, but your suggestion doesn’t make much sense.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 5:34 pm
  #487  
 
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Originally Posted by globetraveler

IMO Bogota should qualify as a Polaris route based on average fares in the market and the amount of business travel that occurs. Ex EWR this flight surpasses 6hrs.

In a market such as Mexico, Canada or Caribbean, F fares are often sub $1K, and those markets cater heavily to leisure travel.

Point being, UA often complicates policies creating a bad experience. If Bogota isn’t Polaris, stop collecting a GPU for this route.
There's nothing complicated, UA has determined which routes are considered Polaris and those flying on Polaris routes get Polaris lounge access.

Determining based on fare/leisure market is even more complicated, would you exclude seasonal leisure routes like EWR-VCE/ATH/OPO/KEF or SFO-PPT?
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 6:14 pm
  #488  
 
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Originally Posted by globetraveler

IMO Bogota should qualify as a Polaris route based on average fares in the market and the amount of business travel that occurs. Ex EWR this flight surpasses 6hrs.

In a market such as Mexico, Canada or Caribbean, F fares are often sub $1K, and those markets cater heavily to leisure travel.

Point being, UA often complicates policies creating a bad experience. If Bogota isn’t Polaris, stop collecting a GPU for this route.


I agree... if it's domestic-level service, with a domestic-configured airplane, of a "domestic" (<6h) duration, I don't think it should require a GPU.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 7:03 pm
  #489  
 
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Originally Posted by EWR764
[/LEFT]

I agree... if it's domestic-level service, with a domestic-configured airplane, of a "domestic" (<6h) duration, I don't think it should require a GPU.
I agree as well. Correct me if I'm wrong, but BOG are the only flights in the UA network that requires a GPU for recliners and domestic service. Both LIM and GUM at least offer lie-flats consistently. BOG should be the same as PTY...
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 7:23 pm
  #490  
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Originally Posted by globetraveler
...IMO Bogota should qualify as a Polaris route based on average fares in the market and the amount of business travel that occurs. Ex EWR this flight surpasses 6hrs...
So flight length is a factor? EWR-HNL is much further and has lie-flats. Denver-OGG/HNL are also longer flights. Those would make better candidates for Polaris. I see a lot of sub-$1600 r.t. business fares for Bogota on the non-stops ex-EWR. Not exactly Polaris territory. There's about zero existing Polaris destinations that can be had frequently for $1600 r.t. in Polaris. Doesn't look like the market is what you think (or advocate) it is.

The amount of business travel doesn't seem to result in much demand considering frequency and types of plane UA uses to Bogota - 737-700s and 738s. I'm looking at a 737-700s with 12 F seats twice daily to Bogota ex-EWR . Where's your "amount of business travel"? United looks like it's in a sweet spot relative to Bogota - right size planes with occasionally higher yields. No need to offer Polaris as the fares really don't get to Polaris levels..

As for GPUs, I agree.
Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Apr 18, 2018 at 7:31 pm
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 7:31 pm
  #491  
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For those who elect to fly UA, Polaris access rules are pretty clear.

DL and AA both fly to BOG, and they both have pretty nice lounges at JFK.
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 7:53 pm
  #492  
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
I agree as well. Correct me if I'm wrong, but BOG are the only flights in the UA network that requires a GPU for recliners and domestic service. Both LIM and GUM at least offer lie-flats consistently. BOG should be the same as PTY...
HNL-MAJ, but that hardly counts
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Old Apr 18, 2018, 10:36 pm
  #493  
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
Correct me if I'm wrong, but BOG are the only flights in the UA network that requires a GPU for recliners and domestic service.
UIO also requires GPU (and W fare minimum) for a domestic F recliner.
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Old Apr 25, 2018, 1:00 pm
  #494  
 
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Words from UA's mouth:
The United Polaris lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport is expected to open by early June, the lounge at George Bush Intercontinental in Houstonthis summer and the lounge at Los Angeles International Airport this fall.
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Old Apr 25, 2018, 3:10 pm
  #495  
 
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Originally Posted by Kmxu
Words from UA's mouth:
The United Polaris lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport is expected to open by early June, the lounge at George Bush Intercontinental in Houstonthis summer and the lounge at Los Angeles International Airport this fall.
I got an email about UC updates at EWR that still said ‘summer’. Was too much to hope it’d be ready by mid-May when I fly EWR-LAX-SIN.

Any idea if I will have access to Polaris if flying EWR-YVR on AC’s 789 in J or not?
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