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Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-202x

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Old Mar 3, 2017, 10:56 pm
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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.

{Similar Threads:
Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-2018 (wiki) (thread)
ORD Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ..
SFO Polaris Lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ..
EWR Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ..
IAH Polaris lounge (E11/12 - top fl) -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
LAX Polaris Lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ..[
United Polaris-New Business Class seats & inflight service and new Polaris Lounges[url=http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showwiki.php?t=1769733](wiki) (thread)}
Consolidated "Polaris Lounge Access Questions" Thread
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Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-202x

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Old Mar 4, 2018, 8:10 pm
  #346  
 
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What does United plan to do with the F lounges in NRT, HKG, LHR, IAH, and IAD? I also wonder what the long term plan is for the ex-F lounge at SFO now being using a temporary J lounge?
Last edited by Resonant Programmer; Mar 4, 2018 at 8:38 pm Reason: correct IAH →IAD
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 8:31 pm
  #347  
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Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
What does United plan to do with the F lounges in NRT, HKG, LHR, IAH?
Nothing in the immediate term, as the conversion of HKG, NRT, and LHR to Polaris is basically on hold.

There is no F lounge at IAH.

Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
I also wonder what the long term plan is for the ex-F lounge at SFO now being using a temporary J lounge?
That will be a UC.
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 8:37 pm
  #348  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
There is no F lounge at IAH
I meant IAD
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 8:49 pm
  #349  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Nothing in the immediate term, as the conversion of HKG, NRT, and LHR to Polaris is basically on hold.

There is no F lounge at IAH.

Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
I meant IAD
Same status as HKG, NRT & LHR. Here you go:

Polaris Tracker - Desktop
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 8:54 pm
  #350  
 
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My particular question is what does United plan on doing after May 2018 when international F is no longer available? It seems kind of silly to keep an F lounge open to serve United GS flying in J and other *A passengers in F.

At NRT, the ANA F lounge does not serve a western style breakfast, so I usually end up at the United F lounge.
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 9:02 pm
  #351  
 
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Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
My particular question is what does United plan on doing after May 2018 when international F is no longer available? It seems kind of silly to keep an F lounge open to serve United GS flying in J and other *A passengers in F.

At NRT, the ANA F lounge does not serve a western style breakfast, so I usually end up at the United F lounge.
Where did you get a May 2018 end date for Polaris First? That's most certainly not the case and I've never seen an actual end date published.

The a/c mods will be happening for several more years.:

Polaris Tracker - Desktop


And yes, while they announced ceasing to actively sell it, they gave themselves a serious out: "we anticipate making those seats available for sale in select markets in the future."

The bottom line is that bps will still have PF if you're moved into that cabin (GS & 1k, like they've done in the past) and the # of a/c that'll have that option will be significant for a long time.
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 9:10 pm
  #352  
 
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Originally Posted by NoLaGent
Where did you get a May 2018 end date for Polaris First?
See Is UA Really Phasing Out Global First? {Yes}
and https://thepointsguy.com/2017/07/uni...-class-closed/

Given the limited number of traveler in UA F and the limited differentiation of in flight services, maintaining F lounges seems silly
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Last edited by Resonant Programmer; Mar 4, 2018 at 9:11 pm Reason: expand
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Old Mar 4, 2018, 9:14 pm
  #353  
 
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Exactly. See my comments above.

The cabins aren't going anywhere for a long time to come.

You might also want to consider that everything they've said about Polaris in 2017 has turned out to not be true, with very few exceptions. At least with the polaris lounge updates they've been honest about moving them to a "planning" terminology. The odds are probably 1 in 50 that they even stop actively selling it by then. Nothing would surprise me less.


*edited to add - to your question about maintaining the F lounges: They can't lose the real estate, someday they may actually want to convert them to Polaris lounges and their getting paid for other *A F pax accessing them.
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Last edited by NoLaGent; Mar 4, 2018 at 9:23 pm Reason: *edited to add maintaining F lounge footprints
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Old Mar 5, 2018, 12:59 pm
  #354  
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Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
Given the limited number of traveler in UA F and the limited differentiation of in flight services, maintaining F lounges seems silly
Be that as it may, UA has no current plans - or at least none that have been made public - to replace any of the current GFLs (HKG, LHR, NRT, or IAD) with Polaris lounges.
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Old Mar 5, 2018, 3:45 pm
  #355  
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Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
See Is UA Really Phasing Out Global First? {Yes}
and https://thepointsguy.com/2017/07/uni...-class-closed/

Given the limited number of traveler in UA F and the limited differentiation of in flight services, maintaining F lounges seems silly
Did you actually read the entire article you mentioned ?

Here’s the official statement from United:

As we work to retrofit our international wide body aircraft, we are identifying which markets will have the United Polaris First offering after May 1, 2018. While we are not currently selling United Polaris First seats for travel after May 1, we anticipate making those seats available for sale in select markets in the future
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Old Mar 5, 2018, 3:49 pm
  #356  
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Originally Posted by Resonant Programmer
My particular question is what does United plan on doing after May 2018 when international F is no longer available? It seems kind of silly to keep an F lounge open to serve United GS flying in J and other *A passengers in F.
Why is that silly ? you do know that in the past there were GS lounges that are not made known to the public right ?
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Old Mar 20, 2018, 5:41 pm
  #357  
 
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Any update on SFO Polaris timing?
I saw in the ORD lounge thread mention of SFO Polaris opening by April 30.

Any confirmation of that timing?
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Old Mar 20, 2018, 5:45 pm
  #358  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Be that as it may, UA has no current plans - or at least none that have been made public - to replace any of the current GFLs (HKG, LHR, NRT, or IAD) with Polaris lounges.
At LHR and HKG in particular, UA GFL can accept visits from partner F pax, with the operating carrier paying a higher fee to UA (vs. standard UC/*G rate) for such use. This alone is a reason to keep a differentiated F lounge product at outstations until such time as UA moves them to a Polaris concept.
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Old Mar 20, 2018, 5:52 pm
  #359  
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Originally Posted by jcacciotti
I saw in the ORD lounge thread mention of SFO Polaris opening by April 30.

Any confirmation of that timing?
It'll probably happen because I have a Polaris flight, my first on the new seats, on 4/24.
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Old Mar 20, 2018, 9:47 pm
  #360  
 
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April 30? I certainly hope.... Well I'll miss it for my April 29 flight.
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