Mar 25, 2018, 4:42 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Word is out on another site (not my post) regarding a company memo about the May 1 "enhancements".
Some key points:
- Return of the salad/appetizer cart, although I suspect it's just going to be the meal cart with a fancy cover, to reduce the number of galley trips with hand-run trays
- Beverage carts coming back to the aisle (similar to DL and the former 3-cabin sUA business class service) with branded cart covers
- Soup is gone in Polaris First (so no more differentiation; the product isn't expected to last the full year, anyway)
- Wine tasting arches are gone
- No bloody mary carts (already announced)
- Hot bites will stay
- Bread refills to be offered (return of the bread basket?)
- Pre-departure chocolates returned to the pre-arrival tray
In many ways, this is going to look like the former three-cabin BusinessFirst service with nicer linens and serviceware. Overall, not the sweeping change (or depth of cuts) I was expecting. No word on provisioning of the other items (gel pillows, mattress pads, slippers, PJs, etc.)
POLARIS SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When do the service updates go into effect?
A: The service updates are effective May 1, 2018, on all long-haul international flights.
2. Why are we making changes to our United Polaris® service?
A: Customers have positively received our United Polaris lounge, and this year we are opening more United Polaris lounges beginning this summer in San Francisco, Houston and New York/Newark and in the fall, Los Angeles. As we continue to add more lounges, we want to take into account the feedback that customers have given us — they’ve emphasized their desire to rest and relax during their journey, especially onboard. The updates to the service flow will allow us to continue providing a premium product with high-quality food, wine, amenities and more, but it’ll be delivered in a more efficient way.
3. What is the new international United Polaris meal service flow?
A: The meal service flow for both first and business class will be the same:
Pre-departure
• Pre-poured sparkling wine, orange juice and water offered from a silver tray, with other beverages available upon request.
Main meal service
• Hot towels
• Linen placement
• Pre-meal beverage cart
• Appetizer and salad cart
• Bread and beverage refills
• Entrées
• Bread and beverage refills
• Dessert and pre-plated cheese cart
• Individual water bottles with hang tags
Mid-flight service (when applicable)
• Display mid-flight snacks on console, self-service unit, fold-down trays or galley countertop.
• Heat and serve hot on-demand items (when applicable) upon customer request.
Pre-arrival service
• Hot towels
• Pre-arrival tray setup with entrée and choice of beverage
• Breads and pastries
4. Will we be able to offer other pre-departure beverages?
A: Yes, upon customer request fulfill other pre-departure beverages in accordance with each departure country’s pre-departure liquor procedures. Refer to the Flight Attendant Policies and Procedures Manual to determine if you are allowed to open beverage carts/carriers that contain alcohol on the ground.
5. Is there still a chocolate offered during pre-departure?
A: Pre-departure chocolates/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray instead for customers to enjoy during or after their flight.
6. What’s changing with the Bloody Mary and wine specialty beverage carts?
A: Wines and Bloody Marys will continue to be available upon request, but the dedicated cart service will change. This was a common flight attendant suggestion for improvement. A new branded cart cover is being sourced to improve presentation in the aisle and will be available shortly after launch.
7. Can we still offer wine tastings?
A: Absolutely. Although the wine arches with the 3 tastings will not be boarded, we can continue to honor customers’ requests to sample select wines.
8. What about the United Polaris first class soup and salad course?
A: The salad and appetizer will be delivered at the same time on a tray setup, instead of having a soup course.
9. What about the turndown service?
A: We will continue to offer the turndown service upon request.
10. Will Express Dining continue to be offered?
A: Yes, Express Dining will continue to be offered and can be requested and delivered at any point during the flight.
11. Will we continue to offer the mini desserts and fruit and cheese?
A: The mini desserts will continue to be offered from the three-tier cart with the signature ice cream service. In addition, pre-plated cheese will be added to the dessert cart. To make room for the fruit and cheese on the dessert cart, the specialty tea box will be removed from the cart, although specialty teas will continue to be available from the galley.
12. Are there any updates to the mid-flight and pre-arrival services?
A: There will be a few updates to both the mid-flight and pre-arrival service.
Mid-flight service (when available) – While we’ll no longer have formal presentation of mid-flight snacks, snack provisioning levels will remain the same and will continue to be displayed near the galley as is done today. Hang tags advising the customers that mid-flight snacks are available will be added to the individual bottle waters distributed after the main meal service. Hot snack items, when available, will also be delivered upon request.
Pre-arrival service – We’re removing tray table linens to reduce trips through the aisle. The tray itself will continue to have a linen liner. The pre-departure chocolate/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray for customers to enjoy during or after the flight.
13. Will there be any new service items introduced to support the new United Polaris service?
A: Yes, there are a few new elements that will be introduced, including:
Cart covers – Similar to some of our competitors, branded cart covers for both the half and full carts will be boarded for use in the aisle on both the beverage and meal tray carts. Cart covers will be available shortly after launch.
Hang tags – To be placed on individual bottle waters at the end of the main meal service to advise customers that mid-flight snacks are available.
14. Will we be changing the domestic meal service procedures to align with the new United Polaris service (e.g. pre-poured pre-departure beverages)?
A: We will continue listening to the feedback of our customers and our flight attendants and will adjust our processes where necessary to deliver the best service for our customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When do the service updates go into effect?
A: The service updates are effective May 1, 2018, on all long-haul international flights.
2. Why are we making changes to our United Polaris® service?
A: Customers have positively received our United Polaris lounge, and this year we are opening more United Polaris lounges beginning this summer in San Francisco, Houston and New York/Newark and in the fall, Los Angeles. As we continue to add more lounges, we want to take into account the feedback that customers have given us — they’ve emphasized their desire to rest and relax during their journey, especially onboard. The updates to the service flow will allow us to continue providing a premium product with high-quality food, wine, amenities and more, but it’ll be delivered in a more efficient way.
3. What is the new international United Polaris meal service flow?
A: The meal service flow for both first and business class will be the same:
Pre-departure
• Pre-poured sparkling wine, orange juice and water offered from a silver tray, with other beverages available upon request.
Main meal service
• Hot towels
• Linen placement
• Pre-meal beverage cart
• Appetizer and salad cart
• Bread and beverage refills
• Entrées
• Bread and beverage refills
• Dessert and pre-plated cheese cart
• Individual water bottles with hang tags
Mid-flight service (when applicable)
• Display mid-flight snacks on console, self-service unit, fold-down trays or galley countertop.
• Heat and serve hot on-demand items (when applicable) upon customer request.
Pre-arrival service
• Hot towels
• Pre-arrival tray setup with entrée and choice of beverage
• Breads and pastries
4. Will we be able to offer other pre-departure beverages?
A: Yes, upon customer request fulfill other pre-departure beverages in accordance with each departure country’s pre-departure liquor procedures. Refer to the Flight Attendant Policies and Procedures Manual to determine if you are allowed to open beverage carts/carriers that contain alcohol on the ground.
5. Is there still a chocolate offered during pre-departure?
A: Pre-departure chocolates/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray instead for customers to enjoy during or after their flight.
6. What’s changing with the Bloody Mary and wine specialty beverage carts?
A: Wines and Bloody Marys will continue to be available upon request, but the dedicated cart service will change. This was a common flight attendant suggestion for improvement. A new branded cart cover is being sourced to improve presentation in the aisle and will be available shortly after launch.
7. Can we still offer wine tastings?
A: Absolutely. Although the wine arches with the 3 tastings will not be boarded, we can continue to honor customers’ requests to sample select wines.
8. What about the United Polaris first class soup and salad course?
A: The salad and appetizer will be delivered at the same time on a tray setup, instead of having a soup course.
9. What about the turndown service?
A: We will continue to offer the turndown service upon request.
10. Will Express Dining continue to be offered?
A: Yes, Express Dining will continue to be offered and can be requested and delivered at any point during the flight.
11. Will we continue to offer the mini desserts and fruit and cheese?
A: The mini desserts will continue to be offered from the three-tier cart with the signature ice cream service. In addition, pre-plated cheese will be added to the dessert cart. To make room for the fruit and cheese on the dessert cart, the specialty tea box will be removed from the cart, although specialty teas will continue to be available from the galley.
12. Are there any updates to the mid-flight and pre-arrival services?
A: There will be a few updates to both the mid-flight and pre-arrival service.
Mid-flight service (when available) – While we’ll no longer have formal presentation of mid-flight snacks, snack provisioning levels will remain the same and will continue to be displayed near the galley as is done today. Hang tags advising the customers that mid-flight snacks are available will be added to the individual bottle waters distributed after the main meal service. Hot snack items, when available, will also be delivered upon request.
Pre-arrival service – We’re removing tray table linens to reduce trips through the aisle. The tray itself will continue to have a linen liner. The pre-departure chocolate/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray for customers to enjoy during or after the flight.
13. Will there be any new service items introduced to support the new United Polaris service?
A: Yes, there are a few new elements that will be introduced, including:
Cart covers – Similar to some of our competitors, branded cart covers for both the half and full carts will be boarded for use in the aisle on both the beverage and meal tray carts. Cart covers will be available shortly after launch.
Hang tags – To be placed on individual bottle waters at the end of the main meal service to advise customers that mid-flight snacks are available.
14. Will we be changing the domestic meal service procedures to align with the new United Polaris service (e.g. pre-poured pre-departure beverages)?
A: We will continue listening to the feedback of our customers and our flight attendants and will adjust our processes where necessary to deliver the best service for our customers.
- Return of the salad/appetizer cart, although I suspect it's just going to be the meal cart with a fancy cover, to reduce the number of galley trips with hand-run trays
- Beverage carts coming back to the aisle (similar to DL and the former 3-cabin sUA business class service) with branded cart covers
- Soup is gone in Polaris First (so no more differentiation; the product isn't expected to last the full year, anyway)
- Wine tasting arches are gone
- No bloody mary carts (already announced)
- Hot bites will stay
- Bread refills to be offered (return of the bread basket?)
- Pre-departure chocolates returned to the pre-arrival tray
In many ways, this is going to look like the former three-cabin BusinessFirst service with nicer linens and serviceware. Overall, not the sweeping change (or depth of cuts) I was expecting. No word on provisioning of the other items (gel pillows, mattress pads, slippers, PJs, etc.)
[Rumor] More Polaris "Enhancements" coming May 1, 2018? ...
Feb 18, 2018, 11:09 pm
#286
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,799
Tel Aviv: it’s the only destination I could identify. The flight from SFO and back has, IMHO, great departure times. Plus Tel Aviv is a great place to visit. I’d never been there before. I can’t wait to go back. As an aside: the flight was excellent.
Feb 18, 2018, 11:25 pm
#287
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
After flying my first non-UA business class flights in decades (LO on EWR-WAW and VIE-CMB on OS), it’s abundantly clear that UA has decided they cannot compete on the food portion of the soft product. Both were far better than UA when it came to food...UA can only reasonably compete on dessert, but the entrees and arrival meals were not even close. ... Interested to see how TG and BR compare, but I am now seeing why people are so down on UA’s business class product. It’s like I’ve had my eyes opened, and I don’t want to go back...
I would argue that there are three groups of flyers on UA (1) those without any other legitimate options (corporate deal or hub-captive or elite status captive), (2) those who have no experienced with other better OALs (service and soft product), and (3) those who for what I might call "patriotic reasons" (American flag carrier, liking the feel of United) are ok with UA's service level.
What has never IMHO made any sense from a business standpoint is United c2012 piling into the international market in a much bigger way (a) in the face of much improved and expanding carriers, while (b) further cutting service levels. I don't think you can find enough of type (3) passengers, and you are not going to retain type (2) passengers to profitably grown international routes, and I think that has been a part of United's history of under-performance over the last now 6 years. But hey, this was a management team that professed that Freshpoo was good enough, and cheaper....
Feb 18, 2018, 11:28 pm
#288
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA 1K & 2MM, Bonvoy Titanium & LTP, HH Gold, Accor Silver, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 2,350
Feb 19, 2018, 12:04 am
#289
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
I am not sure that I can find sub-$3000 flights in UA J to Budapest or Bucharest are exactly major selling points. I pay for J periodically, and have looked extensively for family trips (when we now take decent Y or PE on OALs) and as an "unmanaged flier" I find the pricing ex-SFO does not do anything to pull me in. UA is often/usually $200-400 less than OALs, but on a $6000-7000+ ticket that is not exactly enough to draw me in.
Feb 19, 2018, 12:43 am
#290
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Here today gone tomorrow
Programs: *G, ow Saph
Posts: 2,865
Fly other airlines.
Seriously, *I* pay *UA*. Why should I have to work around?
(yes, I get your basic point, but the list of workarounds you just identified takes up a whole page on my screen. For most carriers that list is a lot shorter, and the price lower. Let me think...)
Seriously, *I* pay *UA*. Why should I have to work around?
(yes, I get your basic point, but the list of workarounds you just identified takes up a whole page on my screen. For most carriers that list is a lot shorter, and the price lower. Let me think...)
Feb 19, 2018, 4:50 am
#291
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,581
Privacy and aisle access from every seat
Outstanding Thai chicken noodle soup and lemongrass chicken
Largest dessert selection in the sky
Availability of sub $3K P-fares to Europe and Asia
Relax with a comfortable seat and arguably the best bedding of any airline
In-flight Entertainment with enough variety to cover anyone
Smooth and safe landings every time - seriously, UA pilots bring their aircraft down like no other I've flown. I don't know what it is, but it's consistently amazing.
Life really is what you make of it.
Outstanding Thai chicken noodle soup and lemongrass chicken
Largest dessert selection in the sky
Availability of sub $3K P-fares to Europe and Asia
Relax with a comfortable seat and arguably the best bedding of any airline
In-flight Entertainment with enough variety to cover anyone
Smooth and safe landings every time - seriously, UA pilots bring their aircraft down like no other I've flown. I don't know what it is, but it's consistently amazing.
Life really is what you make of it.
Feb 19, 2018, 7:19 am
#292
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,089
I would argue that there are three groups of flyers on UA (1) those without any other legitimate options (corporate deal or hub-captive or elite status captive), (2) those who have no experienced with other better OALs (service and soft product), and (3) those who for what I might call "patriotic reasons" (American flag carrier, liking the feel of United) are ok with UA's service level.
What has never IMHO made any sense from a business standpoint is United c2012 piling into the international market in a much bigger way (a) in the face of much improved and expanding carriers, while (b) further cutting service levels. I don't think you can find enough of type (3) passengers, and you are not going to retain type (2) passengers to profitably grown international routes, and I think that has been a part of United's history of under-performance over the last now 6 years. But hey, this was a management team that professed that Freshpoo was good enough, and cheaper....
What has never IMHO made any sense from a business standpoint is United c2012 piling into the international market in a much bigger way (a) in the face of much improved and expanding carriers, while (b) further cutting service levels. I don't think you can find enough of type (3) passengers, and you are not going to retain type (2) passengers to profitably grown international routes, and I think that has been a part of United's history of under-performance over the last now 6 years. But hey, this was a management team that professed that Freshpoo was good enough, and cheaper....
Feb 19, 2018, 8:53 am
#293
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,256
Feb 19, 2018, 9:33 am
#294
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: CLE
Programs: UA 1K MM, DL Plat
Posts: 982
*shaking head* 20 pages into this, and the only thing I can take away from it is that UA should be terrified of the mindset it has created in its best customers. Regardless of how representative FT is of the broader flying community, pretty much everybody in this thread has either paid for Polaris, or has high enough status in the post-PQD era to upgrade to it. This is at least a sampling of the group literally keeping the airline alive.
The fact that we can have 20 pages of discourse on it says only that the product is so inconsistent, so confusing, and so mis-trusted that customers are full of fear and doubt about what they can expect for their money, the next time they get on a United premium aircraft. Until UA finds a way to fix THAT, whether or not they have a hot nibble mid-flight is truly the least of their problems. I have flights booked out for the next 5 months on SQ, NH and a handful on DL. Let me assure you that I'm spending little or ANY time in any of those forums (even DL) stressing out about what I'm going to encounter on their planes.
What a mess.
The fact that we can have 20 pages of discourse on it says only that the product is so inconsistent, so confusing, and so mis-trusted that customers are full of fear and doubt about what they can expect for their money, the next time they get on a United premium aircraft. Until UA finds a way to fix THAT, whether or not they have a hot nibble mid-flight is truly the least of their problems. I have flights booked out for the next 5 months on SQ, NH and a handful on DL. Let me assure you that I'm spending little or ANY time in any of those forums (even DL) stressing out about what I'm going to encounter on their planes.
What a mess.
Feb 19, 2018, 9:47 am
#295
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: RDU
Posts: 5,239
Darlox what is your experience?
I am not a frequent flyer. Got award ticket to SA for 310,000 for pseudo Polaris business class. Cringe I know. No saver awards I could find. Next time I will have to pay cash. Probably RDU-SYD.
I am not a frequent flyer. Got award ticket to SA for 310,000 for pseudo Polaris business class. Cringe I know. No saver awards I could find. Next time I will have to pay cash. Probably RDU-SYD.
Feb 19, 2018, 9:56 am
#296
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: CLE
Programs: UA 1K MM, DL Plat
Posts: 982
* Very frequent traveler, esp to Asia. Flown Polaris at least 6 or 7 times since Dec 2016 launch, at least ~75% paid P/Z/J. A couple of upgrades with family on leisure trips. Flown a roughly equal, or maybe slightly larger, number of SQ/NH/OZ/LH/LX/AC flights in the same time period.
* Unless the trips were literally back-to-back, I've had a significantly different experience pretty much every single time, in terms of how the crew handled it, what products were available onboard, and whether it was better or worse than other UA or OAL alternatives.
* The new planes (773) are nice in J, but something about the new seat has been broken LITERALLY every single time, from minor (inflight map craps out half-way through flight), to medium (tray table won't latch and slides open frequently), to major (plastic shell of the shelf coming un-done and flapping me in the shoulder all flight).
* The food/drink offerings seem to be whatever the crew feels like doing, which makes it no different than any other UA flight, J, Y or otherwise...
I've had some great Polaris flights! I've had a couple pretty bad ones. Some of the good ones have been on pmCO 787s. Some of the bad ones have been on brand new 773s.
I've never had a bad experience on SQ. I've had one pretty bad experience on NH, albeit on one of their older "barcalounger" planes that are now retired. The only airline in the world, pretty much, where I have to regularly spin the wheel to figure out what my flight is going to be like, is UA. (Which is why they only have a fraction of the business they once had from me, when I was a CLE hub-captive and the OALs didn't have as good service here as they do today.)
EDIT: And in all of those flights, I've been to the Polaris lounge in ORD precisely twice. Which speaks volumes about how UA Marketing has set expectations, versus how reality on-the-ground or in-the-sky defines the Polaris experience as a whole. But there's a whole 'nuther thread about that.
Last edited by Darlox; Feb 19, 2018 at 10:05 am Reason: Added lounge note...
Feb 19, 2018, 10:03 am
#297
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: RDU
Posts: 5,239
Not quite sure what your question is...? But my experience is:
* Very frequent traveler, esp to Asia. Flown Polaris at least 6 or 7 times since Dec 2016 launch, at least 75% paid P/Z/J. A couple of upgrades with family on leisure trips. Flown a roughly equal, or maybe slightly larger, number of SQ/NH/OZ/LH/LX/AC flights in the same time period.
* Unless the trips were literally back-to-back, I've had a significantly different experience pretty much every single time, in terms of how the crew handled it, what products were available onboard, and whether it was better or worse than other UA or OAL alternatives.
* The new planes (773) are nice in J, but something about the new seat has been broken LITERALLY every single time, from minor (inflight map craps out half-way through flight), to medium (tray table won't latch and slides open frequently), to major (plastic shell of the shelf coming un-done and flapping me in the shoulder all flight).
* The food/drink offerings seem to be whatever the crew feels like doing, which makes it no different than any other UA flight, J, Y or otherwise...
I've had some great Polaris flights! I've had a couple pretty bad ones. Some of the good ones have been on pmCO 787s. Some of the bad ones have been on brand new 773s.
I've never had a bad experience on SQ. I've had one pretty bad experience on NH, albeit on one of their older "barcalounger" planes that are now retired. The only airline in the world, pretty much, where I have to regularly spin the wheel to figure out what my flight is going to be like, is UA. (Which is why they only have a fraction of the business they once had from me, when I was a CLE hub-captive and the OALs didn't have as good service here as they do today.)
* Very frequent traveler, esp to Asia. Flown Polaris at least 6 or 7 times since Dec 2016 launch, at least 75% paid P/Z/J. A couple of upgrades with family on leisure trips. Flown a roughly equal, or maybe slightly larger, number of SQ/NH/OZ/LH/LX/AC flights in the same time period.
* Unless the trips were literally back-to-back, I've had a significantly different experience pretty much every single time, in terms of how the crew handled it, what products were available onboard, and whether it was better or worse than other UA or OAL alternatives.
* The new planes (773) are nice in J, but something about the new seat has been broken LITERALLY every single time, from minor (inflight map craps out half-way through flight), to medium (tray table won't latch and slides open frequently), to major (plastic shell of the shelf coming un-done and flapping me in the shoulder all flight).
* The food/drink offerings seem to be whatever the crew feels like doing, which makes it no different than any other UA flight, J, Y or otherwise...
I've had some great Polaris flights! I've had a couple pretty bad ones. Some of the good ones have been on pmCO 787s. Some of the bad ones have been on brand new 773s.
I've never had a bad experience on SQ. I've had one pretty bad experience on NH, albeit on one of their older "barcalounger" planes that are now retired. The only airline in the world, pretty much, where I have to regularly spin the wheel to figure out what my flight is going to be like, is UA. (Which is why they only have a fraction of the business they once had from me, when I was a CLE hub-captive and the OALs didn't have as good service here as they do today.)
Feb 19, 2018, 10:09 am
#298
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
I would argue that there are three groups of flyers on UA (1) those without any other legitimate options (corporate deal or hub-captive or elite status captive), (2) those who have no experienced with other better OALs (service and soft product), and (3) those who for what I might call "patriotic reasons" (American flag carrier, liking the feel of United) are ok with UA's service level.
Is Polaris the best business class? No.
Can we find the best business class on all the routes we fly? No.
Does United offer a superior value proposition to many customers? Yes. A superior value proposition is an individual analysis and will vary by person, but clearly there are plenty of customers whose travel patterns, budget and personal requirements are satisfied by United. There are others who do not receive a superior value proposition from United, and that's fine.
Feb 19, 2018, 10:35 am
#299
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
The only gripe is that it seems the SJC LH flight doesn't combine at those prices if you only use it for one of the TATL legs.
Feb 19, 2018, 10:42 am
#300
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM
Posts: 23,300
So just flew 13 hours from Asia. (16/48 empties in J)
The mid flight snack table quite plentiful with junk and sandwiches. PJs and pillows still a thing, but have to ask. No wine flights.
I guess the mattresses also gone?
Just a matter of time before UA Polaris reverts back to the pre-polaris crap UA was. Until the Saks stock of bedding runs out is my guess.
The mid flight snack table quite plentiful with junk and sandwiches. PJs and pillows still a thing, but have to ask. No wine flights.
I guess the mattresses also gone?
Just a matter of time before UA Polaris reverts back to the pre-polaris crap UA was. Until the Saks stock of bedding runs out is my guess.