Last edit by: SPN Lifer
SFO Polaris Lounge Reopened - 4 January 2022
Access to Polaris lounges (source):
update 29 Sept 2017, effective 1 Oct 2017
Trans-border flights (Canada, Mexico, ..) for UA and partner flights do not qualify
Departure: The airport you are leaving on an international J/F flight* from, i.e. SFO-TPE
Connecting: The airport to or from which you have a short-haul flight to connect to a longer flight, i.e. LAX-SFO-NRT or NRT-SFO-LAX
Arrival: The airport you arrive at after your long-haul flight, i.e. NRT-SFO
Hours - 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. daily
reportedly a la carte dining closes at 9PM
Related Threads:
Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-2018 (wiki) (thread)
EWR Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
IAD Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
ORD Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
IAH Polaris lounge (E11/12 - top fl) -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
LAX Polaris Lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
SFO G UC closed, reopens as Polaris Lounge 30 Apr, old GFL is intl prem cabin lounge
Consolidated "Polaris Lounge Access Questions" Thread
Best SFO United Club?
United Airlines Unveils United Polaris Lounge at San Francisco International Airport
Lounge is first of four United Polaris lounges expected to open this year
SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2018
-- Beginning April 30, customers traveling in United Polaris, the airline's international premium cabin travel experience, will be able to relax and dine prior to their travels or refresh upon arrival in the new United Polaris lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) conveniently located in the International Terminal near Gate G92.
....
United Polaris Lounge at SFO Facts & Highlights
For more photos of the United Polaris lounge at SFO, visit the United Newsroom
Lounge is first of four United Polaris lounges expected to open this year
SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2018
-- Beginning April 30, customers traveling in United Polaris, the airline's international premium cabin travel experience, will be able to relax and dine prior to their travels or refresh upon arrival in the new United Polaris lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) conveniently located in the International Terminal near Gate G92.
....
United Polaris Lounge at SFO Facts & Highlights
- Two levels across more than 28,000 square feet
- 440 seats
- 19 different types of seating
- 492 power outlets and 492 USB ports
- 8 pieces of art by prominent Bay Area artists, all San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art (SECA) Art Award honorees
- 5 private daybeds outfitted with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding
- 8 luxurious shower suites, featuring rainfall showers and Soho House & Co's Cowshed Spa products
- Personal valet services, including steaming garments
- "The Dining Room" – a private restaurant style dining area with a menu designed by Chef Tritia Gestuvo, a California native, that blends international comfort foods — such as a traditional Chinese congee breakfast and hand-cut pappardelle pasta with mushroom ragout — with staples like the United Polaris Burger
- A bistro-like buffet that includes a ramen noodle bar in the afternoon and additional unique-to-San Francisco treats that align with the flight schedule and destinations of United and Star Alliance partners
- Cocktails inspired by the Bay Area, including the Mai Tai, invented in Oakland in 1944, and the Pisco Punch, featuring pisco which became all the rage during the California Gold Rush of 1849
For more photos of the United Polaris lounge at SFO, visit the United Newsroom
... Also and for those interested, here's a link to download a PDF (10.5MB) copy of the Polaris SFO menus, as provided to media in the press pack: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjv4i9s97g...0Menu.pdf?dl=0
update 29 Sept 2017, effective 1 Oct 2017
Trans-border flights (Canada, Mexico, ..) for UA and partner flights do not qualify
Departure: The airport you are leaving on an international J/F flight* from, i.e. SFO-TPE
Connecting: The airport to or from which you have a short-haul flight to connect to a longer flight, i.e. LAX-SFO-NRT or NRT-SFO-LAX
Arrival: The airport you arrive at after your long-haul flight, i.e. NRT-SFO
Hours - 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. daily
reportedly a la carte dining closes at 9PM
Related Threads:
Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-2018 (wiki) (thread)
EWR Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
IAD Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
ORD Polaris lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
IAH Polaris lounge (E11/12 - top fl) -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
LAX Polaris Lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
SFO G UC closed, reopens as Polaris Lounge 30 Apr, old GFL is intl prem cabin lounge
Consolidated "Polaris Lounge Access Questions" Thread
Best SFO United Club?
SFO Polaris Lounge -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ..
#496
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,263
#497
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: dark side of the moon
Programs: papa card, UA 1K
Posts: 707
I love this lounge - Polaris it's difficult to keep the calories low but I recently had the Cioppino entre at the restaurant here and thought it was excellent; Crab cake was OK. love the quiet rooms
General note.. I think it's crazy to have such a disparity between UA Club and Polaris lounge products. but that's a different story.
General note.. I think it's crazy to have such a disparity between UA Club and Polaris lounge products. but that's a different story.
#498
Join Date: May 2001
Location: RNO, NV, USA.
Programs: UA 2MM
Posts: 5,056
I love this lounge - Polaris it's difficult to keep the calories low but I recently had the Cioppino entre at the restaurant here and thought it was excellent; Crab cake was OK. love the quiet rooms
General note.. I think it's crazy to have such a disparity between UA Club and Polaris lounge products. but that's a different story.
General note.. I think it's crazy to have such a disparity between UA Club and Polaris lounge products. but that's a different story.
#500
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,900
But not as loud as the voice as one of the bartenders in the 80's UC. Oh, that laugh, sort of like fingernails on the chalkboard.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Oct 22, 2018 at 6:19 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
#501
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
I had a 50 minute connection from RDU-SFO-PEK last week and I had to get from gate 83 to G100. I decided to squeeze in 15 minutes in the lounge and I'm really, really glad I did. With the possible exception of American's Flagship Dining (not lounge) at JFK this is easily the best lounge in the US and better than some international First Class lounges I've been to. United did an amazing job with this and it's hard to believe because the rest of my Polaris experience was fairly mediocre.
I didn't have time to eat anything (though I walked around with a glass of Piper Champagne, naturally) but the food selections looked impressive the restaurant even more so
I also like the private bathroom stalls. Wish I'd had more time for the lounge. I might add the bartender was incredibly friendly and I spent a third of my time chatting with him.
I didn't have time to eat anything (though I walked around with a glass of Piper Champagne, naturally) but the food selections looked impressive the restaurant even more so
I also like the private bathroom stalls. Wish I'd had more time for the lounge. I might add the bartender was incredibly friendly and I spent a third of my time chatting with him.
#502
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
I was in this lounge in June and posted these photos and comments.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29891763-post327.html
I was also recently in the ORD Polaris lounge and my photos are here. I would say that ORD was significantly better in 2 areas: service and food.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30301976-post825.html
31 October 2018
Here are photos and comments.
I like some of the art.
I also like this seating area in the back. Nice and quiet.
Down to the lower level seating area. I also like it because it's quiet and you're not getting all the walk-through traffic like upstairs.
To the shower rooms.
A Quiet Room/ Nap Room
Amenities
Now for the food........
On this visit, there was a waitlist to get in. Staff person was taking names and said 15-20 minutes. A couple of guys in line were not amused.
Yup, my day is looking better...with some bubbles.
I ordered this salad, dressing on the side. It was not as good as in June ands some of the edges of the lettuce were brown.
I ordered it without the egg.
Thankfully, others seated nearby let me take photos of their order items.
This was very cool to see.
The buffet food stations.
Salads and sandwiches.
Desserts
These were tasty but a bit hard and dry. The ORD ones were much better.
These were awesome.
Downstairs, on the lower level, there is a coffee/tea/water/juice station
On tops of the fridges with cold drinks, there are these
Later in the afternoon, servers were walking around offering some tuna hors d'oeuvres. She said this was a new feature.
I've had this in the NZ lounge in AKL during "cocktail hour". Nice touch.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29891763-post327.html
I was also recently in the ORD Polaris lounge and my photos are here. I would say that ORD was significantly better in 2 areas: service and food.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30301976-post825.html
31 October 2018
Here are photos and comments.
I like some of the art.
I also like this seating area in the back. Nice and quiet.
Down to the lower level seating area. I also like it because it's quiet and you're not getting all the walk-through traffic like upstairs.
To the shower rooms.
A Quiet Room/ Nap Room
Amenities
Now for the food........
On this visit, there was a waitlist to get in. Staff person was taking names and said 15-20 minutes. A couple of guys in line were not amused.
Yup, my day is looking better...with some bubbles.
I ordered this salad, dressing on the side. It was not as good as in June ands some of the edges of the lettuce were brown.
I ordered it without the egg.
Thankfully, others seated nearby let me take photos of their order items.
This was very cool to see.
The buffet food stations.
Salads and sandwiches.
Desserts
These were tasty but a bit hard and dry. The ORD ones were much better.
These were awesome.
Downstairs, on the lower level, there is a coffee/tea/water/juice station
On tops of the fridges with cold drinks, there are these
Later in the afternoon, servers were walking around offering some tuna hors d'oeuvres. She said this was a new feature.
I've had this in the NZ lounge in AKL during "cocktail hour". Nice touch.
#503
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,091
Thanks for the great photoessay! Haven't been to SFO polaris lounge yet, but LOVE the one in EWR. I honestly feel like the polaris lounges have really upped UA's intl game, despite the relative weakness of the food on board.
#504
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
@physioprof
Thanks!
I've only been to SFO twice and ORD once and it was great to have the recent ORD and SFO visits close together. Just my opinion but as I wrote, I found ORD to have better food and service. Even the UA desk agents near reception in ORD were more dynamic and enthusiastic to deal with. While the overall Polaris staff were very gracious in SFO, I found the servers in the Dining Room in ORD were more experienced/professional and creative.
I agree with you about the Polaris lounges being a great decision by UA. Given the current and possible future decline in the meals onboard, I wonder if some pax will choose to have their meal in the Polaris lounges (should they have the time) and then sleep onboard. I've noticed this with 2 other airlines I fly (international F and J).
Thanks!
I agree with you about the Polaris lounges being a great decision by UA. Given the current and possible future decline in the meals onboard, I wonder if some pax will choose to have their meal in the Polaris lounges (should they have the time) and then sleep onboard. I've noticed this with 2 other airlines I fly (international F and J).
#505
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: +61
Programs: SQ*PPS, QF-WP1 & LTG, VA-Gold, Marriott*LTT, Hilton*Gold, Accor*Platinum
Posts: 5,735
So I’m spoiled by the F lounges with EK (DXB), CX (HKG), and QF (SYD,MEL)... and maybe the PPS lounge in SIN w SQ
But gave it a go in SFO...
This is a beautiful hard product lounge. Outstanding facilities with powerpoints and USB everywhere. Great bar selections and the wines I tried were good. Sleeping room nice, and shower rooms big with great water pressure and products (here’s looking at you SQ)
The food was tasty, although menus (both buffet and dining room) seem identical over the last 6 months.
The service in the dining room was atrocious. All tables full, and seemingly one server. Despite trying to flag down one for 10 minutes (and no water poured), I had to walk over to the service station to order.
It seems the staff goes out to complete one mission (serve food, prep a table, remove dirty dishes) without thinking about anything else going on.
So obviously a step up from the Club and is worthy peer of J/F international lounges... with one catch.
But gave it a go in SFO...
This is a beautiful hard product lounge. Outstanding facilities with powerpoints and USB everywhere. Great bar selections and the wines I tried were good. Sleeping room nice, and shower rooms big with great water pressure and products (here’s looking at you SQ)
The food was tasty, although menus (both buffet and dining room) seem identical over the last 6 months.
The service in the dining room was atrocious. All tables full, and seemingly one server. Despite trying to flag down one for 10 minutes (and no water poured), I had to walk over to the service station to order.
It seems the staff goes out to complete one mission (serve food, prep a table, remove dirty dishes) without thinking about anything else going on.
So obviously a step up from the Club and is worthy peer of J/F international lounges... with one catch.
#506
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,900
We're in the lounge now. Buffets are as described and constantly replenished. I tried the Ramen and found it fine with good broth.
We had lunch in the dining room.The burger was great, although very greasy. The cobb/wedge salad was delicious and the lettuce was nice and fresh. The main issue we had was that the service is all over the place. There were four servers and they seemed to be making it up as they went. A good round of training in "this is how you do it, specifically" is very much in order.
Not overcrowded when we arrived but was filling up by 12:30.
Why on earth don't they just post the serving times on the board at the entrance to the dining area? How hard is it to post:
opening until 11:00am breakfast service
11:00am until closing lunch/dinner
It would save them answering a million questions. Also, bringing the drinks menu when the bring the food menus would save a lot of time and extra steps.
We had lunch in the dining room.The burger was great, although very greasy. The cobb/wedge salad was delicious and the lettuce was nice and fresh. The main issue we had was that the service is all over the place. There were four servers and they seemed to be making it up as they went. A good round of training in "this is how you do it, specifically" is very much in order.
Not overcrowded when we arrived but was filling up by 12:30.
Why on earth don't they just post the serving times on the board at the entrance to the dining area? How hard is it to post:
opening until 11:00am breakfast service
11:00am until closing lunch/dinner
It would save them answering a million questions. Also, bringing the drinks menu when the bring the food menus would save a lot of time and extra steps.
Last edited by milepig; Nov 14, 2018 at 2:05 am
#507
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,416
#508
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,916
I've now been to all four lounges and I think SFO comes in a distant last for food. That's a shame because the SFO facility is the nicest, IMO, of the four. Looking forward to LAX opening up soon.
#509
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
I wonder whether SFO Polaris's bottom of barrel dining experience has any connection to SFO's living wage policy? Every airside employee at SFO has a "living wage" plus health benefits that are an order of magnitude beyond what is paid at other airports. The labor costs at SFO Polaris are easily > 33% of the other Polaris lounges. Could this be partly offset by scrimping on other budget lines?
#510
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Also, not sure about all of the Polaris lounges (but I assume there is a contract). The servers work for Sodexo. Same thing with the Amex Centurion at HKG and the *A at LAX TBIT. Some airlines, like AC, switched from Sodexo to Compass to run their lounges.