Xyzzy

Well, the pop-ups will absolutely need to be open long enough to allow the C1 club to be refurbished. It's srely in need of a freshening.Indeed...

elitefreak

Back on the subtopic of the supposedly being (slooowwwllly) built club upstairs in the C3 concourse. I walked by today and there really isn't much floor space to speak of. Is that space really large enough to replace even half of the old UC that is now the PL?

8MiHi

This is my concern. I think it will have greater capacity than the pop-up nearby, but not by much. Of course they could really pack in the seats like the Club at LAS (a Priority Club offering so packed they are building a new one).
Or, more likely, they are going to do some structural work to expand the square footage.

8MiHi

Maybe those sources meant the following summer, or the summer after that. I see no sign of any construction currently happening.
The pop-ups are supposed to be temporary. Are they waiting for Terminal One to be finished?

WineCountryUA

Perhaps we should take odds on which will be first the "new" EWR UC or the IAD Polaris Lounge?
PANYNJ vs MWAA

Vulcan

Likewise. My last few trips thru EWR when I went to check on progress, it appears that nothing is being worked on, as in dead.

uber1K_Flyer

We waited well over a year without the UC in Terminal 1C in ORD - there is no excuse but typical of United - over promise and not have a meaningful plan - esp when charging extra for a service.

MrGood

Recently, a UC staff rep at the EWR C3 pop-up lounge mentioned that the C3 UC will be finished in 16 months. He even pointed out at orange cones where support beams for the overhanging structure will be installed. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if completion will be in mid-2021 at the earliest (given UA's poor history of meeting deadlines)

Kacee

With that, I'd peg the over under at mid-2023.

Eadward

UC staff seem clueless about this issue, but if true, that is a ridiculously long wait given the horrible EWR UC situation.

wxguy

There's now a sign on the pop-up C3 Club saying it will "close soon to allow construction of the new permanent Club." I asked the agent about timing, and she said "it has supposed to close for the past month." I asked how it was related to the construction, and she didn't know. I'm speculating this will be where the stairs/elevator will be that segregates it from the incoming immigration pathways. I asked if that will just leave the C1 rotunda club, and she nodded "yes."

If there was ever a time to relax Polaris admit rules, this is it -- maybe GS? Or lifetime members? Anything to relieve the pressure on the C1 Club.

fumje

I noticed that sign up two or three weeks ago. I decided not to go in, though, since I saw an empty gate, and I had only about ten minutes. Sort of strange to put it up without a clear timeline.

Tiny silver lining: the rotunda club has a new pair of espresso machines. To me the cappuccino tasted better. They also had hard boiled eggs the morning that I went there.

Vulcan

Only at limited times. I was at the Polaris lounge at 4:30 and got essentially the last seat. So between- 3 and 7, this could not work. Earlier or later, maybe.

Edited to add: I see no mention of the other Popup at around C96 that opens after 2:30? It is tiny and smaller than the main popup, and crowded as well, but is a small benefit at the worse times (4-7 PM).

wxguy

So I just chatted with a GS agent at EWR who seemed to know his stuff. He said that UA has been ready to build the new C3 Club for a very long time, but the Port Authority has held things up. They had to wait for the retail leases at the end of C3 to terminate, as all of those places will close to make room for the new Club which will be on the second level, but the entrance and elevator/escalator room will take up space. The plan is to close the C3 pop-up at the end of November, and construction should take 12-18 months. During that time, the 92 pop-up Club will be open all day. In addition, all EWR Clubs will take one-day passes only in the morning.

I asked about the Polaris lounge for GS or MM exceptions, and he said it can't be done because of crowding during the afternoon/evening when it would be needed most -- and next summer will be worse than last summer as there will be seven more international flights in summer 2020 vs summer 2019. He said "it's going to be a zoo in the C1 Club."

At least there seems to be some progress.

goodeats21

Interesting update....It is already a zoo at the United Club in Terminal C.

Can't imagine how bad it will be when they close the C3 Pop Up.
There has to be some space somewhere to put some additional temporary club space during the construction.