tstauck

tstauck

Flying Machine

SS255

Flying Machine

DELee

Mrs. and I have made our way up to the Polaris Lounge - she's in a blue top with yellow cardigan sweater and I'm in a multi-colored paisley shirt and maroon jacket.

David

Flying Machine

HkCaGu

pushmyredbutton

anc-ord772

I along with several other people had to ask for dishes multiple times this morning. Sounds like that carried through the rest of the day. Interesting to hear about the dining restrictions, that was not in place during my visit. I alone ordered two entrees and one appetizer with no push back.

PsiFighter37

That has to be the most popular part of the Polaris lounge, and it's surprised me how small it is, even at a larger lounge like EWR. The ORD section is dreadfully small. A shame to hear that folks think that the LAX lounge is mis-sized - it sounds like even though IAH is small, the sizing was done correctly.

SS255

All in all, it was a lovely event. I agree with everything pushmyredbutton said.

I waited about 30 minutes for a table, and was only taken as "quickly" as I was because they were asking singletons if they minded sharing tables. I had a very lovely conversation with another FF'er who isn't a Flyertalker. I did overhear a woman state that she had been waiting for over and hour-and-a-half for a table.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of a mishap with my order. I think it got lost in the shuffle. It took about 45 minutes after ordering to get my Polaris Burger (which was worth the wait). But, since I had to leave a bit before 4PM due to a last-minute work emergency, it meant that the long wait cut into my socialization time with my fellow Flyertalkers. Thankfully, Flying Machine's description of his plaid sportcoat and my gender reveal and wardrobe description of United's theme colors enabled me to locate the small group of Flyertalkers gathered at the bar. Since my dessert order took so long, they agreed to "make an exception" and deliver it to me at the bar.

One of the agents told me that the hours were 6:45AM to either 10:15, 10:30 or 10:45PM. (Sorry that I can't remember the exact closing time!) It's a shame that early morning domestic connections to Polaris flights at other hubs will miss the opening times, but I can understand why they aren't opening the Polaris lounge at 4:30AM!

My general impressions:

- It's a lovely space overall.
- While the buffet is not extensive, I thought it was adequate.
- The dining area was much too small for what I anticipate the demand will be - especially at peak times.
- I don't recall seeing any others mention this, but there's a "wellness room" around the corner from the entrance to the shower area. It was stocked with free diapers and a changing table. (I'll upload a picture when I have the chance, if nobody else beats me to it.)
- I thought that the footprint was large enough for the anticipated crowds, but time will tell.
-The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I hope this remains consistent.

HkCaGu

5:20 still two ahead of us so we got ourselves off the list and proceeded to try the rest of the buffet. Apparently not Asian-stomach-friendly enough for my mom, who thinks the TBIT*ABL features better food. This PL makes me compare with TBIT*ABL and HKG-UC too. I do miss the UC's Coke Freestyle machines (2) but the 4 water/juice dispensers make up the difference.

Capacity aside, the seating area is nice. As windows face west, afternoon sun may be too bright. (In L.A., there's much more afternoon sun than morning sun.)

Am I counting right? The only eligible nonstops from LAX are PVG, NRT, SYD, MEL, LHR and Ethiopian.

rodjune

Mrs. rodjune and I arrived at the Polaris Lounge right at our scheduled 10:00 am entry time. The welcoming committee of UA employees was pleasant and they offered to take our picture in front of the sign on the main level. Having been to the ORD Polaris Lounge, entrance to the LAX Polaris Lounge reminds me of the entrance to the UC at SNA: small but with enough counter space for a couple of agents to get entry credentials in order.

All of the staff were very friendly and went out of their way to be helpful such as answering questions and directing us to various parts of the lounge. Our first stop was to peruse the west side of the lounge, which consisted of a combination of work desk cubes, UC-style paired chairs with power plugs in between, stylized chairs around table for socializing, and several curved sofas for relaxation and more intimate socializing.

Moving on, we took a peek at the mixed-gender restrooms, shower suites, quiet rooms (2), and noticed the wellness room but did not check that one out. I figured it might be for nursing or managing babies. I was especially pleased to see that the shower suites were about the same size as those in the ORD Polaris Lounge.

We then made our way to the rotunda to view the wines case and the self-serve bar, which was set up for breakfast. There was a bread and toaster bar, scrambled eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes and toppers, granola and yoghurt, salmon appetizer, fruit and nut snack trays, savory and sweet breakfast pastries, and an oatmeal presentation bar. At the entrance to the rotunda was a fresh fruit juice bar (the green smoothie made with numerous fruits and vegetables appeared a little dangerous to consume before boarding a long flight).

Next up was a trip to the bar. There were two bartenders on duty, who seemed to enjoy mixing drinks, which were most popular during our four hour stay. The Mrs. and I tried the Lets Rumble and Lavender Lift earlier during our stay and then the United Polaris Old Fashioned and The Paper Airplane in the afternoon. All of the drinks were very delicious and refreshing. I wish I could have taken one of the Old Fashioned cocktails home with me - it was outstanding.

We decided to put our name in on the wait list for the dining room. This was actually the only disappointment of the Polaris Lounge experience. The wait, which was around 40 minutes was not a problem for us (but it was for the diner who sat across from us who had to leave to catch his flight before his food was delivered). However, once seated, the attendant emphasized that only one item could be ordered. Yet, a few minutes later I saw others who had been delivered a starter and their main. I pointed this out to the server and she agreed to allowing us to order an additional plate but I wish she had just stated this fact when were seated. She never took a beverage order and only served us water. Beyond what I thought was below-average wait service, the food was excellent. We tried the matcha pancakes and the salmon and carnitas pork Eggs Benedict duo with the starters being the salmon bruschetta and the potato and sausage hash. The poached eggs were perfectly prepared and the hollandaise sauce was delicous, not overly congealed, and tangy.

We later tried the buffet for lunch, which included Pozole with garnishments, sandwiches (including a banh mi), chicken skewers with rice, tapenade bar, and a variety of desserts including a S'mores partfait with toasted marshmallow sauce on top. I thought the banh mi with the vegetable salad inside was too runny and made the sandwich unappetizing.

My wife wanted a freshly made cappuccino. The machine was a manual style brew machine, which required assistance from a bar attendant. I can't see the average traveler knowing how to brew a cup of coffee unless they worked at a coffee shop or own such a high-end machine at home. I partook of drip decaf, and it was delicious. As the coffee served was Illy, each cup was incredibly delicious.

I can't assess whether this lounge will be too small to handle all of the travelers who might use this lounge. Where I think it will suffer is the level of service in the dining room, where if today was any indication of the future, I would stick with the buffet if time was of the essence. The other problem, which is unique to me, is that I thought it was a little to bright and sunny on the west side of the lounge once the sun emerged from behind the clouds. This is winter sun, which is nice and tolerable, but in the summer, not sure if sitting in the sunny seats will be popular. Others will love enjoying the sun during the afternoons (but I'm just not one of them).

So in summary, the PROS: Service staff; food quality, variety and preparation, cocktails/bar, shower suites, sleeping pods. CONS: one of the wait staff in the restaurant, lounge might be inadequate for larger crowds, most of the seating is on the sunny west side.

We departed the lounge at 2:00 pm, so in all, Mrs. rodjune and I spent four hours there. It all went by too fast with the mostly outstanding service. I will be back!

jm0933

I would probably chalk that up to the preview, though. When the lounge is half full under normal conditions, everybody's flight is leaving at slightly different times so the rush will be more spread out for dining. Also, since many people still like to eat on the plane, not every passenger is going to be taking advantage of the a la carte dining. I'm sure everybody wanted to try it during the preview, which would not be normal. I think we'll need to see reports from people using the lounge during normal operation to determine if there's really a big size issue.