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United Polaris - New Business Class seats & inflight service {Archive}

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Old Jan 17, 2020, 6:38 pm
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Archive thread -- Active thread is United Polaris - New Business Class seats & inflight service -- 3+ years after Intro

United website - Explore: http://view.ceros.com/united/polaris-business-class/p/1
from UA's Facebook stream
Only customers traveling in United Polaris business class or United Polaris Global First on international flights and customers in Star Alliance international first or business class cabins on flights longer than six hours will have access to the United Polaris Lounge.
Official Polaris Lounge Access Rules are here: Polaris Lounge Access Rules

United Polaris Business and Polaris First pax may access the Polaris lounge at connecting airports and their final destination within 24 hours of departure or arrival.

*A international J and F pax may only access the Polaris lounge at the departure airport. For purposes of Polaris lounge access, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, and Guam are excluded from the definition of "international."

Seat Chart.

Press release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...300278706.html

NEW YORK, June 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the aspiration of making weary business travel a relic of the past, United Airlines today unveiled its all-new United Polaris business class, the airline's most significant product transformation in more than a decade, featuring a reimagined, sleep-enhancing, departure-to-landing experience for intercontinental travelers.

Named after the North Star, United Polaris is the shining new star of business class travel that flyers can turn to for a tranquil and restful journey.

"United Polaris will change the game in international business travel with an exceptional level of relaxation and comfort throughout our customers' journeys," said Oscar Munoz, president and CEO of United. "This completely reconceived experience exemplifies the new spirit of United and the innovation, excitement and operational momentum across our airline."

Path-Breaking Design

In setting out to create a transformative business class experience, United chose to outfit its widebody fleet with a custom-designed, exclusive-to-United seat, rather than select an option already in the marketplace. Designed in partnership with Acumen Design Associates and PriestmanGoode and manufactured by Zodiac Seats United Kingdom, each United Polaris seat will offer direct access to the aisle, 180-degree flat-bed recline and up to 6 foot 6 inches of bed space.

Crafted as individual, forward-facing, suite-like pods, each customer's personal suite will feature a "Do Not Disturb" sign, mood lighting, one-touch lumbar support, several storage areas, multiple surfaces for simultaneous working and dining, a 16-inch high-definition entertainment screen and, for seats in the center of the cabin, electronic privacy dividers. Complementing the new seats, United and PriestmanGoode have also conceived an all-new look for the United Polaris cabins.

In rethinking the international business class experience, United conducted more than 12,000 hours of research, and sleep emerged as the single most important priority for international business class travelers. United Polaris' path-breaking design and sleep-enhancing focus was inspired and informed by insights from hundreds of customers and employees, inflight product simulations and more than 100 product evaluations.

Sleep-Enticing Amenities

In addition to the sleep-enticing United Polaris personal suites, several other amenities were designed with our customers' sleep in mind.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, United has worked with leading luxury specialty store Saks Fifth Avenue for custom-designed bedding. All designed to provide the best sleep in the sky, the new bedding collection will feature plush duvets, lightweight day-blankets and a large and small pillow for each United Polaris customer. In addition, mattress cushions will be available upon request.

Slippers will be available on all flights, and customized United Polaris pajamas will be available by request on flights longer than 12 hours**. Flyers will also be able to request a gel-cooled pillow. New amenity kits will feature ergonomically designed eye shades, calming lavender pillow mist and additional products from Soho House & Co.'s Cowshed Spa.

With the introduction of United Polaris, the airline intends to donate tens of thousands of pillows, blankets and other inflight service items to Fisher House Foundation, which United and its employees have long supported.

Elevated Dining Experience

Upon boarding their flight, each United Polaris customer will be welcomed with a pre-departure beverage of his or her choice and gourmet chocolate. While in the air, customers will enjoy regionally influenced in-flight menus updated seasonally, developed in partnership with The Trotter Project and its critically recognized chefs, including Bill Kim of acclaimed Chicago restaurants Urbanbelly, bellyQ and Belly Shack.

The airline will offer an upgraded wine experience, with the highest-quality options curated exclusively by United's Master Sommelier. Inflight service will also include made-to-order signature ice cream sundaes, a dessert cart with a variety of petit dessert options, chocolate truffles and wine flights. On daytime flights longer than eight hours and on all flights longer than 12 hours, hot mid-flight snacks such as lobster macaroni and cheese will be available.

Raising The Bar With United Polaris Business Class Lounges

United will also open an exclusive portfolio of United Polaris business class lounges in nine locations around the world – the only lounge of its kind offered by a U.S. airline to business class customers – that will feature custom-designed chairs, private daybeds, spa-like showers and chef-inspired hot meals served in a boutique restaurant setting so customers can refresh and dine before boarding their planes. Premium sparkling wines and spirits, refreshing snacks and bottled water will also be offered.

The first new United Polaris lounge will open at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Dec. 1, 2016. Lounges in eight other locations – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York/Newark, Washington Dulles, Tokyo Narita, Hong Kong and London Heathrow – will follow in 2017.

United Polaris Introduction

United will begin to introduce United Polaris on Dec. 1, 2016, with the new inflight food and beverage experience, new custom bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue, new amenity kits and the new United Polaris lounge in Chicago. The United Polaris business class seat will first take flight in December on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and subsequently on Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, as well as on Boeing 767-300 and 777-200 retrofits.

United Polaris will serve business class customers flying the U.S. airline industry's most global route network, reaching more than 330 destinations in more than 50 countries.

More information on the United Polaris business class can be found at united.com/Polaris.

[From [email][email protected] 11/15/2016]
Starting December 1, 2016, United Polaris Business Class service will replace United BusinessFirst service on international flights, and United Polaris Global First service will replace the current United Global First service.

Between 2017 to 2019 eight additional United Polaris lounges will open at EWR, HKG, IAD, IAH, LAX, LHR, NRT and SFO. We do not have the exact opening dates at this time. A scheduling announcement will be forthcoming.
** Flights with pajama service (for both directions)
SFO - ICN, PEK, PVG, HGH, XIV, TPE, AKL, HKG, CTU, SYD, TLV, SIN
EWR - NRT, PEK, DEL, BOM, HKG, PVG
ORD - NRT, PEK PVG, HKG
LAX - PVG, SYD, MEL, SIN
IAD - NRT, PEK
IAH - NRT, SYD
(from United Twitter feed https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyjFHZLW...jpg&name=large

{Similar Threads:
Polaris Lounge Roadmap 2017-2018 (wiki) (thread)
Polaris lounge ORD - opened 01 Dec 2016 (wiki) (thread)
SFO Lounge changes? Which will become Polaris? Shower options?(wiki) (thread)
United Polaris-New Business Class seats & inflight service and new Polaris Lounges(wiki) (thread)}


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United Polaris - New Business Class seats & inflight service {Archive}

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Old Nov 3, 2016, 7:56 pm
  #1816  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Originally Posted by Agremeister
Any word on a completion date for these renovations? Not a good sign if an integral part of the Polaris experience won’t even be ready in the next year at the hub thats supposed to get Polaris seats first…



Yeah, the 6 hour rule doesn’t make sense. EWR-LHR is often under 6 hours and there’s no way you aren’t getting Polaris lounge on that route. I think the rule will be United Polaris OR partner flights in business over 6 hours. I don’t think the 6 hour rule will apply to UA flights.
EWR was not promised a Polaris lounge at launch, ORD was the only one planned to be ready by December 1. Additionally, EWRLHR is never blocked at less than six hours, so that 6h cutoff is moot.
EWR764 is online now  
Old Nov 3, 2016, 8:48 pm
  #1817  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Originally Posted by EWR764
EWR was not promised a Polaris lounge at launch, ORD was the only one planned to be ready by December 1. Additionally, EWRLHR is never blocked at less than six hours, so that 6h cutoff is moot.
Yeah I knew EWR wasn’t promised a lounge at launch, but it still doesn’t reflect well on UA if they won’t have a lounge at EWR anywhere near when the 77Ws finally start flying from EWR.
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Old Nov 4, 2016, 12:20 am
  #1818  
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Quick question about lounge access...

I'm assuming arriving passengers into ORD will be able to use the Polaris lounge during a long layover to a domestic flight?

I'm in GF (aka Polaris First Class) in mid-December from Asia through ORD to the US. I'll have a 3+ hour layover.

Thanks,
RM
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Old Nov 4, 2016, 9:29 am
  #1819  
 
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Originally Posted by RobOnLI
Quick question about lounge access...

I'm assuming arriving passengers into ORD will be able to use the Polaris lounge during a long layover to a domestic flight?

I'm in GF (aka Polaris First Class) in mid-December from Asia through ORD to the US. I'll have a 3+ hour layover.

Thanks,
RM
Yes you will be able to use the Polaris lounge! Please report back on "Polaris Global First" after the flight. I'm booked on it on EWR-FRA in January and am curious to hear if the soft product will be differentiated at all between Polaris and Polaris GF. I'm hoping they'll still provide turndown service (rather than just leave the bedding on the seat) and that they'll have pajamas for GF even though UA says that for Polaris Business the PJs are only offered on flights of 12+ hours.

Also, will mattress pads be provided on all Polaris flights? Or is that also on flights of 12+ hours.
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Old Nov 4, 2016, 6:36 pm
  #1820  
 
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UA took out a full page ad in Departures Magazine (publication for AMEX Platinum cardholders). People will be in for a rude awaking when the seats pictured wont be widely available on December 1st as advertised.
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Old Nov 4, 2016, 9:50 pm
  #1821  
 
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Originally Posted by iflyabunch
Of course anything can happen, but I'm guessing 6 months of training will not undo 10-25 years of behavior and union-biased work ethic. However, I will be happy to eat these words should the experience be as advertised.
Completely agree. Just flew EWR-HKG in BF and service was the bare minimum and only for the two meals. No water refills, nothing, for about 10 hours. When I did see an FA walk by, you could tell they were looking at everything except at passengers. The purser was fantastic but unfortunately didn't serve my section.

Anyone who expects a different in-flight service experience with Polaris is surely going to be disappointed.
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Old Nov 4, 2016, 9:52 pm
  #1822  
 
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Originally Posted by CappuccinoAddict
Yes you will be able to use the Polaris lounge! Please report back on "Polaris Global First" after the flight.
Polaris Business Class passengers are also allowed to use Polaris lounges when they arrive international flights and change to domestic flights?
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 4:26 am
  #1823  
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Originally Posted by CappuccinoAddict
Yes you will be able to use the Polaris lounge! Please report back on "Polaris Global First" after the flight. I'm booked on it on EWR-FRA in January and am curious to hear if the soft product will be differentiated at all between Polaris and Polaris GF. I'm hoping they'll still provide turndown service (rather than just leave the bedding on the seat) and that they'll have pajamas for GF even though UA says that for Polaris Business the PJs are only offered on flights of 12+ hours.

Also, will mattress pads be provided on all Polaris flights? Or is that also on flights of 12+ hours.
Thanks.

My Asia-ORD flight is already over 12 hours so I should be getting the PJs, mattress pad, etc. I would imagine there is no difference between Polaris Business and Polaris First except the soup

-RM
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 5:44 am
  #1824  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
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Originally Posted by RobOnLI
Thanks.

My Asia-ORD flight is already over 12 hours so I should be getting the PJs, mattress pad, etc. I would imagine there is no difference between Polaris Business and Polaris First except the soup

-RM
Haha, I look forward to hearing about it!
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 5:45 am
  #1825  
 
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Originally Posted by Atuchan
Polaris Business Class passengers are also allowed to use Polaris lounges when they arrive international flights and change to domestic flights?
That's the current policy with international business class passengers; I see no reason to expect anything different with Polaris!
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 8:21 am
  #1826  
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Didn't DL once have a separate Business Elite lounge? How long did it last until the products were merged into their regular lounges?
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 8:36 am
  #1827  
 
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Originally Posted by RobOnLI
Thanks.

My Asia-ORD flight is already over 12 hours so I should be getting the PJs, mattress pad, etc. I would imagine there is no difference between Polaris Business and Polaris First except the soup

-RM
The Polaris seat's mattress isn't the same size as the current BF seat is it?
So I think 100 ml of soup and a mattress pad.
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 9:13 am
  #1828  
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Originally Posted by Michael D
The Polaris seat's mattress isn't the same size as the current BF seat is it?
So I think 100 ml of soup and a mattress pad.
And sooo much more.

Water poured from a silver pitcher.

Fresh ground pepper for your salad.

Refills on nuts.

Feel like I am forgetting something...
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 9:22 am
  #1829  
 
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Originally Posted by zrs70
Didn't DL once have a separate Business Elite lounge? How long did it last until the products were merged into their regular lounges?
Yes. If memory serves, there were a few of them at JFK (small) and ATL. Possibly CVG at one point, too, when that was a much larger hub operation.

They weren't anything special (neither were Crown Rooms at the time), with better booze and cocktails than the standard CRC and a hot/cold snack buffet. A few had showers. All were converted to Sky Clubs in 2008 or so, and as a compromise, DL would bring out hot hors d'oeuvres in the late afternoon before the TATL departures.

The Polaris lounges, as proposed, are much more ambitious in terms of amenities and differentiation than the BE lounges.
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Old Nov 5, 2016, 11:19 am
  #1830  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: LAX IAH AMS
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Originally Posted by FlytheTail
Completely agree. Just flew EWR-HKG in BF and service was the bare minimum and only for the two meals. No water refills, nothing, for about 10 hours. When I did see an FA walk by, you could tell they were looking at everything except at passengers. The purser was fantastic but unfortunately didn't serve my section.

Anyone who expects a different in-flight service experience with Polaris is surely going to be disappointed.
Was thinking this exact same thing as well. Maybe Polaris phase 2 will be personality tests for all flight attendants and appropriate corrective remedies??

avi8tir is offline  


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