Has the Polaris Lounge Product been a Financial Success for UA so far?
Dec 27, 2019, 10:20 am
#46
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There are plenty of flyer who barely make gold yet easily spend 24k in 3 trips to Europe.
Or DL ATL SkyClub Terminal F during peak hours, just as bad and no seats and mediocre food.
Exactly that’s my point. Delta let’s in a much wider variety of passengers and their lounges are Just as crowded not more crowded. This goes to show that delta makes it work.
Or DL ATL SkyClub Terminal F during peak hours, just as bad and no seats and mediocre food.
Exactly that’s my point. Delta let’s in a much wider variety of passengers and their lounges are Just as crowded not more crowded. This goes to show that delta makes it work.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 27, 2019 at 2:15 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member; please use multi-quote
Dec 27, 2019, 10:43 am
#47
Join Date: Jul 2016
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I've been reading up on a lot of trip reports on this forum and I'm curious in terms of how the Polaris Lounge product is doing financially.
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Should UA offer a path for others to get into the lounge (especially at EWR where there are serious renovation issues) for additional revenue?
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Should UA offer a path for others to get into the lounge (especially at EWR where there are serious renovation issues) for additional revenue?
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I don't think they can charge as much for Y *G pax.
And I don't think PP pax get access to the regular Clubs either!
Originally Posted by n8-the-gr8;
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Many folks (myself included) do not eat twice. I eat in the Polaris lounge and forgo food on the plane. I’d rather sleep on the flight and skip the sub-par Polaris catering and instead enjoy the food in the lounge.
This. I wish they would just issue a polaris lounge "pass" that's good for 3 months or something from travel. I've had at least dozen flights where my connection was too tight and I had to go straight to the next flight or flying in/out of a non-polaris airport like DEN or LAX (in the past).
Dec 27, 2019, 10:50 am
#48
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1. You can bet that UA constantly analyzes the ROI for its PL product and adjusts the expansion, hard & soft product accordingly. That data is proprietary and cannot be linked to specific revenue items. It is all about finding the sweet spot. Something significantly nicer than the UC which also does not "blow the budget" necessitating astronomical ticket prices.
2. Expanding access causes overcrowding, causes a lack of differentiation of the premium brand, e.g. Polaris, and ultimately leads to what UA managed to do to domestic F product with unlimited upgrades. Space at airports is truly at a premium. I don't see UA spending $Millions to increase the size of PL's in order to accommodate more passengers unless the market shifts radically to increased demand for full-fare Polaris, in which case, taking care of those people becomes a smart move.
There is a name for Premium Economy which includes access to a premium lounge, a lie flat seat, and high-quality meals and wines. It is called Business Class.
2. Expanding access causes overcrowding, causes a lack of differentiation of the premium brand, e.g. Polaris, and ultimately leads to what UA managed to do to domestic F product with unlimited upgrades. Space at airports is truly at a premium. I don't see UA spending $Millions to increase the size of PL's in order to accommodate more passengers unless the market shifts radically to increased demand for full-fare Polaris, in which case, taking care of those people becomes a smart move.
There is a name for Premium Economy which includes access to a premium lounge, a lie flat seat, and high-quality meals and wines. It is called Business Class.
Dec 27, 2019, 10:51 am
#49
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Dec 27, 2019, 10:52 am
#50
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I think of the Polaris lounge as plus to a lie flat bed. If 1ks got Polaris lounge access internationally in Y it would still incentivize them to buy Polaris. It would just be a Small recognition for their loyalty and to make up for all the pain of Y.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:03 am
#51
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These arguments on FT about which carrier is better because it serves a larger piece of cubed cheese are a bit silly.
Passengers have choices. If you think that you are better off on DL than UA, take DL. But, bear in mind that while AA and UA both have a premium lounge product, e.g. Flagship and Polaris, DL does not.
As with all travel choices, look at the things that are important to you and book accordingly. WBCCBD (Want Big Cheese Cube, Book Delta).
Passengers have choices. If you think that you are better off on DL than UA, take DL. But, bear in mind that while AA and UA both have a premium lounge product, e.g. Flagship and Polaris, DL does not.
As with all travel choices, look at the things that are important to you and book accordingly. WBCCBD (Want Big Cheese Cube, Book Delta).
Dec 27, 2019, 11:05 am
#52
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I suspect, actually, that UA has actual numbers on this and some elites might stop paying for Polaris if they got the lounge on a Y or PP ticket.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:11 am
#53
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I think a lot of FT love the Polaris lounge there’s no doubt about that. However whenever I was talking to an old buddy and when I asked him about the PL lounge he wasn't that impressed.He even said the only reason he likes Polaris is the flat bed. He even said that they that could take away everything else and he wouldn’t mind. Whether he is abnormal, we don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want Kirby to here him speak.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:12 am
#54
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Elites already get recognition for flying Y, they get to select E+ seats, and 1K also get recognized by being able to spend PlusPoints on PP or Polaris seats.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:16 am
#55
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I dunno, but do AA EXP or BA Gold flying Y get incentivized to buy business class because they have access to AA Flagship or BA F lounges?
Elites already get recognition for flying Y, they get to select E+ seats, and 1K also get recognized by being able to spend PlusPoints on PP or Polaris seats.
Elites already get recognition for flying Y, they get to select E+ seats, and 1K also get recognized by being able to spend PlusPoints on PP or Polaris seats.
Dec 27, 2019, 12:39 pm
#56
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I have flown Polaris over a partner or competitor's product because it provides access to the polaris lounge on arrival in the US.
Was a little stunned recently when my partner flew LH F through Houston and would not have had any lounge access on arrival if she hadn't been *G. I lucked out, she would have been quite annoyed if she didn't have an available lounge for her connection.
Was a little stunned recently when my partner flew LH F through Houston and would not have had any lounge access on arrival if she hadn't been *G. I lucked out, she would have been quite annoyed if she didn't have an available lounge for her connection.
Dec 27, 2019, 1:49 pm
#57
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Wouldn't she have had access to Polaris lounge without *G by virtue of LH F?
Dec 27, 2019, 2:03 pm
#58
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Dec 27, 2019, 2:22 pm
#59
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Per UA, PP gets
but have not seen what the discount is
Discounted United Club access for a better travel experience (when traveling on select long-haul international routes)
Dec 27, 2019, 2:26 pm
#60
Join Date: Jun 2012
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You only get a location waiver for UA lounges when holding a same day UA J ticket.
(Location waiver meaning whatever access your UA J ticket gets - UC or Polaris, is granted for your sameday departure/connecting/arrival airports)
If OP was holding a domestic Y/J ticket (excluding PS service), no lounge access with that
If OP flew United Polaris intl and connected to a Y ticket, the location waiver on the United Polaris intl ticket gets him access to UC/Polaris lounge at his domestic connection
If OP flew United Business from canada-EWR-XYZ, he only gets UC access at EWR due to location waiver on the United Business ticket
Last edited by paperwastage; Dec 27, 2019 at 2:33 pm