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IAD Polaris Lounge to open 21 October 2021?

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IAD Polaris Lounge to open 21 October 2021?

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Old Oct 20, 2021, 9:44 am
  #286  
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Originally Posted by FlyingHighlander
you plan trips around available lounge experiences?
I will neither confirm or deny that my starting/ending in SMF instead of driving to SFO was influenced by the ability to use the PL both ways. (Pre COVID)
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:06 am
  #287  
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Originally Posted by EWR764
Spectactular work on the PL, there's still hope! It looks like the buffet service will consist of individually-portioned items, which I think is a much classier way to do a buffet, anyway, instead of the all-you-can-slop-on-your-plate method! All kidding aside, the IAD PL might be the best one yet. I am excited to give it a try.

Yes, well, at least we all can rest assured that United "has our health and safety at the forefront" by "reducing touchpoints" and offering an economy class-style meal service in the Polaris cabin! As we know, airline business class multi-course service, menus, glassware and ice cream sundaes are the primary vectors for the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, so I'm glad to see United acting responsibly in this regard.

Once again, though, the play in Polaris overnight is to eat/drink in the lounge, and lights-out once onboard. Especially with the pathetic service these days (despite consistently improved FA interaction, IMO), one really isn't missing anything by skipping the inflight portion.

Originally Posted by drewguy
For TATL flights in a lot of ways is a more sensible model - I doubt any airline would dispense with in flight meal service, if only to serve those who can't get to airport early, but really makes a lot more sense all around to serve a nice dinner at the airport first and then use the time on board to sleep.
For the most part, agree. But there are other cases when I DON"T want to sleep on board, due to time zone shifting.
I just booked to Asia and routed through IAD so I can have a nice lounge pre-departure. But I am also planning to enjoy drinks and snacks on board the first leg, and plan on sleeping on the overnight flight out of LHR for the early AM arrival in Asia.
Might actually pack some decent mixed nuts or other nibbles to augment / replace the expected catering.

Should be a choice for the passenger, not a decision made by the airline due to cheapness.

But very happy to have a Polaris Lounge open again, and especially at IAD where the United Clubs are pretty poor. (Not EWR crappy, but not great)
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:24 am
  #288  
 
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Originally Posted by FlyingHighlander
you plan trips around available lounge experiences?
I missed "on UA" (vs other carriers). Thought that was implied as part of a UA Forum PL thread, but fair point. I don't fly to Madrid or Brazil because of airline lounges.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:30 am
  #289  
 
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Whoever visits the IAD PL first on this thread, could someone report back the operating hours of the PL? Just trying to gauge how other PL's might be as well.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:45 am
  #290  
 
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Originally Posted by MatthewLAX
Nice!!! Nature is beginning to heal.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:48 am
  #291  
 
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Wow nice. OK, anyone have a list if PL eligible routes out of IAD? I'm planning to fly in early Dec and I may be doing some rerouting.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:49 am
  #292  
 
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That actually looks very nice
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 10:53 am
  #293  
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Here are more pictures --

https://liveandletsfly.com/united-ai...is-lounge-iad/

(disclaimer - link to my blog)

I took over 600 pictures...I'm going to whittle them down and put up a full review in the next few days.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 1:31 pm
  #294  
 
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Originally Posted by seanp7
I don't fly to Madrid or Brazil because of airline lounges.
I was originally booked on UA861, IAD-GRU, on Oct 28, but then they pushed the restart back to Oct 30. Updated the booking and they pushed it back again. Now I'll be going thru IAH to GRU, so still get to experience the PL at IAD. And the IAH PL is to reopen before the end of the year, so there are options for decent lounges to get to Brazil.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 2:02 pm
  #295  
 
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Originally Posted by qfrodo
I was originally booked on UA861, IAD-GRU, on Oct 28, but then they pushed the restart back to Oct 30. Updated the booking and they pushed it back again. Now I'll be going thru IAH to GRU, so still get to experience the PL at IAD. And the IAH PL is to reopen before the end of the year, so there are options for decent lounges to get to Brazil.
If I recall, the meals on the SA Polaris flights were sub-standard even PRE-COVID. I wonder what they are like now. Going to PL first sounds like a great plan
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 4:58 pm
  #296  
 
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There’s a sneak preview on the Poihts Guy of the Polaris Lounge opening tomorrow at IAD … it looks simply stunning. How great to have a Polaris lounge back open…I’m sure many of this thought it would never happen!

https://thepointsguy.com/news/united...ington-dulles/
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 5:06 pm
  #297  
 
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Originally Posted by flyingrohit
Whoever visits the IAD PL first on this thread, could someone report back the operating hours of the PL? Just trying to gauge how other PL's might be as well.
5:30 am to 10:00 pm every day, according to App. The grand opening of October 21 is also posted on App.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 6:41 pm
  #298  
 
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Originally Posted by unitedbusiness
There’s a sneak preview on the Poihts Guy of the Polaris Lounge opening tomorrow at IAD … it looks simply stunning. How great to have a Polaris lounge back open…I’m sure many of this thought it would never happen!

https://thepointsguy.com/news/united...ington-dulles/
Great photos! Although I did have to chuckle at the photo of the "library" in which the books are those with blue bindings or dust-jackets, to match the rest of the blue decor. Will any of those "blue books" be worth borrowing to read on the plane? My guess is, probably not.... Unlike the VA clubhouse at LHR, which had a real assemblage of readable books.
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 7:41 pm
  #299  
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Two things that pop out to me:

"Aside from the Dulles outpost opening on Thursday, locations in Newark, Chicago and Houston will reopen by the end of the year, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first quarter of 2022". I must have missed the memo about the others re-opening but that's great news!

But...USB-A ports? In this day & age how is anyone building new space without USB-C?

And I reiterate my point earlier about the dining room. Every pic I see I cringe at how open it is and completely not private. No dividers or spacers between the tables to keep noise down (not referring to Covid at all).

-RM
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Old Oct 20, 2021, 7:50 pm
  #300  
 
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Originally Posted by RobOnLI
Two things that pop out to me:

"Aside from the Dulles outpost opening on Thursday, locations in Newark, Chicago and Houston will reopen by the end of the year, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first quarter of 2022". I must have missed the memo about the others re-opening but that's great news!

But...USB-A ports? In this day & age how is anyone building new space without USB-C?

And I reiterate my point earlier about the dining room. Every pic I see I cringe at how open it is and completely not private. No dividers or spacers between the tables to keep noise down (not referring to Covid at all).

-RM
USB-A because the lounge was designed in 2019, and COVID-19 happened. Think I read somewhere that the lounge hit substantial completion just before everything shut down in March 2020. Construction and procurement takes time, and once ordered, you can't really back out of materials orders without hefty penalties.
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