I flew from San Francisco to Newark in Polaris Business Class, my first time flying on a premium transcontinental flight on United Airlines since the carrier rebranded some of its domestic routes as Polaris.
I Flew Domestic “Polaris” For the First Time On United Airlines
United now sells longhaul Hawaii flights and transcontinental flights between Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO)/Los Angeles (LAX) as United Polaris instead of United Business. Most importantly, that means that front cabin passengers receive Polaris Lounge access as long as they are not flying on a “basic” ticket.
Let’s start with the positives, then I’ll point out one big negative aspect of the flight.
Access to the Polaris Lounge is a huge value-add. I showed up at the Polaris Lounge around 6:00 am where I had never seen it so empty…it was lovely (though by the time I left around 8:00 am it had filled up).
I took a shower and enjoyed a very nice breakfast (omelet, avocado toast, berries, green drink, and cappuccino). After this, I really didn’t need to eat on the flight (though I still did of course…you know me).
You could say that United was just playing “catch up” to American Airlines, which offers premium transcontinental passengers Flagship Lounge access, and to Delta Air Lines, which offers premium transcontinental passengers Delta One Lounge access, but this certainly makes the value proposition higher for flying in a premium cabin on United.
Onboard, I found my seat in the rear center section of the 777-200 cabin, the last seat remaining when I was rebooked on this flight (after a flight cancellation). While I prefer odd-numbered window seats, the seat is very comfortable and was quite nice for the five-hour journey to Newark.
You will not go hungry on a United premium transcontinental flight. Breakfast was served after takeoff (no menus and I had not been able to pre-order) and I ordered steak and eggs, a filet mignon served with a cheese omelette. The beef was cooked well-done, but this was a hearty and respectable breakfast, with fruit and yogurt with berries on the side, plus a croissant.
The sundae cart does not appear on morning flights, but there was a very nice lemon tart served with coffee after breakfast.
What really impressed, though, was the pre-arrival meal.
If flying on American Airlines or Delta Air Lines, you receive a hot cookie before landing. But on United, a second hearty meal (with three choices) is served before landing. I enjoyed a delicious salad with carrots, sweet potatoes, golden raisins, green apples, green goddess dressing, and a chicken breast on the side…so very good.
Most people passed on the pre-arrival meal, so I tired the pork adobo with jasmine rice and sautéed garlic green beans as well…also very delicious (both pre-arrival dishes were better than than the breakfast).
You could argue it was too much food, but I was very thankful for the hearty offerings.
Other notes:
- amenity kits were offered
- noise-cancelling headphones were offered
- IFE selection was excellent
- Service was excellent
So what was wrong? Care to guess? One critical thing, to me at least: Wi-Fi.
It didn’t function, which made the flight miserable for me. This flight, departing at 8:45 am PT, was right in the heart of my workday and the Panasonic Wi-Fi did not function at all. Call me a basket case or too self-important, but it’s just a deal-breaker for me…it’s why I mostly fly redeyes. Maybe I need to enter a 30-day electronic detox program, but I just could not handle the flight, so the 777-200 (and really any Panasonic-equipped aircraft) moves to my embargo list for daytime flights. Starlink cannot come fast enough.
Wi-Fi may be immaterial for many of you, but it was huge for me and any business owner should be able to appreciate that. Other than that, it was a very nice flight.
Get over it. Social media is a cancer on our society.