As travelers return to the skies and competitors like American Airlines and Delta Air Lines restore pre-pandemic service elements to their longhaul premium products, United Airlines will trial a new Polaris service flow on select flights next month.
United Airlines Plans New Polaris Service Trial In February
Starting on February 1, 2022, United Airlines will test out a number of small changes to its longhaul Polaris business class product. Those include:
- A new three-step main meal service in Polaris:
- Step 1 – Pre-meal beverage/cocktail snack/lay table linen
- via cart
- Step 2 – Main meal tray with plated entrée
- hand-delivered
- Step 3 – Dessert
- hand-delivered
- Step 1 – Pre-meal beverage/cocktail snack/lay table linen
- Digital menu cards available on the United app
The trial will run from February 1-28, 2022 on the following routes:
- Frankfurt (FRA) ⇄
- Chicago (ORD)
- Houston (IAH)
- Newark (EWR)
- Washington (IAD)
- London (LHR) ⇄
- Chicago (ORD)
A memo reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly notes that the new service will strike a “balance” between efficiency and a “personal customer experience” onboard:
As more customers return to the skies, we know service onboard our aircraft will become busier, especially in our Polaris cabin. To strike the perfect balance between efficiency and providing a personal customer experience on board, we’ll be testing a re-engineered three-step main meal service flow on select markets in our Polaris cabin.
This new three-step service elevates the onboard dining experience for our customers, while maintaining an efficient service by reducing the number of carts and service steps when compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Wider rollout or additional changes will be based upon flight attendant feedback during the February trial.
Furthermore, multiple desert options will be available, including ice cream and cheese. A United spokesperson told me:
“As part of the new service flow test, customers will receive multiple dessert options, including a cheese platter. Bread baskets and appetizers are still on hold for the moment, but we do hope to eventually reintroduce them to our service.”
Ice cream will be served in bowls and pre-dressed, similar to what we (briefly) saw on premium transcontinental flights:
The spokesperson added:
“We are continuing to monitor and evaluate our service and making gradual adjustments to ensure we are providing the highest quality products in a way that puts the health and safety of our customers and employees at the forefront of our service.”
CONCLUSION
This is certainly a step in the right direction, though it is also time to bring back the bread basket, appetizers, and multiple dessert options, such as the ice cream sundae, crackers/cheese, and petit fours. But we’ll take what we can get and restoring the linen along with digital menus and a three-course service is certainly a step in the right direction.
I know customers want things back how it used to be, but as a flight attendant, we have to look out for our crews and the least amount of touch points at this time, the better. Hopefully these variants will slow or even halt and the full service standards can resume.
If the crew is so concerned about safety, why not push for N95 masks to be required by all employees and a requirement that crew not eat in restaurants when overnighting?
That’s actually a good question.
that’s actually a stupid question… you might as well tell them not go out to eat in restaurants in their home town as well… smh. The ideas people think of… lol
I don’t understand. I thought the least amount of touch points the better. If that prevents their serving someone a drink or a snack, then their not having someone else bring them a drink or snack also results in fewer touch points. In fact, if UA just reduced the number of flyers on each plan, even fewer touch points. Problem solved!
Here Here! Seconded^
@Christian. Well said, and laughing at all the FA’s trying to defend laziness and unproffesionalism in this and the previous post.
We are all doing our jobs amidst Covid. Some of us even more so as a result. It’s about time U.S. FA’s start doing the same or they will soon all be working for Spirit for $24K a year. Or begging for a job at Starbucks with even more “touch points.”
Sara Nelson,
STOP. If you are vaccinated and boosted, there is no threat to you. This is just another plea for your FAs to not have to work.
Stop using COVID as an excuse to provide poor service
How about we trust the science regarding the actual virus risk? Not the union science
How do you explain the number of vaccinated employees that are still testing positive? That’s right, you don’t have an answer for that. Have a seat.
Case counts mean SQUAT
Vaccinated people generally get a sniffle.
Again, FOLLOW THE SCIENCE. Not the scaremongering science or the union science
Yes to this. Other airlines are able to provide better service without issues, why can’t United and others do the same? More to do with money than science
@Josephus. Yet Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Swiss, JAL, Austrian even BA (and others in Europe/Asia) seem to be doing just fine providing full service in premium cabins. You don’t hear about their FA’s all dropping like flies at higher rates from Covid illness due to increased BS touch points. What a joke. Spare us this nonsense and just once I wish a U.S. FA would honestly comment in this blog that, “Look, it’s true, we are lazy and just really don’t want to provide service because it involves actual work.”
@stuart, perfect comment. That’s why I flew business on Singapore from Houston-Bkk instead of United 3 weeks ago
Exactly – I have flown United, Lufthansa, Air Canada and other airlines in international business/ first over the last 18 months. Only the US airlines seem to be restricting services. On a EWR-DEL UA flight six months ago, the FA literally flung a pre packed meal at me. Whereas the other airlines have full service.
“Testing positive” in the Omicron era means jack squat, even your Lord Fauci admits so. Get vaccinated, and bring us our second round of bubbly why don’t you?
Fomite transmission has been proven not to be a thing – touch points are irrelevant.
You’re vaccinated, move on.
Enough of the union excuses that will ensure they have no viable business to support their benefits
Your peers at Lufthansa are doing just fine with the usual ‘touch points’
COVID is not transmitted by touch either
Do you work for America West, I mean AA by chance?
I think they work for either Republic, PSA, or Envoy, but whatever… They’re all the same thing.
So it’s OK to walk down the aisle trying to get passengers to sign up for a credit card, but not to give them an extra drink?
The world has already moved past “touch points” as planes are no longer cleaned as thoroughly, nor is any real cleaning happening anywhere these days. it’s airborne, but as long as you do the right thing and get the vaccines, you’re fine. Not trying to be insensitive, but if FAs are that concerned about being with customers, they should avoid flying all together. I did just that for the last two years.
I’m sure there have been transmissions on planes – it would impossible not to have that. But as long as you have vaccines, you’re fine. Those who choose to take the risk, well, whatever happens happens.
There is Zero reason to limit any service on board these days. International carriers have been doing full service for a year now.
Touch points? I thought we decided that didn’t transmit Covid. Hence the end of hand sanitizer.
“While service is our passion”….really. Please stop insulting your business flyers with these changes. I can count on one hand the times I have seen people order the executive meal service which tells me people want the extended service. As for safety concern, if you’re vaccinated and wearing a mask there is no issue with close contact.
My heart skipped a beat for a second when I read the title “TRIAL NEW POLARIS SERVICE.” For a second I thought this would be a trial on p.s. flights or domestic flights >1,500 miles or something… wouldn’t that be crazy!
But no, a “trial” to restore parts of pre-covid service, just like they had to “test” bringing back warm nuts 🙁
For business travel, I’ve been searching flights to Europe, price is > $6k. At the current service levels, its not worth the $$, so I’m choosing to still doing Zoom meetings until the value of Polaris returns to proper levels.
As an aside, will this improvement in service also be extended to PP as well? Or is that expected to remain single tray dining?
Food quality might be a better way to “elevate the onboard dining experience” vs. 3 step service.
The Polaris “omelette” and “cheeseburger wellington” on my flight from GVA-EWR in December was beyond awful. Even my 9 year old didn’t eat it!
Agree that it is time for a refresh on the menu.
“I asked United when we might expect to see…”
And they gave you the most non-answer answer possible.
“Trial” is not a verb, but rather a substantive.
Trial can be used as a verb in our modern lexicon.
If you try hard enough, you can use anything as a verb.
As an FA these return to service norms are a welcome step, however, it is to soon. Not because of touch points or exposure but because mask mandates need to go away. The friction created by being “federally mandated” to police mask wearing while adding more opportunity and need to remove your masks on the plane is exhausting. And 90% of the time it’s because another passenger complained about you not wearing your mask. Almost every instance of repeated “mask policing” or eventual enforcement that I’ve had to do over the past year stems from a complaint from someone nearby. Which if we don’t respond to leads to them complaining to the airline and the crew being reprimanded for receiving a complaint about the flight Please understand an FA “pestering” you over mask wearing is the same as us having to tell you to put your seat belt on, or seat back up, or stay seated when the seatbelt sign is on. All things that are backed by federal regulations. The difference is the masks mandates have teeth and consequences (for both FA and passengers) where the others are rarely if ever enforced or punished for non compliance. I’m over it. They should have dropped the “mandate” on the 18th like they originally planned. let the complaints about service deficiencies fall to those who deserve them. The corporate penny pinchers, saving a dime while cutting service because they can staff a plane with less crew and stock it with less catering. Give your crew a break, we are just doing our jobs.
“elevates the onboard dining experience for our customers, while maintaining an efficient service by reducing the number of carts and service steps when compared to pre-pandemic levels.”
If they are reducing service, then they should reduce the price as well. And while we are talking about concern for safety, they can hand out N95 masks at entry as well as separate customers with at least 3 feet of space at seat instead of the 13 inches between heads we see now.
But naw, this isn’t about safety. It’s about profiteering – at customer expense. And tell the FAs those cloth masks are useless against omicron. Because, science. 🙂
Oh well, air travel is almost over for humans. If they want to continue living on this planet, anyways.
Are they going to trial smiling too? Perhaps that rolls out after masks.
Pathetic UA considers this newsworthy. The cheapness of this airline continues to astonish.
Dear FA. What does not serving an appetizer save you from any differently than serving the entree?
appetizers will be served as well. Not sure where Matt gets his information.
Thank you for asking about making the starters / salad separate from the main
On a long flight don’t want to rush through the meal or else the main gets inedibly cold
UA’s bare minimum should be to match its JV partners standard of onboard service – Lufthansa and ANA – that kind of consistency would be of real value to fliers
What a bunch of selfish douchebags whining about silly things like bread and dessert services. I’m embarrassed FOR you. We are still in the middle of a deadly pandemic and these are your priorities. Sad and shameful.
“In the middle of a deadly pandemic…”
Oh my. How many years will that trite excuse work?
Sorry to disturb your gabbing in the galley. Your conduct is what is shameful.
This
I am glad the author spoke up. Less chance of being flamed.
As expected, the legion of FAs are opposed to this.
They should work at America West/AA.
I have known folks who are like “FREE MY COUNTRYYYYYY, Brandon!” when they are away from work.
Same folks be like “nope, won’t do that because Covidddddd” when asked to do their damn job.
It’s amazing how this article brought out so much hate & anger. It’s so sad that our society has become one that no longer chooses to see good in anything.
I don’t know how many of you are able to make it through the day. It must be difficult being you.
Oh, btw, the next time I dine at a restaurant, I’ll see how good they are at getting me from point A to B.
The flight attendants are spot on. We need less time with masks off. To travel you need a plane. You do not need to go to an indoor restaurant during covid
Presumably any flight attendants complaining about the service with an honest basis in COVID fear are not engaging in other, demonstrably riskier conduct (than providing premium cabin service in a HEPA-scrubbed environment while wearing a face mask… presumably a fit-tested N95) such as:
– indoor dining
– riding in public transport (including crew vans)
– congregating at bars
– taking masks off in a confined space like a crew rest cabin with others in close proximity
the list goes on…
It’s funny hearing the excuses. If AA/DL can have a service equal-better than pre-covid on their DOMESTIC TCON, there’s no reason UA shouldn’t be able to do it on their INTL flights. It is so obvious these are simply cost cutting measures and the excuses are getting old. Even the CDC has come out and said to stop with the hygiene theater. The seat already has an IFE screen, I don’t need any more.
This is all such a crock. From the start, I and a number of my friends said, “Protect the vulnerable and let everyone else get it.” I am in my 70s and I did get a “vaccine” (J&J Janssen). Quotes because they are not vaccines, they are experimental drugs and we were the guinea pigs. I still got Covid-Delta. Over it in six days, did get monoclonal antibodies (a therapeutic) as a precaution.
100,000’s of dead people because Fauci, et.al., denied us early stage therapeutics like Ivermectin. The fraud scared the heck out of people and destroyed 1,000’s of small businesses for no good reason. Plenty of clinicians and researchers agree, but until lately most kept there mouths shut out of fear of being fired and having their licenses revoked.
This was just a big experiment to see how far we could be pushed. Why did Sam’s hardware have to close when Home Depot got to stay open? Why did the politicians make us wear masks when they weren’t wearing them? Why “vaccine” cards required for the “little” people but not for the elites?
WAKE UP, PEOPLE? STOP BEING SHEEPLE! STAND UP AND BE COUNTED IN THE MOVEMENT AGAINST OPPRESSION. THIS COUNTRY STANDS FOR LIBERTY AND FREEDOM.
“Those that give up freedom for safety deserve neither.” ~Benjamin Franklin
And for your entertainment, this from a true prophet, George Carlin: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=george+carlin+on+germs&view=detail&mid=6E4FAC9A6DB76B250DCA6E4FAC9A6DB76B250DCA&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fform%3dMOZLBR%26pc%3dMOZI%26q%3dgeorge%2bcarlin%2bon%2bgerms