United Airlines has just reopened its renovated Polaris Lounge in Chicago O’Hare, which now features a larger dining area, a second bar, and a new design style.
United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago O’Hare
On January 1, 2025, United closed its flagship Polaris Lounge, a lounge exclusively for longhaul premium cabin customers on United and Star Alliance partners, for refurbishment and expansion. The lounge was set to reopen by the end of March, but the project spilled into April.
As of today, April 29, 2025, the lounge has reopened. Highlights include:
- 9,000 additional square feet (from 16,000 to 25,000 square feet)
- a larger 50-seat private dining room (tripling the amount of dining space) with new menu selections including:
- Prosciutto Parmigiano Crostini
- Shrimp, Scallop, Spring Vegetable Risotto
- Aperol Spritz cake
- a second bar (speakeasy-style) with selections including:
- Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut
- Chicago-inspired cocktails like the “Second City Sour” (featuring Rittenhouse Rye, Malort, Lemon, Egg White and Lingua Franca Pinot Noir)
- decor and dinnerware in this lounge in partnership with Crate & Barrel
- artwork from nine Chicago-based artists
The lounge can now accommodate 350 guests.
Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, said:
“Our vast international network is one of United’s unique strengths, and our United Polaris lounges help set the tone for business class travelers before or after their long-haul flights. Customers are going to love our new Chicago lounge because it gives them more of all of the things they want most—more space, more amenities, and more dining options—and we’ll carry this new elevated design into future lounge openings and renovations across our United Polaris lounge portfolio.”
I look forward to visiting the new lounge.
My original story, from August 22, 2024, is below.
United Airlines will temporarily shutter its Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge–its first Polaris Lounge–in order to expand and refresh it.
United Airlines Will Refresh Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge
Live And Let’s Fly has reviewed a memo circulated to employees concerning these plans and can share:
- Partial construction is scheduled from September 3, 2024, to January 1, 2025
- During that time, the lounge will remain open and all amenities, including a la carte dining, will remain available
- Guests “may encounter crowding due to the reduced space capacity”
- Complimentary premium drink services will be offered to any Polaris guests who choose to visit the United Club instead (Chicago O’Hare has four United Clubs)
- On January 2, 2024, the lounge will be completely closed until “the end of March 2025” (subject to construction completion)
- To accommodate the additional guests visiting the ORD United Clubs during this time, acceptance of United Club one-time passes will be limited
The nature of the changes include:
- The addition of 9,000 additional square feet (from 16,000 to 25,000 and marking the second expansion of this lounge since its opening in 2016)
- More “premium” spaces (no further elaboration)
- More restrooms and amenities
- Added private seating and workspaces
- Overall, the number of seats in the lounge will double
Will The Lounge Be Segregated Into A Standard And More Premium Section?
The biggest question I have–and one that United is tight-lipped on–is whether the new lounge will have “premium” sections in which access is restricted to only a subset of lounge guests. Think private suites or guaranteed-availability dining (sometimes the wait can be over an hour for a table).
Recall that United teased some of these changes in a Polaris survey earlier this year.
> Read More: United Airlines Considering Polaris Plus Cabin With “Press For Champagne” Button
I’m not in favor of a two-tier lounge experience. With the exception of midday crowding in San Francisco or afternoon crowding at O’Hare, Newark, and Washington Dulles, I find the current Polaris Lounge model works remarkably well…and there is no need to mess with what is working.
Let me put it another way: having access to Polaris Lounges (including on arrival) provides a strong incentive for me to book intercontinental travel with United.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines will temporarily close its Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge in order to renovate and expand it. The expansion is quite welcome, though I hope United does not tinker with what, overall, is already a very good premium lounge.
It is nice to see them putting Polaris Lounges on a more frequent renovation schedule than the United Clubs have historically received. Prior to their recent remodel, I think the EWR United Clubs were about 35 years old.
Slight typo on the year opened, 2106
There also is late afternoon crowding at IAH Polaris.
maybe UA will finally allow long haul HI pax access like AA and DL do with their premium lounges
I hope not!
why not.
UA needs to match DL and AA
And we’re not talking about SFO/LAX pax, only Den east
Different market – people will buy anyway. Those cabins fill up. No need to offer extra perks.
???? As a passenger from IAD to HNL you don’t think Polaris passengers shouldn’t be allowed in the lounge??
When they pay $14K for their tickets for a 10-12 hour flight??
I would think UAL should welcome them- the lounge is empty at that hour and that’s the least they could do for a beat up 767 with bad food.
As someone who regularly flies this route I’m appalled.
Wait you are paying $14k for IAD-HNL?
Yeah, cairns, you strike me as far too smart for that.
But there is no competition here … UA does not need to provide premium lounge access.
they sure do have competition out of ORD or IAH. AA is providing premium access out of ORD and people can simply connect to DFW instead of going to IAH
Looking at the survey UA sent to some, it seems pretty clear these fancy pants renovations are going to come with a fancy pants price to flyers who want lounge access, and more restrictions. While the survey says no changes have been made yet and it’s only that, we all know that is how it starts. And two-tiered is one of the options, at higher costs, fewer guests, etc. Sounds nice until Heidi, Augustine, and Claire-Marie are with you. You can afford it, but it sure does get costly.
Perhaps restrict Polaris to pax who actually paid for business class. That might help.
So what qualifies as paying for you? They don’t give complimentary upgrades for Polaris, so everyone paid something.
I think they mean those that paid cash upfront for their ticket, eg. not using miles or paying for an upgrade offer. This is similar to what Qatar Airways has as part of access to their Al Mourjan business lounges in Doha..you have to be on a paid business class ticket.
“On January 2, 2024, the lounge will be completely closed”
I think you meant 2025?
I’ve only flown Polaris 3 times. Twice I was straight up told there wouldn’t be any seating for me to dine. Once I had to practically beg, and I was on the late TK flight out of IAH, so it shouldn’t have been busy. Maybe experienced UA flyers know how to make it work better, but to me, it seems a LOT more dining space is needed.
Any chance the construction will be completed by the end of March? Any chance at all? I think not. This is, after all, Chicago. BTW, we fly international biz class a couple of times a year and enjoy the comfort and convenience of the Polaris Lounge at O’Hare. We actually pay for our tickets. It would be very disappointing to be kept out of a “preferred” section.
2016 is so new and they’re already renovating ?!?!