With domestic travel demand roaring back to 2019 levels, United Airlines is re-opening a handful of airport lounges at both hubs and line stations. The carrier also plans to open even more United Clubs by Labor Day, though Polaris Lounges are unlikely to re-open this year.
Which United Clubs Will United Re-Open Next?
By the “end of June” United will re-open 10 additional United clubs:
- Washington (IAD) – C17
- Houston (IAH) – C33 + B
- Chicago (ORD) – B18 + C16 + F4
- San Francisco (SFO) – E4
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
This will bring the total United Clubs open to 21. You can find info on the 11 clubs currently open here.
United also hints that eight more line stations will open by Labor Day in September. It has not yet identified those airports.
When will the rest of the lounges open? United says it follows the math, though it has declined to release its formula for what triggers a lounge re-opening:
With extensive analysis and tracking of enplanements, customer types, flight schedules and city/country reopenings, the team can make thoughtful decisions on when and where to reopen a club.
No Word On When Polaris Lounges Will Re-Open
In both media interviews and internal communication with employees, United does not even mention Polaris Lounges.
While domestic travel has greatly rebounded over the last two months, international travel remains depressed. The European Union is likely to re-open to vaccinated American tourists this summer, which will increase demand, but United’s total lack of insight on the re-opening of its premium Polaris Lounges leads me to believe that they will not open in 2021. My guess continues to be a Spring 2022 re-opening.
Alexander Dorrow, United’s Managing Director of Lounges, recently told Loungereview.com:
“These lounges have a significantly longer lead time to re-open than United Clubs due to the scope, amenities, and training that is required.”
Translation: it aint happening anytime soon…
CONCLUSION
United currently has 11 United Clubs open and will have 21 open by the end of June and 29 by early September. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Polaris Lounges will open anytime soon.
Business travel will not be returning to normal until the US lifts its border restrictions, so I guess we’ll have to wait for some time after that before Polaris lounges open.
Following the math while being all hush-hush about the specific reopening criteria seems a little weird. I don’t particularly care what they choose for criteria but don’t see any purpose in being secretive.
The extended delay in reopening the Polaris lounges is unsurprising. You and I would be more inclined to fly United if the premium experience was already there while Kirby wants a pent up demand of frustrated flyers banging on the doors before he reopens the lounges. The guy truly doesn’t understand customer service.
Who cares? Nobody goes to United Clubs anymore. They’re too crowded.
Houston (IAH) – C33 + B
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The IAH club in Terminal B is LONG over due to be opened… They have been packing customers on smaller regional jets and jamming that terminal with people… yet directing those customers to E & C (C1) for club access.
Not to mention the E & C (C1) clubs are jammed packed themselves.
So this is a welcome announcement… I just wish I could get more club access at Newark (even before the pandemic it wasn’t good)… and re-open the SAT club…. But that’s definitely not going to happen for a while.
Hate to say it (but it IS true), UA will announce Polaris Lounge reopenings ONE day after AA announces their Flagship Lounges reopenings! UAL is completely in reactive mode these days, not at all proactive in ANYTHING they do (except press releases talking about how environmentally/politically correct they are.. that they will do first!!). If it is customer service centered.. no way.. reactionary. See AA or DL do it for customers? Then MAYBE they’ll do it..
So domestic travel is probably inching in June near 2019 June levels…but they can’t be bothered to open most all non-hub clubs…
The lounge situation is way better in the US than in Europe. Hardly any are open in Italy (most flights don’t even seem to be operating). Most lounges are closed in Germany and eating and drinking in them is forbidden even if they are open. Most lounges are closed in the UK, but the BA lounge in LHR T5 at least has a la carte service. Maybe Polaris lounges shouldn’t reopen until every last US citizen and undocumented immigrant is vaccinated and/or half of United’s pilots are women/BIPOC.
I’d love to see the Washington DCA club reopen…
@cargocult – aren’t you just a diversity hating whiny little T*** sycophant b!tch…get a life
Is UA-TDS for open borders? That would be perhaps the only libertarian policy he would seem to support. Classifying people by race and dividing them is racist by definition. Of course, anyone who doesn’t agree with UA-TDS (read: conform to the DNC-dictated narrative) MUST be a racist Trump supporter rather than a free thinker (Orange Man BAD! Diversity in thought BAD! Jump off box GOOD!). Never substantive comments, always insults. Never change, UA-TDS.