When it came to finding a way home from my Seattle trip, I had my eye on United Polaris. To many, it would sound crazy to choose United over other options trans-Pacific, particularly the Asian carriers. Considering I have zero loyalty inclination to United, it seemed an even more incomprehensible choice. However, when United launched Polaris in 2016, it looked a solid product, and reviews over the years seem to have mostly supported that impression. Plus, I’ve already done the best of ANA (their latest 777-300ER products), and EVA Air long haul earlier this trip. With a large Avianca Lifemiles balance sitting unused, a Polaris redemption started making sense.
After some wrangling around with various bookings that United’s duplicate booking algorithm cancelled, I finally settled on LAX-NRT on their 787-9. I was hoping Japan would reopen to individual travellers by that time (this was late Sept), but alas it was not to be. Which meant I had to book a connecting flight onwards from Narita.
Post-flight, I’m pretty pleased that my impression of Polaris mostly held up. While meal service was a definite weak point, the rest of the hard and soft product was solid. Some aspects, such as the bedding, may even surpass many more reputable carriers. Calling United Polaris a strong competitor on trans-Pacific routes is about as high a compliment I can give.
Read on to see why United Polaris impressed me!
Booking
I booked this flight using Avianca Lifemiles, at a cost of 48,000 miles. For some reason, LAX-NRT cost less than other trans-Pacific options, such as SFO-NRT or LAX-HND. I typically buy Lifemiles when they run a sale of at least 150% bonus, so my usual cost per mile would be around USD0.0132 (1.32 cents USD, or approx SGD0.018). That means my ticket cost me around USD634 (SGD843), which is a great price for a long haul business class flight. An 11h or so flight was a great way to assess the product, though something >12h would have been better to get the full works.
One of the reasons I picked NRT as the destination was the number of options with relatively short layovers for connecting onto Singapore or other points in Southeast Asia. I would have liked to redeem through to Singapore, but there was no redemptions available ex-NRT to SIN. In a ironical twist, I ended up buying a Premium Economy ticket on Singapore Airlines flight SQ11 from Narita back to Singapore. SQ11 of course, originates from….LAX. So I was flying from LAX on United, and then connecting in Tokyo to the SQ flight from LAX.
On the ground
Check-in
My flight UA32 to Tokyo Narita was at 10.50am, but I wanted to get to the airport early to ensure I had enough time to enjoy the Polaris lounge, and also have sufficient buffer should there be issues through-checking, since the two tickets were separate.
I took an Uber from the Conrad Los Angeles and got to LAX around 7.50am, or 3h before departure. I made my way to the Premier Access check-in area. While there was a large crowd at the “general” Premier Access area where Star Alliance Gold passengers could check-in, there was a shorter queue at the dedicated desks for Premier 1K and Polaris passengers. A supervisor came round and asked if I would like to use the kiosk and bag drop, but I explained that I needed the separate ticket through-check done. She was friendly and understanding, and suggested I would have better luck with the more experienced of the two check-in agents, but also mentioned to call her over if any issues arose. As it turned out, when my turn came I ended up with the less experienced staff.
While the check-in agent had no issues through-checking me to Singapore on the two tickets – United will only do this if both tickets are Star Alliance and the layover timing meets certain condition, during that process a couple of problems later occurred.
Firstly, my TSA Known Traveller Number was wiped off the booking. I noticed before leaving the check-in desk and had it re-added, but that didn’t prevent a kerfuffle at TSA screening later on. The second problem was that because the United booking was tied to my Avianca account, my KrisFlyer number got dropped from the SQ booking when the through-check was done. While I attempted to correct it myself, and was informed that this had been corrected in Narita by SQ’s ground handling agent, it wasn’t done properly and I ended up in a 2-month long dispute with SQ over the accrual. (They eventually gave me the miles after I pointed out their ground handling agent in NRT had assured me the KF number was in, and also that Lifemiles never recorded an accrual for the SQ sector.)
Polaris lounge
After getting through TSA security with some difficulty – I was initially denied access to the Pre-check line when my passport was scanned and it didn’t show up, but later did when I went to the regular line – I headed straight for the Polaris lounge. I’ve covered the Polaris lounge in a separate review here, but suffice to say this was an impressive business class lounge. I had breakfast there and spent time exploring the various facilities, such as the shower suites and nap rooms. It was definitely worth getting to the airport early for.
Boarding
I left the lounge around an hour before departure to make it for the start of boarding process. I normally don’t leave the lounge that early, but I wanted to get onboard early to get some good cabin shots.
At United, premium cabin – including Polaris – passengers board in group 1. That sounds great, but there’s several pre-boarding groups ahead, including Global Services (GS) members, Premier 1K, customers with disabilities etc. By the time I got to the gate, pre-boarding was underway, with group 1 following soon after. There was a pretty long group 1 queue, so I ended up onboard after the pre-boarding groups and most of group 1. United’s boarding process is explained here.
The line moved quickly, and the gate attendant wished me a pleasant flight as I passed the boarding pass scanner. With that, it was time for my first Polaris experience.
Onboard
The seat
Boarding was done through door 1, and I made my way to my seat 9A, the bulkhead seat in the smaller second Polaris cabin immediately after door 2. Polaris on the 787 is configured in a 1-2-1 staggered arrangement, with the middle seats alternating between “honeymoon” and separate seats. The window seats likewise alternate being closer to the window or closer to the aisle.
Seat 9A is a “true” window seat, and being the bulkhead has a much bigger footwell. With staggered seats, the footwell is actually under the console of the seat in front, so the footwell can get tight on certain seat models. With the bulkhead though, this problem is removed. I would strongly recommend 9A to anyone flying Polaris on the 787-9. The bulkhead means larger footwell, and there’s no toilet on this side compared to 9L.
The Polaris seat might be a few years old already, but it’s still a modern and competitive product. I also felt like United had put some serious thought into the practicalities of the product, insofar as my personal hard product preference go.
There’s a good amount of storage space, starting with the usual enclosed storage compartment on top of the seat console. This was large enough for storing most items needed inflight, such as the amenity kit and the provided bottled water. I also managed to shove my own personal bag of amenities inside. There was hook for the headphones as well, and a mirror.
Under the footwell was a small space that could be used for shoes, or a small bag. I’m not sure if non-bulkhead row seats have this space.
Beneath the inflight entertainment (IFE) screen was a small storage shelf. This was useful for keeping smaller items, such as passport, mobile phone and spectacles.
There were various power outlets to keep passenger’s devices powered as well. There’s a USB-A port beside the storage shelf as pictured above. This could be useful for keeping a phone charged while it’s placed on the storage shelf. At the console, there’s a power outlet with universal plug, and another USB-A port. This was where the IFE remote and headphone jack are located as well.
Around the seat were various lights. There was a lamp beside the storage compartment, which didn’t do much in terms of lighting but added a touch of style and elegance. A proper reading light was built into the seat shell, closer to the passenger.
For the seat console, United has gone with a marble-like top. I thought this was quite nice. The raised lip of the surface top came in useful to contain the pre-departure sparkling wine I knocked over.
The literature pocket was in the armrest between the seat and the console. This armrest could be lowered for more space.
The tray table slides out from beneath the IFE screen. I prefer this sort of mechanism, as it’s usually easier to adjust the position to create space to exit the seat during meal service. The table was a bifold design. It had a flip-up tablet stand, a useful and nifty feature.
For the seat controls, United had opted for a control wheel rather than buttons. I actually prefer a control wheel versus touch buttons which some seat models use (such as the EVA Air 787 I flew into Seattle). I like having a solid switch to manipulate, instead of touch buttons. The footrest and lumbar support could be adjusted via buttons, independent of the control wheel.
There’s a coat hook on the back of the seat in front, or in the case of my bulkhead seat, the shelf in front.
For those who are particular about such things, United’s 787 has individual air vents above the seat.
United Polaris is not the most cutting edge product, but it’s certainly a good one. I particularly liked the overall aesthetics of the seat, and the amount of storage. The seat was comfortable, and even better when the amenities below were added. Being in a bulkhead seat certainly helped, and I’d recommend grabbing it if available. Overall, a highly competitive and excellent hard product.
Amenities
Waiting at the seat when I boarded, was an assortment of amenities. The main item that I was interested in was the new amenity kit from Away. I’m a sucker for hard shell amenity kits, so the Away kit was a nice addition to my collection. In fact, it was a factor in deciding to fly United. The kit contained products from Sunday Riley, plus other inflight essentials such as eyeshades and a dental kit.
Amenity kit contents
Besides the amenity kit, there bedding items preset as well. These consisted of a Saks Fifth Avenue pillow, Saks Fifth Avenue duvet and gel pillow. I actually found the gel pillow great for sleeping later on, it was a nice firmness and offered good support despite its slightly small size.
Later on during the flight, I also requested for a mattress cushion. These are available on request and there’s limited supply onboard, so I recommend requesting for one fairly quickly. The mattress cushion was a good thickness, and helped form a smooth, soft sleeping surface. In fact, I honestly found the bedding really good, possibly the best business class bedding I’ve tried. While I only managed a couple hours of sleep eventually, it was more to do with it being a daytime flight and excessive coffee in the lounge. The seat, with all the bedding was really comfortable, and it felt great lying there with the seat in bed mode or a lounging position.
In addition to these amenities, there was slippers, noise-cancelling headphones and a bottle of Dasani water. The slippers were surprisingly quite thick and soft. Unfortunately this flight was blocked at less than 12h, so pyjamas weren’t available. The headphones weren’t the best quality though, and I would have used my own Bose QC25 headphones….if I hadn’t forgotten to replace the batteries.
In the lavatory, United stocks more Sunday Riley products, including a hand cream and face mist. The lavatory itself was a standard 787 lav.
I was really impressed by the quantity and quality of the amenities from United. The bedding was fantastic, and the amenity kit made for a nice collectible. There’s definitely very little to complain about this aspect of the soft product.
Meal & service
Service started with a pre-departure drink. Rarely does a flight pass without me making a mess, and this one started with me toppling my entire glass of sparkling wine after just a few sips. I found a crew member in the galley who handed me some paper towels. On an Asian carrier, the crew would rush over to clean up, but this is United. Disappointing, but expected.
The menu card had been preset on the console, and this naturally picked up quite a bit of sparkling wine. Credit to United, the menu card didn’t disintegrate.
Post-takeoff drinks and meal orders were taken at some point, I can’t recall if it was before or after departure. I don’t know how United prioritises meal orders, but I was the first passenger in the rear cabin whose meal order was taken, after which the crew member disappeared, before continuing to take more orders in a seemingly random fashion. I believe there is some prioritisation by status, and I’m assuming my Star Gold status was fed into the servicing list, but I’d be amazed if there weren’t any United GS or 1K members in the rear cabin. In any case, whatever prioritisation was done meant I received my first choice entrée.
I ordered a ginger ale for my post-takeoff drink, which was served with ramekin of mixed nuts. This was served around 20mins after takeoff. Got to be honest, Seagram’s isn’t my favourite brand of ginger ale.
My meal was brought out around an hour after takoeff. Everything was served on a single tray, except dessert. On the tray was a salad, my chosen salmon entree and a pretzel roll. I like the “golf ball”/ “Death Star” salt and pepper shakes.
As I had anticipated, meal service was probably the weakest part of the experience. The salad was rather uninspiring, while the salmon was a little salty and slightly fishy. The sauce that came with the salmon was totally tasteless though. The rice was ok, but I didn’t really like the vegetables.
At the time of this flight in September 2022, United had not yet reinstated the sundae cart. So my ice cream sundae for dessert was a pre-assembled dish. This was ok, but I was a little bummed not getting the sundae cart experience.
Having experienced the quality of the catering, and also having ate at the Polaris lounge before boarding, I didn’t have any of the mid-flight snacks. The before arrival meal was served around 90min before landing. I opted for the baked egg with tomato and kale, which was served with fruits, yoghurt and a sad attempt at a croissant or danish. I also requested for coffee with my meal. The food was perhaps marginally better than the main meal, but still utterly unimpressive.
Service on the flight was actually slightly better than I expected. Certainly not SQ, EVA or Japanese standard, but the crew were at least friendly and helpful for the most part. Everything was done fairly promptly and efficiently, so no real complains there.
Inflight entertainment & WiFi
I thought the inflight entertainment selection was pretty decent. There was good amount of recent Hollywood releases (limited as they were because of the pandemic), which is always welcome. Here’s a small sample of what was on offer on the flight:
Inflight WiFi available. The paid plans ranged from 1h for USD1.99, to a full flight for USD21.99. United MileagePlus members could also pay for these plans with miles. I just stuck to the free messaging, though it’s nice to see inflight WiFi costs are generally more reasonable nowadays.
Conclusion
The United Polaris experience – including the lounge – was surprisingly good. The hard product and amenities, especially the bedding, were excellent. The expected weak points, meal and service, were unfortunately indeed low points, but they weren’t so bad that I wouldn’t ever want to fly United again. In fact, the overall Polaris experience was honestly quite competitive. It’s not quite the level of the best out there, and I wouldn’t actively seek to fly Polaris again given other options, but I definitely won’t deliberately avoid it.
Other posts in this series: