United Polaris Business Class Review
I've always heard pretty good things about Cathay Pacific and I'm very grateful that I finally got the opportunity to try their product. I can definitely say that their first class delivers and is a fantastic way to cross the Pacific.
United Polaris Business Class Pros
- Comfy bedding and duvet
- Good entertainment system
- Free pajamas and amenity Kit
- Comfortable bed
United Polaris Business Class Cons
- Very narrow seat
- Awful food
- Poor service
How I Booked My United Polaris Business Class Ticket
I booked my United Polaris Business Class ticket 6 days before departure for 70,000 Avianca Lifemiles + $133 in taxes and fees. I took advantage of a 15% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to Lifemiles. plus ~$230.15 in taxes and fees. This specific flight was
- UA842 Departing Sydney 11:20 arriving at Los Angeles LAX 06:05
United Polaris Business Class Seats
The United Airlines business class cabin is split into 2 sections divided by the galley. The section closer to the cockpit is larger and has more seats. I sat in the smaller section to the right of the galley. I'd recommend getting a seat in the larger cabin if you can because it's more private. In the smaller section there is only a small divider between Polaris and Premium Plus seats and all the other passengers walk past you to get to their seats.
The seats are also arranged in a staggered configuration where some seats are more private while others are more exposed to the aisle.
Polaris cabin.
As for the seats themselves, the Polaris seats are comfy with a modern aesthetic. My biggest complaint is how narrow the seats are. Even the entrance to the seat from the aisle is not that wide and can be troublesome to access.
Window seat closer to the aisle.
Middle Seats with privacy divider.
I was pretty impressed with how much bedding and blankets there were.
"True" window seat with more privacy.
The touchscreen TV is HD but not the largest out there. However, I thought the entertainment selection was fine and had no complaints there.
HD TV.
Easy to use TV remote.
Noise-cancelling headphones.
The seat does recline into a lie flat bed and although the bed is pretty narrow, all of the bedding and the duvet helps make it much more comfortable.
Bed with duvet.
Chilling in bed.
United Polaris Business Class Wifi
United business class passengers unfortunately do not get free Wi-fi but thanks to T-Mobile Free Wifi I was able to use one of my 4 yearly passes for free Wi-Fi on the entire flight. However, the Wi-Fi was pretty spotty and even stopped working for an hour.
United Polaris Business Class Amenities
There are free amenity kits and slippers waiting at each of the Polaris seats. The amenity kit was pretty standard and had all the usual things like an eye mask and toothbrush.
Free amenity kit.
Amenity kit contents.
United Polaris provides pajamas upon request. I asked for a size large set and it was massive, much bigger than the large size pajamas given out by Asian airlines. The pajamas were thin and felt cheaply made.
Pajamas available upon request.
Pajamas available upon request.
United Polaris Business Class Food
Usually, I'm most impressed by an airline's premium cabin food like the spectacular dining in Starlux Airlines' business class. Unfortunately, this was the worst part of the United Polaris experience.
Business class food menu.
Business class drink menu.
The appetizer was basic and nothing special.
Mediocre appetizer.
For the main entree, I ordered the salmon and that was probably the best thing I ate on board but it wasn't that amazing.
Decent salmon main entree.
After dinner, there was an ice cream sundae cart with lots of toppings which was pretty cool.
Ice cream cart.
Galley snacks with Tim Tams!
About 2 hours before landing was when the breakfast service started. I ordered the frittata and that was a mistake. The frittata might have been the worst meal I've ever had in business class and was borderline inedible. I would strongly recommend not ordering it if you have it on your flight.
Horrible tasting breakfast.
United Polaris Business Class Service
I normally don't write about the in-flight service since it's usually pretty good but I feel this time it was unfortunately warranted.
In addition to the poor catering, what really worsened this experience was how disinterested and rude the flight attendant was. She made it seem like it was a chore to serve food and showed no enthusiasm during our interactions. The other thing that stood out was how the flight attendants don't set passengers' tables before the meal service. The flight attendant asked if I wanted to eat, and when I said yes, she asked me to pull out the tray table myself. This was completely unexpected since the Asian and Middle Eastern Airlines have flight attendants who set the table for passengers in their premium cabins.
Final Thoughts
Overall, my experience with United Polaris business class was extremely disappointing. While the seats and bedding were comfortable, the service and food fell far below expectations. I would recommend flying other airlines if you have the option.