Delights and Downsides of United Polaris Business Class – My Personal Experience Unfolded

I always appreciate the experience of flying in a premium cabin, and thanks to points and miles, I’ve had the chance to fly them extensively. However, some premium cabins are significantly better than others.

For example, when I first flew United Polaris in 2018, I was quite underwhelmed. In fact, it remains one of the least impressive business class experiences I’ve had. Since then, I’ve flown long-haul business class over 20 times with more than 15 airlines, and I’ve come to appreciate the subtle details that make an experience exceptional.

So when I had the opportunity to fly United Polaris to Europe again after several years, I saw it as a perfect chance to give the product another shot.

Here’s a rundown of what I liked and disliked about the United Polaris business class experience from Chicago (ORD) to Zurich (ZRH) in August 2024.

Booking United Polaris Business Class

United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world. You can utilize several different frequent flyer programs to book United Polaris business class. While you can book the product through United’s own frequent flyer program, United Airlines MileagePlus, better options are often available through Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, and Turkish Miles&Smiles.

United uses dynamic pricing for award redemptions, meaning that the number of United MileagePlus miles needed for an award ticket varies. For this reason alone, it is worth considering partner programs that can be used to book United awards.

One such program is Air Canada Aeroplan, which is how I booked United Polaris business class. Aeroplan is a fantastic loyalty program for Star Alliance partner awards, with some of the best rates for partner-operated flights. This is because of the program’s published distance-based award chart for partner awards.

After calculating the total distance for the planned itinerary using Great Circle Mapper and looking at the award chart, I confirmed the pricing of 70,000 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees. Meanwhile, United would charge 115,000 MileagePlus miles for the exact same itinerary.

Although Aeroplan charges significantly fewer points than United for this specific redemption, both were viable options considering how expensive United Polaris business class seats can be. Relatively last-minute United Polaris business class tickets often exceed $5,000.

6 Things I Liked About United Polaris

Although I’ve flown United Polaris before, it’s been quite a while since my last experience. This time, I approached the flight with an incredibly open mind and was pleasantly surprised by how many positives there were.

Here are some highlights of what I enjoyed about flying United Polaris this time around:

1. United Polaris Lounge

Great business class experiences begin the moment you arrive at the airport. Airport lounges are an incredibly important part of the business class experience. Fortunately, United Polaris lounges are fantastic. They are designed to offer a premium preflight experience for passengers flying in United Polaris business class.

United Polaris lounges typically feature upscale amenities and comfortable environments for relaxing. They often have spacious and well-appointed seating areas and designated quiet zones.

They also offer a range of high-quality, à la carte dining and buffet selections. A bar with various alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, including cocktails, wines, and premium spirits, is also available.

On our visit to the Chicago Polaris lounge, the lounge featured diverse foods, including wraps and sandwiches, steamed rice, macaroni salad, soups, fried chicken, and a dedicated salad bar.

However, many United Polaris lounges also feature the Dining Room, which is designed to offer a premium and enjoyable meal experience. The Dining Room typically features a selection of freshly prepared dishes through an à la carte menu.

Unfortunately, the Dining Room was quite busy and had a waitlist during our visit. When we were seated, we had only about 20 minutes to enjoy our meal before heading to the gate. I ordered the burger from the menu, which was delicious.

Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the food in the lounge, and there was a wide variety. This was a fantastic way to kick off the United Polaris experience and set a positive tone for the rest of the journey.

2. Convenient Seat Controls

Although often overlooked, I loved the placement of the seat control panel with the United Polaris seat. It was easily accessible so that you could make these adjustments without getting up or reaching awkwardly.

I also appreciated the simplicity of the wheel: Turning it one way effortlessly reclined the seat to lie-flat mode, while turning it in the opposite direction raised the seat back to an upright position.

I’ve flown in several business class seats with the controls on the armrest and often accidentally pressed the buttons. This can be inconvenient, as it often means pressing additional buttons to return the seat to my previous position.

3. AC Power Outlet Placement

Like the control panel, the seat power outlet was ideally situated, just above the side table. This placement allowed me to charge my MacBook and phone while seated comfortably.

While it may not seem like a big deal, I find it to be incredibly important, as some airlines place the power outlet in much less convenient places. It’s interesting how something so small, like easily powering my devices without unnecessary hassle, can greatly enhance the travel experience.

4. Surprisingly Fantastic IFE Selection

Even though I’ve used my MacBook for entertainment on recent flights, a good inflight entertainment system still significantly enhances the overall travel experience.

While United’s entertainment may not be on par with Emirates or Singapore Airlines, it’s incredibly underrated. The selection included various movies, TV shows, documentaries, music, and games, offering plenty of options to keep me entertained throughout the flight.

Several episodes of my favorite TV shows, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” were available. I enjoy rewatching random episodes of my favorite television shows.

What really fascinated me was the extensive selection of documentaries available. I watched 4 documentaries on topics I love, including the National Basketball Association, historical figures, and hip-hop.

5. Business Class Seat Privacy

Although the United Polaris business class seat does not have sliding doors like some premium products such as Qatar Airways Qsuite and ANA’s The Room, it offers plenty of privacy.

When fully reclined, the privacy divider effectively separates you from the aisle, making it difficult to see the passenger across the way. However, when leaning forward, you can still catch a glimpse of the passenger across from you. Fortunately, they also have a privacy divider to shield their face from view.

Of course, if you have a window seat that is further from the aisle, you enjoy even more privacy, as the seat console creates additional separation from the aisle.

6. Cabinet Storage Compartment and Mirror

Although the United Polaris business class seat is short on storage space, a small cabinet is next to the reading light. Despite its limited size, I found it convenient for storing the amenity kit, a camera lens, my passport, and my AirPods.

The cabinet also included a small mirror. While I hardly used it, I appreciated the thoughtful addition. My wife (who was on the flight with me) found it extremely useful for touch-ups prior to landing.

Bottom Line:

Despite not being considered one of the best business class products in the world, United Polaris business class does have some redeeming qualities. Much of this comes down to convenience and privacy, both of which are incredibly important.

4 Things I Disliked About United Polaris

Of course, no business class seat is perfect, particularly the United Polaris seat. Here’s a look at some of the negative aspects of the United Polaris business class experience.

1. Minimal Storage

One major drawback of the Polaris cabin is the lack of storage options; what is available is limited.

First, a small compartment beneath the footwell wasn’t large enough to accommodate my camera-and-laptop bag, which was my personal item. The narrow opening made it incredibly challenging to place my bag in the compartment without forcing it in, which I was reluctant to do, given the expensive gear.

Additionally, there was no designated place for my MacBook, which was a major inconvenience. I had to repeatedly take my MacBook in and out of my bag throughout the flight, especially when getting in and out of bed.

The side compartment was too small to accommodate more than a few small items, like a phone or passport, which left me with inadequate space for other essentials.

2. Limited Menu Items

It’s one thing if the food quality falls short compared to the exceptional onboard cuisine of world-class airlines like Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, or Turkish Airlines. But it’s a whole different issue when you get extremely limited food options in addition to the lack of quality.

United’s onboard dining options were quite limited. For example, only 1 type of salad was available during dinner service, and there were just 2 appetizers to choose from. Desserts were similarly limited, with 3 choices initially, but 1 was unavailable, leaving only 2 options.

3. Minimal Window Access for Aisle-Facing Window Seats

The United Polaris Boeing 767-300 cabin features a standard 1-1-1 configuration, with seats staggered across rows.

This means there are 2 types of window seats: window-facing seats, which provide a direct view and more privacy, and less desirable aisle-facing window seats, which offer a view of the aisle and less privacy. Access to the middle seats alternates between the left and right aisles.

Since I was in one of the window seats closer to the aisle, I had nearly no access to the window. First, the seat’s console was directly between the seat and the window. Second, due to the misaligned design of the cabin, more than half of the window was obstructed and inaccessible.

4. IFE Headphones Are Uncomfortable

I typically skip the inflight headphones and opt for my noise-canceling Bose headphones or Apple AirPods instead. However, without the correct adapter, I was forced to use the headset provided in the cabin. The inflight entertainment headphones provided were of poor quality and uncomfortable, diminishing the overall travel experience.

The headphones had a poor fit, with hard cups that pressed uncomfortably against my ears, causing pain during extended use. Additionally, the minimally padded ear cushions resulted in further discomfort after wearing them for a while.

Unfortunately, they also had relatively poor sound quality, with occasional muffled audio. Additionally, the lack of adequate noise isolation made it difficult to fully enjoy the inflight entertainment.

Final Thoughts

While my United Polaris business class from Chicago to Zurich wasn’t the best overall experience, I found it more enjoyable this time around. However, it still doesn’t come close to making my top 10 list of business class products I’ve flown.

Despite this, the product has a lot to offer. The United Polaris lounge, with its extensive food selection, was an excellent way to start the trip. My United Polaris business class seat also featured nice touches, including the conveniently placed seat controls and power outlet, which enhanced the overall experience.

However, the product has significant drawbacks, such as an extremely limited dining selection and uncomfortable headphones. Hopefully, United can address these issues, elevating the product from a decent offering to a truly great one.