I'm glad you finally mentioned it, but domestic first class in the US is so different from international because of the price difference. Even though a domestic flight can be as long as a transatlantic, it might be 1/4th the price for Polaris or Delta One.
On my last international flight (IAH->EZE), I never used any of the check-in services, as I was able to upload all of my data, including a passport photo, through the United app, and with only carry-on, did not need to check luggage. The IT capabilities of United are one of their key differentiators. Their Travel-Ready process makes keeping track of varying paperwork requirements for international travel easier, and any documents can also be updated. It also tracks the Covid paperwork, when required. It might make for some other useful content to compare the web sites and apps of different airlines if there are any important strong or weak points. When you changed flights, you probably could have done it in the app as well, or at least called an agent from the app, it was rolled out before this was filmed.
Great to see you getting to experience some Business for a change David! I love your dedication to primarily reviewing Economy, but your no-nonsense approach to reviews works really well in Business Class as well and it's great to see one done in the Brutally Honest series.
Breakfast has always been a weak spot for the big US airlines (it's usually somewhat bland and pipping hot). The last breakfast I had in United Polaris were Waffles, which was surprisingly good (and very sweet).
Thank you for the tutorial on Polaris entertainment screen. Have been on Polaris class a few times. The cabins are great. Service has declined since 2020. On our last trip we checked out the Polaris lounges at Heathrow and Ohare. The food was much better than what was served on board.
Just so you know. When you taped this we were in the middle of covid service changes. Plastic cups, all in one tray delivery and pre-plated food were all because of Covid mitigation procedures. We are slowly getting back to pre-Covid service. Thanks for your business.
I miss the pre-covid business class I flew Polaris Nov 2022 internationally and although it was a great flight I miss the sundae bar etc--maybe when I fly to Berlin in 2023 it will have returned :)
I flew from Denver to Frankfurt in June, seating in Polaris Business class, it was a great experience for sure:) A stunning service and a very kind crew on this flight:)
I flew Polaris recently from London to Chicago and damn it is very different to the domestic service! The food, the drinks, plates, cutlery, amenity kit, everything!
Never had a bad flight on Delta but plenty of Euro airlines! Delta has also never disappointed me with their high end products, it’s plenty of room and luxury for what I’m looking for and it’s a lot cheaper than many others!
my experience with United Polaris was pre-Covid in 2019, LAX-NRT on a 787-9, Polaris class was a 2-2-2. I can tell you that the Polaris lounge in LAX was premium. Made a phone call in one of the private booths-vey quiet so as to not disturb the other travelers. Small section where you could sit and order off a menu. Overall just very comfortable and relaxed.
The Polaris lounges are one thing United has done right. The onboard product no such much. You got one of the original CO configured 2-2-2. not their most updated Polaris hard product. Not surprising back in 2019. It's taken them years to upgrade the cabins.
@@pete84101 Probably not branded Polaris. That's one of their old 777-2A's they reconfigured for domestic service with the 787's coming on board. You see those a lot on them to Hawaii and hub to hub.
United Polaris has been a consistent and excellent product. I have flown Emirates business as well as first. BA both products and I find UA to be a solid competitor on its Polaris product.
Flew on it from madrid to Denver. I thought it was great. Flew lufthansa on the way there and i thought it blew lufthansa away. I liked the privacy and storage space. Definitely nice to see the upgrade United is trying to make
Have any of you gotten any Feedback from a catering dep or inflight managers about, food, seats, service or What not? My father was the dir. Of inflight service for a now defunct airline in Norway and he always said: It does not matter if we serve food and drinks, people will always complain.
0:35 Meanwhile Singapore Airlines used to call their business class "Raffles Class" likely named after Sir Stamford Raffles, who's recognized as the country's founder (when he decided to establish a British colony there in 1819) & also seen as a byword for excellence (he founded Raffles Institution, one of Singapore's top secondary schools & junior colleges (or what we call middle & high school)), though that might be slightly controversial since he's also been negatively associated with the colonial government's opium trading business too
So if is domestic, that means you don't have access to the lounges? Cause I don't matter to already take the dinner, lunch, and breakfast in the lounge is that the case.
I miss after taking off that there are a couple of left turns over the ocean to come back over LAX. On a good clear day you can see Catalina Island and that is nice...
I was in the LAX lounge a month ago. I thought it was one of the best united clubs I’ve been in. The food options were much better than I saw here though.
I always take along my own food on a flight. You are allowed almost any food and as many 50 ml bottles of liquor as fit in a one litre plastic bag. Pour a small bottle of vodka into your orange juice and you will improve your flight experience.
I flew Polaris recently for the first time, from Denver to London and back. The seats are a definite improvement from the old business class, and in some ways are even better than the old, somewhat threadbare international first class cubicles -- although, a bit more cramped and not as much storage space. All in all I thought the seats and technology were terrific. Sadly, the upgrades don't extend to the flight attendants, which has been degrading for years. You point out that the meals (which have become pretty mediocre on international flights as well) could be improved at the expense of a little more trouble for the flight attendants. But that's exactly what they don't want. The entire flight experience was centered around the flight attendants having as little bother as possible. I noticed you got a pre-flight drink. That was not my case in either direction. The first attention I got was after the plane was in the air. They take your meal and beverage option, eventually bring that all on a tray. Once the gay is cleared they disappear into the galley seldom to be seen again until shortly before landing. Pressing the service button for, say, a coffee refill (because that's not likely to be offered otherwise) brings a clearly annoyed flight attendant. Want to keep your window open during daylight hours to help your circadian rhythms adjust? Don't count on it. They demand that you close them (or make them opaque, in the case of the 787) so that you'll go to sleep and not pose a risk of bothering them for anything. It's long been a shared joke among United international business/first passengers about the surliness of United flight attendants, but my experience on this last flight reached new lows.
Sounds like you got a doozy on those flights! Pre-departure beverages should have been a must! I’ve had some truly wonderful and classy service on United myself, in Polaris (domestic) and in every other cabin as well.
I've got an upcoming trip to Europe this spring and I'm currently booked in United premium plus between DEN & FRA. I'm kinda tempted to upgrade to Polaris for the overnight flight to Deutschland!
I live closer to Newark Airport therefore United is my go to carrier. Really enjoy using them, hope to see the airline continue to improve its product for domestic routes
Just took the exact same flight and sat on 1A. The service was surprisingly great, seats were very comfortable, great IFE. The only thing that was bad about the flight was the food. The food is worse than most long haul economy food
In some ways yes, in some ways no. JB has no lounges and limited frequency. Food is better no doubt but those seats on their 321s have their drawbacks as well.
This experience does seem to send mixed messages 🤷♀️ Quick & easy check in/security, then (depending where you're going) having to wait at a crowded & uninspired gate. State of the art plane and hard product (if you don't get an equipment swap) then you get juice in a disposable cup.
This might be confusing to those just finding the video but this is not polaris. Polaris is international business class. This is domestic first class service, you are just on a 787 so your in the polaris cabin but it is not polaris service. Domesic first tickets are substantially cheaper than international business class so they don't get the same level of service. The 787's just do these transcontinental routes during the day before or after their international hops to europe or asia as otherwise they would sit on the ground at Newark or LAX for 6-9 hours. These 787's typically fly a zig zag pattern. An example service pattern would be Newark - London - Newark - Los Angeles - Tokyo - Los Angeles - Newark - London - Newark - Los Angeles and so on.
Just flew United/Polaris 787 from Denver to Frankfurt. Food was wonderful, service good as well but I wasn’t terribly enamored with the seat layout. It seemed a bit claustrophobic and the layout a bit odd with storage behind you. My 6’2” frame really struggled to get comfortable in lay flat and I spent most of my time trying to sleep in a semi reclined position.
6:56 I remember that UNITED safety video. They came up with a great concept showing the airplane safety features from different parts of the world, all to the music by great American composer George Gershwin in the background However iI was surprised to see the final scene of the safety video set in China United is a US carrier. Their hubs are in NewYork, Washington, Chicago and SanFrancisco It would make more sense to finish the safety video from one of these cities instead since all of these cities have iconic landmarks which could’ve been shown in the video Just saying...
I flew Polaris on Oct 22 Heathtrow to LAX, Paid $3,500 just for that segment, not Roundtrip. I wish I had listened to my Gut and booked a different flight. Food was like TV dinners, very few good movies.
I do entirely agree about the meal on the flight. If they served that up on a fresh plate in the galley, it would have made all the difference to the presentation on the table. Small personal touches like this would certainly elevate the experience when you pay extra for first class. This extra effort would be little to no cost to United itself... only a little extra work for the flight attendants.
Flew from LA to Sydney on Polaris and the service was so rushed, i felt like the crew was rushing so they could sleep. They also did not have enough bed mats for everyone in business class. Other airlines business class is much better overall.
In May 2022, we were flying back and forth from DFW to Reykjavik and got to "experience" the Polaris lounge in EWR and weren't impressed. Yes, there are some amenities such as the showers but otherwise, we found it to be a warren of gloomy spaces with the food on offer not being very different than what we'd have gotten at the standard business class lounge. The staff were wonderful and very helpful as there was a significant delay in our departure from EWR to DFW and they kept us up to date on what was going on.
I have flown Polaris over 20 times as well as other airlines business class. Polaris is by far the best usa business class and top 10 business class product in the world especially including the amazing Polaris lounges…. Take it from people who fly it more then once haha
Having flown United Polaris between the US and Australia, I pretty much agree with your review. The seat is good and the Saks Fifth Avenue stuff is nice, but the catering is embarrassingly bad (poor quality and insufficient amounts) for a flagship long-haul product. Having said that, based on my visit to SFO, the Polaris lounges are EXCELLENT.
I was under the impression that United didn't market their domestic premium services as Polaris but as "ps - premium service" (relative to domestic first class) - unlike Delta and American which brand their premium transcons the same as the international business class (Delta One/Flagship Business).
Here's my take on brutally honest review of United Polaris: Since COVID they got cheap. They were good during the first few years but now I feel as if everything is meticulously calculated..
Good video overall. I would like to clarify a few things for you. This wasn't Polaris service. Polaris is an international product. This was a bona-fide United First product, which is domestic. The plastic cups that you received for the Welcome beverage are standard on ALL domestic routes in United First. In United Polaris, your beverage comes in a polycarbonate cup (which looks like glass). United Polaris service has table linens, larger amenity kits, Saks 5th comforter, and more.
I flew United Polaris from NY to LA and it WAS really United Polaris first class. Even though I was on domestic, I got to use the airport lounge an yes my champagne was served in glass looking glasses..lol Also my blanket and pillow said Saks 5th ave and I still have them. I guess I got lucky?
I love the entrance and the lighting and my fav blue seats..United not just business but all plane is gorgeous!!! United chose beautiful color …my most most fav airlines are United, Delta, Swiss Air and Lufthansa…….You know what people talk about all the time how amazing UAE’s flag carrier Emirates is so beautiful and the service is so amazing it is true ! But we all have to remember that UAE focuses so much on elegance and beauty and tourism and so as the Emirates Airline, even American carriers can have first class cabin like Emirates has. The United States airlines like United or America or Delta has much more money than Emirates. Don’t forget if Emirates airlines is an excellent but the planes they use were and are are built in the great country America. The thing is United States has much more important things to worry about rather than showing off it’s wealth and focusing on elegance and style. UAE do not have big things to talk about like the US has to worry about big deals and projects and so many things with China,Russia and many more countries. So don’t think United Airlines don’t glorify class as Emirates does! It doesn’t make American carriers any less when it comes to safety. I am a proud flyer with United!! I’ll give big example of a flight here. Air India and United both are fly non stop between India and America to many cities. There were two incidents where Air India had emergency one was the flight from New Delhi to New York where there was multiple engine failure and other one where a flight from again New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Russia due to an issue in engine and there is not one single incident where United Airlines had a problem flying non stop for 15 hours from Delhi to Newark or Newark to Delhi in the last 15 years! Knock on the wood !!!! So I trust and believe in United and all American carriers !! Go United !!!
In September, my wife and I flew polaris from Denver to Munich and I hated pretty much everything about it. The food was mediocre for a buisness class international flight. The seat was very narrow and in bed mode felt like a coffin. The footwell was so narrow that I could not fit my size 12 feet in it. I am 6'1" and the bed was too short. So, sleep was non-existant! The thing that was unbearable was the center divider kept going up everytime I reached over the divider to talk to my wife. The button is in an awful place. I asked the FA if she could disable it and she said no, so I was stuck with that problem all the way to Europe. Btw, I did not use points, I paid cash so this flight was a major waste of money! I'll never understand why people rave about Polaris!
I agree. Footwell was tiny, entry to the window seat is tiny. Buttons are horribly placed. If you want to open your knees a little you end up hitting the seat movement button. Not sure why they cant place the buttons under a thin cover. So cheap to cover the buttons, but so helpful. Polaris is not high quality.
@@djtexas4993 Not sure. Not BA though. We flew Lufthansa on a 747 back. It was fun since it was one of the last 747's and I know I will never have a chance to fly it again. I am already researching next summer from LA to Dublin, any suggestions?
Fruit and yogurt would start me off alright (and my health-challenge friends would gobble down those Jimmy Dean sausage treats.) I would like that map and music option. I usually struggle with trying to set up map and classical music combo on other aircraft, and often fail at such simple but helpful technology. I refuse to eat Chobani brand products. I wonder if pre-selecting a meal (like EK's twenty or so meal options) would be available. I always love those airborne views of the Manhattan NY skyline. Anyway, I do enjoy your no-nonsense videos, because they always are helpful and insightful and never insult my intelligence. Keep it stylish and graceful!!
I’m wondering what American and Delta serve on that same route in their domestic first class and how they compare to United in general. As always, great job David!❤✈️
In this video United is actually better then say American, and on par plus or minus difference with Delta. Delta will do better on the ground as they’ve improved their handling in most locations and certainly at LAX with their renovated terminal and expansive new lounge. The plane, entertainment, and seat/bedding is where United will score big over Delta as they have that cover especially with Polaris. The food on any given day could be decent or bad, presentation is at the mercy of the flight crew and there never seem to be a clear standard across the board. If you want consistency try Jet Blue on this route but it comes with lack of lounge access but if you can stomach a poorer ground experience, the air journey will be the better of all the domestic operations.
On AA the domestic first class does offer Noise canceling headphones, a step up from United's headphones. They also plate the food and pass out warm bread like he suggested United do, instead of serving everything in 1 go. The AA domestic business class also gets noise canceling headphones and warm bread. Sadly, AA will be getting rid of their first class product and replacing it with business class suites, so it will be a downgraded service very similar to polaris. But that won't happen for another 2 years or so and will start when they take in the 321XLR. AA doesn't fly a widebody from NYC- LAX or NYC- SFO but AA does fly the 787 from MIA to LAX. They use the 3-class 321T (JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO, JFK-SNA) and soon the 321XLR will replace the "older" 321T (they're only 7 years old). They will likely retrofit the 321Ts to look similar to their domestic 321 configuration.
@@ZBGregory AA doesn't offer noise canceling headphone in standard dometic F. They don't even have AVOD anyway in most cases on the narrow body aircraft. Those that did it has been removed or will be soon once it goes Oasis. Getting rid of F on the transcons also will not be a downgrade. The new seats are far superior and meal service between F and J are really the same on AA.
UA Platinum & 1K Elites are 😡 that UA is selling Polaris for so little, denying them an upgrade. I wonder how much economy was? Would be great to include this in the future. They spent about $10 on food here & on top presented it sloppily, quite disappointing. Another great review, though.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm glad you finally mentioned it, but domestic first class in the US is so different from international because of the price difference. Even though a domestic flight can be as long as a transatlantic, it might be 1/4th the price for Polaris or Delta One.
On my last international flight (IAH->EZE), I never used any of the check-in services, as I was able to upload all of my data, including a passport photo, through the United app, and with only carry-on, did not need to check luggage. The IT capabilities of United are one of their key differentiators. Their Travel-Ready process makes keeping track of varying paperwork requirements for international travel easier, and any documents can also be updated. It also tracks the Covid paperwork, when required. It might make for some other useful content to compare the web sites and apps of different airlines if there are any important strong or weak points. When you changed flights, you probably could have done it in the app as well, or at least called an agent from the app, it was rolled out before this was filmed.
13:04 that NYC skyline is everything man 🔥
Great to see you getting to experience some Business for a change David! I love your dedication to primarily reviewing Economy, but your no-nonsense approach to reviews works really well in Business Class as well and it's great to see one done in the Brutally Honest series.
My home airport is EWR and I make trips to LAX. The United terminal there (and EWR) is so nice and spacious. Definitely is comfortable to move in
Breakfast has always been a weak spot for the big US airlines (it's usually somewhat bland and pipping hot). The last breakfast I had in United Polaris were Waffles, which was surprisingly good (and very sweet).
People generally say that about breakfast on most airlines.
They offered a Denver Scramble on Polaris recently. Was quite good.
United’s breakfast in Polaris my last 3 flights was cold and tasted the worst
wow wow thank you for the wonderful video..
We flew Polaris Denver to Honolulu. It was very nice. Way better than the business class we had this year with the old 2-4-2 seats.
I'll be doing this soon cant wait
Thank you for the tutorial on Polaris entertainment screen. Have been on Polaris class a few times. The cabins are great. Service has declined since
2020. On our last trip we checked out the Polaris lounges at Heathrow and Ohare. The food was much better than what was served on board.
I’m glad I found your channel. I appreciate the attention to detail and the summary section. Looking forward to the next one! ✈️
Just so you know. When you taped this we were in the middle of covid service changes. Plastic cups, all in one tray delivery and pre-plated food were all because of Covid mitigation procedures. We are slowly getting back to pre-Covid service. Thanks for your business.
Sadly, Covid-related changes which cut costs or required less crew effort seem to endure long beyond the epidemic itself.
United got even worse after the pandemic
I miss the pre-covid business class I flew Polaris Nov 2022 internationally and although it was a great flight I miss the sundae bar etc--maybe when I fly to Berlin in 2023 it will have returned :)
I did the international long flight from EWR-JNB. I fell in love w/ the Polaris Lounge which mimics the Business Class. Worth it on long flights.
I flew from Denver to Frankfurt in June, seating in Polaris Business class, it was a great experience for sure:) A stunning service and a very kind crew on this flight:)
I'm doing this on Sunday, but back in economy in 51C. Thank goodness I'm on the left too, those views look stunning of LAX and Manhattan 🤩
I flew Polaris recently from London to Chicago and damn it is very different to the domestic service! The food, the drinks, plates, cutlery, amenity kit, everything!
OF course it's very different. This is a domestic flight. Nothing unexpected.
Don’t brainwash people, this airline is terrible
Most USA airlines have a terrible reputation. It's good to see that United is making an effort to change that perception.
United Polaris on international is actually really good. I thought it was better than Lufthansa.
Yeah. But personally, I've had horrible experiences on united, and worse on American. Delta and Jet Blue are my favorites
Like I've been on transcontinental pre-covid United flights, and no meal was served and here wasn't an IFE.
Never had a bad flight on Delta but plenty of Euro airlines! Delta has also never disappointed me with their high end products, it’s plenty of room and luxury for what I’m looking for and it’s a lot cheaper than many others!
United is actually a terrible airline, fly them more than once then you will realize
Enjoy these episodes very much!. Keep it going!!.
I’ve done the LAX-EWR flight in Economy in May. Also on the 787-10 but it was the red eye flight. Great to see how it would’ve been in business.
3 weeks and still waiting for the next week, David! we are waiting. We know good things take time. And your videos are great. We can keep waiting.
my experience with United Polaris was pre-Covid in 2019, LAX-NRT on a 787-9, Polaris class was a 2-2-2. I can tell you that the Polaris lounge in LAX was premium. Made a phone call in one of the private booths-vey quiet so as to not disturb the other travelers. Small section where you could sit and order off a menu. Overall just very comfortable and relaxed.
The Polaris lounges are one thing United has done right. The onboard product no such much. You got one of the original CO configured 2-2-2. not their most updated Polaris hard product. Not surprising back in 2019. It's taken them years to upgrade the cabins.
@John Iii in that same vein, I also rode on an old United 777 that was arraigned as 2-4-2 in Polaris.
@@pete84101 Probably not branded Polaris. That's one of their old 777-2A's they reconfigured for domestic service with the 787's coming on board. You see those a lot on them to Hawaii and hub to hub.
United Polaris has been a consistent and excellent product. I have flown Emirates business as well as first. BA both products and I find UA to be a solid competitor on its Polaris product.
Great video and very good business class product for a domestic flight
Plastic cups are for use on the ground and regular glasses for flight service
I LOVE THE AWAY AMENITY KITS SO CUTE SMALL SUITCASE
7:20 That 777-300ER
Flew on it from madrid to Denver. I thought it was great. Flew lufthansa on the way there and i thought it blew lufthansa away. I liked the privacy and storage space. Definitely nice to see the upgrade United is trying to make
Don’t let them fool you, fly another real airline instead of that corrupt airline
Have any of you gotten any Feedback from a catering dep or inflight managers about, food, seats, service or What not? My father was the dir. Of inflight service for a now defunct airline in Norway and he always said: It does not matter if we serve food and drinks, people will always complain.
0:35 Meanwhile Singapore Airlines used to call their business class "Raffles Class" likely named after Sir Stamford Raffles, who's recognized as the country's founder (when he decided to establish a British colony there in 1819) & also seen as a byword for excellence (he founded Raffles Institution, one of Singapore's top secondary schools & junior colleges (or what we call middle & high school)), though that might be slightly controversial since he's also been negatively associated with the colonial government's opium trading business too
So if is domestic, that means you don't have access to the lounges? Cause I don't matter to already take the dinner, lunch, and breakfast in the lounge is that the case.
Excellent review as always David!😸
We’re flying Polaris SFO to AUK tomorrow. Only way to find out!
Thank you for sharing your transcon flight here! On those long-haul flights, Business Class is needed. It is similar to flying to Europe.
It looks like there was a renovation to the concourse area there. I have not flown into LAX for a few years now.
I miss after taking off that there are a couple of left turns over the ocean to come back over LAX. On a good clear day you can see Catalina Island and that is nice...
Just to note, lounge-wise, all their entry requirements are the same from JFK. JFK-SFO and JFK-LAX provide both departure and arrival lounge access.
They have stopped flying to JFK
I was in the LAX lounge a month ago. I thought it was one of the best united clubs I’ve been in. The food options were much better than I saw here though.
Loving it David, but Gate 76A gives me a little creep as my flights always depart from Gate 76A.
I always take along my own food on a flight. You are allowed almost any food and as many 50 ml bottles of liquor as fit in a one litre plastic bag. Pour a small bottle of vodka into your orange juice and you will improve your flight experience.
I flew Polaris recently for the first time, from Denver to London and back. The seats are a definite improvement from the old business class, and in some ways are even better than the old, somewhat threadbare international first class cubicles -- although, a bit more cramped and not as much storage space. All in all I thought the seats and technology were terrific.
Sadly, the upgrades don't extend to the flight attendants, which has been degrading for years. You point out that the meals (which have become pretty mediocre on international flights as well) could be improved at the expense of a little more trouble for the flight attendants. But that's exactly what they don't want. The entire flight experience was centered around the flight attendants having as little bother as possible. I noticed you got a pre-flight drink. That was not my case in either direction. The first attention I got was after the plane was in the air. They take your meal and beverage option, eventually bring that all on a tray. Once the gay is cleared they disappear into the galley seldom to be seen again until shortly before landing. Pressing the service button for, say, a coffee refill (because that's not likely to be offered otherwise) brings a clearly annoyed flight attendant. Want to keep your window open during daylight hours to help your circadian rhythms adjust? Don't count on it. They demand that you close them (or make them opaque, in the case of the 787) so that you'll go to sleep and not pose a risk of bothering them for anything.
It's long been a shared joke among United international business/first passengers about the surliness of United flight attendants, but my experience on this last flight reached new lows.
Sounds like you got a doozy on those flights! Pre-departure beverages should have been a must! I’ve had some truly wonderful and classy service on United myself, in Polaris (domestic) and in every other cabin as well.
Been to the lounge in June, it was a really nice and elegant experience.
The narration videos are the best!
I've got an upcoming trip to Europe this spring and I'm currently booked in United premium plus between DEN & FRA. I'm kinda tempted to upgrade to Polaris for the overnight flight to Deutschland!
Upgrade to another airline! You will never fly united after that
You should make an intl trip report in united business class
That would certainly be the better judge of Polaris than a domestic flight.
Like the details, will use this in future business
I live closer to Newark Airport therefore United is my go to carrier. Really enjoy using them, hope to see the airline continue to improve its product for domestic routes
They won’t, I’m sorry you have to fly out of EWR and I hope you can fly another real airline.
@@maxsaviation9512bruh really thinks Delta and American are good alternatives
They used to operate 767-300ERs and 777-200(non ER)s before. Now they operate 787-9s and 787-10s
They still use 777-200 on LAX EWR I think, or is it the 777-200ER,
The 777 Polaris is very good
They still operate all of the above. Aircraft types rotate on such routes as long as they have the lie flats.
I Have not flew on the B787-10 yet.Like the cabin on DELTA A330 NEO And A350 Better.Great work
I love the POLARIS seats. Very nice. ❤️❤️
Love these brutally honest videos
I love the intro... The music is great
Just took the exact same flight and sat on 1A. The service was surprisingly great, seats were very comfortable, great IFE. The only thing that was bad about the flight was the food. The food is worse than most long haul economy food
Have been waiting for this video for long thank God it’s finally here David don’t disappoint… it’s simply aviation
very good
Great flight
Did you know if the United Club @ LAX have showers?
Both United and Delta are mak ng an active effort to change the perception of Us airlines
Were there other options for the pre-arrival snack?
Hey can you try Korean air 's Boeing 787 or Airbus a220 please 😁! Love your videos by the way!
Beatiful video, can you review Nordica new A320 or just Nordica CRJ-900? Thank you!
Jetblue’s mint class could rival it in the transcontinental service
In some ways yes, in some ways no. JB has no lounges and limited frequency. Food is better no doubt but those seats on their 321s have their drawbacks as well.
@@johniii8147 yeah that is a fair point
JetBlue is better since they have WAY better service, food, and seats
This experience does seem to send mixed messages 🤷♀️
Quick & easy check in/security, then (depending where you're going) having to wait at a crowded & uninspired gate. State of the art plane and hard product (if you don't get an equipment swap) then you get juice in a disposable cup.
It was also laughable to hear him say how "easy" LAX is to get in out of. I've NEVER heard that.
Plastic cups are used for the Pre-flight drinks only, for some reason. In the air it’s real glass and real cutlery.
This might be confusing to those just finding the video but this is not polaris. Polaris is international business class. This is domestic first class service, you are just on a 787 so your in the polaris cabin but it is not polaris service. Domesic first tickets are substantially cheaper than international business class so they don't get the same level of service. The 787's just do these transcontinental routes during the day before or after their international hops to europe or asia as otherwise they would sit on the ground at Newark or LAX for 6-9 hours. These 787's typically fly a zig zag pattern. An example service pattern would be Newark - London - Newark - Los Angeles - Tokyo - Los Angeles - Newark - London - Newark - Los Angeles and so on.
I wanna be `Brutally Honest´, you are now `Top of the League´ in your field of aviation videos in my honest opinion. Well done to you!.
Just flew United/Polaris 787 from Denver to Frankfurt. Food was wonderful, service good as well but I wasn’t terribly enamored with the seat layout. It seemed a bit claustrophobic and the layout a bit odd with storage behind you. My 6’2” frame really struggled to get comfortable in lay flat and I spent most of my time trying to sleep in a semi reclined position.
6:56 I remember that UNITED safety video. They came up with a great concept showing the airplane safety features from different parts of the world, all to the music by great American composer George Gershwin in the background
However iI was surprised to see the final scene of the safety video set in China
United is a US carrier. Their hubs are in NewYork, Washington, Chicago and SanFrancisco
It would make more sense to finish the safety video from one of these cities instead since all of these cities have iconic landmarks which could’ve been shown in the video
Just saying...
I flew Polaris on Oct 22 Heathtrow to LAX, Paid $3,500 just for that segment, not Roundtrip. I wish I had listened to my Gut and booked a different flight. Food was like TV dinners, very few good movies.
😁👍thanks for sharing!
I do entirely agree about the meal on the flight. If they served that up on a fresh plate in the galley, it would have made all the difference to the presentation on the table. Small personal touches like this would certainly elevate the experience when you pay extra for first class. This extra effort would be little to no cost to United itself... only a little extra work for the flight attendants.
I can strongly recommend to buy Premier Access and a day pass for the club lounge when using United in Eco.
And the safety video is gold.
What’s premier access? Early-boarding?
could it be? is- is united airlines actually becoming good again?
Much better than before but still just so so
787 Crampedliner
Everytime I see that intro, I think : WOW
Flew from LA to Sydney on Polaris and the service was so rushed, i felt like the crew was rushing so they could sleep. They also did not have enough bed mats for everyone in business class. Other airlines business class is much better overall.
I definitely love the new intro😂😍👌
funny to me when intra-euro business is coach with the middle seat blocked, a meal and a basic lounge access
I flew UA for the first time IAD-MUC and meals were awful. New aircraft and great crew though
When are you going to fly Biman Bangladesh from YYZ - DAC?
i liked just based on the opening.
i literally just want a layable bed. and its a 10/10
The bulkheads have 4x the footwell space.
In May 2022, we were flying back and forth from DFW to Reykjavik and got to "experience" the Polaris lounge in EWR and weren't impressed. Yes, there are some amenities such as the showers but otherwise, we found it to be a warren of gloomy spaces with the food on offer not being very different than what we'd have gotten at the standard business class lounge. The staff were wonderful and very helpful as there was a significant delay in our departure from EWR to DFW and they kept us up to date on what was going on.
This was a “BRUTALLY HONEST” review!❤❤❤
I have flown Polaris over 20 times as well as other airlines business class. Polaris is by far the best usa business class and top 10 business class product in the world especially including the amazing Polaris lounges…. Take it from people who fly it more then once haha
I only flew Polaris class last month and didn’t find it any better than Delta or KLM, Arline’s I usually fly. My problem with United is consistency.
top 10 in the world? gotta be kidding. Try Qatar, Singapore, Qantas, Emirates, etc. Get out and travel outside the usa.
Having flown United Polaris between the US and Australia, I pretty much agree with your review. The seat is good and the Saks Fifth Avenue stuff is nice, but the catering is embarrassingly bad (poor quality and insufficient amounts) for a flagship long-haul product. Having said that, based on my visit to SFO, the Polaris lounges are EXCELLENT.
Hello! May you make a report on the Dominican Airline Sky Cana please? Love From Dominican Republic, New Sub! 🇩🇴❤
The snack of hummus with couscous with dry crackers is possibly one of the most bizarre airline dishes I have ever seen.
That shot of LAX from above, I actually said, "Wow".
I was under the impression that United didn't market their domestic premium services as Polaris but as "ps - premium service" (relative to domestic first class) - unlike Delta and American which brand their premium transcons the same as the international business class (Delta One/Flagship Business).
The SFO/LAX transcon are the exception with branding. PS branding was discontinued years ago now.
I hope you can do Starlux next.
Here's my take on brutally honest review of United Polaris: Since COVID they got cheap. They were good during the first few years but now I feel as if everything is meticulously calculated..
❤❤
united polaris
I have been waiting for this episode for ages, is their going to be a Brutally Honest episode on UA's Economy Class soon?
Good video overall. I would like to clarify a few things for you. This wasn't Polaris service. Polaris is an international product. This was a bona-fide United First product, which is domestic. The plastic cups that you received for the Welcome beverage are standard on ALL domestic routes in United First. In United Polaris, your beverage comes in a polycarbonate cup (which looks like glass). United Polaris service has table linens, larger amenity kits, Saks 5th comforter, and more.
I flew United Polaris from NY to LA and it WAS really United Polaris first class. Even though I was on domestic, I got to use the airport lounge an yes my champagne was served in glass looking glasses..lol Also my blanket and pillow said Saks 5th ave and I still have them. I guess I got lucky?
My amenity kit as huge and I also got slippers
I shuda watched the video first..lol I flew outta Newark maybe thats why it was better class?
Finally! I was waiting a lot
I love the entrance and the lighting and my fav blue seats..United not just business but all plane is gorgeous!!! United chose beautiful color …my most most fav airlines are United, Delta, Swiss Air and Lufthansa…….You know what people talk about all the time how amazing UAE’s flag carrier Emirates is so beautiful and the service is so amazing it is true ! But we all have to remember that UAE focuses so much on elegance and beauty and tourism and so as the Emirates Airline, even American carriers can have first class cabin like Emirates has. The United States airlines like United or America or Delta has much more money than Emirates. Don’t forget if Emirates airlines is an excellent but the planes they use were and are are built in the great country America. The thing is United States has much more important things to worry about rather than showing off it’s wealth and focusing on elegance and style. UAE do not have big things to talk about like the US has to worry about big deals and projects and so many things with China,Russia and many more countries. So don’t think United Airlines don’t glorify class as Emirates does! It doesn’t make American carriers any less when it comes to safety. I am a proud flyer with United!! I’ll give big example of a flight here. Air India and United both are fly non stop between India and America to many cities. There were two incidents where Air India had emergency one was the flight from New Delhi to New York where there was multiple engine failure and other one where a flight from again New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Russia due to an issue in engine and there is not one single incident where United Airlines had a problem flying non stop for 15 hours from Delhi to Newark or Newark to Delhi in the last 15 years! Knock on the wood !!!! So I trust and believe in United and all American carriers !! Go United !!!
In September, my wife and I flew polaris from Denver to Munich and I hated pretty much everything about it. The food was mediocre for a buisness class international flight. The seat was very narrow and in bed mode felt like a coffin. The footwell was so narrow that I could not fit my size 12 feet in it. I am 6'1" and the bed was too short. So, sleep was non-existant! The thing that was unbearable was the center divider kept going up everytime I reached over the divider to talk to my wife. The button is in an awful place. I asked the FA if she could disable it and she said no, so I was stuck with that problem all the way to Europe. Btw, I did not use points, I paid cash so this flight was a major waste of money! I'll never understand why people rave about Polaris!
I agree. Footwell was tiny, entry to the window seat is tiny. Buttons are horribly placed. If you want to open your knees a little you end up hitting the seat movement button. Not sure why they cant place the buttons under a thin cover. So cheap to cover the buttons, but so helpful. Polaris is not high quality.
What other airlines would you have preferred for your route instead? Lufthansa or BA?
@@djtexas4993 Not sure. Not BA though. We flew Lufthansa on a 747 back. It was fun since it was one of the last 747's and I know I will never have a chance to fly it again. I am already researching next summer from LA to Dublin, any suggestions?
They are brainwashed! United is the worst and people hide that
Fruit and yogurt would start me off alright (and my health-challenge friends would gobble down those Jimmy Dean sausage treats.) I would like that map and music option. I usually struggle with trying to set up map and classical music combo on other aircraft, and often fail at such simple but helpful technology. I refuse to eat Chobani brand products. I wonder if pre-selecting a meal (like EK's twenty or so meal options) would be available. I always love those airborne views of the Manhattan NY skyline. Anyway, I do enjoy your no-nonsense videos, because they always are helpful and insightful and never insult my intelligence. Keep it stylish and graceful!!
I’m wondering what American and Delta serve on that same route in their domestic first class and how they compare to United in general. As always, great job David!❤✈️
There a plenty of videos on RUclips about all 3. Generally they are all about the same.
In this video United is actually better then say American, and on par plus or minus difference with Delta. Delta will do better on the ground as they’ve improved their handling in most locations and certainly at LAX with their renovated terminal and expansive new lounge. The plane, entertainment, and seat/bedding is where United will score big over Delta as they have that cover especially with Polaris. The food on any given day could be decent or bad, presentation is at the mercy of the flight crew and there never seem to be a clear standard across the board. If you want consistency try Jet Blue on this route but it comes with lack of lounge access but if you can stomach a poorer ground experience, the air journey will be the better of all the domestic operations.
On AA the domestic first class does offer Noise canceling headphones, a step up from United's headphones. They also plate the food and pass out warm bread like he suggested United do, instead of serving everything in 1 go. The AA domestic business class also gets noise canceling headphones and warm bread.
Sadly, AA will be getting rid of their first class product and replacing it with business class suites, so it will be a downgraded service very similar to polaris. But that won't happen for another 2 years or so and will start when they take in the 321XLR.
AA doesn't fly a widebody from NYC- LAX or NYC- SFO but AA does fly the 787 from MIA to LAX. They use the 3-class 321T (JFK-LAX, JFK-SFO, JFK-SNA) and soon the 321XLR will replace the "older" 321T (they're only 7 years old). They will likely retrofit the 321Ts to look similar to their domestic 321 configuration.
@@ZBGregory AA doesn't offer noise canceling headphone in standard dometic F. They don't even have AVOD anyway in most cases on the narrow body aircraft. Those that did it has been removed or will be soon once it goes Oasis. Getting rid of F on the transcons also will not be a downgrade. The new seats are far superior and meal service between F and J are really the same on AA.
@@johniii8147 correct just American Flagship which would be the same market as this video.
UA Platinum & 1K Elites are 😡 that UA is selling Polaris for so little, denying them an upgrade. I wonder how much economy was? Would be great to include this in the future.
They spent about $10 on food here & on top presented it sloppily, quite disappointing.
Another great review, though.