In this post, I’ll tell you all about our experience flying United Airlines Polaris Business Class, including the Polaris Lounge in Houston (IAH). I didn’t book this flight with points, but read my article about how you can here.
Booking
We had booked a trip to the Galapagos flying from Little Rock to Quito, Ecuador via Houston. When our travel buddy had to postpone the trip due to a shoulder injury, we rebooked a flight to Rio de Janeiro for a cruise, to experience New Years at Copacabana Beach, one of the top New Years parties in the world! We had paid just under $2000 for business class seats, and were able to rebook using this flight credit plus about $400 per person for this trip. Economy on the same flight was over $1200. The difference was not insignificant, but it was also very reasonable for a business class ticket.
Check in was a breeze, the ticket counter and gate agents were very friendly, and the flight left 15 minutes early!
We usually fly American Airlines. My Executive Platinum status often gets us upgraded. But I have to say, United is scoring points in my book! Book your flight here.
Leg One
The Little Rock to Houston leg was in economy, as the aircraft did not have a premium cabin. I have to say that the service, communication, and snacks were great! The hard product, not so much. The seats were tiny and the leg room minimal, even for a munchkin of 5’2″ like myself. We actually had a choice of snacks, which is unusual in economy class, including chocolate quinoa cookies, fruit bites, and snack mix.
The kicker was that the flight attendant came back around toward the end of the flight with mini stroopwafels! If you aren’t familiar with these Dutch treats, familiarize yourself! They are basically little cookies that look like very thin waffles with caramel in the middle. You place them over the top of your coffee for a couple of minutes and let them warm up before eating them with said coffee. Oh my.
Leg Two
United Polaris Lounge, Houston IAH
We flew into terminal B and were to fly out of terminal C, but since we were flying United Polaris Business Class and had a 3 hour layover, we decided to take the train to terminal E to experience the United Polaris Lounge. We are glad we did!
Dining options
Buffet
There is a buffet with excellent choices including an impressive array of cheeses and charcuterie type meats. Other dishes included roasted root vegetables, quinoa samosa cakes, pollo arvejado, poblano corn chowder, seafood adobo, and chipotle cheddar biscuits. For dessert, choose the pumpkin pie or salted caramel budino (Italian custard/pudding).
The Dining Room
I suggest, if you have the time, you check out the Dining Room. The menu varies depending on the time of day. Breakfast options include fig caramel French toast, poached egg and grits, a breakfast grain bowl, and an omelette. You could opt for light bites like apple cinnamon steel cut oats, yogurt, pastries, etc.
The lunch and dinner menus are the same. There are small plates which can be taken as appetizers, including butternut squash soup, a wedge salad, ceviche, and a cheese plate. Entrees at the time of our visit were braised short ribs, gochujang cauliflower, pan-roasted sea bass, and the Polaris Signature Burger. For dessert, you could choose the apple crisp cheesecake, a warm fig tart, or a chocolate chip skillet cookie.
The Polaris Burger is famous, and for good reason. The patty is generous and cooked to your specifications. Topping choices include egg, avocado, bacon, cheese, and all of the typical veggies. The accompanying French fries were seasoned well but not fully cooked in the middle. My husband chose the burger and let me have a bite. YUM.
I had the sea bass with couscous and kale, which was delicious and light. I wanted to save room, as I had ordered the braised short ribs for my in-flight meal. Perfect!
For dessert, we had the apple crisp cheesecake and the fig tart. Both were light, small, and tasty.
This was a vey nice restaurant-level meal, and the service Jay provided was impeccable!
The Bar
The included bar menu showcases numerous mid-range wines and spirits. The cocktail menu is creative and changes periodically.
Seating
I was surprised how crowded the lounge was, but we had no issues finding seating. There were numerous kids, but none super loud or annoying. There are chairs in pairs or quad seating areas, and little pods with desks. The decor is classy and a few steps up from the typical United Lounges.
Other Amenities
There is a premium coffee station, other beverages including to-go bottled water and soft drinks. Agents are available to help with rebookings or other issues. There are also shower suites if you need to freshen up, and several all-gender single person restrooms.
The Flight
The Premium Cabin
The aircraft was a Boeing 767 with 214 seats- 30 in business class and 184 in economy. The flight was scheduled for 10 hours 14 minutes, and we were delayed for bit. It didn’t matter to us, since movies were available and our seats were comfy. Honestly, the longer we spent on this plane, the better!
If you are traveling together, I’d opt for even numbered rows and choose one window seat and one aisle, so rows 2,4,6,8, or 10 seats A and D. We had seats 3A and 3F and could not see each other- I had to stand up and peer over his wall to speak to him, and he has to enter his seat on from the opposite aisle.
The Seats and Amenities
The seats were very spacious and outfitted with Saks 5th Avenue bedding. Bedding included a soft, colorful light blanket, a memory foam pillow, and a wrapped packet with a comforter and a larger pillow. We were not offered pajamas, but if your flight is 14 hours or longer, you will be!
The amenity kit was a fanny pack containing all sorts of goodies- soft socks, ear plugs, eye mask, tissues, a dental kit, and a facial kit from Therabody. The facial kit included a moist towelette, lip balm, hand cream, hydrating facial mist, and eye serum.
There was plenty of storage in my seat pod- a little cabinet on the right side with noise canceling headphones and a bottle of water, a cubby underneath the right armrest, space under the footrest, and a cubby under the large TV for small items like your cell phone. There was an electrical outlet, reading light, and remote control.
The Food and Drink Options
We always choose our meals ahead of time when we have the option. For one, it is fun- I get excited about flying, especially in the premium cabin, and perusing the menus ahead of time is fun. Also, it ensures that you get the meal of your choice. Sometimes popular items run out. I chose the seared Asian short ribs.
We were greeted with a choice of champagne or orange juice. We had a bit of a delay due to a mechanical issue, which was just fine with me! It just meant we got to enjoy our seats for longer! The entertainment sections were great, so I started watching movies immediately!
We had a lot of turbulence at the beginning, so our meal service was delayed until about 2 hours in flight. I did appreciate that they expedited the service and brought the courses quickly so we could get to sleep. If your meal service is timed correctly, you can still request expedited service.
For my meal, I had a salad and lemon zest prawn confit for appetizers, which were fine. The seared Asian short ribs were delicious- tender, moist, and flavorful. They were accompanied by jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables. For “dessert” I had the cheese plate which was perfect. My meal was accompanied by the Chateau Larose-Trintaudon Haut-Medoc Bordeaux.
Snacks are available throughout the flight, but I was never hungry!
The flight attendants served breakfast about one hour before landing. I had the Monterey Jack and red pepper egg white bites, which were perfect.
Arrival in Rio de Janeiro
We had heard horror stories about the lines for passport control and immigration in Rio de Janeiro, but we breezed right through. Another advantage of flying in the premium cabins is that you often have expedited lines through these controls, and you arrive quicker than the masses on your flight. It took us very little time to get through. We had booked a transfer to our hotel ahead of time through Viator, and our driver was waiting for us just inside security. Viator was offering 12x cash back/Amex points, so that was a bonus! You can uber or take a cab, but we didn’t want to have to deal with all that after a long flight. We withdrew some Brazilian Real from the ATM and were off!
Come back next time for trip reports on our time in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina!