Review: United Polaris Business Class on the 787-9
United Polaris 787-9 Business Class
A+C Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Flight Details
Our first experience with United Polaris Business Class was on our honeymoon, flying between San Francisco (SFO) and Papeete (PPT) on August 13, 2022, with UA 115. United flies a Boeing 787-9 on this 8 hour 25 minute flight, which departs San Francisco at 1:30pm and arrives in Papeete at 6:55pm.
Ground Experience
Check In
We flew in from Seattle (SEA) the morning of our flight and ended up not stopping by the check in counter at SFO. This is because we had arrived in Terminal 2 and thankfully it is connected airside all the way to the International Terminal G gates. This meant after we arrived in SFO, we could walk straight over to the Polaris Lounge without having to re-clear security.
Lounge
The Polaris Lounge at SFO is one of my favorite lounges, with an abundance of seating, tons of natural light, a dining room with an a la carte menu, shower suites, and quiet suites for some quick shut eye. I strongly recommend stopping by for a visit if you have access.
United Polaris Lounge Entrance
The only downside is that the dining room area is small and can have a waitlist during busier hours. It is worth adding yourself to the waitlist as the dining room food is worth the wait!
When we eventually did get seated, I opted for the Polaris signature burger and Adrienne had a fish dish. I did not take a picture of the menu, so unfortunately I cannot recall the exact name of the dish, but my best guess is the Pacific rock cod. Both were tasty and filling and just what we needed before our flight. I recommend filling up in the lounge before your flight since I think the quality of the food in the lounge is superior to what you will find onboard.
Onboard Experience
Cabin
The United Polaris Business class cabin onboard this Boeing 787-9 had 48 total seats in a 1-2-1 seat configuration, with 32 seats in the front cabin and 16 seats in the mini cabin behind the galley.
United Polaris Cabin Configuration, Credit: united.com
All seats lie flat and have direct aisle access. Those traveling solo should opt for the odd row window seats since these are closer to the window. Couples wanting to sit close together should opt for the odd row middle seats. On this flight, we sat in 3D and 3F since those seats are closer together.
Seat
We found that the seat felt very private and comfortable when seated. In case you are traveling solo, there was a privacy divider between the middle seats that moved up and down electronically with the push of a button. The seat featured a decent amount of storage around the seat as well.
United Polaris Seat with Bedding
Amenities
When we boarded, each seat contained a Saks Fifth Ave Pillow, Saks Fifth Ave Blanket, Gel Pillow, and Away amenity kit. The Saks bedding was amazingly comfortable, plush, and felt very premium. We also asked for a mattress pad after take off which helped make the bed more comfortable.
The Away amenity kit was stocked with some great products from Sunday Riley as well as the usual goodies. It resembles an Away carry on, but with a softer and more flexible shell.
We also found slippers near the footwell of our seat, which is always appreciated on longer flights. Unfortunately, United does not offer pajamas on this flight as these are only offered on flights longer than 12 hours.
Food
I forgot to take a picture of the menu, but we both ordered the Beef Short Rib for the initial meal service. We decided to take a short nap first and delay our initial meal since we were pretty full from our visit to the lounge. We eventually did have our meal and it was fine, but nothing memorable.
Beef Short Rib
There was another meal service prior to landing where we both ordered the Grilled Chicken dish which was also fine. Unfortunately, I did not not take a picture of it.
Bed
There was a scroll wheel beside the seat that can be used to convert the seat into a lie-flat bed. With the provided mattress pad and Saks blanket, the bed was extremely comfortable and I had no trouble falling asleep.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Each seat has a 16” IFE with a beautiful HD and responsive screen. We found that United had a good selection of content in the onboard entertainment. The provided headphones seemed acceptable, but I ended up using my own headphones when watching a movie. One thing we really liked about the IFE was that they had an agenda for the flight to show when the meal services would take place.
United Polaris IFE
This plane was equipped with Wi-Fi and since we are T-Mobile customers, we were able to connect and have unlimited Wi-Fi for the entire duration of our flight. Free messaging was also offered as well.
Service
We found the service to be decent on this flight, on par with what you can expect from a US airline. The crew had dimmed the lights after the initial meal service and were in the galley for a majority of the flight. However, all of the crew were friendly and very accessible whenever we needed anything.
Booking
I was able to find United award space for this flight around two months prior to departure. We paid 280,000 miles and $110.34 USD in taxes and fees for two people, round trip between SFO-PPT, which means the cost per person one way was 70,000 miles. Paying cash for these tickets will cost around $5,500 USD round trip per person on average, so using miles yields great value.
Conclusion
We arrived early at PPT just after 6:30pm and had a short walk to the terminal for the immigration line.
Most flights arriving at PPT from the west coast arrive at nighttime and flights between the island of French Polynesia typically happen during the day. This means you should expect to stay overnight in Tahiti and fly again in the morning.
Overall, I do recommend this flight for anyone heading from the west coast to French Polynesia. The Polaris Lounge is top notch and the seat and provided bedding were extremely comfortable. It is a bit sad that the onboarding catering cannot compete with the Polaris Lounge, but at least you can fill up before the flight.
A+C Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars