Flight Review: United Polaris Business Class ZRH-IAD

United Airlines Polaris Business Class is a product that I have wanted to try out for a long time. While not nearly as rare as something such as Singapore Suites or the Residence on Etihad, I have always thought of it to be one of the best U.S. carrier products available.

In this review, I want to share my take on the ups and downs of United’s flagship product on my way back to the U.S. from Switzerland, flying Zurich to Washington D.C.

This article is part of my Trip Report: Skiing in Switzerland including:

• Lounge Review: United Polaris Lounge IAD
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Long Haul Business Class Flight IAD-LIS
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class Flight LIS-ZRH
• Lounge Review: TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon
• Hotel Review: Moxy Bern Expo
• The Trains of Switzerland: My Thoughts
• Hotel Review: Hotel Schweizerhof of Zermatt
• Skiing Zermatt in March: My Thoughts
• Going to Italy for Lunch
• Hotel Review: Sheraton Zurich
• Lounge Review: Swiss International Lounge Zurich
• Flight Review: United Polaris Business Class ZRH-IAD

The Seat

True United Polaris business class seating, that is, their newer seats that all have aisle access, is one of my favorite products in the sky. While United still operates some aircrafts with older seating, such as the ‘dorm’ business class seats where there is still a middle seat in a 2-4-2 configuration on 777s, we got lucky to fly on the plane with the new seating.

On United’s 767, the seats are arranged in a 1-1-1 configuration with rows alternating between being flush against the window or the aisle. The middle section alternated access to the seat between the left and right aisles.

I chose to sit in 1L, which is flush against the window and had a larger footwell due to it being located in the bulkhead. Without any other seats in view, it was incredibly private, and I would recommend a similar choice again.

The seat converts into a lie-flat bed when it is time to take a snooze, and although I found it to be somewhat narrow, I was plenty comfortable when fully reclined. The seat controls were just to the right of the seat with a knob to recline or move the seat up, as well as a do not disturb button, which allowed the seat to be easy to navigate.

I appreciated the large tray table, which allowed me to get some work done on the flight, as well as not feel too constricted during meals. If I needed extra space, the side table, which I must add was elegantly decorated to look like marble, provided more surface area onto which I could place items, such as my laptop, in order to get it out of the way.

There is a small storage compartment just above this table, which is perfect to hold your amenity kit or headphones during the flight.

Further, the screen at the front of the seat was plenty large, and I found it to have a pretty high resolution to enjoy my movie mid-flight. The screen could either be controlled as a touch screen or with a remote that was to the left of the seat.

Food and Beverage

Going into the flight, I did not know what to expect with regard tofood service. While I was excited that United had brought back its sundae cart for dessert, I had no idea what I would be served as my main meal.

Similar to my flight to Europe, and most flights, I pre-ordered a gluten-free meal for this flight. I was served exceptionally quickly; however, business class was quite empty, and airlines typically put out specialty meals first.

The meal was a tofu curry with rice and if I am being completely honest, was not very happy with the selection. I have nothing against meat substitutes and am completely happy eating multiple forms of curry. However, this meal, to me, felt as if United was trying to cut costs by minimizing the total types of meals needed to be served. My meal could have been served as the vegetarian or vegan option in addition to other available choices.

At the end of the day, it tasted alright, but nothing special and I seriously debated whether to order off of the regular menu. The rest of the meal was, well, okay, nothing that wowed me but nothing bad. The meal was served on a tray, rather than being plated, which helped in efficiency but is not my favorite method.

There was the typical assortment of onboard drinks available, from wines and champagne to mixed drinks or soft drinks. Needing to adapt to the time change relatively quickly after landing, I stuck with water and juices.

The highlight for sure was the made to order sundae cart that was pushed through the cabin after the meal service. The novelty of making your own sundae at 40k feet will never get old and I am very happy that United brought back this crowd favorite.

Throughout the flight there were also some snacks left in the forward of the cabin for passengers to grab, but mainly just potato chips.

The Service

The crew on the flight were warm and hospitable from the moment we boarded the plane to even after getting off the plane and talking to them while going through immigration. They were always very quick to offer a drink or clear a tray.

It helped that the plane was quite empty on our midweek flight back across the Atlantic, but I was, overall, very impressed by the flight crew. They all seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and it showed. They even wrote me a little note at the end of the flight on what looked like a United postcard, which I thought was a really sweet touch.

The only drawback I would say was one flight attendant who made some interesting remarks. While getting settled onboard she made a couple, I would say jokes, but that were slightly inappropriate. While I appreciate that she was trying to be funny, I think that other word choice may have been better suited for the professional setting.

Regardless, the rest of the flight, the crew members as well as the rest of the team, impressed me with United’s onboard experience.

Amenities

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I am a huge fan of Away suitcases and their other products. When United and Away partnered for the Polaris amenity kits, I was thrilled. This flight I was finally able to get one.

The amenity kit held all the essentials from a toothbrush to eye mask, but what I was truly excited for was to have an Away mini kit that I could use for all sorts of cords and other gadgets while packing in the future. Compared to a ‘real’ Away Mini, the quality of the case was a little lower, but will still certainly make do.

I was also a huge fan of the Saks 5^th Avenue bedding on the flight. It was super comfortable, and the blue memory foam pillow was very comfortable as well. While all these amenities piled up quite high on the seat while boarding, they have been some of my favorites in the sky.

We were also handed United slippers just after boarding, however, there were no pajamas (as I expected on a shorter long-haul flight).

The Last Point

I was impressed by United’s signature Polaris business class when I flew it across the pond this year. After bringing back the sundae cart, I found the experience to be rather comfortable and enjoyable.

Although not over the top, the flight was a perfect way to fly home in comfort after a ski trip. The food has room for improvement, but I found both the soft and hard products to be generally quite high quality. I look forward to seeing the rest of United’s fleet modernized with these seats, and hopefully, flying Polaris again.