Review: United Airlines Polaris Business Class (787-10)

Ending my trip to Japan on a high note, I paid for an enticing upgrade offer to Polaris Business Class onboard United Airlines’ Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. Considering that Economy and Premium Economy were fully booked on this flight, a more spacious seat and cabin were also a driving factor in my impulse decision.

Booking United Airlines Polaris Business Class

Originally, I had booked a one way itinerary from Tokyo-Haneda to Vancuover for around $785 Canadian Dollars, which at the time of booking was cheaper than taking ZIPAIR Economy when I factored in the checked bag and meal package that I would’ve had to purchase anyway. Comparable flights on Air Canada or ANA were around $980 for a one-way flight back to Vancouver as well.

A few days before the flight home, I noticed that the price to upgrade to Polaris Business class was $800 USD, cheaper than booking or redeeming an equivalent value in United MileagePlus points for Business Class and even Premium Economy between Tokyo and Lox Angeles, without my remaining leg from LAX to Vancouver. I decided that I would pay for the upgrade if it remained the same price before departure, which it did.

Ground Experience

United Polaris Business Class customers receive complimentary access to ANA Lounge at Haneda, but not the ANA Suites lounge which is only for ANA First Class passengers, ANA Diamond Service status members, and Million Miler “Lounge Access” cardholders. The lounge was busy but there was an ample amount of seating and room for everyone, plus space for belongings.

Japan’s climate is very humid during the summer so it was no surprise that there was a lengthy wait for the shower rooms. I entered the lounge approximately three hours before the scheduled departure and was number 17 in line for the showers, roughly an hour wait.

Various food options were available, including made-to-order noodles, Japanese snacks like onigiri, inarizushi, fried chicken, Japanese curry, and salad. Alcohol and spirits were also available. There was also a mobile ordering service available at each table in the lounge through a QR code.

I didn’t eat much in the lounge; I only grabbed onigiri and fried chicken, which were both alright for taste.

Cabin Arrangement

United’s Polaris cabin features a staggered 1-2-1 and 2-2 layout, with all seats having direct aisle access. The odd rows are 1-2-1 and even rows are 2-2. There are 44 Polaris seats in this cabin and 4 lavatories to choose from. 

The seats are arranged where window seats offer a more private space for solo travelers (odd-numbered A and K), while middle pairs are better for couples and those who want to stay together during the entire flight (odd-numbered D and F). 

I selected 9A on the left side of the aircraft. Since I was travelling by myself, I liked the extra privacy the window seats provided.

Seat

Nothing is more enjoyable than a lie-flat business class seat on oceanic crossings. With Saks Fifth Avenue bedding, the United Polaris seat is very comfortable in seated and lie-flat positions.

Seat controls were under the window with a detachable remote for the entertainment screen under the headphone storage cubby. 

The aisle seats provided about the same amount of room and storage space, just without the extra privacy.

The footwell has an ample amount of space, though being shorter, I was able to stuff the extra pillow in there as well. With the bedding put in, the lie-flat was comfortable and the blanket kept me warm, especially with the colder cabin temperature.

Amenity Kit

Inside the Therabody fanny pack amenity kit, there were a few flight essentials including socks, an eyemask, earplugs, dental kit, tissues, a pen, and some lotions for skincare. The fanny pack is also small but practical for every day use as well. 

Slippers were also provided. On United flights over 14 hours, you can request pajamas.

Bathroom 

The Business Class cabin has access to 4 lavatories, two at the front and two in front of the Premium Economy cabin. This was strictly enforced, to the extent that the flight attendant ran from the front galley to scold the Premium Economy customers to use the lavatories in Economy.

The bathroom at the rear of the cabin was very spacious, with room to stretch as these were the accessible bathrooms. Some amenities include hand lotion, moisturizing spray, and deodorizer. It was well-kept for the duration of this long haul flight. The one at the front, right behind the cockpit, was small, similar to what you would find in economy class.

Dining

The menu options provided by United for this flight were rather plentiful, as evidenced below.

Dinner

The dinner service had each course come out individually. I chose Sous Vide Shrimp for my appetizer and Beef Short Rib as my main course.

I was a little confused when the ice cream cart was coming down the aisle while I’d only finished my salad, so I asked the cabin crew about the appetizer and they completely forgot to serve mine. The short rib finally came and the crew was quite apologetic. 

To finish the meal, I ended with ice cream and strawberry puree. 

I’ve heard mixed reviews regarding United’s catering options in their Polaris cabin, so I researched what to order. Presentation-wise, I thought the sweet potato was moldy, but it was dyed from the parsley. Even though it was supposed to be deep-fried, it was soggy from the shrimp. On the other hand, the beef short rib was regarded as one of the better Polaris entrees online, and it was flavourful and delicious on my flight. Though United’s catering in general have been a hit or miss so take this with a grain of salt.

Mid-Flight Snack

During the shut-eye portion of the flight, a selection of Japanese snacks and drinks were available from the galley at the back of the business cabin. Since it was a red-eye flight, not many people took any of the snacks back to their seats.

Breakfast

Around two hours before arrival, the cabin lights slowly turned on, marking the start of the breakfast service. I chose the Apple Ricotta Crepes which came with fruit, yogurt, and a cinnamon bun.

The cinnamon roll didn’t have a lot of flavour but the crepe and fruit were tasty and fresh. I was still full from the dinner just a few hours before breakfast so I wasn’t able to finish it all.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

United’s entertainment suite features a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and some games. My flight did not have Bluetooth installed into the seatback entertainment as it was only installed on United’s narrow-body aircraft so far. The provided headphones were alright, but nothing spectacular.

My flight also had United’s Hemispheres paper magazine. I flew this flight at the end of August, which meant it was the second-to-last edition of the magazine, right before United announced it would be discontinued after September 2024. 

WiFi

WiFi is available onboard in 3 different packages; 1 hour sessions for $4.99 or 500 United miles, 2 hour sessions for $8.99 or 900 United miles, and the full flight for $21.99 USD or 2,200 United miles. I paid for a 2 hour session though it seemed to go beyond 2 hours, oddly enough. I don’t know if it was 2 hours total time on WiFi or 2 hours starting from when I purchased it.

The internet speed is slow but good enough to check emails, browse text, or catch up on messages. Being a red-eye flight, I didn’t need a fast connection so this was good enough for me. If you fly United often enough, you can also purchase a monthly or annual pass, for $49/month or 7,500 miles and $539/month or 80,000 miles respectively.

Like Delta and American Airlines, eligible T-Mobile members get free WiFi onboard. Depending on the user’s phone plan, their allowance can range from a single hour session on-board or unlimited sessions of full-flight internet.

Conclusion

This was my first ever lie-flat experience and I’m not sure if I can ever go back to economy on transcontinental trips. United’s Polaris cabin was fantastic, even with some service hiccups. Having the lie-flat experience also reduced the effects of jet lag for me, transitioning time zones quite nicely. For how much I paid to upgrade, my first encounter with United’s Polaris Business Class cabin was worth the price tag.