United Airlines’ Polaris Lounge SFO fails to match rival business class offerings
The international business class lounge talks itself up but there is a waitlist for a seemingly empty a la carte restaurant and the food is disappointing.
The international business class lounge talks itself up but there is a waitlist for a seemingly empty a la carte restaurant and the food is disappointing.
Location
United Airlines’ Polaris Lounge is conveniently located to the right after you pass through the G gate security checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport. It’s a good option for Polaris business class passengers flying on United’s direct flights from San Francisco to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The 2600sq m lounge is split over two levels, with a library on the ground floor and an a la carte restaurant, bar, buffet and general seating area on the first floor. It is bigger than the Polaris Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport, which I recently visited. After scanning my boarding pass, I walk past the library to find that the ascending escalators are not working. There are people queuing for the lift but since I am about to spend 14 hours on a plane on my return flight to Melbourne, I take the stairs to get a little exercise.
Seating
There are plenty of seats when I reach the first floor, even in the a la carte dining area. It is about 7pm and I haven’t had dinner, so decide to try the restaurant, given it seems quiet. When I ask for a seat, however, I am told there are 12 people ahead of me in the queue and the wait is about an hour. With three hours until takeoff, I don’t mind biding my time, although I am puzzled by the
empty tables.
The waitlist is a new experience for me. Qantas first class lounges, which have a la carte restaurants, always seem able to find passengers a table, even at manic LAX, where they serve a Neil Perry-crafted menu. Regardless, I find a spot by the window in the general seating area and open my laptop to do some work. There is a mixture of comfortable lounge chairs, plus cafe-style tables and stools around the bar.
Food and drink
It is slim pickings at the buffet: a few slices of chicken pizza and some thinly sliced wraps containing a meat that is hard to define. Other meal options include roasted herb salmon with asparagus zinfandel sauce, pork tenderloin, and an assortment of roasted vegetables that are nearing the bottom of the pan. I pass and continue to wait for my spot in the restaurant while working.
I am on a work call to Australia when I receive a notification that my table is ready in the restaurant. It will be reserved for five minutes, which is understandable with such a lengthy waitlist, but my call takes longer and my spot is given to someone else.
I approach staff again and ask if I can go back on the waitlist. To my surprise, the waiter tells me my table is ready, after telling the passenger in front of me that there were now 14 people on the waitlist. After being seated, I count four empty tables. It’s odd.
The menu offers an assortment of international cuisine: pork belly bibimbap, omelettes, rice and pasta dishes, and the Polaris Signature Burger with “wedge-cut fries”. Given I am in the US and want the full American experience, I choose the burger. It is served within minutes, but there are only two wedge-cut fries, which I guess is technically deserving of the plural. There is a rather large pickle as compensation. Joy.
To be honest, I am not sure why anyone would want to go on an hour-long waitlist for such an average meal. I quickly leave and am surprised to see my seat beside the window taken and the lounge suddenly very busy.
I find a spot in a quieter area called The Studio, which offers self-serve coffee, tea and light refreshments, including nuts, chocolate chip biscuits and lollies.
Work and tech
There are three quiet rooms on the first floor, near the top of the escalators. Each has a desk, padded Eames-like office chair and plenty of power points, which are also available at most seats and tables throughout. Wi-fi is free, no password is required and the speed is sufficient.
Refresh
The showers appear to be cleaned regularly, and the toilets are spotless. At the end of a long working day, the bathing facilities bring welcome relief before embarking on a long-haul flight back to Australia.
The verdict
United Airlines calls its Polaris offering “business class reimagined”, but this lounge does not live up its own marketing.
It is a pleasant enough experience, but the restaurant-booking process is confusing and the food is underwhelming. Qantas first class lounges, which are available to Platinum frequent flyers upwards, not just first class passengers, easily make the Polaris lounge appear second-rate.
But then again, Emirates and Qatar Airways do the same to Qantas, particularly if you experience the latter’s offering at Hamad International Airport in Doha.
The author travelled on United Airlines as a guest of Samsung.
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