United Airlines has been working hard in recent years to significantly improve its offering for long-haul, premium cabin flyers. When the carrier first brought Dreamliners to Australia, they came with ‘BusinessFirst’ – a fancy way of branding a Business Class cabin with a less desirable 2-2-2 layout. These days, United offers ‘Polaris’ on its Boeing 787 flights, complete with direct aisle access from every seat.
It’s a comprehensive overhaul: a new experience matched with upgraded service. Better yet, thanks to the partnership inked between United and Virgin Australia in 2022, members of Velocity can book United Airlines flights using their Velocity Points. In fact, United is one of Velocity’s best-value partners. That’s because the reward rates largely mirror what’s required for Virgin Australia flights of the same length.
In other words, the asking price in Velocity Points from Australia to the USA with United is the same as it was back when Virgin Australia operated its own flights to Los Angeles. The airlines also don’t levy any ‘carrier charges’ on these bookings, so you pay only the genuine airport and government tax.
As it happens, I needed to book a last-minute flight from Sydney to Los Angeles for a conference, after a flight I’d booked on a competing airline was cancelled. For just 95,500 Velocity Points plus AU$119, I secured my seat in United Polaris. (Taxes have since changed slightly, now sitting at around AU$140 on the same route, but still very low).
I should point out that a one-way ticket in the same cabin on the same flight was otherwise selling for AU$8,595. Given I also only needed a one-way flight, my redemption unlocked an amazing value of 8.87 cents per Velocity Point. In the words of the late Big Kev, I’m excited!
Check-in, lounge and boarding
I make my booking from my airport hotel around midnight and boarding is set to start around 8:40 am, yikes! That said, it means I can complete online check-in straight away. I’m surprised that I’m able to snag seat 1L on this Boeing 787 United Polaris flight, guaranteeing a window view.
With my seat safe, it’s time to get as much sleep as I can before fronting up at check-in. Here, I venture straight to the United Polaris priority line. It’s distinctly different to the usual ‘Premier’ check-in lane used by most other flyers with fast-track privileges. The only other flyers sharing the Polaris line are Premier 1K members and those with Global Services status. Accordingly, I’m assisted straight away.
From there, it’s a swift pass through immigration and security. As a Business Class passenger, I use the departures entrance at the far left, which has a dedicated channel for Business and First Class. From here, I’m a little spoiled when it comes to lounges.
My ticket in United Polaris includes access to two lounges in Sydney. I can choose from the Air New Zealand lounge or the Business Class section of Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris Lounge. But as I discover, a friend is also flying out of Sydney at roughly the same time – but on American Airlines. This means I can’t ‘guest’ her into these lounges, and she can’t ‘guest’ me either, so I need a better plan for a pre-flight lounge catch-up.
To begin our journeys in the same place, we venture to the American Express Centurion Lounge instead. For me, it’s conveniently close to the two Star Alliance lounges above, and to my boarding gate. While not included with a United Polaris ticket – on the Boeing 787 or any other aircraft – it’s available to many American Express Card Members.
After coffee and breakfast here, I stop past the Air New Zealand lounge for a brief visit before heading on board. The boarding process is orderly, and my Polaris ticket puts me in group one. I wasn’t expecting to be flying United today, but we’re off to a great start.
United Polaris seating on the Boeing 787
Remember my prized pick of seat 1L? In my book, it’s the best seat in the house. First up, United uses a staggered 1-2-1 configuration in this cabin. This means that where a seat is by the windows in one row, it’s away from them – and closer to the aisle – in the next. As for 1L, it’s by the windows to enjoy the best vistas and the least disturbance from the aisle.
Also, seat 1L enjoys views from two windows in upright mode and three windows when reclined. If you look below, the seat in row two doesn’t get much of a view at all, so I’m stoked to get this at short notice. There’s a large shelf in front of row one that’s perfect for balancing a cabin bag when retrieving or storing items. As I said, it’s a great start.
While there’s no privacy door as Delta offers on the same route, the seat still feels very private. When everybody is seated, I can’t see the face of any other passenger. There’s mood lighting, a well-placed surface for drinks and snacks, a small side closet above that and easy access to power.
Later in the flight, I set the seat flat and enjoy the comforts of the Saks Fifth Avenue pillow and bedding. Pyjamas are provided too. Ultimately, I’m able to achieve a full night’s sleep and arrive in Los Angeles rested and refreshed for my conference. Crisis averted! As for the overall experience, it has its ups and downs, if you’ll pardon the pun.
On the plus side, the Boeing 787’s electrochromic windows are very useful. On more traditional aircraft, shutters are either open or closed – but here, I can be in between. I set the windows to a medium dim, which means I can still see outside without blinding the cabin with light. This isn’t exclusive to United – it’s standard of the Boeing 787. But even so, it’s still a big plus for the Dreamliner over other aircraft. Having said that, some of the seat trim is highly worn.
Food and beverage in United Polaris on the Boeing 787
United is making a greater effort in its food and beverage than seen in previous years. Sure, there have still been some cutbacks – United no longer offers ‘wine flights’ after take-off, for instance. But overall, the service is still quite reasonable.
This journey begins with a glass of Champagne before departure (Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut, NV). Once we’re underway, warmed nuts and a silky Pinot Noir follow. It’s from California: Sanford Estate, to be precise. I appreciate United offering an Australian alternative red (Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz – a brand name that woos), but this one retails for a mere $9.99 at Dan Murphy’s.
When lunch arrives, there’s a mesclun salad with fennel, orange and cherry tomatoes. Joining that, a choice between prawns or buffalo mozzarella. Given I already have one salad in front of me, the prawns are an easy choice, not to mention a tasty one.
For the main (‘entrée’, in American English), there’s a choice between four dishes. You can normally pre-order your choice online, but my late booking means I’ve missed the cut-off. Not to worry – I can still secure my first preference on board, the seared barramundi fillet. (Alternatives are beef short ribs, grilled BBQ chicken thigh or a chickpea zucchini tagine).
Then it’s time for United’s signature sundae service. The trolley comes around and it’s made to your liking. In this case, I’ve gone fully loaded. This means vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, sliced almonds, whipped cream and a cherry on top. If you’re not feeling the dairy, there’s also apple crumble cake or a three-cheese plate.
Snacks and breakfast
The meal is quite comprehensive after departure. But, it’s a long flight – and there are options if you’re peckish. As you’d expect, there are the usual selections of sweet and savoury snacks and fruit. But you’re flying United Polaris on the Boeing 787, so you get even more choice.
One option is a roasted creamy tomato soup. It sounds delicious, but I’m curious to sample the other item on the menu. It’s a Vegemite cheese toasty. On the one hand, it was assembled in Australia, given the catering is loaded in Sydney. On the other, United is, as the name hints, a US carrier. Will they get it right? Clearly, I have to find out!
It’s only a half sandwich, so the crew also opts to serve the soup. As for the sandwich, it’s a little bit dry: bread is notoriously hard to get right in the air unless you have an inflight toaster. But it’s still perfectly edible and with an Australian-approved amount of Vegemite: not a lathering like Nutella. Tick. In fact, it’s rather tasty to dip the toasty into the tomato soup…
I’m up a little early before breakfast, so I also take the chance to order a coffee. On this front, we’re already in American territory: this one’s a filtered brew. I ask, but there’s no espresso machine on this aircraft. At least there’s no shortage of packaged creamer.
Come breakfast time, there’s a choice between two dishes. One is a spinach, feta, and rosemary frittata served with potatoes, chicken sausages, and herb-roasted tomato. The other is smashed avocado toast. Once again, I’m curious to see how that stacks up!
This one requires a bit of assembly. The bread is on one side and the topping on the other. The avocado isn’t as sweet and creamy as I’d expect of an Australian café. But by this point, Australia is almost 12,000km ‘7,500 miles’ away. There, I sound ready to arrive in Los Angeles!
Service and entertainment in United Polaris on the Boeing 787
Just about every long-haul airline offers inflight entertainment. But when you’re flying United Polaris (or even Economy) on the Boeing 787, the system has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Firstly, the information screen clearly shows how much time remains in your journey. The screen also outline the service plan for the flight, including the progression between meals and cabin lighting changes. But as you progress through the flight, the system gets smarter in its prompts.
I’ve just finished watching The Great Gatsby and we have 85 minutes until the tyres hit the tarmac. Rather than simply returning to the main screen when the movie ends, the system has a better idea. While the credits roll, I’m prompted with titles I can start and watch in full before we land. It’s a small thing, but it’s a great feature.
Beyond the entertainment screen, Wi-Fi access is available, and IP-based messaging is free. For instance, there’s no charge to send text via WhatsApp, iMessage or Facebook Messenger. For broader access, you’ll pay US$3.99 for one hour or US$7.99 for two hours. Otherwise, a full flight pass is US$23.99.
You can also pay these amounts by burning United MileagePlus miles. The conversion is essentially one mile equals one US cent. It’s not a bad option if you only have a small mileage balance serving no other purpose.
Service on today’s flight is acceptable without being overly memorable. The crew are friendly and professional but don’t take the initiative to engage further when the chatter during service presents an opportunity.
The verdict
I’ve been flying with United recently since the Velocity partnership took effect. But this has been in Economy, both from Australia to the US and on US domestic routes. The last time I boarded a United Boeing 787 at the pointy end was in the days of BusinessFirst. United Polaris, on the other hand, is leagues ahead.
In terms of the hard product, there’s little to criticise. The seat is spacious, the bed is comfortable and the aircraft is modern. Other than the peeling around the edge of the literature pocket, it’s a solid setup. United is also now the only US carrier offering pyjamas between Sydney and Los Angeles. (Delta doesn’t offer them, and American Airlines recently withdrew them).
As for the food and drinks, it’s respectable with room for improvement. I do think the portion size of breakfast could be a little bigger. Even just an extra piece of bread would make the offering more substantial. After all, not everybody will wake earlier to try the mid-flight Vegemite toasty as I did. The wine list could also be beefed up. While the Californian wines are solid and the Champagne acceptable, the token Australian red needs work. (For context, Koonunga Hill is Penfolds’ absolute entry-level drop, and many options are above that without approaching ‘Grange territory’).
Still, when I’m flying at the pointy end across the Pacific, sleep matters most to me. On that front, the flight was a strong success. Being able to secure a seat using Velocity Points when in a bind on the morning of departure was the proverbial cherry atop my ice cream sundae.
Also read: What it’s like to fly United as a Velocity member
All photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled at Point Hacks’ expense using points from the company’s Virgin Australia Business Flyer account.
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