T RIED AND TE ST E D FL IGHT
Polaris business class NEW YORK-LONDON
B A C KGROUND United flies five times daily from New York’s Newark airport to London Heathrow. The airline typically operates this route with the 767-400ER, but a 767-300, which has the newer Polaris seating, also frequently flies the route. United says it is adding a
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new Polaris business class configuration to the fleet every ten days, in new aircraft or by retrofitting. But with such a large fleet, it is likely to be summer 2019 before you can be sure of getting Polaris on every flight between Heathrow and Newark.
C HEC K - IN I arrived very early for my 1900 overnight flight from Newark Terminal C on flight UA14. The Premier Access check-in area for first and business class is on Level 3. After using the check-in machines, I went to Level 2 to go through security. The Premier Access queues were longer than for economy, so I switched into the economy lanes and went through immediately.
THE LOU NGE A new Polaris lounge opened at Newark on June 4, but I was flying a few days earlier. Instead I went for the United Club at Gate 74, which was packed. The food choices included salads, soup and small squares of cheese; all they needed was a bit of pineapple and a cocktail stick to recreate the 1970s.
BO A RDING The flight was boarding from Gate C128, which was a minute’s walk from the lounge. When I got there at 1820
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the crew were preparing to start boarding. Polaris customers are in Group 1 and within a few minutes I was walking down the air bridge to be greeted by the crew. They then came around offering a pre-flight drink, and took my jacket then meal order. As it was a night flight, I declined. The captain came into the
cabin to introduce himself to us, and gave an overview of the flight, warning that there might be turbulence, and informing us of the weather that was expected in London. The plane pushed back just a
few minutes late at 1912, but we were not airborne until 1945 as there was a further delay while the captain waited for the final weight manifest.
THE SE A T The Polaris cabin has a 1-1-1 configuration (A, D or F and L) with all seats having direct aisle access. The middle seat is D or F depending on which aisle it exits onto. There are 30 seats across ten rows. I was in window seat 2A. I found the Polaris seat very
comfortable. It has dark-blue cloth upholstery, with a grey- leather adjustable headrest. There was a shoulder strap that had to be worn for take off and landing. Each seat has its own adjustable reading light, shaded light, multi power sockets and USB. There is a small cupboard for storing the noise-cancelling headphones, with a mirror on the back of the door. A large table could be
pulled out from below the IFE screen, and was very sturdy.
United B767-300
A sliding control turns the seat from fully upright into a bed. To the side of the seat, by the adjustable armrest, is the magazine holder and a small area for storage. The amenity kit was placed
on the seat, in a tin covered by a protective plastic bag labelled Polaris Business. The tin contained socks,
My only criticism is that although the space provided for your feet is wider than it was previously, it’s still not that generous
toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs, tissues, a pen, eye mask and Cowshed toiletries including lip balm, hand cream and a chamomile towelette. A pair of slippers and pyjamas
are also available on longer flights and, since July, every seat now has a cooling gel memory foam pillow.
B EST SE A T The best seat is probably 1F, which is located at the front of the cabin, and has a ledge in front of it where you can place your food tray. It is also the seat with the largest shelf area, and the width of the footrest is about twice that of the others. If that seat is not available,
other good options are A or L. You then need to choose the row to suit you, as odd numbers are closest to the windows, and are protected from the aisles, making them better for night flights. Even numbers are closer to the aisle. Seat 1A is used by the flight crew, so is not normally available.
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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