United Polaris is United Airlines’ premium business class offering, first introduced in early 2017. Now, over seven years later, this product line is beginning to show signs of age.

I had the opportunity to fly on the SFO to TPE route, and here’s my take on the experience.

Preboarding Experience

As a business class passenger, you have access to the United Polaris Lounge at SFO. I wrote a separate review on the lounge, which you can find here. Overall, the lounge experience was underwhelming.

The Seats

The business class seats on United Polaris are a bit dated. Each seat comes with a small storage cabinet, side table, and powered lie flat seat. These seats are not fully enclosed.

The bedding and pillows are from Saks Fifth Avenue. They are relatively comfy and I have no compliants in this department.

The Technology

Each seat is equipped with a 16-inch in-flight entertainment touch screen. However, the two-prong headphone jack makes it difficult to use your own noise-cancelling headphones without an adapter. While United provides standard headphones, they lack active noise cancellation, and there is no Bluetooth connectivity for pairing personal audio devices.

For charging, a USB-A port is conveniently located at the bottom left of the screen. A universal electric power outlet is also available next to the cabinet storage.

A retractable controller is provided for easy navigation of the in-flight entertainment menus when you are sitting down. You can also use touch screen to navigate through the menus.

The Amenities

Amenity Kit

United’s amenity kit is a partnership with Wrexham Association Football Club and Therabody. The bag, featuring the Wrexham logo and team colors, feels like a risky choice since it gets dirty easily. By the time I received mine, it looked gray rather than a clean white.

Inside the kit, you’ll find the usual items: a dental kit, earplugs, soft tissues, socks, a pen, an eye mask, and a Therabody kit. The Therabody kit includes a towelette, lip balm, hand cream, hydrating mist, and eye serum.

Bathroom

The business class restroom seems identical to those in economy, with no noticeable differences. In comparison to other airlines’ business class offerings, this is certainly subpar. Many competitors provide additional toiletries and amenities in their business class restrooms, which United does not.

The Food

The inflight service began with a choice of sparkling wine, orange juice, or water before takeoff. Once we reached cruising altitude, meal service began.

The flight attendant laid down a tablecloth and offered a hot towel before the first course. I opted for a rosé and sparkling water, accompanied by a small bowl of nuts.

For the appetizer, I selected the chilled ginger beef, which came with a salad and bread. The beef was decent but overcooked for my taste. The salad and bread were nothing to write home about.

For the main course, I chose the seared short rib with cauliflower, tomatoes, and garlic polenta cake. While the short rib was flavorful, it wasn’t as tender as the slow-cooked version I’ve had on WestJet. The other items were fine but not particularly memorable.

Before landing in TPE, I opted for the poached shrimp. It was a risky choice, and unfortunately, the shrimp was overcooked. The bread, however, was stale and lackluster.

Overall, the food experience in United Polaris was mediocre. It fell short of expectations, especially when compared to other airlines like WestJet.

Overall Impression

United Polaris is due for an update. While it was once a competitive product, it no longer holds up against newer business class offerings. At a points redemption rate of 65,000 United MileagePlus miles (one-way), it’s not the best value compared to other premium cabins. For example, you can use the same amount of miles for a flight on STARLUX Airlines (via Alaska Airlines), which offers a more modern and luxurious experience.