When I traveled overseas in KLM Business Class, I not only checked something off my bucket list, but I created a monster. Now, I want to live it up in First or Business Class every time I travel! Six weeks after returning from a trip to Scandinavia, I decided to go back. This time, I flew United Polaris instead of KLM. Now, I’m spilling the tea on what it was like and how much I paid.
Review: Traveling in United Polaris Business Class
First off, let’s talk about what I paid. Unlike the KLM upgrade experience, I booked a full fair for Business Class right from the jump with United. As I have mentioned in the past, traveling midweek on less popular travel days as those flights usually have more seats available and therefor are lower priced. In my case, I traveled the week after the 4th of July on a Wednesday and returned on a Tuesday at the beginning of August, missing the back to school end of summer vacation rush. The total price was $3450 which may seem extreme but it’s more than half of the average rate. Plus, I booked through Chase Travel so I was able to apply credit card points.
Lounge Access
With this class of ticket, you are given Polaris Lounge access. Because the final leg of my flight was between two European cities, I flew on partner airlines Lufthansa and Brussels Air which also gave me access to their lounges.
The Polaris Lounge is a superior lounge. There’s a buffet and open bar, of course, as well as an actual dining room with elevated offerings and service. You can also nap in a pod or clean up in one of their shower suites. On my way home, my connecting flight was cancelled so I had the entire day to enjoy the lounge and I did thoroughly enjoy getting cleaned up.
Seats
As one would expect, Business Class passengers are the first to board the plane. Upon seating, you are greeted with a glass of bubbles. There’s also a bottle of water already at your seat, as well as headphones for the entertainment system. There are multiple plugs and other amenities (read on for more detail about that). The seats are super comfy with a space for your feet while sitting, a retractable armrest and a shoulder style seatbelt like you use in a vehicle. The best part about the seats is the fact that they lay completely flat. For myself and anyone else who’s under 5’5″, you can pretty much stretch out completely.
Pro Tip: when choosing your seat, the window seats in the middle of the Business Class section offer two windows. That was row 7 on the Polaris flight (though it was row 6 with KLM).
Amenities
All seats have power plugs as well as a USB port. There’s a large screen for entertainment and a remote control. Noise canceling headphones are provided but you’ll also receive ear plugs in your comfort kit. The kit for this particular flight was sponsored by Wrexam FC and included pockets for each item like also socks, an eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a facial kit. A full size pillow and two blankets are provided by Saks Fifth Avenue. There was also a lumbar pillow which I loved so much I took home with me.
Food and Drink
I didn’t love the food for United as much as I did on my previous KLM flight, but I think this simply depends on personal taste preferences. Whether it’s your favorite dishes or not, it’s still a multi course meal and having an option for hot food on an extended flight is a definite perk.
United Polaris Takeaways
While KLM offers a cute little takeway, the iconic Delft Blue miniature houses filled with Dutch gin, United does not offer any such item. They do have the Saks 5th Avenue blankets as mentioned (which you are SUPPOSED to pay for) and the toiletry kit, but nothing quite as quaint as the KLM parting gift.
I’m not sure which brand I prefer. KLM’s food and service was better, but the United Polaris lounge was top notch. However, if you don’t have enough time between flights to enjoy the lounge, this is a non starter. For me, it’s really a matter of flight times, price and quality of the cabin. My next overseas flight is partial United and partial Lufthansa so I will share another Business Class review in early 2025. Stay tuned for that!