Is United Polaris Business Class Worth It? My Full Review + Photos

Ever stared at the Business Class booking screen wondering, “Is it really worth it?” I did too—until I finally took the plunge and booked United’s Polaris Business Class for my flight from San Francisco to Rome. As someone who rarely splurges on the front of the plane, I wanted to see if the hype matched the high price tag. From exclusive lounges to lie-flat beds, here’s exactly what you can expect—and a few things I wish I’d known before boarding.

Whether you’re considering an upgrade or just indulging in some travel dreaming, my full experience (with photos, real opinions, and a few pro tips) will help you decide if Polaris is worth the splurge.

United Polaris Lounge at SFO: First Impressions

The Lounge is available only to customers who are flying Business class. This is unlike United’s regular lounge where you can buy admission for $50 or so. The Polaris Lounge is huge, on 2 levels, with tons of nice seating, tables and chairs.

Dining Experience: Buffet vs. Restaurant

Guests can dine from a buffet of sandwiches, soup, and salads. You can also dine in their full service restaurant. When we were there the wait for the restaurant was about 1/2 an hour. We were hungry so just went to the buffet. The food was good! There is also a free full bar.

Showers and Amenities

The SFO United Polaris Lounge has 8 Showers available to guests. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and towels are provided. Slippers, a loofah, deodorant, toothbrush/paste, and Q-tips are also provided. The shower rooms appear clean and well-maintained.

Quiet Rooms

Guests also have access to book a Quiet Room for a nap for up to one hour. It was indeed quiet in the area! Rooms have a lay-flat lounge, slippers, pillow, sleep mask, earplugs, some Pellegrino sparkling water, and a Ghiradelli chocolate to help wake you up.

The Good

The SFO United Polaris Lounge was very impressive! Spacious with lots of various seating options. Even a room for Quiet Seating. The buffet spread was varied, fresh and tasty.

The sit down restaurant option was very cool, though I didn’t get to try it since there was a 1/2 hour wait. If I’d had more time to kill between/before my flight I happily would have waited.

The options to have a shower and/ or private nap room were wonderful! Life of luxury and leisure!

The staff was courteous and attentive.

Open bar! Need I say more!

The Bad

Honestly, I can’t name a bad thing about the Lounge! I had to use a coffee cup for my water because they happened to be in between bringing out more clean water glasses, but no big deal.

The Flight

I flew from San Francisco to Rome on a 777. It was scheduled to take almost 12 hours but ended up closer to 11 and a half hours. I chose seat 3L and my friend, Sophia chose seat 2L.

Polaris Business Class Seats: Are They Really That Comfy?

Seat 2L had easy access to the aisle, while 3L had a very narrow entrance to the aisle. It would be difficult for anyone with mobility issues to navigate. However, in seat 3L it was easy to look out the window, while 2L was a bit far from the window.

On a flight from San Francisco to New York a few years ago I was able to upgrade to a business class seat right before boarding for only a few hundred dollars. On that trip I got seat 1L, which was a great seat! Right next to the window AND easy aisle access.

In-Flight Dining: Better Than Expected

The flight started out with a glass of champagne, and an amazing pass over the Golden Gate Bridge, then downtown San Francisco! Beautiful!

Next came dinner! I chose “Roman Holiday” from the wide range of movie and TV show offerings. Then I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner. I’d pre-ordered the beef short ribs entree. (They send an email about a week before the flight with 3 options from which to choose.).

Things started off with warmed nuts and wine (or whatever beverage you wanted). Then a salad, mozzarella in balsamic wiht tomato, and a warm roll with butter!

Next came the the short ribs and was pleasantly surprised: tender meat, flavorful mashed potatoes, and sides that didn’t taste like they came from a microwave.  Also, notice the fun salt and pepper shakers that look like little Star Wars Death Stars 😄

Finally, dessert! They had an option of a custom made Ice Cream Sundae, a cinnamon crumb cake, or cheese plate. Sophia and I both got the cinnamon crumb cake, and Sophia was wise enough to ask for a drizzle of hot fudge on her cake! All was very good!

Soon after that most people settled in for the night. At the push of a button your seat turns into a flat bed.

About an hour and a half before landing, lights slowly came up and the breakfast service started. I got the scrambled egg and sausage. Not bad for an airplane.

Is United Polaris Worth the Price? Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good sized portions of food.
• The food was pretty good.
• Food presentation with the little “tablecloth” and cloth napkin and real flatware.
• Dessert offerings, especially the custom Sundaes.
• Friendly and attentive flight attendants.
• TV was a good size for the space, with lots of movie and TV show options.
• Two pillows were provided: one small regular soft pillow and one memory foam pillow. It was great to have those two options to use behind your back while seated, then for a varitety of “head support” while sleeping.
• Ability to lay flat!

Cons

• Laying flat wasn’t as comfortable as I expected. I’ve read that you can ask for a “mattress topper” which will make the experience much better, so try that! It didn’t occur to me at the time.
• Seats which were closer to the aisle may have light from the galley or other passenger shining in the passenger’s face.
• Seats closer to the window (except for the first row), had very narrow entrances. It was a little awkward getting in and out, but would be very difficult for someone with mobility issues.
• The cost! This is the main thing (of course!!) that keeps me from flying Business Class every time. Here are some annoying facts for you: if you paid $5000 for a one-way 12-hour flight from San Francisco to Rome, that breaks out to $417 per hour or $7 per minute. (By the way, one would typically book a round-trip flight, which makes it cheaper, especially if you do coach on the return flight, like I did.)

Final Verdict: Is United Polaris Business Class Worth It?

In summary, it is a very cool experience to fly United Polaris Business class! The SFO Lounge is practically perfect. I mean, what more could you want?

The flight experience was great. However, a “mattress topper” would have made the sleeping experience much better. Other than having a private, “Airforce One” style bedroom, I think the seat “pods” were very comfortable and indulgent.

Please let me know if you’ve flown United Polaris before and your thoughts on it! Also, have you found a better business-class experience on another airline?

Ready to try United Polaris for yourself?

Check prices and availability for Polaris Business Class flights here 
(Keep an eye out for last-minute upgrade offers before boarding—you might score a deal like I did on a past trip!)