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My India trip: United Polaris and Etihad Business Class
In August, I took the scenic route from Ottawa (YOW) to Mumbai (BOM) to try out a couple of new products along the way to India. This trip allowed me to experience the United Polaris long-haul product for the first time and the fantastic Etihad A380, which had just been brought back to service between London (LHR) and Abu Dhabi (AUH). My business class route to Mumbai was YOW-EWR-LHR-AUH-BOM, which was on a combination of Air Canada, United, and Etihad Airways. The itinerary was booked using Aeroplan points priced at 106,000 + $73. The following trip reports are coming up soon;
Review: United Polaris Business Class from Newark (EWR) to London (LHR)
Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge in London Heathrow (LHR)
Review: Etihad A380 Business Class from London (LHR) to Abu Dhabi (AUH)
The first leg of the trip was essentially a positioning flight from YOW to EWR on Air Canada Express – Jazz’s unremarkable regional jet. The flight arrived at EWR’s brand-new Terminal-A, home to the new United Club lounge. Having experienced that impressive lounge earlier, I made my way (somewhat begrudgingly) to the old and dated Terminal C, where the United Polaris Lounge is located.
United Polaris Lounge Newark – Location and Access
First opened in 2018, the United Polaris Lounge in Newark is located at Terminal C, post-security, between Gates C102 and C120. This lounge operates daily from 5:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and caters exclusively to passengers travelling in United Polaris business class on long-haul international flights.
United Airlines offers four impressive lounge options at EWR;
- United Polaris Lounge – Terminal C (Review)
- United Club Lounge – Terminal C, near Gate C123
- United Club Lounge – Terminal C, near Gate C74
- United Club Lounge – Terminal A, near Gate A27 (Review)
EWR Terminal C
Passengers with eligible same-day departure, connecting, or arrivals are granted access. However, guests cannot accompany United Polaris business-class customers in this lounge.
Lounge access extends to long-haul international first-class travellers on a Star Alliance member airline, with one additional guest allowed. Conversely, those flying long-haul international Business Class on a Star Alliance member airline are not allowed guest access.
Entrance – United Polaris Lounge Newark
United Polaris Lounge Newark – Seating and Layout
The entrance to the lounge is through beautiful glass doors. Look into the lavish lobby that leads to the welcome desk. When I checked into the lounge around 7:30 am, I was only one of maybe five people in the entire space. The staff at the welcome desk were friendly and happy to give me a quick orientation of the lounge layout, and also warned me about the crowding the lounge experiences after 4 pm.
Welcome desk
The lounge is a gigantic space with thoughtfully designed varied seating areas. The seating throughout the lounge included a good mix of individual spaces and group seating. From dedicated places to eat or get some work done, I was seat surfing throughout my time in the lounge. In addition to an impressive array of seating, the lounge included dedicated space for Buffet, a separate Dining Room, Shower Suites and Quiet Suites. It’s best to let the pictures do the talking to capture the selection of seating in this sprawling lounge;
Entrance hallway – United Polaris Lounge
Individual Armchair seats
Bar seating – United Polaris Lounge
Seating with sweeping tarmac views
Individual booth seating
Dedicated seating for couples
Standard lounge sofa-seats
Main Seating Area – United Polaris Lounge Newark
United Polaris Lounge Newark – Dining Options
The dining options at the Polaris Lounge in Newark include an expansive buffet spread and a separate dining room experience, which serves an eclectic menu comprising three distinct courses. However, the most popular spot in the lounge is the classy marble-clad bar in the centre, curating personalized drinks and classic menu options. Once the lounge started filling up in the evening, the bar and seating area around the bar were the most popular spaces.
United Polaris Lounge Bar
Seating around the bar
When I walked into the lounge first thing in the morning, the main buffet area was set up for a full breakfast. The juice and hot beverage options were wonderfully set up on a counter. The main buffet area across from the beverage station included hot breakfast options that could easily double as brunch.
Juice and hot beverage counter
Snack station
Breakfast Buffet
Cereals and Yogurt
Fresh Fruits and Pastries
Cold Cuts and spreads
Breakfast options
The Dining Room is the real star of the food and dining services in the lounge. The dining area is popular, and passengers are often on the waitlist for their turn. Based on my experience, the dining room was packed by 4 pm. Since I had already eaten breakfast at the buffet earlier in the day, I booked a table for 4:30 pm for a light meal before our flight.
The Dining Room Menu
The Dining Room – A separate area in the lounge
Seating in The Dining Room
Our table was set up nicely, but the attention to detail was severely lacking. My table napkin was stained, and one of the menus came apart when I picked it up. I also requested to change the butter knife since it was still dirty (see picture below).
Table setup – United Polaris Dining Room
We started our meal with a prosecco service, which we enjoyed so much that the server eventually brought us a bottle at the table. The staff in the dining room was exceptional, and they balanced the chit-chat beautifully with attentive service. For starters, we shared a tomato salad. I ordered the Polaris Signature Burger for mains, while PK got the Vegan option of Grilled Cauliflower Steak. She was promptly informed that the vegan plate was relatively small, and some get two portions for a proper meal. The small plate was a good choice, given the full in-flight meal we looked forward to in a couple of hours.
Prosecco
Starter – Heirloom Tomato Salad
Polaris Signature Burger
Unfortunately, my burger was dry and overcooked. The plating was nothing to talk home about either. PK’s vegan cauliflower steak was flavourful, but more florets than cauliflower steak were tossed in a pan. ‘ In her words, the plate had not seen any seasoning. Given everything I had heard about the food in the Polaris Dining Room, my experience was a significant letdown. The food was subpar, and the overall presentation and the space itself were rough around the edges. Not that they ever claimed to be, but The Dining Room is far from a fine dining establishment. It was more akin to a standard neighbourhood restaurant.
Grilled Cauliflower Steak (?)
United Polaris Lounge Newark – Other Amenities
In what could have been a clutch feature in the lounge, the Quiet Rooms were a significant disappointment for me. Having taken a 6 am flight from Ottawa and a super early start to my day, I was looking for some shut-eye in the quiet room when I checked into the lounge at 7:30 am. For starters, the quiet rooms are located in the same area as the shower rooms, except past the shower rooms and almost into a dark corner. A staff member walked with us past all the shower rooms still being cleaned for the upcoming day and brought us to the quiet rooms, which were dimly lit. The rooms themselves were semi-open and had glass doors with zero privacy. The choice of bed in the quiet room was a lounge chair that I am more used to seeing in the open areas of an airport terminal. The curvature in the chair meant there was no way to lie flat, and side sleep was impossible. The quiet room’s setup was also awful, with the lounge chair pushed against the wall, eliminating any possible elbow room on one side. The immovable table on the other side ensured that my elbow kept hitting the corner. The light controls were far away from the chair, and so were the power sockets. The area was extremely poor, keeping external noise out, as I could hear all the staff conversations, who were busy catching up at the start of their shifts. Unfortunately, I had a horrible time in the quiet room trying to rest – the “feature” was a major fail for me.
Quiet Room – United Polaris Lounge
All Gender Washrooms – United Polaris Lounge
United Polaris Lounge Newark – Takeaway
Overall, the United Polaris Lounge in Newark is a fantastic retreat from the crowds and offers elevated services and amenities. The Quiet Room experience aside, the lounge has fantastic seating and elevated food options for passengers looking to refresh before their long-haul flights. Beware: The lounge experiences regular overcrowding most days after 4 pm, and finding a spot to stretch out can be challenging. We were happy to have experienced the lounge and eagerly looked forward to the Polaris Business Class experience from Newark to Heathrow!
3 comments
Any chance I can try this lounge upon arrival from my SQ SIN flight? I have a 4h+ layover before my UA flight to YOW later on that morning. It will be nice to grab a shower and relax in the early morning @EWR.
Unlikely you will have access to the Polaris lounge as an arriving passenger from long haul business class on partner airline. If you were going onto another long haul flight, then you would, but connecting to Canada will not get you the access into Polaris.
Try going to the lounge in the late afternoon or evening. It is jam-packed and impossible to find a seat. Forget it if you are traveling with your family and want to sit together. The waitlist for the restaurant is 30-45 minutes, which often prevents you from eating there. It could be a terrific lounge but the over-crowding usually means that I leave 5 minutes after arriving and just pay at one of the decent Terminal C restaurants.