You Trip Report

	DATE	FLIGHT NUMBER	SEAT	AIRCRAFT
31 Oct 20	UA 748	9A	787-10
CLASS	VIEWS	LANGUAGE	AUTHOR
Business Class	88583	English	jetsetpanda

Prologue:

Hello and welcome to the return portion of my trip to NY.

This time I will compare my experience with UA's Polaris business class on the competitive SFO - New York market. So far I was impressed with AA. Will UA compare favorably? We'll see.

My ride from Penn Station was smooth and the AirTrain deposited me by the "C" gates at EWR.

I proceeded to the Premier desk to check in. I tried to get my boarding passes online but the UA app did not give me the option to send them to an alternate email address so I printed the boarding pass at the airport. The agent at the entrance was quick and asked if I was flying Polaris. I said yes and when I tried to show my reservation on the phone she waived me saying that she didn't need to see it.

TSA line was not too bad.

Inside terminal C.

UA is the dominant carrier at EWR.

This was the only UA Club open at this massive airport. It's an old facility that is definitely showing its age and is in need of a major renovation.

Entrance.

Reception desk.

The lounge is arranged in a circular layout looking out into a food court in the middle.

There a different sections with seating area and cubicles.

There are markings on the cubicle walls.

Uneven chair.

Bar.

You had to ask for hot beverages at the bar.

The buffet was like a "help yourself" vending machine.

WC's. There were about 3 sets of these inside the lounge.

I wanted to check out the famous "pop out" lounge and there was a big sign by the Polaris lounge advising people to go to the one by gate C93. When I arrived I saw this sign.

Boarding at the gate.

There was a slight delay because one of the pax had an issue with the agent scanning the boarding passes. There was an announcement about bringing only 2 pieces of carryons and apparently the pax had 3..

At the entrance a FA was giving each pax a disinfectant wipe.

Polaris cabin.

My seat 9A.

Amenity kit pillow and blanket at the seat.

Screen

Lamp.

Reading light.

Notice the narrow exit to the aisle.

Footrest.

Seat control.

Compartment for headphone and bottle of water.

Mirror.

Tray table.

Tablet mode.

No magazine.

Saks Fifth Av. pillow and blanket. The pillow cover was very smooth.

WC before take off. The seat was dirty. I don't know if that was a cleaning oversight or someone used it after being cleaned.

Toiletries.

Safety video.

FA's asked each pax about the dinner choice - chicken pad thai OR vegetarian ravioli. There was no printed menu like AA. I said to the FA "I take all of the above". She replied "you must be hungry". :P

Amenity kit.

Very basic and there is no hand lotion.

I ordered my half cranberry and orange juice mix. I was given 2 cans of each to mix it on my own. Let's play bartender!

Everything was individually wrapped. The dish had 3 layers of aluminum paper covering it. I noticed that there was no ice cream on my tray and when I reminded the FA she apologized and brought it back right away.

Too much sauce on the pad thai but it was delicious.

Dessert.

Nothing like a nap after a meal.

Drink and snack before arrival. There were two snack baskets on the credenza at the front of the cabin.

Landing @ SFO.

Intercontinental Times Square.

I had a decent stay at this contemporary and stylish property.

Comfortable room but there was no bath robe and pen/paper at the desk. I don't know if the lack of these are Covid19 related.

View from my room.

Restaurant was closed. They only serve continental breakfast during the weekends.

Shake Shack around the corner of the hotel.

Hotel exterior.

========== Newark Liberty Intl Arpt (EWR) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 9/10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 9/10

General cleanliness: 9/10

========== United Club Gate C74 ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: 4/10

Business Center: /10

Food: 4/10

Lounge Design: 4/10

Spa and Bathroom: 4/10

Wifi: 10/10

========== United Airlines - Airline ==========

Cabine comfort: 9/10

Crew: 9/10

Entertainment: 9/10

On-time performance: 10/10

Appetizer: 8/10

Starter: 0/10

Main Meal: 9/10

Main Meal-2: 0/10

Cheese: 0/10

Desserts: 8/10

Alcohols: 0/10

Mid-flight snack: 0/10

Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 0/10

========== San Francisco Intl Arpt (SFO) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 10/10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 9/10

General cleanliness: 10/10

Summary:

The UA Club experience was disappointing and not what is expected from an airline at its major hub. The lounge is old and showing its age. Catering is limited to packaged snacks. At least UA can make an effort to serve hot soup like AA. There were a few pax not wearing masks inside the club.

The Polaris cabin looks nice with direct aisle access for all seats. However the narrow entrance to the seat is a bit annoying. The amenity kit feels cheap and not as generous as the AA one. The lack of a printed menu, beverage service before the actual meal and limited choices for main dish are some negatives. .

However the crew was friendly and the main dish was delicious.

17 Comments

Capoune — Nov 07,2020

Hello Adan!

Not as good as AA on the previous flight but not so bad at all.
The show experience during Covid is disappointing but at least it's open!
Onboard some imperfections but the cabin is beautiful and for a domestic flight the service remains correct.
Very beautiful pics as always!!

Thank you for sharing with us this very nice report.
Take car panda!
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 08,2020

Hi Seb,

I'm thankful that we can fly during these difficult times and appreciate the people working in the aviation industry, especially the crew on both AA and UA doing their job with a smile and being friendly.

The cabin of the 787 is very reassuring and beautiful as you said.

See you later. ;)
GG_007 — Nov 07,2020

Thanks for sharing this TR

This lounge really needs improvements but at least it was almost empty

" I said to the FA "I take all of the above". She replied "you must be hungry". :P"
A hungry panda ! ^^
She has to be careful with him

Nuts on the tray : a very good point

"Too much sauce on the pad thai but it was delicious."
It looks yummy

Even if the choice was limited I prefer the UA tray above the AA's
BTW I would have asked for the second choice too ;)

All in all a good flight but in your opinion the AA experience was better

See you soon

Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 08,2020

Salut GG,

Imagine if the lounge was full. That would have been catastrophic.

"Nuts on the tray : a very good point"
- I prefer to have the nuts served with a beverage before the meal. ;)

"It looks yummy"
- I think a laksa soup would work perfectly. :)

"BTW I would have asked for the second choice too ;)"
- The cabin was full. I doubt they would have extras. :P

AA felt more premium.
Thomas — Nov 07,2020

A great report my friend. Oh the pad thai we were talking about. Indeed !!!!!!!!!!! The cabin in nice.
The lounge is below average but not surprising :(
A good hotel.
It feels so good being in the air :)
Thanks again dear.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 08,2020

Hi Thomas,

I wonder if it's better to have less choices as long as they are done well and turn out delicious. Personally I think both choices sounded good on this flight.

It's not often that UA surprises you.

A nice room in a central location. You can't beat that.

Being in the air is essential for avgeeks. ;)
Emile — Nov 07,2020

Thanks Adan for this very nice review. I can't deny the lounge sucks while the product onboard is good.
have a good day.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 08,2020

Hi Emile

It's a contrasting experience for sure. Hopefully they will have more renovated lounges soon.
Casper — Nov 07,2020

Gracias Amigo.
A superb report. Not the best meal but with so many months without flying I would take this in a heartbeat.
The hotel is looking good.
Casper
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 08,2020

Hola Casper,

Glad you liked it. The presentation and appetizer could have been better but at least the main dish was good. I also appreciate having ice cream as dessert.

The hotel was a good choic
AAFlyer — Nov 09,2020

Once again you scored a great report Panda. It was a pleasure reading it. It was a good showdown on both airlines.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 10,2020

Hi AAFlyer,

Round 1 over. Wait for round 2 starting tomorrow. ;)
Vendredi13 — Nov 10,2020

Ouaf ! JetSetPanda !

At first, I felt your report surprisingly close and different from your previous flight...
So I took time and i just reread your outbound flight in order to understand this feeling..
Yes Both Airports and lounges are painted in white tones. Yes The cabin of the 2 planes seem similar. And yes one report looks new, the other one is "vintage". Actually, you built this return flight review exactly like the outbound flight. Comparison is eased. Thanks JetSet' ! it's very informative.
And there is no picture.
I love the public notice displayed on the door of the Polaris Lounge, at the extremity of the concourse. I would have written something else.

Thanks, Panda, for this excellent YTR.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 25,2020

Sorry for my late reply mon oauf,

Anything to make my reports easy to comprehend. ;)

The notice on the Polaris lounge is a little misleading. They shouldn't have pax going all over the place for nothing. I guess the exercise was good. :P
samlecorsaire — Nov 10,2020

Again a very nice TR Panda thanks a lot.
I love the 787 and I loved the cabin with the polaris seat
bye
Reply

jetsetpanda — Nov 25,2020

Hi Sam,

My apologies for responding so late.

The 787 is a nice plane with a comfortable J cabin for sure.

See you.