United Polaris: United Airlines Chicago–Beijing First Class Experience

Flight Information

• Route: UA 851 Chicago (ORD)-Beijing (PEK)
• Cabin: First Class (Polaris First) 1C and 1H
• Redemption: 90,000 UA miles + 105,000 Aeroplan miles + $125 infant ticket taxes and fees + close booking and a small amount of taxes/fees

My family went back to China together for a trip, and this was finally our first time flying international first class. Because there was also an infant ticket, the ticketing process was fairly complicated; I'll explain the details in the next post. Of the UA miles used here, some were miles I'd accumulated and some came from UR. All of the Aeroplan miles came from Membership Rewards transfers. The taxes and fees were paid with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and the US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card, and should all count toward the annual reimbursement. To put it a bit more dramatically, it could be called a free family first-class trip.

Transfer and Lounge

Because this was a domestic-to-international connection within the U.S., we just walked all the way from the domestic gate to the international gate (you could also take a shuttle bus in between, but walking was more convenient). Along the way, we also got to experience Chicago's unique cultural and artistic vibe~

The UA Polaris airport lounge was pretty good, and the food and drinks made two-plus hours fly by. See:

• ORD United Polaris Lounge: Chicago Airport Lounge Review

United Polaris First Class Experience

Since I'm not really an aviation enthusiast and had never flown international first class before, I won't compare it from a professional perspective. Below are just a few of my personal impressions~

Polaris First Class Seat

There were eight seats in first class on this flight, and we took 1C and 1H. At first, based on the SeatGuru seat map and the UA seat selection map at the time, it looked like there was still some distance between 1C and 1H. Later, after asking someone who had flown this route before, we confirmed that the middle section was actually connected.

It was basically a head-to-head setup. Once the divider in the middle was lowered, it was very convenient to talk to each other. A child could also crawl back and forth..

The window seat felt more comfortable, with what seemed like three windows

At the time, there were still three empty seats in first class, and the two behind us were used by the pilots for eating and resting, though it looked like they were also just having the usual crew meal. When they woke up, they were also scrolling on their phones; no idea what they were looking at.

What struck me most about the first-class seat was how spacious it was. I used to be used to economy class with nine people in a row in a 3-3-3 layout, so now everything around me felt incredibly open, and even a little empty and chilly, with some wind blowing around. The seat also had quite a few hidden little compartments that could be opened for storage, so blankets and the like could just be tossed in. The seat could be adjusted to various angles on its own, and it also had one-touch bed mode and one-touch sit-up mode.

The first-class flight attendants were all kindly grandmothers, and they told us that if we wanted to sleep, they would make the bed for us. In the end, though, we all just put the seats into bed mode ourselves; it somehow felt strange to trouble an elderly grandmother to make the bed. On a previous domestic UA flight in the U.S., our flight attendant was also an elderly grandfather, which really made me feel that UA is the Walmart of the skies.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit came in a box and looked pretty upscale, to the point that at first we thought it was a model airplane.

Inside were an eye mask, various toiletries, and even a pair of socks.

In addition to the amenity kit, they also gave out a set of UA pajamas. I didn't see anyone actually change into them.

First-Class Dinner

Not long after boarding, the grandmother flight attendant brought over the menu. What was surprising was how bare-bones the menu was; it was practically no different from a cheap snack stall. The only choices were the main dish for dinner and the type of breakfast later on; everything else was the same. Both LD and I felt this meal was even worse than economy class on Asiana and ANA.

Soon after takeoff, the grandmother flight attendant began asking whether we wanted to start the meal service. Even though we had already eaten our fill in the lounge, we still planned to eat quickly and then get some rest. So dinner began.

The first course started with some nut snacks and an unidentified skewer. Only after looking at the menu did I realize it was a skewer of blue cheese, dried fig, and a single grape. After one bite, it was honestly terrible. It would have been better to just serve three grapes on a skewer.

LD ordered the mushroom, tofu, and braised pork belly noodles, which reportedly were very bad, with the pork belly having a strange smell.

Dessert was an unidentifiable ice cream. The ice cream itself tasted pretty good, but the strawberry sauce on top was far too sweet.

Overall, although the dishes were served one course at a time, the taste was really nothing to rave about. First class also had some chicken rice on hand, probably the economy-class main dish, and we later ordered a bit of that; it tasted about the same as the rest of the meal.

Breakfast After Waking Up

Not long after finishing dinner, the cabin lights went off. I guess it was to let everyone get some sleep and start adjusting to the time difference early. One thing worth complaining about is that the meal schedule only included one dinner and one breakfast. During the dark period, there was a stretch that was dinner time in U.S. time, and when we woke up our stomachs were growling. We grabbed some instant noodles from the snack area, but that still wasn't enough, so we asked the grandmother flight attendant to heat up two portions of chicken rice for us. That finally filled us up. As it turns out, when you're hungry, even economy-class chicken rice tastes especially good.

About two hours before arrival, the grandmother flight attendant appeared again and said breakfast was coming! I ordered the Provençal omelet. The omelet was stuffed full of cheese, making it way too rich. The sausage and so on tasted okay, but the fruit was the best part.

Conclusion

After 14 hours of flying, we finally arrived in Beijing. This trip was probably the most comfortable one yet. In economy class I used to have to get up and walk around several times, or else my legs would feel like they were about to cramp. I didn't sleep for very long, but the sleep was fairly efficient.

Overall, United Polaris first class didn't give me a first-class feeling. The best part was that the seat and bed were very spacious, so you could turn around freely. A child and an adult could even lie down together, which was fairly comfortable. As for service, the grandmother flight attendant wasn't as enthusiastic as one might expect in first class; she basically just came by at set times to ask what we wanted, and the rest of the time she was nowhere to be seen. The meal was probably the least worthwhile part; it was barely enough to fill you up, and the quality was really hard to praise.

If I get the chance in the future, I'd still like to try first class on Cathay Pacific, ANA, or JAL and experience what true first class feels like.