Flight Info:

United 777-300ER Flight 59 from Frankfurt to San Francisco

Scheduled Departure: 12:50 p.m., Sunday December 10th, 2017

Scheduled Arrival: 3:40 p.m., Sunday December 10th, 2017

Scheduled Duration: 11 hours, 50 minutes

Class of Service: “Polaris” Business Class

United first introduced their new “Polaris” service concept in December 2016 across their entire fleet. However, they had a very gradual approach to phasing in the actual redesigned business class seats. For all of 2017, the only planes with these seats were their newly-delivered 777-300ER aircraft. They took delivery of 19 in all, meaning that their routes were fairly limited. But I lucked out and they chose to put the plane on a single Europe route: the one from Frankfurt to my home airport of SFO! When I had the opportunity to book a cheap business class ticket home from Munich, I routed through Frankfurt for precisely this reason. I was excited for this flight in particular because it signaled so much about the potential for United’s premium product in the coming years.

The seat map of the plane was wide open when I booked, so I was able to assign myself Seat 3A. I always choose the left side of the plane if I can when flying into SFO, since the plane sometimes overflies the city itself out the left window before circling around the peninsula for landing. And in the Polaris cabin structure, seats in odd rows are positioned forward and further from the aisle, while even number row seats are angled slightly towards the aisle and are significantly more exposed. I chose 3A so that it wouldn’t be right against the galley, and my usual preference anyway is to be in the middle of the forward cabin. The seat itself was even more private than I was expecting, as there was a narrow walkway you had to cross through in order to access the seat. Right behind this walkway was a faux-marble countertop, where the flight menu was left. A lamp sat above the countertop, making it possible to have light for your seat that wouldn’t intrude on the cabin like the ceiling lights would. A power plug and the inflight entertainment handheld controller were also positioned in back of this surface. As for the seat, the fabric is comfy but firm, with additional padding for the headrest. The seatbelt goes across your shoulder like it does in a car. One large pillow was on my seat initially, in addition to the substantial bedding for the flight. Facing straight forward was the inflight entertainment screen and ottoman. The screen wasn’t the largest I’ve seen for business class, but the resolution is sharp and it was sufficient for me. A USB charging port sat to the bottom left side of it. Below it, the tray table for working and dining could be pulled out. I’ve read other reviews stating that the foot cubby was too narrow for them, but it suited me just fine. I was especially appreciative that my feet actually reached it, and I was proud of myself for remembering to use this rare opportunity to stretch my legs on an airplane!

Due to the blizzard that day in Frankfurt, I experienced my very first de-icing delay. Over the course of 2 hours, our plane was sprayed thoroughly with antifreeze, which sent a river of snow flowing down my windows. I spent the delay fascinated with the patterns of falling slush, between catching up on the new Spiderman: Homecoming film. Pre-departure drinks were offered during the delay, and I requested champagne. My flight attendant replied that they didn’t carry champagne, but had prosecco instead. I had no idea what that was at the time, but I requested it anyway and it turned out to be the Italian (and in my opinion, lower quality) version of bubbly. I was also surprised to see it come in a plastic cup, but thankfully that didn’t extend to the meal service. 

Back then, it was possible to start the post-takeoff meal with a “wine tasting”: a flight of 3 wines that came in a plastic holder. (Since then, United realized they had quadrupled their spending on wine, and cut the tastings accordingly). Being completely new to wine at the time (remember, I’d just started working!), I requested a red and white that weren’t memorable, and a Riesling that was. This marked the beginning of rieslings being my favorite version of whites, partially because I like the sweetness and partially because it became easy for me to remember. I stuck with my new favorite riesling for the meal service. The appetizer of tuna and radish, and the salad of Trader Joe’s mix with some tomatoes and carrots, came on the same tray along with bread, seasonings, and cutlery. Aside from needing to eat vegetables after a week in Central Europe, both of these were just meh. For my main I went for variety and got the lemongrass salmon. The vegetables were a little overcooked, but the salmon itself and the rice were pretty delicious and went well with the sauce. It wasn’t a spectacular dish by any means, but it did well enough to be the highlight of the food today. Lastly was a small tray of pastries, one of which was a pistachio macaron. Again, nothing spectacular. Thankfully, I had my newfound riesling to savor through it all.

The meal service wasn’t too drawn out, and finished around 2 hours after takeoff. I got up to take stock of the lavatory at that point. Along with hand soap, they have a facial mist and moisturizing cream, all branded by Cowshed which is a partnership they still have. The rest of the lavatory was like the economy ones, however. On the way back to my seat I had to pass through the galley, and a flight attendant fussed about how it was hard to get anything done with passengers constantly traipsing through. It’s a nit but this was the first time I’d ever been scolded or talked about as an inconvenience by the crew. All 60 seats in the business class cabin were taken today though, so it must have been more stressful than normal. 

After this I decided to try to sleep. Using the panel to the left of my seat, I reclined it all the way into bed mode. I followed that up by unrolling my plush duvet and laying it across the seat. I climbed in and curled up, expecting to fall asleep quickly since I’d been awake for nearly 12 hours at that point. But my body had different plans and I woke up after only a couple hours. For the next 6 to 7 hours I alternated between watching movies and closing my eyes to try to sleep some more. I still don’t know if this was an anomaly, because this flight remains my only westbound daytime transoceanic flight in a premium cabin. It is possible that I was just much less comfortable sleeping in such formal clothes, as United didn’t offer pajamas and I didn’t bring my own to change into. This was the last flight I made that mistake… I do remember that this flight gave me the opportunity to watch The Notebook for the first time. It was Ryan Gosling’s breakout movie, but apparently he had no competition for the role, due to the character’s dull arc. 

The final meal eventually came about 90 minutes before landing at SFO. Most longhaul flights have a breakfast service before landing regardless of the local time, but westbound transatlantics usually opt for a lighter snack or afternoon tea. United’s idea was an attempt at a charcuterie board. Salami and prosciutto came on one plate, with cheese and raw, cold, tasteless fruit and vegetables in a bowl. Bread with butter and olive oil was included, but that was it. I don’t believe alcohol was proactively offered, because if it was I would’ve definitely taken some. I ate the meat and bread, but the cheese and vegetables were tasteless and it felt like they’d been brought out of a deep freeze. I only ate the cantaloupe and melon off to the side. This was the most disappointing part of the flight, and one of the worst meals I’ve ever received in Business Class. I sure hope this isn’t par for the course on their Europe flights…

Soon after my tray was cleared though, the best part of the flight began. We approached San Francisco from the north, and our de-icing delay meant that we were swinging in just ahead of sunset. It was golden hour over the Bay Area, and my windows were crystal clear since this was a brand new aircraft! We spent the final 20 minutes of the flight in a sweeping arc over Marin and San Francisco, followed by the turnaround I was used to over the peninsula. I kept my phone out the entire time and snapped the best series of photos I’ve ever gotten of San Francisco and the Peninsula from the air. I’ll let them speak for themselves:

We pulled into the gate only an hour behind schedule, around 4:45 p.m. I was far enough forward that I got to watch the jetbridge attach to our plane, and soon after that we were all left to gather our things and disembark. I was excited to unpack my souvenirs at home with my family, and finally catch up on some rest and switch back time zones. 

I already noted at the beginning how thrilled I was to be flying United’s new business class product on a brand new plane, and for the elevated service of Polaris. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of my more lackluster flights. Let’s start with the positives: I managed to score a wine flight and got a new favorite type, the seat and bedding was extremely comfortable, and I had views on descent into SFO that were the most breathtaking I’ve ever seen. That said, there are lots of places where my experience fell short that I think could be improved. The pre-landing meal was only partially edible, and it was disappointing not to have another drinks service or any hot options. And except for my main dish I was unimpressed with my initial meal as well. United’s been experimenting with new entrees and appetisers in the time since then, so I could believe that this improved since my flight, or that I had a bad catering one-off. I didn’t sleep well, but that might just be my fault. The crew was also hustling and not very enthusiastic, although I suppose I could forgive that since the cabin was full. United has an excellent seat and the bedding is exceptional as well, so they got the basics right at least. With better meal choices and a more lively crew, I could see my experience jumping from mediocre to amazing. I had both on a later flight from SFO to Boston, and would actually score that flight ahead of this one in terms of how much I enjoyed it. I would absolutely give this product another try, but United has been stingy with their business class seats on these new planes so it will take some waiting and a bit of luck until I am able to try them again with miles.