United Airlines Struggles to Keep Its Polaris Promises
Skift Take
Did United Airlines promote its new Polaris cabin faster than was prudent? The answer is probably yes. But remember, in 2016, United was losing high-value customers to competitors. It likely wanted to make a splash by highlighting its future plans.
Like Steve Jobs introducing an Apple product, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz confidently took to a New York stage in June 2016 to introduce Polaris, a new luxury business class with direct-aisle access seats, special lounges, fresh bedding, meals, and amenity kits.
It was a seminal moment for United, an airline that struggled with quality issues under former CEO Jeff Smisek, who left the previous year amid allegations he had approved a flight to benefit a political appointee. Smisek led United when it evaluated seats, but much of Polaris took shape after he departed, with the airline choosing the name because Munoz liked the North Star reference. United, an industry laggard since its merger with Continental Airlines, was on the move, and Munoz wanted to reflect that.
But more than 16 months later, United's Polaris class still confuses customers, a problem that may continue for the foreseeable future. United made a bet that travelers would be smart enough to know Polaris stood for two product types — seats and lounges that would take several years to install and build, and stylish amenities, better food, and new service standards that would come much faster, even on planes with older seats.
As promised, since November 2016, every United long-haul flight has operated with Polaris service, with Saks Fifth Avenue-branded bedding, improved food, and amenity kits, and, on longer flights, airline-issued pajamas. Flight attendants even roll out Bloody Mary carts and offer wine ta
