Flight Review: Boeing 787-10 Polaris® – ORD-BRU

To kick off our trip to Italy yesterday, we flew from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Brussels Airport (BRU) on United Airlines with a connection to Milan Linate Airport (LIN) today. The transatlantic flight was pleasant and United is making great strides in improving the food quality and overall experience in Polaris®.

Anthony’s Take: I have given United a lot of criticism in the past, but I also highlight the airline when it performs well. We were delayed getting out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) because the flight before ours was delayed and not moving from our gate. The pilots made up a lot of time in the air and we arrived only around 15 minutes late. Overall, this was a pleasant flight with comfortable seats, good bedding, tasty meals, operational and speedy Wi-Fi, and decent service. The flight crew got the job done, but they were not overly friendly or chatty.

Booking

This flight was booked as a one-way ticket. We flew ORD-BRU on United Airlines in Polaris®. I booked the tickets for 80,000 MileagePlus miles each. While United has largely destroyed its redemptions with the loss of charts and inflated awards that seem to go up every time I look, there are still some relative bargains to be had if you look hard enough and luck out. I booked these seats two days before departure and 80,000 is a far cry from what United wanted for award seats to many other European destinations. In Polaris®, I was seeing rates of 295,000 and 395,000 miles a ticket. That is absurd and United has entered Delta’s craziness with some of these prices. The connecting flight was booked in Business Class for around $675 each. This is steep for a short, intra-Europe flight but I always buy Business Class as to not have issues with cabin baggage limitations imposed on Economy Class.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago is my home for much of the year and I know this airport like the back of my hand. It was busy when we arrived, but we got through security fairly quickly thanks to the combination of TSA PreCheck® and CLEAR Plus. United’s app is excellent and we did not need to interact with an agent for check-in.

United Polaris® Lounge

We had some time, so we went to the Polaris® Lounge. The renovations are gorgeous and this was the first time that I was inside since it opened. It was way too crowded to review, but I will say that the new sit-down restaurant is well designed, incorporates the Crate & Barrel furniture and accessories well and provided a pleasant experience before our flight. We dined and hung out for a bit before heading over to the nearby Gate C16 for the flight.

Boarding

We boarded late and it was a little rushed as the agents called all the preboarding groups together. We were near the front and went down the jet bridge fairly quickly.

On-Board

We were in seats 8D and 8F. The bulkhead seats provide larger footwells, but these were booked. When I booked there were not two seats together, but the gate agent moved someone out of 8F to 7F so that we could sit together. The woman who ended up in 7F boarded almost last and was out of breath. I think she was coming from a connection and the gate agent figured she would miss the flight. She said nothing about being in 7F and seemed happy to have made the flight. Both my husband and I have large feet (US 13) and the footwells on these seats were rather small.

At the seat was a large pillow, cooling gel pillow, duvet, and day blanket. Polaris® bedding by Saks Fifth Avenue is some of the best and I’m glad United offers this collection. I love the refreshed colors of the new bedding and think it adds a lot to the experience.

Amenity kits were not on our seats at boarding. We had to ask the flight attendants. They brought us each a Therabody kit, but initially insisted that the amenity kits were already at the seats. I did not see anyone else ask for one or have one at their seats, so United saved some money in not providing these for this flight. The Therabody kits are very nice and loaded with all of the usual goodies.

Seat Features

The Polaris® seats are pretty comfortable, but a bit restrictive with high walls that keep you firmly in your own space. This is great when traveling alone, but if you are with someone it’s not the easiest to converse during the flight.

A wheel along the side controls the seat and allows it to transform into a completely flat bed.

Each seat has a power outlet, headphone jack, and remote control for the entertainment system.

The monitors operate as touchscreens, but when reclined it’s easier to use the remote. The seats are great for stretching out (even with the limited footwell). I did not watch anything on the screen and worked on my laptop throughout.

A USB port is under the screen.

A reading light pops out for personal illumination when the cabin lights are dimmed.

A lamp is located near the front of the seat.

Each Polaris® seat also has a small storage compartment. I use this space to store my phone and passport during the flight. It also usually offered a bottle of water. Under the left armrest there is also a literature pocket with the Safety Card. I miss Hemispheres!

A hook is at each seat for jackets.

Each seat also has individual reading lights and air nozzles overhead.

Food

Menus were already at each seat when we boarded. Pre-departure beverages were offered, but only sparkling wine was on the tray. The crew did not seem to want to even offer water let alone a choice of beverages. Polaris® made significant cuts before and during the pandemic, but it’s now on the upswing. The meals served on this flight were better thought out and executed than anything I have had on a Polaris® flight in years. I did not feel like I had to bring my own food, which when flying Business Class is a good thing.

The service started with warmed snack mix and a beverage of choice. I ordered a ginger ale. I preordered the Pork Cutlet with Bell Pepper Onion Sauce. There were four choices online and four available on the flight. I like it when there are additional options. United does this for domestic First Class and should offer more for Polaris® passengers.

The tray came with a Baby Red Oak Leaf Arugula Salad and a choice of Chilled Ginger Beef or Sliced Watermelon Radish. I went with the beef and was quite pleased with my selection. Flight attendants brought around a bread basket with a few options and I had the garlic bread. There were no pretzel rolls catered.

When the salad and appetizer was cleared, the flight attendant serving my section of the cabin brought over the Pork Cutlet It was juicy, flavorful, and a large portion. Good job with this meal, United.

After dinner, a choice of an Artisan Cheese Plate, Plain Cheesecake, an Ice Cream Sundae, or a Sky-High Caramel Cloud Sundae was offered. The Sky-High Caramel Cloud Sundae is new and the flight attendants didn’t even know about it. They took my menu to see how it was made. United describes it as follows:

Indulge in our delicious limited-time offering from the sundae cart: the ‘Sky-High Caramel Cloud” featuring Tillamook’s rich and creamy caramel toffee crunch ice cream, moist olive oil cake crumbles, glazed pecans topped with a caramel drizzle, and a fluffy dollop of fresh whipped cream. It’s a perfect blend of flavors and textures that will have your taste buds floating on cloud nine.”

I’m not sure I’d go that far, but the ice cream was soft and it was a good combo.

Snacks were set up in the galley for Polaris® passengers to grab in flight.

About an hour before landing, breakfast was served. A Baked Egg White Pastry or Banana Bread Pudding were the choices. I had the latter. It was okay. I found it heavy and limited in flavor. The tray also came with a croissant, a Chobani Vanilla Yogurt, and a fruit salad.

Wi-Fi

I find United’s Wi-Fi to be relatively fast (when it’s operational). Through the years it has gotten much more reliable, but I have had a few recently where it went out. The cost for the full flight was $14.99. This is reasonable for an eight-hour flight as domestic routes are a flat $8 fee for MileagePlus members.

Lavatory

The lavatory is standard for what you can expect on a Boeing 787-10. It held a sink and a toilet along with a few toiletries.

Toiletries facial mist, hand lotion, and clothes spray.

The lavatory was pretty tight, overall.

Service

The service was fine. There was nothing good or bad that stood out. The crew did not seem interested in talking and just did their service quickly and efficiently. I know they’re waiting for a contract and a little testy as a result (I don’t blame them), but there was no real warmth on this flight.

Overall Impression:

We departed late and arrived almost on time, the service was mediocre, but the food was so much better than I thought it would be. This coupled with great Saks bedding, a nice amenity kit, a comfortable seat, functioning Wi-Fi, and a selection of movies and TV shows for those who wanted to watch them made for an enjoyable way to get to Europe.

(Featured Image Credit: United Airlines and Chicago Image Credit: aoldman via iStock.)