Flight Review: United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Polaris® – LHR-IAD

We spent two days in London after exploring Copenhagen for a few. Getting home, we flew Copenhagen Airport (CPH) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on SAS, explored London, and then flew London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Tampa International Airport (TPA) on United Airlines. The flight crew, the seat, the bedding, and the Wi-Fi were all fine on this flight, but the food in Polaris® (Business Class) was terrible.

Anthony’s Take: The flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) was nothing out of the ordinary. Like the outbound, the food was extremely poor with the ice cream sundae tasting rancid; the seat and bedding were both comfortable. This crew was not as friendly as the outbound crew and they did not go out of their way to provide anything more than service that was passable. I checked in quickly with the app and did not interact with many airline employees.

Booking

This flight was booked as a one-way ticket for $678 each. We flew LHR-IAD on United Airlines in Polaris® thanks to an upgrade. I booked the tickets in Economy (K class) and used 80 PlusPoints to upgrade each of us to Polaris®. PZ space was available with the upgrades clearing at booking.

United Club℠

We spent some time in the United Club℠ at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) before the flight. The lounge is divided into two halves and we hung out in the section that used to be reserved for Global Services members. I prefer this part of the lounge and we had some breakfast before boarding.

Boarding

We boarded on time and in the correct order. We were among the first on the plane when we pre-boarded as United 1K® members were called from their own designated section.

On-Board

We selected seats 9D and 9G as the bulkhead seats provide larger footwells. As I’ve mentioned before, both my husband and I have large feet (US 13) and this space is appreciated.

At the seat was a large pillow, cooling gel pillow, duvet, and day blanket as well as a Brooks Brothers amenity kit. Polaris® bedding by Saks Fifth Avenue is some of the best and United continues to dominate in this category of amenities.

Seat Features

The Polaris® seats are comfortable but a bit restrictive as the high walls keep you firmly in your own space. The center pairs of seats in the odd rows are the best when traveling with someone.

A wheel along the side controls the seat and lets you move it to 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.

A USB port is located near the screen.

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

Another light was on the wall.

Each Polaris® seat also has a small compartment. I use this space to store my phone, wallet, and passport during the flight. It also held a bottle of water.

Headphones were found here.

Each seat also has a coat hanger.

Individual lights were overhead, but there were no air vents.

The amenity kit contained the usuals: socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, a pen, and various lotions. I liked the design of the Brooks Brothers bag.

Food

Menus were already at each seat when we boarded. Pre-departure beverages were never offered. It’s no secret that Polaris® made significant cuts before and during the pandemic. The food got so bad that I started bringing my own or eating before I boarded since it was to the point of being inedible. It was getting better, but it has slid backwards and is currently pretty poor. The menus are odd. Things are thrown together and none of it really tastes good. This meal was particularly bad. I took a few bites and was finished.

I started with a ginger ale and snack mix. This was not heated as it is supposed to be.

I pre-ordered the Linguini Pasta. It was the only edible part of the meal (even though it was cold). The appetizer was disgusting. It was a random assortment of things on the tray like olives and hummus. I took a few bites and was done. Nothing tasted good and it was as if United just cleaned out the refrigerator on this tray.

Dessert was even worse. I ordered an ice cream sundae with butterscotch and whipped cream. The ice cream was rock hard, the butterscotch was grainy, and the whipped cream tasted rancid. One bite and I was done.

Snacks were set up in the galley.

Prior to landing, I had the Penne with Creamy Black Pepper Sauce. It was tasty, but the bread was again cold.

Wi-Fi

I find United’s Wi-Fi to be relatively fast when it works. Through the years it has gotten much more reliable, but I continue to have flights where it was inoperable. This flight was a good one with speedy service.

The cost for the full flight was $12.99. This is reasonable for a transatlantic flight as most short domestic routes are a flat $8 fee.

Lavatory

The lavatory was on the smaller side but got the job done with a sink and toilet.

Hydrating mist and clothes spray were in the lavatory.

Service

The flight attendants were pretty bad and did not want to do anything more than they absolutely had to in order to get through the flight.

Overall Impression:

We departed late, but arrived mostly on time, the service was poor and the food was terrible. Comfortable bedding, working Wi-Fi, and a selection of movies and TV shows made for a passable flight. There was nothing special and that seems to be the norm when flying United Polaris®.