by El Pelon » Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:41 pm
I've been fortunate enough to have enough miles to cash in for last few years of trans-Pacific hops to get Polaris Class on United. The service is variable depending on the mood the crew is in. So far the Tokyo based crews have been consistently superb. The US based crews are a crap shoot. That said, I don't really care that much about the service, but one thing that has been a game changer for me is the lay flat bed on a 14 hour flight. They could keep all the food, unlimited booze, "Purser," and any and all service if I could just get that bed every time. I am not about to pay the 7-11K sticker price for the seat on our way to BKK, but I'll cash in miles all day long to get up front just to have the bed.
I will say that the Polaris Lounge in the airports is about as nice as I could ever hope for. A sit down restaurant, buffet, open bar, all kinds of amenities that come with the ticket at no extra charge (all food is included). Again, not worth 10K, but I'll take it if it comes with a mileage upgrade.
First class on short hops is a nice touch, but not really worth much hype. After having grown accustomed to 42 hour travel days to get to our final destination in SEA, a 6 hour flight to Germany is just a couple of movies and dinner.
I have enough miles for one more upgrade and then it's back to the cattle car. It was a good run, but all good things must come to an end.