Starting Next Monday, April 30, customers booked in United Polaris – the airline’s name for international business class – will be able to relax and dine prior to their travels or refresh upon arrival in the new United Polaris lounge at San Francisco International Airport conveniently located in the International Terminal near Gate G92.
The lounge, which joins Chicago (the only other Polaris Lounge currently operational), features Californian touches throughout the lounge’s look as well as the food and beverages so customers get an authentic taste and feel for the Bay Area’s unique aesthetic.
The lounge is vast, spanning two levels across more than 28,000 square feet, with good reason. San Francisco is an important hub for the carrier, connecting far-flung destinations including Asia and Europe.
Within the lounge there are no less than 440 seats, comprised of 19 different types of seating from dining, to lounging to working. There’s no lack of power outlets either, with 492 (very precise number) power outlets and USB ports throughout the lounge.
But it’s not all business. The lounge has a semi-residential feel to it, akin to a hotel lobby, with no less than eight pieces of art by prominent Bay Area artists, all San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art (SECA) Art Award honorees.
For those connecting through San Fransisco, there are five private daybeds outfitted with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding, perfect for catching some shut-eye between long-haul flights.
For those needing to freshen up, there are also eight designer shower suites, featuring rainfall showers and Soho House & Co’s Cowshed Spa products.
The true impressive elements to this can be found in the details, such as personal valet services, including steaming garments and the lounge’s signature a la carte “Dining Room” – a private restaurant style dining area with a menu designed by Chef Tritia Gestuvo, a California native, that blends international comfort foods — such as a traditional Chinese congee breakfast and hand-cut pappardelle pasta with mushroom ragout — with staples like the United Polaris Burger.
For those not wanting a full sit-down affair, there is also a bistro-like buffet that includes a ramen noodle bar in the afternoon and additional unique-to-San Francisco treats that align with the flight schedule and destinations of United and Star Alliance partners.
For the adults, there are a range of cocktails inspired by the Bay Area, including the Mai Tai, invented in Oakland in 1944, and the Pisco Punch, featuring pisco which became all the rage during the California Gold Rush of 1849.
It’s not just Chicago and now San Fran though. The United Polaris lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport is expected to open by early June, the lounge at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston this summer and the lounge at Los Angeles International Airport this fall, although the international lounges are a little longer down the pipeline.
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