The North Star of Airport Lounges: United Polaris Lounge Named Best Business Class Lounge in the World

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Jun 18, 2019, 13:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Polaris lounge at San Francisco International Airport has been voted Best Business Class Lounge in the World by the 2019 World Airline Awards from Skytrax. This highly-coveted award was voted on by more than 21 million airline customers representing over 100 nationalities.

"Our customers are telling us that the Polaris lounges are a gamechanger in providing modern, tranquil spaces to relax, recharge and enjoy top-notch food and drinks. The entire Polaris experience begins in the lounge, which is why we've placed so much emphasis on getting it right," said Mark Krolick, United's vice president of marketing. "Being honored with this award is a testament to our revolutionary efforts to continue to exceed our customers' high expectations."

With a focus on providing a more tranquil journey from departure-to-landing, United has opened an exclusive portfolio of United Polaris lounges at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and most recently, Los Angeles International Airport.

"Polaris lounges have impressed customers from the first unveiling in 2016 and have grown in popularity amongst international air travelers year-on-year," said Edward Plaisted, chief executive officer of Skytrax. "This global recognition is a top seal of approval for the staff and management involved in delivering the Polaris lounge concept, and they should be rightly proud of a truly world-class facility."

The only lounge of its kind offered by a U.S. airline to international business class customers, United Polaris lounges feature a custom scent, curated music playlist and subtle mood lighting which come together to create a notable sensory experience. Each location offers a variety of seating areas to meet the needs of customers, whether they want to charge their mobile devices, take advantage of complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, enjoy a gourmet meal or simply rest before their flight. United Polaris lounge signature seats are designed with an oversized chair, integrated work or dining table, large privacy dividers and a personal side lamp. Tucked away from the rest of the lounge, daybeds outfitted with a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and pillow offer a quiet place to rest.

United Polaris business class represents the airline's most significant product transformation in more than a decade and the airline continues to increase momentum of its roll-out. Nearly 50% of United's wide-body fleet are now outfitted with the new Polaris business class seat and the United Polaris lounge at Dulles International Airport is expected to open next year.

Star Alliance, of which United is a founding member, was also victorious in this year's Awards, claiming the Best Airline Alliance title for the fourth consecutive year. Star Alliance was the first airline alliance to receive the Best Alliance Award when the category was introduced in 2005 and has since won the award ten times.

Through the world's largest airline alliance, United customers have seamless travel options to destinations in nearly 200 countries. MileagePlus members may earn and use miles on United and 28 other Star Alliance member airlines, and Premier members are recognized with added benefits around the world. Star Alliance's Los Angeles Lounge retained the Best Airline Alliance Lounge Award for the fifth year in a row. With more than 1,000 locations, the Star Alliance lounge network is the largest in the world.

The World Airline Awards were introduced by Skytrax in 1999 to provide a customer satisfaction study that was independent, impartial and global.

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today's announcement, United recently introduced ConnectionSaver, a new tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers connecting from one United flight to the next. Additionally, the airline announced that luxury skincare line Sunday Riley will make products exclusively for United customers to experience in amenity kits, released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 355 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 779 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 569 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines