PJ's in United Polaris Class SYD to SFO

[zoomzoom]

Just wondering do UA provide PJ's to business class passengers in polaris class on the Pacific flights SYD/SFO and return? Any tips on fly UA on this route?

 

[Anna]

I'm doing MEL SFO soon, then SFO SYD. My best googling efforts and the UA website suggest pyjamas are available on request on flights longer than 12 hours.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Yes; just ask if they're not proactively offered.

Oh - and just don't get too excited about the food and you'll be satisfied.

 

[Anna]

just don't get too excited about the food and you'll be satisfied.

So just like QF then

 

[SYD]

So just like QF then

I‘d be surprised if UA Biz menu has changed much in 20 years. Some sort cold seafood starter - prawn salad or gravalax followed by filet of beef or some chook thing. Desert of vanilla ice cream and baileys…

 

[jakeseven7]

So just like QF then

QFi food is much better than UAi food

 

[MEL_Traveller]

QFi food is much better than UAi food

I wouldn’t go as far to say it is ‘much’ better. I didn’t have a single ‘good’ meal on the QF11 SYD-LAX a couple months ago. It was all tired, poorly plated, and the breakfast hot offering was dry.

UA is entirely comfort food. It doesn’t set expectations in the same way, and for me, is therefore somehow more satisfying

 

[RooFlyer]

UA is entirely comfort food. It doesn’t set expectations in the same way, and for me, is therefore somehow more satisfying

Yes, but is it 'Neil Perry inspired'?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, but is it 'Neil Perry inspired'?

just seem to have regular chefs doing… well, chef stuff! https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/dining/united-executive-chefs.html

Is it AA that has a ‘congress of chefs’? I do like that!

 

[heycam]

PJs were provided on my MEL-SFO UA flight a week ago.

What I didn't get was a mattress. FAs handed out a few to select people after boarding, and later in the flight when I asked I was told they didn't have any left.

The meal I got was nice though. Fish of some sort with a lemon cream sauce.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For some reason I seem to recall that various aspects of the bedding were on request, and first-come-first-served!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

A one-off situation is understandable but that's pretty weird if it's standard practice not to load sufficient bedding for the entire J cabin. It's almost so on-brand for American cost-cutting that it almost sounds like a joke. Can't have those pillows weighing the thing down.

 

[Anna]

The meal I got was nice though. Fish of some sort with a lemon cream sauce.

Were there any snacks available?

 

[heycam]

They did serve a midnight snack but I was asleep so I don’t know what it was. And some usual uninteresting snacks like chips or cookies at other times.

 

[Anna]

I flew MEL SFO yesterday and compared to my experiences with QF this year it was an absolute pleasure.

Asked for PJs and mattress and got both. The 'bed' was way more comfortable than the one I had on QF103 in July. The best thing about having to ask for the PJs is that there isn't the huge sudden lineup for the toilets to get changed like always happens on QF, and same before landing. I enjoyed my meals and while there was no printed menu or wine list, the food was just as good as QF and the salad was much better than the tiny, sad Neil Perry offering. The snacks aren't 'served' but are out in the galleys - various rolls or sandwiches as Americans insist on calling them, biscuits, chocolate and fruit.

I had the same meal as the photo posted earlier, followed by icecream. Other available choices were beef or cheese tortellini for main, and apple pie or cheese for dessert. No starters as such, just salad. The champagne was Gosset and was great.

Where UA and QF were very similar was that boarding was a shemozzle on both. But whereas QF don't care about PB, UA care about it too much so they have a baffling number of announcements about who can board when and nobody understands what's going on. I was in group 1 which was closer to the fifth group to board after all the fancy people boarded.

Anyway I would definitely consider UA again for transPac flights.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Thanks for the data point and glad to hear you had a nice trip. I'm on UA from SYD-LAX next month, but in PY. Will be sure to report back in the appropriate forum.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yeah… my UA flight pre-covid to LAX was on par with QF. We have the ice-cream sundae cart back then, which had made-to-order sundaes, and also anything else you wanted, like the cheese plate as well.

They weren’t the best seats back then, but I had the bulkhead with a spare beside me, so was fine. I think it’s better with the polaris seats now.

I like UA’s premier lounge offerings.

 

[jakeseven7]

A one-off situation is understandable but that's pretty weird if it's standard practice not to load sufficient bedding for the entire J cabin. It's almost so on-brand for American cost-cutting that it almost sounds like a joke. Can't have those pillows weighing the thing down.

Its on request only and they don't carry one for everyone is what I was told!

PJs were provided on my MEL-SFO UA flight a week ago.

What I didn't get was a mattress. FAs handed out a few to select people after boarding, and later in the flight when I asked I was told they didn't have any left.

The meal I got was nice though. Fish of some sort with a lemon cream sauce.

What was your starter and dessert?

Main looks a bit meagre still, but glad you said it was nice.

 

[heycam]

What was your starter and dessert?

Didn't take a picture of the starter so I forget now, and didn't opt for the dessert.

Main looks a bit meagre still, but glad you said it was nice.

I'd order it again!

 

[Anna]

Didn't take a picture of the starter

Wait. What? You got a starter? I didn't! Outrageous!