By now many folks have seen the United Airlines media blitz about the new level of service called Polaris. My flight back from Hong Kong was one of the inaugural flights. It looked so nice! The business and first class seats were decorated with upscale bedding embroidered with the Saks Fifth Avenue logo and the passengers could cuddle cute polar teddy bears. I wanted one! But they were all taken home by the passengers at the end of the flight.
Even we pilots were given the new fancy bedding for our rest break. Below is a photo of my bunk after I made the bed. (We have a private sleeping room with 2 bunk beds inside the cockpit of the 747). But where were the teddy bears? I would slept so much better if I had been given a stuffed animal, too. Where do I complain…? 🙂
The pilot meals reflected the new level of fanciness, too. I’m not a fan of melon and prosciutto but look how pretty my appetizer is, complete with the little “dots” of balsamic vinegar and a candied walnut.
Nom nom. The new deserts looked amazing (I took a nibble of each to confirm they tasted good, too 🙂 ). The little chocolate cake on my crew meal was decorated with tiny golden flecks. 
United did a great job ramping up the level of luxe for business class; and the flight attendants worked hard to make it all come together, despite some ground service snafus at the station. But it’s always tricky the first day of any new service. The passengers seemed to like it, and as the pilot I was glad I got to experience it from the “front office”.
