United Airlines will temporarily close its Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge – its first Polaris Lounge – to expand and remodel.
United Airlines will refresh the Polairs Lounge at Chicago O’Hare
First mentioned by Zach Griff, Live and let us fly has reviewed a memo distributed to employees regarding these plans and can report the following:
- The partial construction work is planned from September 3, 2024 to January 1, 2025.
- During this time, the lounge will remain open and all amenities, including à la carte dining, will remain available.
- Guests “may expect crowding due to reduced room capacity”
- All Polaris guests who choose to visit the United Club instead will receive complimentary premium beverages (Chicago O’Hare has four United Clubs).
- On January 2, 2024, the lounge will be completely closed until “the end of March 2025” (subject to completion of construction work).
- To accommodate the additional guests visiting ORD United Clubs during this time, acceptance of United Club one-time passes will be limited.
The changes include:
- The 836 square meter expansion (from 1496 to 2396 square meters) is the second expansion of this lounge since its opening in 2016.
- More “premium” seats (no further explanation)
- More toilets and amenities
- Private seating and work areas added
- Overall, the number of seats in the lounge will double
Will the lounge be divided into a standard and a premium area?
The biggest question I have – and one that United is silent on – is whether the new lounge will have “premium” areas that only a certain group of lounge guests have access to. Think private suites or guaranteed food availability (sometimes the wait for a table can be over an hour).
As a reminder, United hinted at some of these changes in a Polaris survey earlier this year.
> Learn more: United Airlines considers Polaris Plus cabin with “Press For Champagne” button
I’m not an advocate of a split-level lounge experience. With the exception of the lunchtime crush in San Francisco or the afternoon crush at O’Hare, Newark, and Washington Dulles, I find the current Polaris lounge model works remarkably well… and there’s no reason to change something that works.
Let me put it another way: Access to the Polaris Lounges (including on arrival) is a strong incentive for me to book an intercontinental flight with United.
DIPLOMA
United Airlines will temporarily close its Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare to renovate and expand it. The expansion is certainly welcome, although I hope United doesn’t tinker with what is already an excellent premium lounge overall.
