UPDATE: United Airlines is opening the new Polaris Lounge in Washington Dulles in the near future. In addition, they will reopen three other Polaris Lounges in 2021.
Chicago (ORD).
Houston (IAH).
Newark (EWR).
A spokesperson for United confirmed the information to Live and Lets Fly. Although no specific dates were given, United confirmed that the lounges would reopen in 2021.
Due to low demand for international travel from United States' two west coast hubs, San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX), will not reopen immediately. Although there are goals for a re-opening of LAX in early 2022 have been discussed, I predict that LAX won't reopen until longhaul flights like those to London, Melbourne, and Shanghai return.
It is great to know that the United Polaris Lounges are opening soon.
Below is the original article.
United Airlines has plans to reopen three Polaris Lounges in the future, although this is not a definitive plan.
When will United Polaris Lounges reopen?
Luc Bondar is United's Vice President of Loyalty. His position involves overseeing airport lounges.
Bondar didn't name any of the airports but did mention that the Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles was progressing well and will be completed soon.
Alexander Dorrow, Uniteds' Managing Director of Lounges has stated in the past:
It is amazing, and aligned with Polaris' vision, as well as being very localized for the Washington DC market.
My guess is Newark (EWR), Washington (IAD), with San Francisco (SFO) or Houston (IAH). Houston and Chicago now have four United Clubs, but the Polaris Lounge could help to reduce crowding when international travel returns. United's west coast hubs Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO) continue to experience low international traffic despite travel bans still in place to Australia and Asia. SFO still sees a lot more traffic to Asia than LAX, and may resume flights to Asia at the end of this year.
Dorrow also mentioned:
Because of the extensive amenities and training required, these lounges take longer to reopen than United Clubs.
United has not yet specified the specific criteria that must be met before these lounges can open.
The team can make informed decisions about when and where to reopen clubs by tracking enplanements and customer types as well as flight schedules.
United will continue to reopen United Clubs at its lines stations. These lounges are set to open this month, or have been open since last year.
Atlanta (ATL).
Boston (BOS)
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Orange County (SNA).
Raleigh-Durham (RDU)
San Antonio (SAT)
Washington National (DCA).
In September, more United Clubs will be established.
CONCLUSION
East Coast to Europe flights can be so brief that I consider reopening the Polaris Lounges at Washington Dulles or Newark a priority. United plans to reopen Polaris Lounges in 2021. This is the good news. We don't have a date yet. Re-opening Polaris Lounges in 2021 is dependent on travel continuing to rebound, as the Delta variant continues.
