United Airlines introduced its premium United Polaris Lounges in 2016, with the first location opening at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Designed specifically for long-haul international first and business class travelers, the lounges were created by reimagining older United Club and Global First spaces to deliver a more refined airport lounge experience that engages all the senses.

As of 2026, there are six United Polaris Lounges located in major United hub cities, including:

• Washington Dulles International Airport

• Newark Liberty International Airport

• O’Hare International Airport

• George Bush Intercontinental Airport

• San Francisco International Airport

• Los Angeles International Airport

Over time, United Polaris Lounges have become known not only for their premium amenities but also for their elevated beverage programs.

As the years have passed, the Lounges have taken things to the next level when it comes to the beverage menu. Coming from years of maintenance of the program since 2021, 2024 brought about evolution and transformation. The united team considered how they wanted to further elevate the program to create a more curated menu for their guests. Feeling it was important to undergo an entire refresh, from the look and feel of the menu, to glassware, the changes all aligned with the ongoing renovations and changing consumer interests. Knowing what direction they were heading in, they decided to change over 70% of their offerings and a new cocktail menu (by location) was developed.

The Lounges’ cocktail menus deserve a spotlight of their own. The cocktail menu concept is built around – flight destination, hub location, seasonality, and airport-lounge specific trends. Along with their six core cocktails, the menus change three to four times a year to truly stick with the importance of seasonality and feature two additional alcoholic cocktails and two additional non-alcoholic drinks that are distinct to each location. Naming the cocktails is also a little easter egg for guests, as each name is a nod to aviation history, destination locations, and hub city.

So, how was the new menu marketed? Through training, education and word of mouth.

Brand guidelines for all Polaris Lounges are tightly regulated and prohibit branded marketing materials from being used in the Lounges and they do not have a social media presence because they want to keep the experience alluring from the outside. Knowing this, the team had to be creative in how they would market the new menu. All cocktails were created to be visually appealing through their color, garnish, and creating a story to sell each drink. Polaris staff partook in an eight-week long training before the full launch of the program. Within this training, servers and bartenders were given more than just a robot-like script to parrot to guests – they were given a backstory as to how and why each cocktail came to be, along with luring their interests on a deeper level than just what ingredients are featured (ie: learning about Aviation history or worldwide destinations). From there, the staff had the knowledge needed to tell the story and sell the drink to their guests. As a result, the Lounges saw an increase in take rates on the cocktail menu of 50% within the first three months of its launch.

The word is spreading about Polaris lounges. Esquire listed Polaris Lounge in their most recent Best Martini roundup and aviation influencers and celebrities are sharing their drinks on social media. Changes were made to be more appealing to the guests and give them what they want, and the results show what a positive impact that has had – guest satisfaction has increased by 26% YoY.

Cheers to year two of Polaris Lounges’ new and evolving program!