Review: United Polaris Lounge Newark (EWR)
- Konrad Tillman
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Intro
Over the past 9 months of flying, I have had the opportunity to spend more than 48 hours in the Polaris Lounge in Newark due to extensive layovers, and somehow always ending up transiting Newark. As my trip to Syria progressed, I had the opportunity to check out the lounge again last week and figured it was time to give an in-depth review of the lounge.
After reviewing the Polaris Lounge in Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, Houston (coming soon), and San Francisco (updated review coming soon), the lounge in Newark might be the second nicest after Chicago in terms of ambiance, but it just gets so busy. Additionally, I have found the service to be much better in the smaller Polaris Lounges, aside from the likes of a few staff members at the EWR Lounge. Let’s get into it.
Location+Access
The Polaris Lounge at Newark is relatively easy to find (in comparison to some others 🥴), simply turn left once clearing security, it will be on your right-hand side after gate 102. For those who are transiting, it is between gate 102 and gate 120.
In terms of access, it is very simple. Passengers must be ticketed into Polaris on a same-day ticket or on a long-haul flight on a Star Alliance carrier in business class only from the departure destination.
For example:
EWR-IAD-LOS receives Polaris access at both EWR and IAD
IAD-FRA on LH receives Polaris access
IAD-DEN-MUC on Lufthansa does not receive Polaris lounge access at Washington.
Passengers also receive access upon arrival: SYD-LAX (access in LAX if you can get through TSA)
The Lounge is open from 6:30 am-10:30 pm daily, with the final call for dinner service at 9:30 pm (I believe)
Seating
Stepping into the lounge, this place is massive. With high ceilings and seating at every corner, United has clearly tried to maximize the space in this lounge. On the right-hand side when you walk in is where you will find the quietest part of the lounge (in general) with a large sofa-like structure, seating off to the side, and a customer help desk. In the evenings, when the other parts of the lounge are busy, this is the place you are most likely to find a seat at.
The shower suites and phone booths are also located here, but more on those later.
Passing by, there is a middle part to the lounge featuring more of a dining setup. While the Polaris Lounges do feature sit-down dining, if you are in a rush and there is a wait (as there usually is in the evenings), this is a good place to grab a quick bite to eat before a flight. Keep in mind that I will praise United on the fact that there are power ports located at almost every seat in this lounge, which is something I forgot was normal after traveling through lounges in South Sudan and Pakistan 😅.
And let the tour continue! Towards the back of the lounge is where you will find the most beautiful part of this place. Featuring decadent seating and the classic Polaris cubicles, this is the perfect area to grab a glass of champagne from the bar and enjoy the tarmac views on offer.
Finally, you have a small section for seating, either at the bar or by the bar.
Overall, this lounge is beautiful, but it is just too small for how much United has expanded out of Newark. There have been times when it is genuinely difficult to find a place to sit, which is a shame.
Buffet/Drinks/Bar
Located in the very center of the lounge is where you will find a buffet that rotates daily. From about 6:30 am-11:00 am, breakfast is served with a variety of pastries, bacon, sausages, eggs, and traditional breakfast food. However, later on during the day, this is transferred over to a couple of hot dishes, as well as a salad bar, and more lunch/dinner items. It’s an upgrade from the United Club buffet, but not by much.
If you are feeling thirsty, throughout the lounge, there are plenty of drinks on offer. Whether you are interested in using one of the coffee machines for an Iced Machiatto Matcha with 18 pumps of non-fat something rather (I don’t know what Gen Z people order anymore), you won’t find that, but you will find the more traditional coffees. United also offers the filters for either sparkling or still water.
Finally, if you are interested in an alcoholic drink, you will have to head to the bar in the back. While I have never been able to get a clean shot (I wonder why 😂), United offers some decent quality drinks such as Laurent Perrier champagne, Casamigos Tequila, and Aviation Gin (which I oddly like). Cocktails are handcrafted as well.
Dining
Perhaps the greatest part of the Polaris Lounge experience is the sit-down dining that comes with it. Located in the back of the lounge, behind the bar, is the beautiful and large restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
While not quite as extravagant as the Delta One Lounge dining, the food is extremely good, and I highly recommend the Polaris burger and skillet cookie for dessert.
Just be aware that after about 4:30 pm, this place becomes a zoo. It can often take more than an hour to be seated here, and sometimes upwards of 90 minutes 🥴.
Restrooms
A big letdown to the United Polaris Lounge is the number of restrooms that are offered. Located to the right-hand side of the lounge is where you will 10 individual stalls offering places to, well, do your business 😅. While these are nice, there are, once again, too many people for the number of bathrooms on offer.
Showers+Nap Rooms
When you walk into the lounge, turn right and you will find the shower suites and nap rooms on the right-hand side, just past the customer service desk. While shower suites can have a wait of over 2 hours (don’t even get me started on this), once you are inside, they are beautiful. Amenities on offer include a shaving kit, hairdryer, toothbrush, comb, and stuff like that.
The Newark Polaris Lounge also features a nap room with 10-12 semi-private half-lie-flat (I don’t know how to describe them) nap pods. While there is a time limit of one hour, this is not enforced during the non-peak hours. One time I ended up sleeping here for 5 hours 😅.
Service
Now, I usually rant and rave about the service on United Airlines, but the lounge here isn’t quite as good service-wise as what you will find in the rest of the lounges (minus SFO). I have to say, I don’t blame UA as I can imagine how stressful it must be to try and handle such a large lounge with so many people. Here are a couple of observations that stood out to me:
As a previous New Yorker, there is some of that infamous attitude, which is just like “what do you want”?
Not much in terms of small talk throughout the lounge
Lack of remembrance. I had a glass of champagne 30 minutes prior, and they ID’d me when I went back again. I get being ID’d, but it just happened??
However, I will say that Raul and the colleagues at the bar do present the epitome of United service. Raul is one of the kindest men I have ever met in my life, and I highly recommend asking him to make you a Pisco Sour as he is from Peru!
Final Thoughts
The United Polaris Lounge at Newark is certainly a nice place to hang out before a flight, with great tarmac views, decent dining, decadently appointed shower suites, and great cocktails. However, if you are thinking about a transit point when flying United, I would personally rather fly through Chicago or Washington, purely based on how crazy this lounge gets in the evenings. Honestly, not being able to find a seat in the lounge when you are spending 3000+ on a flight is a little bit ridiculous, and this is coming from someone who is an avid UA lover…
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