It is unlikely the rumored “champagne-on-demand” button will really be part of its upcoming offerings, but United Airlines is looking at options to expand its Polaris premium cabin. The company intimated as much during its Q1 2024 earnings call, with Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella noting there are “ways to further diversify our revenue streams and segment them,” including in the forward cabin.
The rumors were seeded by customer surveys, asking passengers about what sorts of amenities might be compelling for “a new upgraded Polaris business class seat,” only a few of which would be available on each flight. An early February version of the survey did not mention a champagne call button, though it did tease “top shelf champagne” as one of the potential amenities that could be offered.
Nocella made clear that he would not be announcing any specifics during the call, but adding incremental options for the cabin is clearly part of the company’s roadmap. “We continue to believe that there is more opportunity for premium we don’t have on board the aircraft today,” he explained.
Read more: United’s new single-aisle Polaris seat design details revealed in patent
And those options will likely come with an incremental cost for travelers, as Nocella continued, “We have many teams of people working on how to further innovate and provide more and more choice, and to monetize that choice on our behalf obviously, in the future. So I think that [champagne button] headline was just a hint of more to come, and a lot of people are working hard at United to make sure that we can differentiate ourselves, not only from our US competitors, but from our competitors around the globe.”
This would most likely be related to the expanded opportunities in a bulkhead row that new seat designs offer, though that is not a certainty. Many airlines, including Lufthansa’s Allegris cabin, Condor’s new A330neo, Air New Zealand’s Business Premier Luxe, and JetBlue’s Mint Studio, offer a premium in that row, beyond just a larger footwell. That might not work so well with United’s current Polaris product, but a new seat could expand that opportunity.
Figuring out how to price it and what the amenities should be, however, remains a challenge in the industry. Indeed, the survey I received included several other questions about the business class options, including possible changes to the amenity kit and even a return to seat pairs rather than direct-aisle access for all passengers.
This is not a product change that will be flying immediately, or likely even imminently. But United very much appears to be planning for a premium option within the Polaris business class cabin, so expect plenty more rumors on amenities and options in the months ahead.
Some additional screenshots from the survey are available below.
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