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San Juan (SJU) – Houston (IAH)
- DEP 10:20 AM ARR 1:21 PM
- Duration: 5h
- Seat number: 9A Polaris Business
- Aircraft: Boeing 767
- Points Redeemed: Amex 35% Pay with Points Rebate
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| United Polaris Business Class Seat |
| Table of Contents [show/hide] |
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The Verdict
- PROS: Super comfortable seats, a nice lie-flat bed to travel between US territory and mainland USA. 1-1-1 configuration, so everyone has direct aisle access.
- CONS: No United club lounge at SJU airport, not full Polaris experience, ran out of certain food items when they got to my seat number 9A and beyond.
Check-In
The check-in process was simple. We did not have to check our bags, so we just went up to the kiosk and got our boarding passes, as traveling between Puerto Rico and the United States is still considered domestic travel.
We were in a hurry because our taxi driver from Hyatt Regency Puerto Rico didn’t show up, and we had to scramble to come up with an alternative last minute. But we made it!
Lounge Access
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| The Lounge at SJU Airport |
There’s no United Club Lounge in San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín Internationa Airport (SJU) for United Business/First class passengers. We had to use the Priority Pass Membership to enter The Lounge, which used to be the VIP lounge, to have a light breakfast and coffee before heading to the boarding gate.
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United Polaris Business Class Seats
I was surprised when I saw that United Airlines offered Polaris business class seats on this route from San Juan (SJU) to Houston (IAH). While it was s not a full Polaris experience like you would get with the long haul international travel, the journey was still very enjoyable.
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| United Polaris Seat 9A |
- This is a retrofitted Boeing 767 with a 1-1-1 configuration.
- The seats are super comfortable, and the seat controls are interesting.
- There is a lot of legroom and ample space in each seat.
- There’s also a shoulder harness.
- It’s fully reclined into a lie-flat bed position.
- The cabin feels as crowded.
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| United Polaris Seat |
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| Legroom |
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| Seat Controls |
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| Fully Lie-Flat |
Which United Polaris Seat Is Best On 767?
The UA1495 is a retrofitted Boeing 767 with a 1-1-1 configuration.
- If you are traveling solo, pick the odd-numbered window seats that will give you privacy.
- If you are traveling as a couple and want to be close to one another, pick the even-numbered window seat and one of the even-numbered middle seats, so you can still talk to each other.
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Amenity Kit
Traveling between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Houston is considered U.S. domestic travel, and therefore, you won’t get the full international Polaris experience. As a result, there was no amenity kit and no pillow and blankets at your seat. However, you can ask for them from the flight attendant. Perhaps during the Covid pandemic, we also had to ask for headphones.
Food & Drinks
There’s no menu on board. Instead, the flight attendant went around the cabin and simply told you your choices before taking your order.
There were two choices: Chicken and rice, or the pasta with cheese and tomato red sauce.
All meal is served with salad, bread, and a cookie. By the time they got to my seat 9A, they were already out of the chicken and rice.
Complimentary drinks are available for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
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| Pasta in Tomato Red Sauce |
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| Chicken & Rice |
Amex Points Booking With 35% Rebate
United Airlines operates award bookings under the dynamic award pricing model, and the miles required for this particular route were not cheap. If it was just a standard recliner business class seat, I would not consider using points to redeem for the flight.
However, it’s rare to see United uses Polaris seats for the SJU-IAH route. Therefore, after serious consideration, I decided to book using American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points with the 35% Pay with Points Rebate for this particular business class ticket.
When you factor in the 35% points rebate, you get 1.55 cents per point when redeeming this way. While the points value may not be as good as when you transfer Amex points to frequent flyer programs, in this instance, it made the most sense for us to use our points to enjoy the United Polaris Business Class seats from San Juan.
Amex 35% points rebate is subjective to the airfare, and the benefit is only available if you have American Express Business Platinum Card. Check out the post below for more details.
