United Airlines is a Star Alliance founding member with hubs at Newark (primary transatlantic gateway from London), Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco, Houston, and Denver. For UK travellers, United offers multiple daily departures from Heathrow to Newark and seasonal services to other hubs — often pricing below BA on cash fares while offering Star Alliance status recognition.
Polaris business class features a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access on 777-300ER, 787-10, and retrofitted 767-400ER aircraft. The Polaris Lounge network — including San Francisco International G (/guides/sfo-airport-lounge-guide-2026) and Newark Terminal C — elevates the ground product above legacy United Clubs. Always verify aircraft type: older 777-200ERs may still carry previous-generation business seats.
MileagePlus is the loyalty programme. Star Alliance Gold earns on United metal; UK collectors can transfer from some credit card programmes or earn on paid fares. UK261 applies to UK-departing United flights. For UK–US–Asia routings, compare United via SFO against Cathay via HKG and Singapore via SIN on total journey time and fare.
