United Airlines has just reopened its renovated Polaris Lounge in Chicago O’Hare, which now features a larger dining area, a second bar, and a new design style.

United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago O’Hare

On January 1, 2025, United closed its flagship Polaris Lounge, a lounge exclusively for longhaul premium cabin customers on United and Star Alliance partners, for refurbishment and expansion. The lounge was set to reopen by the end of March, but the project spilled into April.

As of today, April 29, 2025, the lounge has reopened. Highlights include:

• 9,000 additional square feet (from 16,000 to 25,000 square feet)
• a larger 50-seat private dining room (tripling the amount of dining space) with new menu selections including:
  • Prosciutto Parmigiano Crostini
  • Shrimp, Scallop, Spring Vegetable Risotto
  • Aperol Spritz cake
• a second bar (speakeasy-style) with selections including:
  • Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut
  • Chicago-inspired cocktails like the “Second City Sour” (featuring Rittenhouse Rye, Malort, Lemon, Egg White and Lingua Franca Pinot Noir)
• decor and dinnerware in this lounge in partnership with Crate & Barrel
• artwork from nine Chicago-based artists

The lounge can now accommodate 350 guests.

Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, said:

“Our vast international network is one of United’s unique strengths, and our United Polaris lounges help set the tone for business class travelers before or after their long-haul flights. Customers are going to love our new Chicago lounge because it gives them more of all of the things they want most—more space, more amenities, and more dining options—and we’ll carry this new elevated design into future lounge openings and renovations across our United Polaris lounge portfolio.”

I look forward to visiting the new lounge.

My original story, from August 22, 2024, is below.

United Airlines will temporarily shutter its Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge–its first Polaris Lounge–in order to expand and refresh it.

United Airlines Will Refresh Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge

Live And Let’s Fly has reviewed a memo circulated to employees concerning these plans and can share:

• Partial construction is scheduled from September 3, 2024, to January 1, 2025
• During that time, the lounge will remain open and all amenities, including a la carte dining, will remain available
• Guests “may encounter crowding due to the reduced space capacity”
• Complimentary premium drink services will be offered to any Polaris guests who choose to visit the United Club instead (Chicago O’Hare has four United Clubs)
• On January 2, 2024, the lounge will be completely closed until “the end of March 2025” (subject to construction completion)
• To accommodate the additional guests visiting the ORD United Clubs during this time, acceptance of United Club one-time passes will be limited

The nature of the changes include:

• The addition of 9,000 additional square feet (from 16,000 to 25,000 and marking the second expansion of this lounge since its opening in 2016)
• More “premium” spaces (no further elaboration)
• More restrooms and amenities
• Added private seating and workspaces
• Overall, the number of seats in the lounge will double

Will The Lounge Be Segregated Into A Standard And More Premium Section?

The biggest question I have–and one that United is tight-lipped on–is whether the new lounge will have “premium” sections in which access is restricted to only a subset of lounge guests. Think private suites or guaranteed-availability dining (sometimes the wait can be over an hour for a table).

Recall that United teased some of these changes in a Polaris survey earlier this year.

> Read More: United Airlines Considering Polaris Plus Cabin With “Press For Champagne” Button

I’m not in favor of a two-tier lounge experience. With the exception of midday crowding in San Francisco or afternoon crowding at O’Hare, Newark, and Washington Dulles, I find the current Polaris Lounge model works remarkably well…and there is no need to mess with what is working.

Let me put it another way: having access to Polaris Lounges (including on arrival) provides a strong incentive for me to book intercontinental travel with United.

CONCLUSION

United Airlines will temporarily close its Chicago O’Hare Polaris Lounge in order to renovate and expand it. The expansion is quite welcome, though I hope United does not tinker with what, overall, is already a very good premium lounge.