South America is a wonderful place to visit but unfortunately, most Americans pass up the continent in favor of Europe and that’s too bad. Just like Europe, there are a wealth of cultures to be explored with an endless variety of captivating traditions and mouth-watering cuisines. South America is also a continent of extremes. It’s home to the world’s largest river (the Amazon) as well as the planet’s driest locale (the Atacama Desert). South America’s cities are vibrant hubs with centuries of history and differing lifestyles and there are so many incredible places to explore. That’s why my sons and I planned a boys trip there a few years ago. Deciding where to go was a challenge but after a good deal of discussion, we decided upon a journey to three cities in three countries in about ten days' time. What a wonderful adventure we had!
Initially, I was able to secure Mileage Plus award flights on United for business class travel but they were "expensive” awards as each ticket cost 300,000 miles. (It’s all but impossible to find any decent Saver Award tickets so it’s not unusual to end up paying “full freight“ for international business class award seats.) It was also a rather complicated and time-consuming routing which took us first from Raleigh to Chicago, then on to Houston and ultimately, to our initial destination: Rio de Janeiro. It was a long day indeed but we made the most of our time at each of the two domestic airports we visited.
One good thing about traveling through O’Hare was the opportunity it gave us to visit the United Polaris Lounge in the C Concourse next to Gate C18. (Unfortunately, these lounges have been "temporarily closed" since the start of the pandemic.) United launched its Polaris program as a “reinvention” of its premium cabin product a few years ago with upgraded seats, restaurant-quality dining, and elevated service and amenities. The experience started on the ground at the beautiful 15,000 square foot Polaris lounge. Since we were flying United Polaris Business Class on a long-haul international flight, we were permitted to use this lounge during our layover in Chicago. It was also available to those departing from or even arriving at O'Hare. The Dining Room was a restaurant-inspired, full-service dining option, complete with menus and waiters. Any passenger with access to the Polaris Lounge enjoyed a meal here at no extra cost. The menu was very complete with multiple options for drinks, small plates, entrées, and desserts and our waiter was friendly and efficient. I’m glad we had the opportunity to visit this lounge which was light years ahead of most US offerings. Hopefully, all the Polaris Lounges will reopen soon.
We became expert “lounge lizards” that day. On arrival at Houston, we went directly to the American Express Centurion Lounge. Back in 2013, American Express changed the game when it came to airport lounges. No longer content to just partner with existing airline lounge operators, they began opening their own spaces, called Centurion Lounges, across the US and beyond. These lounges vary in size and offerings from location to location, but at a minimum, offer a place to get real food and drinks, and at times often include spa services, children’s rooms, showers and more. The Houston Lounge is located in Terminal D and is a bit hidden behind a duty free store close to Gate D6. This lounge isn’t the biggest, the flashiest or packed with the most amenities but the food and drink offerings here are solid. The lounge is tucked away in a corner of the international terminal and you have to be looking for it to find it. But, that secluded location likely helped keep the crowds under control during our evening visit before we finally boarded our last flight of the day to Brazil.
Our B767 had recently been reconfigured in the new Polaris configuration featuring ten rows with three pod-like seats apiece. These all-aisle access seats are staggered with those in the even-numbered rows slanting towards the center while those center seats slant towards the port side of the aircraft. This is a dense layout but allowed United to update the cabin without sacrificing any seats to the new design.The seat width is a comfortable 23 inches and the pitch is about 78 inches. Each seat is fitted with spacious footwells that allow easy movement of your feet. Every seat can be positioned into a lie-flat bed. Seats in odd-numbered rows will provide the most privacy since the window seats are truly next to the window, and the seats in the middle section are also set back from the aisle.
The flight departed about 9:40 in the evening and the dinner service started shortly after takeoff. I save nearly all of my airline menus so I can give you detailed descriptions of the food. But before I go into detail, I want to share something with you. At its introduction, the airline offered Polaris wine tastings, giving passengers an opportunity to sample the whites and reds being offered on each international flight. This service was soon discontinued after United found they were spending too much money on wine (imagine that). So, in our case, pre-dinner drinks (sans the wine tastings) were served with ramekins of Warmed Mixed Nuts, Salted Almonds and Whole Cashews.
We were then offered Warmed Bread and Pretzel Rolls and next up was a chilled appetizer plate. I selected the Seared Tuna with Apple and Red Quinoa and Wasabi. It was followed by a salad of Crisp Yellow Bell Pepper and Finely Shaved Fennel on a bed of Fresh Mesclun Mix served with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. I chose the Seared Beef Short Rib with a rich tomato and red wine sauce for my main course with a glass of 2014 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon "Grand Estates." The beef dish was served with a potato cake and crisp carrots. A cheese course was offered after dinner consisting of Tillamook, three-year aged vintage white Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, St. Pete’s Select Blue Cheese, Petit Brie de Chèvre Goat Cheese, along with Cream Crackers and fresh Red Grapes. Graham's 2012 Late Bottled Vintage Port Wine from Portugal’s Porto region was made available with this course and I finished the service with United’s Signature Ice Cream Sundae - Creamy Vanilla Bean Gelato served with a choice of toppings including Hot Fudge, Butterscotch Carmel Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, Maraschino Cherries, mini Milk Chocolate Gems and Whipped Cream.
United’s B767 is equipped with a 16-inch entertainment screen and the system offered an ample selection of movies, television programming and short subject films, along with a variety of music selections to suit virtually every taste. Programming is available in multiple languages and noise-cancelling headphones were made available before takeoff. An impressive 3-D moving map channel is also part of the system on international flights allowing you to zoom in to different parts of the world and see your aircraft from various angles during your journey. If I’m not watching downloaded programming on my iPad, I always follow our progress on the moving map. Inflight Wi-fi was also offered for a fee, which was charged based on a time limit and not on data usage. When it was time for a nap, I appreciated the Polaris bedding. United worked with Saks Fifth Avenue to create custom bedding for their International Business Class customers. Two pillows are provided, along with a day blanket and a duvet for a comfortable rest when the seat is placed in lie-flat mode. It worked. I managed an uninterrupted, four-hour snooze.
We arrived at the Rio de Janeiro Galeão Airport (GIG) on time about 11:15 the following morning after this smooth, ten hour and thirty-five minute flight. Clearing Brazilian Customs & Immigration formalities was quick and efficient and, once outside, we waited in a short queue for a taxi taking us to the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro Hotel. I’ll tell you all about our visit to this beautiful city in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.
George, delightfully described! I am sure the Saks bedding helped but I was going into a wine and food coma just reading about the offerings you had the chance to enjoy... Bring on the next episode