United opens a new airport lounge — to a select few

United Airlines' new 27,000-square-foot Polaris lounge, which opened Monday at Newark Liberty International, is reserved for travellers with tickets aboard Polaris, United's new international business class, and international first- and business-class passengers booked on its Star Alliance partners. The airline is raising the velvet rope for the bright new facility, which features showers with rainfall shower heads, 10 daybeds with Saks Fifth Avenue-branded blankets and an extensive menu. The airline, like its competitors, is trying to court well-heeled travellers, but the Polaris rollout, which includes new seating and lounge construction, has been slow since it was first announced in 2016. The airline needed more space for the lounges because the product appeared more popular than it anticipated. <br/>