I’ve just returned from a month-long trip to Australia, where I spent my days tanning in the winter heat of the tropical Northwest. After such an arduous vacation, I certainly needed the ability to nap during my flight home.

It’s also a long schlep from Sydney back to the U.S, which meant that the only way I’d be climbing on board a plane was in some type of business class. Happily, United Airlines came through for me, with upgrade availability to United Polaris — my favorite business class product. Here’s how it went.

The best way to book United Polaris business class

I’m a frequent United flyer and, as an upper-tier elite status holder, I’ve earned myself a stash of PlusPoints over the last few years. To that end, I spent $915.47 on a one-way economy class ticket from Sydney to Los Angeles, then used 40 PlusPoints to upgrade myself to United Polaris business class.

If I were instead looking to redeem miles for my flight, there would be two good ways to do it. The first, and easiest, would be to use United MileagePlus miles. A one-way saver-level award could start at 80,000 miles.

The second way would be to book the flights through All Nippon Airways, also known as ANA Airlines. Although ANA requires you to book a round-trip itinerary, it’ll only cost from 105,000 to 120,000 ANA Mileage Club miles for your flights, depending on the season.

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BROWSE CARDS

Check-in and security

Sydney features expedited processes for business class passengers. In addition to using the designated business class check-in for United (which had no line), I was also able to use separate lines for both immigration and security.

This made a huge difference in my route through the airport. In total, it took 27 minutes from the time I arrived at the airport to the time I walked into the lounge.

The lounge

As a business class passenger, you’re entitled to access the lounge at Sydney's airport. Although there is no United Polaris lounge in Sydney, you can still use another Star Alliance business class lounge, such as the Air New Zealand international lounge or the Singapore Airlines business lounge.

I opted for the Air New Zealand lounge, which had plenty of room and seating.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

A long bar served any passengers who wanted drinks.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

Food was available buffet-style, and there was also someone making fresh breakfast quesadillas for those who were peckish.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

All in, the lounge was a pleasant place to spend an hour before boarding.

Boarding and cabin

I find U.S. airlines are often the most vigilant about boarding times. United was no exception — boarding officially started three minutes before the time stated on my boarding card.

As a Premier 1K status member, I was able to pre-board. Business class passengers are otherwise in Group 1 for boarding, which occurs directly after pre-boarding.

Every seat, even in business class, was occupied on my flight. United operates the 787-9 Dreamliner on these flights, which feature 48 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The seat

I’m a big fan of United’s Polaris seats, mainly because they offer a great deal of privacy. This is thanks to the long, curving shell that they create.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

Seats on these flights vary depending on location, so you’ll want to be choosy about where you sit. Odd-numbered window seats feature the most privacy for individual travelers as they’re directly against the windows. Although I had a window seat with privacy, an off-centered position meant I had only one window instead of two.

Those traveling in pairs will want to opt for odd-numbered middle seats, where a sliding divider can come down for conversation.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

United provides Saks Fifth Avenue branded bedding, including a plush comforter, a gel pillow and a standard pillow. You can also ask for a mattress pad, which will cover the seat and provide an additional layer of cushion.

The seat includes a large screen for in-flight entertainment.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

You can either use the touchscreen or the included remote, which sits next to an international plug.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

Although United includes headphones on these flights, they’re nothing to write home about. I usually bring my own noise-canceling headphones but had forgotten them for this trip.

I threw on the pair United provided, but the noise from the plane was so loud that I needed to keep the volume at max level in order to hear my movies.

Amenity kit

United has partnered with Away for its amenity kits, which is a huge improvement over its past offerings. At your seat, you’ll find a hard-sided Away case full of amenities.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)

This includes a pair of socks, an eye mask, a dental kit, earplugs and tissues. You’ll also find Sunday Riley-branded hand cream, lip balm, face cream and a cleansing wipe. Each seat was also provided with a pair of slippers, which was a nice change since normally you need to ask for them.

The amenity case itself is pretty snazzy; I’m looking forward to using it in the future to store my cables.

Finally, on flights longer than 12 hours, United offers a pair of pajamas upon request. These are free to keep and very comfortable. I highly recommend grabbing a pair.

(Photo by Carissa Rawson)