Dawn of Post-Zero-COVID China: United Polaris business class PVG-SFO Trip Report
Around December 8, 2022, China surprisingly, without warning, and inexplicably started to cancel all of its Zero-Covid policies and procedures. We didn’t need to do a PCR test every 48-72 hours, we didn’t need to scan venue codes to “check in” and enable contact tracers know our every movement. On about the same day, I actually felt a bit under the weather. Could it be COVID? I didn’t dare to go get a PCR to find out, worried that I’d be registered as a positive person, and be taken away to some center, and be barred from flying out the following week.
Early in the week around Monday or Tuesday, December 12 or 13, I called the city hotline 12345 to check what the requirements were to enter the airport and fly out on Thursday, December 15. If I needed to show a negative PCR result within 48 hours, which had been the case for the past several months, I needed to take my chances and do a PCR. By this time, though, COVID had started to spread like wildfire throughout Shanghai, and the mixed-tube testing, where they combine about 10 different people’s swabs into the same vial, meant that I not only had to be worried about being positive myself, I also had to worry about other people affecting my own result.
I was shocked when the 12345 operator told me, “you just walk in.” Excuse me? No scanning codes, no PCR test? Just walk in?? The operator said that as of that day, there were no requirements to enter the airport. I could scarcely believe it, but I in no way wanted to take a PCR “just in case,” so I went with it.
Thursday rolled around, and indeed, I just walked into Pudong Airport. Amazing!
I went off to the lounge, the usual Air China one.
Just like in previous years, Air China only opened the “first class” section to put everyone in a smaller area. The lounge was absolutely packed!
I was paranoid about catching COVID which was running rampant by now, but I was also very hungry and knew that I wouldn’t get a meal on the plane until several hours later, around 1:30am Shanghai time, after the tech stop in Incheon. So I thought the safest would be a made-to-order beef noodle soup.
I also got some fruit, putting my mask back on immediately.
Our Boeing 777-300ER, in United’s updated paint scheme.
At check-in, I got an upgraded boarding pass already. I heard they upgraded a whole bunch of people: it was a full flight, and I think a lot of people were escaping the worsening COVID situation in China. I could see the seat map, and there were some seats still open, so I quickly changed my seat to one of the odd rows, where the seat is flush against the windows, with more privacy from the aisle.
At the seat was one of the new AWAY mini suitcase amenity kits, which felt a bit flimsier than I expected. (I was expecting something more sturdy like the Rimowa ones from EVA Air.)
The catering on board today’s Shanghai PVG-SFO flight was IDENTICAL to the flight I took in December 2021, except on that flight we didn’t have paper menus, and the flight attendant thoughtfully took pictures of all of the entrees and showed them to us on his phone, so we could make an easier decision.
From PVG to ICN (Incheon), I had a tomato juice, which is what I always order when I’m hungry, because it’s more filling than water or other juices. This was served with a package of nuts and dried fruit.
Then after takeoff from ICN, we got the main meal service, along with a beverage and another package of nuts and dried fruit. The salad was a regular garden salad with a few kidney beans.
Last year, I had chosen the “three cup chicken,” which I found lacking in chicken and quite greasy. I didn’t want the potato gnocchi, because I remember the picture from last year looked like a pile of white, and besides the pork is listed with potato gnocchi as an accompaniment. So, despite not liking dried fruit in savory foods, I went with the pork stuffed with prunes. It turned out to be decent, not too dry, and the prunes were an interesting hit of flavor. The potatoes on the side were real chunks of potato, and not potato gnocchi. They were tasty, and probably better than what potato gnocchi would have been! I also think the broccoli and carrots were well executed. Also quite flavorful, and with good crunch remaining. Nicely done!
One difference from last year was the dessert. Last year we had a hunk of kind of bland chocolate cake in a bag. This year we had a plated pear tart. The pear was on a bed of almond paste. Delicious!
So, while the menu was the same as last year, somehow the execution was seemed much better, much more refined than last year.
Midflight snack had a “chicken breast and roasted peppers sandwich” which sounded promising, but the sandwich was worse than last year’s.
Last year’s sandwich actually did have what seemed like roasted meat inside, while this year’s only had processed white cheese and a sliver of tomato.
Last year, when I flew PVG-SFO, the flight attendants switched the meal order, serving the smaller meal first, and the bigger meal prior to landing. This actually made sense in a way, because we don’t get served a meal until around 1:30am, so maybe some people are getting ready for sleep right away. On that flight, I chose the omelette over the “Shanghai noodles,” and I remember the omelette to be fine, but I really disliked the sausage, and the beans were quite hard (undercooked). Last year, I already knew the Shanghai noodles were the same as my Economy class meal from my PVG-SFO flight in 2019, because I had seen the flight attendant’s pictures, but I figured that as I was faced with the lackluster Western breakfast, and for kicks and giggles, I’d order the Shanghai noodles. Just as I remembered from Economy class in 2019, the noodles were too soft. They came with a kind of dried out (based on the cracked surface) steamed scallion bun.
The fruit was fresh though, and high quality.
I also hadn’t seen United serve the mini glass bottle of Bonne Maman preserves. This was a classy touch! Plus the croissant was warmed, and plated. Last year, we had a muffin that was heated within a plastic wrap that shrank around the muffin.
Again, this year’s meal had just a few touches of elegant presentation that elevated it over last year’s.
But, please do compare the entree with my Economy meal from 2019. The lighting is different, because the Polaris picture was taken with the setting sun shining through the window. but otherwise they’re identical!
