United Airlines is bringing a new ice cream flavor to long haul business class, along with refreshed toppings and cake starting June 1, as first reported by Live and Let’s Fly. Tillamook ice cream replaces variable ice creams for different stations, where passengers have complained about inconsistent quality.
An internal airline memo shares the change,
In addition to the Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream, we’ll serve the Tillamook strawberry ice cream. We’ve also included toppings to make a strawberry shortcake sundae for customers in Polaris and premium transcontinental premium cabins.
Long haul international business class flights and flights between Newark and both Los Angeles and San Francisco will receive this on departures after 9:45 a.m.
Original Polaris Sundae
The airline recommends opting for sundaes with a single scoop of Tillamook strawberry along with strawberry compote, shortcake, Biscoff crumbles and topped off with whip cream. There will also be lemon berry cheesecake replacing their recent salted caramel cheesecake on board.
To me, Tillamook evokes images of cheese, but perhaps that’s just the years where their cheese cubes were the only option in the airline’s Red Carpet Clubs.
Original Polaris Dessert Cart
Build your own sundaes was an early feature of United’s Polaris business product eight years ago, though they had issues with bowls cracking. While business class food saw a number of cutbacks since the original Polaris roll out, with new lows they’ve never fully recovered from since the pandemic, ice cream carts returned early last year. I’ll look forward to reader reports on the quality of the new ice cream they’ll be serving on board as dessert.
I can vouch from many years of sampling Tillamook ice cream that is quite good…and “Vanilla Bean”, is soooo, yummy!
I’m sad to see the salted caramel go. That was my favorite.
Tillamook ice cream is legit. Better than Blue Bell (and yes, I’m a Texan and went to undergrad 40 miles down the road from Brenham).
Tillamook is the best “mass market” ice cream out there.
“premium transcontinental premium cabins.”??
Tillamook ice cream is the only ice cream I buy. Delighted to see the ice cream sundaes returning but United needs to staff Polaris to pre pandemic levels to effectively provide the service we pay for to be in front of the plane.
Salted caramel cheesecake will come back in future menu cycles.
This is a win for United, in my book!
Meh Ice cream is overrated what ever happened to high quality baking?
And I don’t mean commercial Elis Baking ugh
Though I admit to liking Hagen Daz its also not healthy so I avoid it typically
Unfortunately once they serve its either hard as a rock which can be fine if it sits
Or melted like soup which is the worst
Also what about sorbets as well for folks that wish to prolong their lives a bit longer
without saturated fat
UNITED rising
And some of the still wine selections in Polaris these days are outstanding…well done on that front
I eat in the Polaris lounge – then get my sundae on the airplane.
We Americans are easy to please. Just give us supermarket quality ice cream with a few sprinkles and we react like it is a gift of life!
After moving from Florida to Alaska, where Tillamook has always had a strong dairy presence, I was pleasantly surprised with the ice cream. So call me even MORE shocked to see that Publix in Florida now stocks Tillamook.
As much as many of us badmouth the politics of Oregon (well, Portland) – this is one true shining star from Oregon. The fact its owned by all the farmers is another reason to want to support it, versus a Fortune 50-owned dairy.
I’m impressed with United’s stride. And any enhancement to the onboard product will come on top of all of UA’s existing strengths – big network, big alliance, mileage program, and technology.