US Airways Dividend Miles - DineFresh (Int'l Premium Meals)

Apparently US is launching premium meals for international flights. I know UA has tried this on certain routes, and ANA offers one as well for around $100. :confused: US's is much more affordable at $19.99 with a glass of wine included. I consider US's BOB meals the best in the USA so this might not be too bad of a value.

The standard two free meals will still be provided.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/foodandbeverages/maincabin.html

Apparently US is launching premium meals for international flights. I know UA has tried this on certain routes, and ANA offers one as well for around $100. :confused: US's is much more affordable at $19.99 with a glass of wine included. I consider US's BOB meals the best in the USA so this might not be too bad of a value.

The standard two free meals will still be provided.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/foodandbeverages/maincabin.html

I'm interested to see how this turns out... too bad this isn't being offered on longer domestic flights.

Not to be Debbie Downer here but something tells me this may mean the further degradation of the already awful "complimentary" Y transatlantic meals. I could be wrong... :rolleyes:

It would be nice to have an option to get it without wine for those that don't drink. Maybe knock off $5 off the price if you don't want the wine or something.

It would be nice to have an option to get it without wine for those that don't drink. Maybe knock off $5 off the price if you don't want the wine or something.

While I do drink, I agree completely.

I doubt this means the complimentary meals will get worse.

While I do drink, I agree completely.

I doubt this means the complimentary meals will get worse.

Yeah, everyone's happy this way. Those that want a better meal have the option, and it's available with or without wine depending on what the person wants.

If the wine option is forced (i.e. with/without wine are the same price), I'm pretty much paying for something I don't want or need. If it's easier to keep the price as it is, perhaps a substitution could be made of some sort ... like add a soup or something that normally wouldn't come with the meal if wine was chosen.

Comp meals seemed to be cheap ... the article indicated they spent around $6 on average for a meal. I think the $20 premium + the $6 budgeted already would more than cover the better meal, wine, and still leave a nice profit that they wouldn't have to degrade current meal service.

I understand the cynicism based on how this industry works though. :D Doug seems to be focusing on improving things at US and not cutting them a la Smisek, so I don't expect a degradation.

I just hope US isn't using this as a trial to see if pax will be willing to pay for meals on long haul.

And I've never bought the "you'll still be able to choose between two complimentary entrees" garbage the airlines have thrown out when they announced BOB. US said they would continue to provide complementary meals on Latin American and Caribbean flights when they first introduced the In flight Case concept...they sure kept their promise.

As best I can tell, the new BOB transatlantic meal is cold. $20 strikes me as a lot to pay for a cold meal. If they were offering something more similar to a domestic FC meal, $20 would be more reasonable (remember, they're saving the cost of providing you a int'l coach meal, so they could be a little generous for $20).

My guess is this experiment fails for lack of consumer interest, but we'll see.

And it still annoys me that US, along with other USA airlines, charge for alcoholic drinks in coach on transatlantic flights when many of their competitors, particularly the foreign airlines, don't charge. So including a glass of wine with the $20 meal doesn't "impress me."

PR went out today - http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-airways-becomes-first-domestic-airline-to-offer-premium-meal-option-in-economy-class-on-select-international-flights-164545616.html
And looks like ordering is available immediately - https://dinefresh.usairways.com/

Couple observations:
- it seems this is being offered/managed by Air Meals LLC, do they do all the Buy-On-Board too? - here's their revenue benefit analysis - http://www.air-meals.com/Resources/LongHaul.pdf
- from the faq, if you upgrade to envoy the meal follows you
- from the faq, it seems you can choose another adult beverage (except sparkling wine), but you can't get a discount for not taking it
- there seems to be a refund available if the meal isn't to your liking
- they look like self-contained bento-boxes

So what does this mean, if you pay you get a better quality meal, if you don't pay you get left overs, or lower quality type of meat, like that which is served by burger joints?

So what does this mean, if you pay you get a better quality meal, if you don't pay you get left overs, or lower quality type of meat, like that which is served by burger joints?

It means you get the same crap you would normally get. It just gives you an option for something better if you want better. I don't think this a trial balloon for doing BOB vs. an included meal on TATL. UA already tried that and it wasn't well received at all. They went back to offering a meal.

I can't say I'd take this mean over an Envoy offering.

No discount for not wanting the wine or other adult beverage is a nonstarter for me.

PR went out today - http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-airways-becomes-first-domestic-airline-to-offer-premium-meal-option-in-economy-class-on-select-international-flights-164545616.html
And looks like ordering is available immediately - https://dinefresh.usairways.com/

Couple observations:
- it seems this is being offered/managed by Air Meals LLC, do they do all the Buy-On-Board too? - here's their revenue benefit analysis - http://www.air-meals.com/Resources/LongHaul.pdf
- from the faq, if you upgrade to envoy the meal follows you
- from the faq, it seems you can choose another adult beverage (except sparkling wine), but you can't get a discount for not taking it
- there seems to be a refund available if the meal isn't to your liking
- they look like self-contained bento-boxes

It does seem to be a cold "bento box" type-thing.

I don't know. If I wanted a "fancier" cold meal, why wouldn't I just buy something at the airport for $20 and then also get whatever was on the free hot meal? Less trouble, and more food than arranging in advance for this.

Now if they were going to serve me a nice hot meal, like I was in domestic FC (decent, but not fantastic), $20 would seem more plausible. I wonder if they've done any market research on this. It seems a bit odd, although I'm guessing it's a cost-free program for US.

It does seem to be a cold "bento box" type-thing.

I don't know. If I wanted a "fancier" cold meal, why wouldn't I just buy something at the airport for $20 and then also get whatever was on the free hot meal? Less trouble, and more food than arranging in advance for this.

Now if they were going to serve me a nice hot meal, like I was in domestic FC (decent, but not fantastic), $20 would seem more plausible. I wonder if they've done any market research on this. It seems a bit odd, although I'm guessing it's a cost-free program for US.

While the meals don't sound bad, a cold meal substituting a warm free meal doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather have bland rice and chicken with some salty sauce that is hot over cold chicken, shrimp and crackers. I was thinking a an app, small decent salad (more like the BOB domestically), chicken/beef, and a nicer dessert. Nothing crazy, but this is a disappointment.

I'll pass.

While the meals don't sound bad, a cold meal substituting a warm free meal doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather have bland rice and chicken with some salty sauce that is hot over cold chicken, shrimp and crackers. I was thinking a an app, small decent salad (more like the BOB domestically), chicken/beef, and a nicer dessert. Nothing crazy, but this is a disappointment.

I'll pass.

Right -- that's the meal that would make "sense" to sell. But I'm guessing the logistics of this are seen as too-complicated.

No discount for not wanting the wine or other adult beverage is a nonstarter for me.

The prices that US charges for alcoholic beverages contain a huge markup. If you say "no thanks" to the included wine, it's not like US saves $6 - they probably save about $1.

I HATE cheesecake. They should give me a discount for not wanting the cheesecake. It probably costs US about the same as the wine. ;)

I see this DineFresh for the first time today. In general I would say it looks like a good idea (AirFrance is testing something similar on intra European flights but with a much better variety). The choices US offers look a bit limited. Maybe three choices like something with meat, a veggie and a organic choice with one hot item would be a better offering instead of two cold choices.

I just hope US isn't using this as a trial to see if pax will be willing to pay for meals on long haul.

Icelandair charges for meals in Y on their TATL flights, some of which are 9+ hours. People don't seem to have any problem paying for it...

Seeing as the Domestic Y catering usually comes cold anyway, I'll stick to that! Joking aside, it has improved in the last few years though, but somehow I've never managed to have their 'caprese salad' without both the tomatoes and the mozzerella frozen solid.

Well, I guess I'll be a guinea pig for this, then :)

I'm flying CLT-FRA tonight and decided to try out the DineFresh meal. (Since I'm on work, and there's not One Flew South like in ATL, I figure I'm not necessarily missing out on much by trying it out.) I'll let the folks know when I find out, and I'm going to try to be fair in my comments.

--Comments--

Well, I'll admit that it was a step up from the standard meal (based on the appearance of my seatmate's meal), but it wasn't worth the $20. Presentation was pretty decent overall, but that was probably the best part. It's worth mentioning that I tend to prefer very full flavors, so Indian dishes, Thai Dishes, and well-seasoned Italian dishes are among my favorites.

I had the vegetarian option, which consists of a caprese salad, baba/hummus, tortellini, and cheesecake. The caprese salad, which had some wilted basil, simply had no flavor - not much salt. I liked the baba/hummus - well-seasoned, although it didn't taste especially "fresh." The tortellini portion was quite small compared to what I might have expected for an entree (the salad and dessert were comparatively large) and again lacked seasoning (I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes that were supposedly there), and the cheesecake felt grainy (lacked good texture) and one-dimensional.

If this was a complementary coach meal, I would have been happy (although I would have preferred a smaller slice of cheesecake and a little more fruit, as well as more seasoning). That said, in terms of taste, I preferred meals from Emirates and Air India that I've had in coach (for free). If it shows my expectations are skewed, so be it - but I'd expect at least (and probably better than) the quality of an international coach meal if I'm paying $15-20 (while I had the wine, I certainly could have gone with water and been just as happy.)

If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll follow up the best that I can.

PS - To respond to the above poster, neither the tomatoes nor cheese were frozen, which is a big plus.

I'm traveling to Rome on the A333 this week - alas, Envoy is sold out, so can't use my CP upgrades. I received the an email about ordering a special "DineFresh meal". Has anyone tried this meal? Is it worth the extra cost?

We now offer a selection of premium meals accompanied by your choice of wine. Why not treat yourself to citrus-marinated chicken skewers or vegetarian Portobello mushroom tortellini on your way to Rome? Order a DineFresh meal for $19.99, and your flight attendant will bring it right to your seat.

It would have to be really good to justify the $20 charge.

Maybe read the post just above yours. ;)

UA did this on their PS flights, Y passenager could order a speical meal ($25/pp) which was really an excellent meal, but they have since dropped this.

Now how would this work out if say, you missed your connection who would be responsible for this??

Apparently US is launching premium meals for international flights. I know UA has tried this on certain routes, and ANA offers one as well for around $100. :confused: US's is much more affordable at $19.99 with a glass of wine included. I consider US's BOB meals the best in the USA so this might not be too bad of a value.

The standard two free meals will still be provided.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/foodandbeverages/maincabin.html

...Now how would this work out if say, you missed your connection who would be responsible for this??

DineFresh FAQs (https://dinefresh.usairways.com/howItWorks.action?menu=4):

Q. What if I change (miss) my flight?
A. If you voluntarily change your flight, just cancel your order at least 24 hours prior to your original scheduled departure time. Thereafter, no cancellations can be processed. If you miss your flight due to irregular operations, you're entitled to a full refund. Just submit an online refund request. If you voluntarily change flights within 24 hours of your scheduled departure time, your meal will not be transferred with you and you will forego your order. However, if you are involuntarily bumped from a flight and rerouted, you'll get a refund.

Maybe read the post just above yours. ;)

Thread was merged, hence the sequence ;)

I had a good laugh, it is nice that it is in writting however, we are talking about US now aren't we, and we all know what thier motto is, right....

We Are US Airways, we are consistently inconsistent.

DineFresh FAQs (https://dinefresh.usairways.com/howItWorks.action?menu=4):

...we are talking about US now aren't we, ...

Well, US appears confident enough about the DineFresh product to refund your money later if you don't like the meal. From the FAQs,

Q. What if I don't like the meal I requested?
A. You'll need to request a refund through DineFresh. No refunds are available on board.

As yet, there's no similar offer to refund your ticket price if you don't like your US flights :D

Haha, this is great. Mrs. Skaps21 and I each have a $25 allowance when booking tickets with credit card points, so we applied it to our PHL-MAD flight tomorrow night. Good to know we can request a refund if the meals are crap!

Thank you for this review, gmax58! I wanted to resurrect this thread to see if anyone else has tried the DineFresh option. I have a flight coming up and was also wondering if it was worthwhile, as there could have been some tweaks/improvements made since the feature was debuted over a month ago.

Thanks!

Well, I guess I'll be a guinea pig for this, then :)

I'm flying CLT-FRA tonight and decided to try out the DineFresh meal. (Since I'm on work, and there's not One Flew South like in ATL, I figure I'm not necessarily missing out on much by trying it out.) I'll let the folks know when I find out, and I'm going to try to be fair in my comments.

--Comments--

Well, I'll admit that it was a step up from the standard meal (based on the appearance of my seatmate's meal), but it wasn't worth the $20. Presentation was pretty decent overall, but that was probably the best part. It's worth mentioning that I tend to prefer very full flavors, so Indian dishes, Thai Dishes, and well-seasoned Italian dishes are among my favorites.

I had the vegetarian option, which consists of a caprese salad, baba/hummus, tortellini, and cheesecake. The caprese salad, which had some wilted basil, simply had no flavor - not much salt. I liked the baba/hummus - well-seasoned, although it didn't taste especially "fresh." The tortellini portion was quite small compared to what I might have expected for an entree (the salad and dessert were comparatively large) and again lacked seasoning (I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes that were supposedly there), and the cheesecake felt grainy (lacked good texture) and one-dimensional.

If this was a complementary coach meal, I would have been happy (although I would have preferred a smaller slice of cheesecake and a little more fruit, as well as more seasoning). That said, in terms of taste, I preferred meals from Emirates and Air India that I've had in coach (for free). If it shows my expectations are skewed, so be it - but I'd expect at least (and probably better than) the quality of an international coach meal if I'm paying $15-20 (while I had the wine, I certainly could have gone with water and been just as happy.)

If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll follow up the best that I can.

PS - To respond to the above poster, neither the tomatoes nor cheese were frozen, which is a big plus.

And it's tough to think that only ten years ago wine was complimentary in coach:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815074753/http://www.usairways.com/travelguide/international/service.htm

And it's tough to think that only ten years ago wine was complimentary in coach:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815074753/http://www.usairways.com/travelguide/international/service.htm
Looking at the economy class ptvs. same exact ones i had when was on a 333 clt-fco-clt. in 2010...thankfully that is all changed now.
Feels weird seeing that at the time Usairways 333's were the only aircraft with PTV's throughout the entire cabin.

And it's tough to think that only ten years ago wine was complimentary in coach:

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815074753/http://www.usairways.com/travelguide/international/service.htm

What's even more shocking is a PHL/CLT/PIT-Europe Y Class menu from 2000:
http://www.mhodistributors.com/3-usair-menus-b.jpg

Well, I guess I'll be a guinea pig for this, then :)

I'm flying CLT-FRA tonight and decided to try out the DineFresh meal. (Since I'm on work, and there's not One Flew South like in ATL, I figure I'm not necessarily missing out on much by trying it out.) I'll let the folks know when I find out, and I'm going to try to be fair in my comments.

--Comments--

Well, I'll admit that it was a step up from the standard meal (based on the appearance of my seatmate's meal), but it wasn't worth the $20. Presentation was pretty decent overall, but that was probably the best part. It's worth mentioning that I tend to prefer very full flavors, so Indian dishes, Thai Dishes, and well-seasoned Italian dishes are among my favorites.

I had the vegetarian option, which consists of a caprese salad, baba/hummus, tortellini, and cheesecake. The caprese salad, which had some wilted basil, simply had no flavor - not much salt. I liked the baba/hummus - well-seasoned, although it didn't taste especially "fresh." The tortellini portion was quite small compared to what I might have expected for an entree (the salad and dessert were comparatively large) and again lacked seasoning (I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes that were supposedly there), and the cheesecake felt grainy (lacked good texture) and one-dimensional.

If this was a complementary coach meal, I would have been happy (although I would have preferred a smaller slice of cheesecake and a little more fruit, as well as more seasoning). That said, in terms of taste, I preferred meals from Emirates and Air India that I've had in coach (for free). If it shows my expectations are skewed, so be it - but I'd expect at least (and probably better than) the quality of an international coach meal if I'm paying $15-20 (while I had the wine, I certainly could have gone with water and been just as happy.)

If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll follow up the best that I can.

PS - To respond to the above poster, neither the tomatoes nor cheese were frozen, which is a big plus.

I'm flying to DUB this weekend and am thinking about this option. I don’t want to come across as a lush but the amount of wine will sway me. Do they pour you a glass or do you get the same bottle you’d pay $7 for normally? I usually buy wine so $13 for a better meal is a good deal IMO.

Do they pour you a glass or do you get the same bottle you’d pay $7 for normally? I usually buy wine so $13 for a better meal is a good deal IMO.

Go for the deal. You'll get the small red or white wine screw-top bottle and a plastic cup.

If you want, do what I do and ask for a second bottle with the first drink service, letting the FA know you'd like the second "in order to save time and so I don't have to bother you later..."

I'm a bit surprised that they don't seem to offer the DineFresh option without a reservation. This seems like a classic impulse purchase. Like you see the regular fare being offered and you think, hmm, I'd sure rather eat something a little tastier. :)

I guess they don't want the risk of leftover merchandise. But I would think they'd sell at least half a dozen of these on any transatlantic flight. I'm skeptical that this is something many travellers would feel compelled to order in advance. Kind of like I wouldn't reserve a sandwich to pick up at an airport restaurant.

I'm going to do it if only for the wine and try it out to report back. I would think there would be less people doing this esp on the later flights. The meal won't get served to me until after 10pm on my flight. Much more worth it on a 6 or 7pm departure. When it's that late I almost fee like grabbing a burger in PHL and taking on the plane.

I got the email offer an hour ago. Just clicked on the link to consider the order, and... "Currently there are no items available on this flight, or the flight's order cut-off time has passed." The deadline is 1/31 at 6 p.m. and I find it hard to believe they've sold out after only an hour.

But then I read this thread and saw that it was a cold meal, so I'll pass. I can pack cold snacks from home.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/29/travel/airline-food-business-traveller/index.html

The CNN article above cites a US Airways source saying 5,000 sold since the launch in Aug. My gut seems this is a bit low to consider the program a 'success' - that's on average about 30 meals sold a day, estimating there are ~20 daily flights that are eligible for the DineFresh program (flights from PHL or CLT to Europe) that's give or take 1 DineFresh sold per flight.

I dunno the economics of this, but wonder at this sales volume why not just cater a handful of extra F meals and sell them while in the air to passengers in Y who are interested. Rather than go through the logistics of working with this 3rd party vendor, forcing customers to pre-order, and then managing delivery of a single one-off meal to each flight...