No extra meals/snacks, ORD-PVG in J;any compensation
Jan 9, 2015, 10:38 am
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,159
It is not served on the NRT routes, anyway.
And only one direction of the NRT routes has a substantial snack (has been wraps lately). The other direction is only fruit, maybe leftover nuts/cheese from meal service, and some vending machine carbs.
Jan 9, 2015, 10:44 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: LAX
Programs: UA, Bonvoy, Amex Plat
Posts: 1,582
They also usually carry the onigiri both ways, which I actually quite like, but you're right that there usually is not a "light meal" type of option mid-flight on NRT routes.
Jan 9, 2015, 11:21 am
#33
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,268
Did you get all courses? appetizer, salad, main, dessert? Did you get breakfast as well? Where did the soup come from? That is usually offered as the mid-flight snack if they offer soup at all. If the mid-flight snack is all that was missed, I don't think thats worthy. Its first come first serve. They should stock more but I think its pretty minor if you get everything else. It's not like you were on a short domestic F flight and didn't get any food at all (not even the snack basket).
If it really bothers you that much just write in and complain. Maybe they'll throw you some points. At least the feedback gets noted (somewhere)
If it really bothers you that much just write in and complain. Maybe they'll throw you some points. At least the feedback gets noted (somewhere)
Jan 9, 2015, 1:01 pm
#34
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 923
OP, from your other posts, I understand you were traveling with your 16 year old brother. Maybe one of you, or both of you, are in the age of fast growth, so I very much understand how annoyed one must feel for kept hungry. Lesson learned here, is not about seeking compensation, but rather, how to travel smarter in the future. One can not control what others might do or not do (e.g., flights ran out of snack food at certain times or FA unable or unwilling to search to provide leftover/extra food), but we as the traveler can certainly prepare ourselves better in advance. I've learned to carry some fruits (like whole apples) and 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs with me on TPAC flights, in spite of traveling in J. This way, I can choose not to completely fill myself up with airline dinner, and can snack anytime I wake up during the long flight. Or, next time during the first meal service (lunch/dinner), one could ask another piece of bread and save it as later snack.
PS Perhaps with the putative savings in fuel, UA might (re-)invest in its product
Jan 9, 2015, 1:16 pm
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
Programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards 2MM, Diner Club points
Posts: 31,895
So it's finally come to this, on January 8, 2015. The lowering of expectations has gotten to the point that we can no longer expect snacks in a premium cabin on a TPAC.
Jan 9, 2015, 2:17 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium.;UA 1.5MM; UA Lifetime Gold (whoppee); DL Plat
Posts: 2,124
That's why I have "jumped" to AA: have had snacks run out on long UA TATL and TPAC flights several times over the past 6 months...always the same blame: they only loaded enough for one per person, which means someone took two or more! Just a symptom of the deep, deep problems at UA. They just don't give a rip...
Jan 10, 2015, 10:05 am
#37
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London and Madrid
Programs: BA Gold, UA 2MM, Hyatt Globalist, Columbia Record & Tape Club Triple Diamond VIP
Posts: 580
Appalling, but not uncommon.
The last two times I flew UA J transpac, the "snacks" were just leftover nuts and cheese from the dinner service. Had people been hungrier earlier in the flight, there would only have been a few bags of chips and Toblerone candies.
Sometimes they have those revolting wrapped mini-sandwiches, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they have instant noodles, sometimes they don't.
Air Canada serves a mid-flight snack to J passengers in their seats. It's catered separately.
I can't comment on the OP's request for compensation, but I can say that UA's appalling service is the reason that the only way I would fly UA in J is if it's on a GPU.
The last two times I flew UA J transpac, the "snacks" were just leftover nuts and cheese from the dinner service. Had people been hungrier earlier in the flight, there would only have been a few bags of chips and Toblerone candies.
Sometimes they have those revolting wrapped mini-sandwiches, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they have instant noodles, sometimes they don't.
Air Canada serves a mid-flight snack to J passengers in their seats. It's catered separately.
I can't comment on the OP's request for compensation, but I can say that UA's appalling service is the reason that the only way I would fly UA in J is if it's on a GPU.
Jan 10, 2015, 11:14 am
#38
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA 1K MM | Marriott LTT | National Car EE
Posts: 694
On my last two TPAC flights it seemed to me the quantity (as well as quality and variety) of mid-flight snacks dropped noticeably compared to 6-12 months ago. On my last flight a week or so ago EWR-PEK the snack wagon wasn't laid out in the galley until about 2 hours before breakfast was served. Most of the time it goes out about halfway through. And what was put out disappeared pretty quickly.
But to the question asked, if you had the dinner, the soup, and the breakfast (if awake for the last - and they should have enough of these for everyone) then I don't think compensation fits the situation.
A letter suggesting that stocking more snacks to provide a buffer is appropriate. IMO.
But to the question asked, if you had the dinner, the soup, and the breakfast (if awake for the last - and they should have enough of these for everyone) then I don't think compensation fits the situation.
A letter suggesting that stocking more snacks to provide a buffer is appropriate. IMO.
might be worth a comment about snack catering quantity in the ticketed cabin of service, but it seems that the posted services were provided.
per OP it seems like there was a midflight snack (the soup), not clear if there was a pre-arrival meal but i think that's standard on the UA long haul biz. i know i've slept straight through the pre-arrival meal before. assuming there was a pre-arrival meal, there was probably a ~5 (+/-) hr window between that and the midflight snack, and there had been snacks. on my last HKG -> ORD seg, i know the snacks ran out ~2 hours before the pre-arrival meal. some kind of meal was provided on request to OP from econ counts, so that to me counts as an effort to accommodate. what came from econ doesn't seem beyond what is normally available on the biz snack carts.
Jan 26, 2015, 6:07 pm
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: E50K, *Gold, WS Gold,VIA Premier, VIPorter
Posts: 463
I heard back the other day from UA. Also to clarify, in my email I simply stated I was disappointed they did not have enough food stocked for that flight and recommended they are better prepared in case of delays for food.
I got a mainly generic reply, but me and my brother were each offered a$100 travel voucher
I got a mainly generic reply, but me and my brother were each offered a$100 travel voucher
Jan 26, 2015, 10:03 pm
#40
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Toronto YYZ UA-1K 1MM,QFgold
Programs: Royal Ambassador/ SPG Platinum 75/Marriott gold
Posts: 14,283
You need to fly AC long Haul more often, and enjoy its compensation to become more reasonable on other airlines.