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Current UA Process for Prioritizing Meal Orders in Premium Cabins

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Old Feb 2, 2015, 1:14 am
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Official UNITED policy for meal preferences is to prioritize in the following order: (as of late 2023)
  1. Pre-orders
  2. Global Services members
  3. 1K members
  4. All other revenue passengers from front to back (no difference between $$$ or mileage or upgraders)
  5. Non-Revs

The proper way is to take orders front-to-back, and apply priority in the galley afterwards. Some FAs may still hop around the cabin seeking GS and 1Ks and take their orders first.
With the sharp increase in passengers pre-ordering meals, front-to-back ordering is now predominant.



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Old Apr 2, 2022, 10:15 am
  #106  
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
... With potential 1K/GS spread out over up to 60 seats, FAs don't want to walk back and forth to hit highest elite groups first, so they'd take orders row by row ...
Because that is the policy

Originally Posted by Repooc17
... If you happen to be sitting in the back rows, too bad.
Is that due to the high number of 1K/GS on the route?? or you know / believe lower, non-elites getting your choice?
Are there too few of what you prefer to cover the GS/1Ks
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 10:47 am
  #107  
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always gotten my 1st choice since the policy was implemented. Can't think of more than 2 instances where I needed to remind the crew of meal priority (and last time that happened is many years ago)
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 11:01 am
  #108  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Because that is the policy

Is that due to the high number of 1K/GS on the route?? or you know / believe lower, non-elites getting your choice?
Are there too few of what you prefer to cover the GS/1Ks
I was responding to the OP regarding "rarely" being BS - too many times in the past 12 months I have heard from FA: "are you joining us for (breakfast/lunch/dinner)? We have _______. <-no choices. A recent example, I was on a flight just over a week ago, and the passenger diagonal to me was given a choice, apparently he got the last of the available chicken; meanwhile, I was only presented with the pasta dish, and nothing else.

At the end of the day, as I have alluded to yesterday, I have given up on all thing soft product from United, whether it's the food, FAs, or the ground experience at EWR/SFO. My expectations of United doing anything customer friendly is really low.
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 11:10 am
  #109  
 
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
AFAIK, every meal flight I've been on, GS and 1Ks definitely got their choice.
It has literally been years since I've not seen a GS or 1K get their choice of meal - well well before pandemic.

I can't even remember any flight in many years they've even bothered asking a GS or 1K for a second choice - because it is a given they will get first choice.
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 11:49 am
  #110  
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
I was responding to the OP regarding "rarely" being BS - too many times in the past 12 months I have heard from FA: "are you joining us for (breakfast/lunch/dinner)? We have _______. <-no choices. A recent example, I was on a flight just over a week ago, and the passenger diagonal to me was given a choice, apparently he got the last of the available chicken; meanwhile, I was only presented with the pasta dish, and nothing else.

At the end of the day, as I have alluded to yesterday, I have given up on all thing soft product from United, whether it's the food, FAs, or the ground experience at EWR/SFO. My expectations of United doing anything customer friendly is really low.
Again, did you remind the FA that you are a 1K member and entitled to your choice, and then force them into explaining that half the cabin is also 1K/GS and everyone else took their choice?

I would send in a complaint every time this happens to deliver the hint that pre-order should be standard on every premium transcon, immediately.
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 12:20 pm
  #111  
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
BS?

Fly between EWR and SFO often, and your stance will quickly change to rarely also. With potential 1K/GS spread out over up to 60 seats, FAs don't want to walk back and forth to hit highest elite groups first, so they'd take orders row by row. If you happen to be sitting in the back rows, too bad.
Fine, pick maybe the one route. I will also repeat that it’s probable that most GSs and 1Ks get their meal choice on most routes. If one want to extrapolate a couple of routes to be indicative and proof of 1Ks systemwide rarely getting their choice - whatever…
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 12:36 pm
  #112  
 
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Originally Posted by HNLbasedFlyer
It has literally been years since I've not seen a GS or 1K get their choice of meal - well well before pandemic.

I can't even remember any flight in many years they've even bothered asking a GS or 1K for a second choice - because it is a given they will get first choice.
Twice in the last month I was asked for a second choice. Remember also that in bigger cabins meal orders are sometimes taken before boarding is complete. It is perfectly feasible that a 1K/GS boards late and assuming the FAs had already done their 1K/GS rounds then some choices may be done by time they get to the late boarding GS/1K. Asking everyone for two choices would solve the problem of a late boarding GS not getting their choice.

Originally Posted by cfischer
always gotten my 1st choice since the policy was implemented. Can't think of more than 2 instances where I needed to remind the crew of meal priority (and last time that happened is many years ago)
I had to remind an FA this last week...

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
I will also repeat that it’s probable that most GSs and 1Ks get their meal choice on most routes.
Agree
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 4:41 pm
  #113  
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Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH
Fine, pick maybe the one route. I will also repeat that it’s probable that most GSs and 1Ks get their meal choice on most routes. If one want to extrapolate a couple of routes to be indicative and proof of 1Ks systemwide rarely getting their choice - whatever…
Transcon flights between NY and SF/LA are really the only routes I'd travel on a regular basis (weekly, sometimes multiple times in a week, on all carriers). You don't have to believe me, but I am only providing my experience. I have never claimed once my experience is the case systemwide.
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 7:14 pm
  #114  
 
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Originally Posted by ani90
Twice in the last month I was asked for a second choice. Remember also that in bigger cabins meal orders are sometimes taken before boarding is complete. It is perfectly feasible that a 1K/GS boards late and assuming the FAs had already done their 1K/GS rounds then some choices may be done by time they get to the late boarding GS/1K. Asking everyone for two choices would solve the problem of a late boarding GS not getting their choice.
I think it is reasonable to interpret/infer that the policy intends to ensure that all GS and 1K get their preferred meal choice, irrespective of when they board.
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Old Apr 2, 2022, 7:19 pm
  #115  
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Originally Posted by Repooc17
Transcon flights between NY and SF/LA are really the only routes I'd travel on a regular basis (weekly, sometimes multiple times in a week, on all carriers). You don't have to believe me, but I am only providing my experience. I have never claimed once my experience is the case systemwide.
Understand. My meal routes are probably more "normal" in terms of higher-level Premiers in front, so maybe a bit more successful.
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Old Apr 3, 2022, 8:11 pm
  #116  
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From this recent batch of posts, it sounds like the F/As are not using an app on their UA-issued iPhone to take orders? If they were, there would be absolutely no reason to hop around the cabin, and even if they started taking orders before boarding was complete, the late-boarding GS/1Ks would get their due priority.
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Old Apr 3, 2022, 8:29 pm
  #117  
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Originally Posted by wpcoe
From this recent batch of posts, it sounds like the F/As are not using an app on their UA-issued iPhone to take orders? If they were, there would be absolutely no reason to hop around the cabin, and even if they started taking orders before boarding was complete, the late-boarding GS/1Ks would get their due priority.
I've seen mostly a piece of paper w/ paper manifest, or just scribbled on manifest.
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Old Apr 3, 2022, 8:32 pm
  #118  
 
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Originally Posted by wpcoe
From this recent batch of posts, it sounds like the F/As are not using an app on their UA-issued iPhone to take orders? If they were, there would be absolutely no reason to hop around the cabin, and even if they started taking orders before boarding was complete, the late-boarding GS/1Ks would get their due priority.
The purser on my recent IAD-LAX flight did use their phone/app to take orders, but that method isn't necessarily foolproof.

I boarded late and politely reminded her that I'm a 1K when she told me that they only had the ragu available, which caused confusion as I wasn't showing up as a 1K on her app. She even showed me the app, and I immediately spotted that she had the manifest from her previous flight loaded. Oops. She then had to go around to many passengers apologizing that the chicken they had just ordered was suddenly "no longer available" and that they'd have to make do with the ragu instead (it was a 781 so there could've easily been 10+ orders that were messed up because of wrongly located GS/1K pax).
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Old Apr 3, 2022, 8:38 pm
  #119  
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Originally Posted by dkc192
...I immediately spotted that she had the manifest from her previous flight loaded. Oops....
A couple of years ago, I flew w/ a FA who had the wrong paper manifest in her hands. I told her I wasn't who she said I was. She said I was and showed me the "proof". I noticed (and pointed out) the manifest was from previous flight.
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Old Jun 20, 2022, 4:45 am
  #120  
 
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Is there a particular order that Polaris preferences are taken? Down the left aisle, up the right aisle? Specifically a 777 IAHEZE.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jun 21, 2022 at 12:27 am Reason: Moved to subject thread
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