dalbert

I know that this is fairly unimportant, but I was wondering if I am going to have glassware from PHL to PHX in First Class?

On shorter First Class runs, I have had plastic cups to go along with my meal, which does not bother me, but makes wine not taste as good. Since, I am paying full fare, I was wondering what kind of service I am going to get.

phillyguy

I did PHL/PHX last week and PHL/DEN and had glassware

FlyerAl

PIT-LAS had glassware last week.

ATC

I disagree that this is fairly unimportant. We may all feel silly asking about these things because they seem trivial, but the fact that we go ahead and ask anyhow belies the supposed insignificance.

Missing among the list of assets in Mr. Seigel's latest Powerpoint presentation was the US Airways "image." Bear with me here. Sometime back I was whiling away time with a few fellow passengers during a weather delay, and we got around to one of any frequent flyer's favorite activity: compare and contrast the various airlines. We agreed that for the most part the airlines were fairly similar, but there are some subtle differences. We ended up agreeing that US Airways seemed slightly "classier" than the other majors.

Now this was puzzling, and we asked ourselves "why?" Our vague theories included the fact that the demographics of east coast travel meant that you would generally have a lot of well-dressed business types on each flight. Looking around, this certainly seemed to be the case. We also thought the US Airways rebranding effort, with the new livery, uniforms, and theme song was nothing short of brilliant. On thinner ice, we speculated that perhaps the older workforce (which seemed the case on this particular day) contributed to the impression.

Regardless of the reason, US Airways should be capitalizing on this image. They need to differentiate themselves from the pack, and what better lever than "class?"

Rather than switching to plastic picnic cups, they should be giving us crystal.

safetymom

PIT-MCO in first over the weekend. Plastic down, Glass on the way back.

Jerry Garcia

All glass from LAX-CLT-LAX.

Has anyone had plastic on a trantatlantic? That would be suicide imo.

deelmakur

It's trivial, and yes, we don't pay enough to cover the costs, but the simple fact is certain drinks don't taste the same in a plastic cup. I'm speaking about wine (there is a reason those funny glasses are shaped that way). It's no big deal to me, but if you are going to have the front cabin, then either equip it properly, or dump it, because you can't make your competitors conform to your vision. Other carriers I fly still cater that cabin according to tradition, which makes US look silly. If I was some guy paying a lot of dough for, say, a transatlantic trip, and finished my journey via a connect into the system (which is what a hub and spoke airline is all about), I don't think I'd be too happy. If they are going to cater first class like a picnic meal, then at least give people the option of paying for it if they want a higher level of service. When you're droppping nearly 3 bucks for a pretzel in the concourse, what's a few bucks onboard to cover extra costs?

dalbert

After flying from PBI to DCA and then connecting to BDL the other day, I was very disappointed with US Airways and that lack of glassware on this route. Since I am not an elite member, if I want First Class, I have to pay for the service. Thus, I am paying some of the highest fares on the plane and I do not like to receive items that I could have paid less for (I.E. Coach Class). Thus, I was very tempted to fly another airline to PHX because if I am going to pay over $2700 dollars to fly First Class, I had better receive a glass to drink my wine out of.

Edited for errors



[This message has been edited by dalbert (edited 02-05-2003).]

Alysia

This past weekend, DCA-MSY and MSY-PIT both had plastic glasses in FC.

Art234

PIT-LAS on Sunday night had glass...and a great group of FA's.

------------------
Regards,

Art from ISP

gnaget

Yeah, what's up with not getting glassware to/from DCA?

dalbert

Maybe there is no glassware in certain cities because US Airways limits the amount of glassware that it sends to its catering units to save money. Does that sound right? Just a guess!

biggs

The TSA confiscated it because it could become a sharp and pointy object. Besides you do not need to drink because of the no bathroom rule going into DCA .

BTW, I had real glassware on AA on STL-RDU.