š¤¢So Much Mold In This United Mealš¤¢
Jeff Edwards June 17, 2019
A United Airlines passenger claims that not only did her snack box contain a visibly rancid food item, but when she complained about the obviously moldy inflight fare, she was offered a refund only to later find out that rather than being credited the price of the tapas box, she was instead double-charged for the inedible meal.
As far as Ć la carte economy class snacks go, the United Airlines’ tapas snack box is among the better offerings. The Mediterranean-inspired items arenāt overly fussy or especially heavy and have the added benefit of pairing well with whatever the wine options are on any given flight (at least as well as a tasting room cheese plate). By U.S. airline standards, the $10 price tag is almost a bargain.
Unfortunately, one of the few remaining comforts in the sky has just been rendered completely unpalatable. Be warned, once you see the now-viral image of a partially consumed, mold-covered hummus cup, it is impossible to erase the picture from your mind.
Depending on how it is approached, one disgusted passengerās recent Instagram post either ruined the idea of ordering an inflight snack box forever or provided a stomach-churning public service. In either case, picking up a pre-flight cold sandwich from the Au Bon Pain in the terminal just might be the best bet for the foreseeable future.
āI purchased this Tapas box last night on United flight 1613,ā passenger Jamie Lund wrote in her nowĀ viral Instagram post on Tuesday. āI started eating it before I completely removed the foil on top. Almost threw up when I saw the mold! When I brought it to their attention they took my card to refund me, did not take away the molded hummus and find out today they charged me twice!!ā
Lund added photographic evidence of the offending, partially eaten, pre-packaged hummus portion. She also included the hashtags ā#unitedairlines #unitedsucks #mold #hummus #tapas #foodpoisoning #airplanefood #passengershaming and #shamefullā for good measure.
In uncharacteristic fashion, United Airlinesā normally quick-to-respond social media team has so far declined to interact with the rather graphic Instagram post – other commenters have been much less timid and expressed outrage (but very few, a sense of surprise). It would appear that in this case, rather than the airline, it is the hummus purveyor who is the real villain of the story.
[Featured Image: United Airlines]
Left United decades ago after running out of food on a 14 hour flight in Int First Class It was the right move the airline is and simply continues to be horrible I flew United Class Domestic FC last year when my carrier of choice had mechanical issues The boarding process was horrible the food inedible and the onboard service a shadow of what it once was years ago Other than lounge improvements its a simply terrible airline in almost every way with no easy way to reach Consumer Relations if needed .Simply little to no regard for customers unless getting bumped for which they now over compensate after dragging their bloody passenger down the aisle.One of the very few historically that managed to get a refund United simply cant get anything right for the most part .My advice to the customer dispute the charges and find another carrier.Problem solved
What's most surprising is that United didn't even offer an apology, either on board from the FA (who didn't even take away the food), or after the fact from the social media team. Customer service on US airlines is horrendous. No wonder they never show up in the top 20 global airline rankings. Poor service, cramped planes, bad food, etc, etc, etc. Consolidation has killed these airlines...pre-merger, Continental was one of the best in the world and I flew them extensively. Will only fly United if I must now.
strickerj: The first mistake was serving moldy food. They "made it right" by double-charging them. United deserves every bit of hate it gets.
People were "outraged?" Of course they were. Everyone's outraged about everything.
Iām no airline apologist (especially for United), but why not give them a chance to make it right before taking it to the media? Iām sure getting double charged was just a mistake by the FA and not some elaborate scam.