There is one single word that describes UA service whether we are talking about today or 10 years ago: Inconsistency.

Getting a good crew is a total craps shoot. What I do find is that the service within each crew is usually consistent... the pursor seems to set the tone on expectation and the crew is in line with that (generally). I was on UA1 to SIN this year and the pursor was so awful I almost sent a note to UA. The rest of the crew was on par with her.

From doing the same route 1.5 times per month over several years (UA20/UA21 IAH-AMS-IAH) I found that the international crews tend to stick together as well. meaning I would see the same general crew together on many flights, etc. Maybe the "Birds of a feather flock together" saying is accurate in the crew world? lol.