It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and how significantly it impacts service. On the one hand, shortened service will probably save UA money on beverage consumption, etc. But on the other hand, if the decline in service causes even 5 or 10 percent of the F buying population to decide to just sit in economy instead, those gains could quickly evaporate. (Even a single F seat that goes to a CPU vs what would have been paid for is a loss of a few hundred dollars, which is probably a good bit more than the cost of the drinks and the fuel transporting them).

I can personally say that if there’s a noticeable service decline, I’d stop buying/ paying for upgrades to F on flights less than 4-ish hours.