canadiancow

Why would someone else not get one?

From what I've read, for simply getting a meal, the priority is non-upgrades, then upgrades.

For meal choice ORDER (but you need to have a meal already for this to apply), it's by status.

I doubt there was someone lower than E who had been upgraded, so it was probably all paid fares, and upgrades from people E and higher. Vagus was at the back.

It sucks, but it happens.

Now, that being said, when does a catering decision really need to be made? A couple hours before the flight? At that point, they should know that if they have 90% of J full, and enough people waitlisted to fill 15% of J, that they need to cater for a full load.

Stranger

Not sure I understand what you are saying.

Last upgraded pax is supposed to be the first not to get a meal if the loaded number is insufficient. They should even warn gate upgraded pax that they may not get a meal.

So the OP should have got his, the captain should have got his, and some upgraded guy should not have received one.

swedish_canadian

Similar happened to me as well. Had used eupgrades on YYZ-YVR. Confirmed in advance. Two FAs were sitting in front of me. The FA on duty did not ask passengers by status and since I was in the last row there was no meal for me. She offered me crackers or something from the inboard cafe but at that time hardly anything was left on the onboard cafe either.
Anyways no big deal but when I got back home I wrote a complaint. I got the standard response saying food choices cannot be guarantied for eups and no compensation was offered. However after a week or so my 10 eupgrades were returned. Of course no communication from AC but at least I got it back.

The Lev

IIRC catering commitments are made at least 24 hours before departure.

Having said that, it still amazes me that I might check and note that a flight looks close to full in J a few days before departure, which should mean that J will be full on departure with upgrades and yet I'll still get a boarding pass with ML* on it.

fin 645

In the case of Vagus, any ML*1s should have been asked last. But as a non upgrader, you will still get ML*1 if you make a last minute change even as a J pax.

I also find that the SDs frequently come to me for a priority meal order as an SE even with ML*1, maybe in cases where more J meals are loaded for sale in Y. And when I last flew to SYD from YYZ on AC 33, the LT07 comment stuck with my BP even after a gate upgrade, with no sign of ML*1.

ACYYZ/SD

The airline that I know .....

Takes meal orders from Staff last & in the event of a meal shortage approaches staff first (to advise). I have never had an employee balk at having to give up a meal for a revenue customer (upgraded or otherwise).

There ain't nothin' unique about me - I can assure you.

fin 645

How about POS pilots?

Jasper2009

Well, I think FAs generally fall into three categories.

1) great, willing to go the extra mile
2) fine
3) lazy / miserable / not caring about pax

You seem to fall into category 1 while FTers seem to disproportionally often encounter those in category 3.

(IME most FAs fall in the 1 and 2 category, else I would have abondoned AC a long time ago)

ACYYZ/SD

Never in my years of flying has a pilot ever declined giving up his/her meal for a revenue Customer - not once. On short haul flights nobody Is going to sulk about giving up an omelette and on longer flights, we have the resources at our disposal to compensate.

acysb87

Your observations are on point and exactly what I have encountered on my flights with AC ^

Sopwith

A couple of years ago I was sitting on a bench outside the MLL at YVR waiting for a colleague to show up. A woman walked by and encountered a GA walking the other way; they greeted each other as long lost friends and sat down beside me to chat. Turns out the woman is headed for SYD and the GA is working that flight. She said very clearly that she would see what she could do to u/g the friend.

It happens.

Stranger

Two caveats here:

1. "couple of years ago," is that before or after gate agents had to go by the computer?

2. "See what she could do" does not necessarily mean she could do much if the flight is full in J. Of course I have seen friends being moved up front if the flight is empty up front.

Incidentally, on LH, the SD is required to ask the captain's permission to do move someone up. Which may or may not be granted.

nm761

Relevant flight experiences yesterday afternoon (3MAY):

AC459 YOW-YYZ, SKED 16.00 – an announcement was made that the 17.00 flight will be downgauged, so they were inviting to move passengers with no baggage or connections to move to the 16.00 flight, which made the 16.00 flight full, in fact, uncomfortably full. I would say about 5 or 6 FAs end up in J on AC459, but what really irked me was the mad rush for the gate which all of these FAs made to board the flight, completely disregarding all other priority passengers. I would argue, confirmed J or not, staff should board last, not first. It was quite a picture to see them sitting in J staring at every passenger who was coming in on board afterwards.

AC137 YYZ-YVR, SKED 18.00 – a few seats appeared to be empty as the flight was about 15 minutes before departure. I was stuck walking behind two FAs, who were confirmed in Y and were visibly unhappy about it. As we were walking they started storing their carry-ons in J, and the bins were half empty, so that’s great. But then they noticed the empty seats (mind you, boarding has not yet been completed), so they literally stopped in the middle of the walk (in the galley between the first, small section of Y on this B763, and the next section, blocking all passenger access behind them and started using the intercom to make calls about the empty J seats and how someone should go up to the gate and check the loads, so they could move there.

One thing I started noticing more and more, is how in-flight crew are affected by the composure and attitude of the SD on the flight. Admittedly, a generalising statement, but I rarely see a sultry crew when the SD is on the ball and is very customer-focused. By the same token, when the SD is clearly not enjoying what (s)he is doing, or is having a bad day, or is generally not quite there, so is the rest of the crew. AC137 last night unfortunately fell in the latter category.

YYZC2

You should try ordering earlier next year...



OK, now I'm really out of this thread...

The Lev

They were rushing to make sure their three carry on bags each would fit into the overhead bins.