Offers of a Pre-Departure Beverage (PDB) [2019 and Earlier]
Aug 3, 2019, 1:21 pm
#541
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS
Posts: 2,293
8/3 AS 442 SEA/LAX 10:40 Departure No water at seat. water handed out after boarding. NO PDB.
Chatted with FA during flight. asked what their understanding was of PDB policy. They knew the before and after 10 policy. When I inquired why implementation of policy is inconsistent, the reply was , "when flight departure is delayed we are told NO PDB." So, we did not do PDB on this flight.
Chatted with FA during flight. asked what their understanding was of PDB policy. They knew the before and after 10 policy. When I inquired why implementation of policy is inconsistent, the reply was , "when flight departure is delayed we are told NO PDB." So, we did not do PDB on this flight.
Aug 3, 2019, 2:06 pm
#542
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,631
8/3 AS 442 SEA/LAX 10:40 Departure No water at seat. water handed out after boarding. NO PDB.
Chatted with FA during flight. asked what their understanding was of PDB policy. They knew the before and after 10 policy. When I inquired why implementation of policy is inconsistent, the reply was , "when flight departure is delayed we are told NO PDB." So, we did not do PDB on this flight.
Chatted with FA during flight. asked what their understanding was of PDB policy. They knew the before and after 10 policy. When I inquired why implementation of policy is inconsistent, the reply was , "when flight departure is delayed we are told NO PDB." So, we did not do PDB on this flight.
Aug 3, 2019, 2:38 pm
#543
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 5,956
FA's are told to use their best judgement so as not to delay boarding. That means you could well do the service, but chose not to. Warranted? Maybe.... maybe not....
Aug 5, 2019, 12:16 pm
#544
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Palm Beach/ New England
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, DL GM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,382
Service question and suggestion...
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
Aug 5, 2019, 5:52 pm
#545
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 5,956
Service question and suggestion...
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
To answer your questions - there is supposed to be a PDB service so that wasn't done as required. As for the rest, it sounds like the FA was doing the best s/he could, given the circumstances - sorry that it wasn't optimal.
Aug 5, 2019, 6:36 pm
#547
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,371
uh, VX configuration for the A319/320/321 was 8F; A320/321 are being reconfigured to 12F (yeah it’s a technicality, but your point that it’s far from ideal is **completely** valid)
Aug 5, 2019, 6:39 pm
#548
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,329
Alaska insists on plating entrees for some reason, whereas most other airlines have entrees that are heated in the ceramic dish they are served in, which saves quite a bit of time during the service. It often makes for a nice presentation when plated individually, but it takes so much more time. I think it would be nice if someone would recognize that passengers just want their food and they don't care so much about everything being individually plated and served.
Aug 5, 2019, 9:06 pm
#549
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 5,956
I've often noticed that the presentation of the food looks much better on AS than other airlines. Things look neater and there is less splatter on the sides of the dish. I much prefer it this way and enjoy the nicer presentation, I just never thought about / realized the extra work that goes into it.
Aug 5, 2019, 9:08 pm
#550
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 5,956
The 321 is being retrofitted with 16 First Class seats - and the same oven that was once used for a service for 8 people. The 319/320's are, as you mentioned, being retrofitted with 12 seats - still the same oven that was used for 8 people.
Aug 6, 2019, 9:22 am
#551
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,631
Aug 6, 2019, 12:10 pm
#552
Moderator: Alaska Mileage Plan
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,318
Moderator Note: A reminder that we're talking about PDBs, not reconfigurations or ovens. Thanks.
dayone, AS Moderator
dayone, AS Moderator
Last edited by dayone; Aug 6, 2019 at 10:48 pm Reason: Typo.
Aug 6, 2019, 9:04 pm
#553
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: CONUS
Posts: 947
Service question and suggestion...
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
I flew in paid First from Seattle last night on a 2000-mile dinner flight -- just want to clarify if the following is the normal meal service standard:
No PDBs offered (none on the outbound to SEA, either) -- is this normal on Alaska?
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders taken -- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, drinks come out of galley, two at a time (one service pass per seat pair). This takes 15 minutes to complete, which is long but not unreasonable.
We are now 45 minutes into the flight. 10 more minutes pass, and the single FA serving F starts to bring the dinners out, again two at a time. About five minutes between each seat pair. I am served my dinner at 1:10 into the flight (second row).
As far as I can see, everyone by now had finished their drink, which had come out about a half hour earlier. So as she is placing my dinner tray on my table, I ask, may I please have water and white wine.... She interrupts, saying please let me finish, then I'll deal with your request. Surprising, but I thought she meant she would finish that row.
Instead, she continues to slowly serve all sixteen seats dinner before doing any drinks refills. So 30 more minutes elapse before I get a glass of wine. Not a huge deal, but of course my dinner was cold by then. Several of us were waiting for a drink/ refill/ water (I cannot eat airplane chicken without something to wash it down), so it was fairly obvious that her serving method was sub-optimal.
As a contrast, AA usually serves meals to one row at a time, followed to the same row with a drink service. Or sometimes they serve from the cart, with wine and water on the cart. Just seems like a better approach.
Aug 6, 2019, 9:08 pm
#554
Join Date: Dec 2008
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 669
When I used to fly United they would always have a second flight attendant come up to help in F. At least for 20-30 minutes.
Aug 7, 2019, 7:57 pm
#555
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fort Worth TX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 475
Here is how I would do service:
Boarding-PDB of choice (1st drink service/order taken)
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders/nuts service-- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, dinner service with 2nd FA serving.
45 minutes after takeoff, 2nd drink service with 2nd FA
After 2nd drink service, 2nd FA returns to the back and econ service begins.
Boarding-PDB of choice (1st drink service/order taken)
20 minutes after takeoff, drink orders/nuts service-- whole cabin
30 minutes after takeoff, dinner service with 2nd FA serving.
45 minutes after takeoff, 2nd drink service with 2nd FA
After 2nd drink service, 2nd FA returns to the back and econ service begins.