Sep 24, 2019, 9:23 am
Last edit by: michab
The following website seems to allow you to preview the menu options ahead of time: http://cloud.o.delta.com/fltInfo
The Delta App lets you pre-select meals 7 days prior to departure. You may or may not receive an email around the same time (it's inconsistent whether you even receive an email). On the "MY TRIPS" tab, any eligible trip in the list will have a SELECT YOUR ENTREE button; this also appears if you tap on a trip and are viewing the individual trip details. The app is able to handle selections for multiple passengers traveling on the same record (i.e. you will be able to make selections on behalf of traveling companions)
Sample screenshot:
PRE-COVID: If you don't get the email, or only one of multiple passengers receives the email*, you can ask a phone or Twitter/FB agent for the choices, and they can make your selection up until T-24h (not all agents are sharp about this, so you may need to explain that you want to pre-order a regular meal, *not* one of the special vegetarian/Kosher meals etc. HUCA as needed) Nowadays it is unclear if agents can even still do this (or if just the average phone/chat agent does not know how to do so anymore)
*If this happens, double check that you have an email address (for each passenger) in the reservation. (But this can happen at random anyway even if you do have an email address listed.)
The Delta App lets you pre-select meals 7 days prior to departure. You may or may not receive an email around the same time (it's inconsistent whether you even receive an email). On the "MY TRIPS" tab, any eligible trip in the list will have a SELECT YOUR ENTREE button; this also appears if you tap on a trip and are viewing the individual trip details. The app is able to handle selections for multiple passengers traveling on the same record (i.e. you will be able to make selections on behalf of traveling companions)
Sample screenshot:
PRE-COVID: If you don't get the email, or only one of multiple passengers receives the email*, you can ask a phone or Twitter/FB agent for the choices, and they can make your selection up until T-24h (not all agents are sharp about this, so you may need to explain that you want to pre-order a regular meal, *not* one of the special vegetarian/Kosher meals etc. HUCA as needed) Nowadays it is unclear if agents can even still do this (or if just the average phone/chat agent does not know how to do so anymore)
*If this happens, double check that you have an email address (for each passenger) in the reservation. (But this can happen at random anyway even if you do have an email address listed.)
Pre-ordering Meals on Delta, the Definitive Thread
Apr 7, 2016, 7:30 pm
#196
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OK - and so what? The probability that everyone gets their meal choice is about 25% in the 10 passenger case and 31% in the 6 passenger case. What do you think you have proved?
Certainly not that as the number of passengers goes up the probability of a passenger being disappointed goes down.
Certainly not that as the number of passengers goes up the probability of a passenger being disappointed goes down.
Again with the "you take 10 flights and i'll take 2" scenario.
You said that if I get on a plane with 20 FC seats and no one has preordered a meal, I stand a better chance of getting what I want than if I get on that same plane where 10 people (but not me) have preordered a meal. I called BS.
Here's why, I fully agree, that the number of unhappy passengers is different, but so is the denominator. More people, more unhappy people.
Here's why, I fully agree, that the number of unhappy passengers is different, but so is the denominator. More people, more unhappy people.
Second, there are more than 2 states of nature - the all happy or all unhappy states. There are states where one passenger is unhappy, there are probabilities of 2, or 3, or 4 being unhapp - all the way to 5 being unhappy in the 10 passenger case. The probability of each of these states is different - but each contribute to the cummulative probability of me being unhappy. I don't know which plane I am getting on, but I could be on that plane where there is a 7/3 distribution of preference meaning that 2 people will be unhappy - or 20%. The chance of being on a 7/3 plane is lower (12%) than say a 6/4 plane (20%), but the number of chances of being unhappy (2 instead of 1) is higher.
Note - I did NOT change the number of passengers on a flight, just the number of times I do the experiment.
Now do the math - cacluclate the cummulative probability and if you think that you are still better off with more passengers not pre-selecting, then you feel free to think that.
Now do the math - cacluclate the cummulative probability and if you think that you are still better off with more passengers not pre-selecting, then you feel free to think that.
So: in the 2 pax case, there's a 25% chance I'm disappointed (50% that I choose last, 50% that the other person wants the same meal).
In the 20 pax case, there's a 50% chance that I choose in the second half; and, given that, the chance that I'm disappointed is well under 50% (depending on just where in the second half I am). So my overall chance of being disappointed is under 25%, and I'm better off.
Apr 7, 2016, 7:32 pm
#197
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I don't see whats so terrible about shelling out a few bucks via the Trip Extra's section on the delta website to upgrade your meal experience. Delta wouldn't be forcing you to buy into a better meal deal. Its very simple. Buy an F seat, get a decent meal. Buy a coach seat and wind up in F then you get whatever garbage is loaded on the food cart or use the Trip Extra's section to buy up your meal experience. I like the idea and on a route like JFK-SEA for which I can buy a sLUT fare for $300.00, I would most likely easily spend a few more dollars for an enhanced meal service.
I don't think either of those will fly.
Apr 7, 2016, 7:34 pm
#198
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And a surcharge for using the FC toilet,
Apr 7, 2016, 7:40 pm
#199
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And once again, we see you proposing that Delta either commit False Advertising (the upgrade isn't to First Class but to something with some of the benefits of First Class, but not all of them) or have to change its advertising to admit it doesn't really provide First Class upgrades.
I don't think either of those will fly.
I don't think either of those will fly.
Apr 7, 2016, 8:35 pm
#201
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Apr 7, 2016, 10:55 pm
#202
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Likewise, either DL offers and advertises a product for sale and then provides it "as advertised" when purchased by a passenger, or they just stay completely out of the "add-on market" because they can't/won't provide what the traveler wants to pay for. If there are a lot of conditions/disclaimers regarding a PAID upgrade to a premium cabin then who would even consider this offer?
Apr 8, 2016, 4:31 am
#203
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So can you get a car for 89 a month? Sure. People come into the dealer for the 89 price. They ignore the details. False advertising? Not even close.
Apr 8, 2016, 6:24 am
#204
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Likewise, either DL offers and advertises a product for sale and then provides it "as advertised" when purchased by a passenger, or they just stay completely out of the "add-on market" because they can't/won't provide what the traveler wants to pay for. If there are a lot of conditions/disclaimers regarding a PAID upgrade to a premium cabin then who would even consider this offer?
DL is trying to improve the onboard premium experience here. With DL's strategy to limit upgrades to Y+, I can't see them creating a lot of 'add-ons' in FC. There's only so much the FA can do in a two or three hour flight window. I don't think a Sky Chef a la TK or OS to prepare meals to order is in the cards here any-time soon
Apr 8, 2016, 12:40 pm
#205
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Radio commercial with "the details" provided in the last 4 seconds by someone speaking at 5X normal conversational speed and several times faster than comprehension speed.
TV commercial with "the details" provided in 15 lines of minute font in white or light grey color superimposed over a barely contrasting background color, displayed for only a few seconds (not enough time to read it all even if it were legible).
Web page where "the details" must be accessed on another page and the link that must be clicked is half-way down the page in minuscule font and a color that barely contrasts with the background.
All of the above are very commonly encountered.
So, you would assert that the customers who would be disadvantaged by the above (by design, one must assume) "chose not to see the details"?
I suspect that there is a multitude of folks (P. T. Barnum reincarnates) in the advertising and media industries who would assert that advertisement, as exemplified above, is all-right because it is not expressly illegal.
Apr 8, 2016, 1:03 pm
#207
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My head hurts after reading this thread......
Unless something changed, I seriously doubt extras are boarded. I know for a fact there were not extras in the past.
I also believe boarding extras would be wasteful and unnecessary.
The exception to this IMO is international J; given the cost boarding extras is justified.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have not gotten my choice in 30 years of flying....
I thought I was anal but I have never even thought about FEBO. Thanks for making me feel better!
I view this as a good thing, giving customers more of what they want.
I do hope they would focus more on quality......does not matter if I get my choice if it is no good.
Bon appetit
Unless something changed, I seriously doubt extras are boarded. I know for a fact there were not extras in the past.
I also believe boarding extras would be wasteful and unnecessary.
The exception to this IMO is international J; given the cost boarding extras is justified.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have not gotten my choice in 30 years of flying....
I thought I was anal but I have never even thought about FEBO. Thanks for making me feel better!
I view this as a good thing, giving customers more of what they want.
I do hope they would focus more on quality......does not matter if I get my choice if it is no good.
Bon appetit
Apr 8, 2016, 1:14 pm
#208
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That, after all, was the original topic of the thread.
But, I have heard a lot about probability theory here. Now, if I only knew how much of it was correct.
Apr 8, 2016, 1:32 pm
#209
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Long Beach, CA
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So, you would assert that the customers who would be disadvantaged by the above (by design, one must assume) "chose not to see the details"?
I suspect that there is a multitude of folks (P. T. Barnum reincarnates) in the advertising and media industries who would assert that advertisement, as exemplified above, is all-right because it is not expressly illegal.
I suspect that there is a multitude of folks (P. T. Barnum reincarnates) in the advertising and media industries who would assert that advertisement, as exemplified above, is all-right because it is not expressly illegal.
Edited to add: Look at the pages and pages of upgrade complaints in the DL forum....dozens of people who refuse to look within the parenthesis at the words (space available). People see what they want to see and that often isn't the reality.
Apr 8, 2016, 2:12 pm
#210
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Delta would have to add more conditions and disclaimers, which they probably don't want to do.