2012 Let's Eat - International First, BusinessFirst, & Business Class
Jun 5, 2012, 6:17 pm
#226
Join Date: May 2001
Location: RNO, NV, USA.
Programs: UA 2MM
Posts: 5,063
Kurt - Thank you for your excellent report and photos, "CO" BF. I note champagne was "Heidsieck & Co Monople Blue Top NV 2009/2010". UA was not offering this last month. Is this because this is a "CO" route, or is this the champagne for June, I wonder?
Jun 5, 2012, 7:40 pm
#227
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Programs: AS MVP 100K, UA PremEx-MM
Posts: 3,335
I think it is because it is a CO route, with CO service, even though it was marketed as UA.
Jun 5, 2012, 7:51 pm
#228
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Chicago, IL USA
Posts: 189
What is the current status of special request meals in paid C class? My current itinerary between ORD and China says "No special meal offered". I haven't called yet, but does anyone know the scoop? I want a vegan meal, and my understanding was these are no longer offered on domestic flights, but are are international.
Jun 6, 2012, 4:27 am
#229
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,814
I flew SYD-SFO in C last weekend .
Apart from a few minor hiccoughs - the new business offering was a real improvement. Service seemed better and the food was a bit tastier and of better quality.
Still no choice of pre take drinks and still the offer of some undrinkable of some undrinkable sparkling wine as champagne but otherwise i was impressed.
Nice touch getting both the cheese plate plus the desert .My icecream with fudge and caramel sauce and nuts was brilliant.
Choices for breakfast also improved with a cold plate now one of the options.
Green tea was available.
To top it off I flew JFK to ZRH on Swiss 2 days later and the food on offer was no where as good as that on United.
So if sustained , this is a real improvement.
Apart from a few minor hiccoughs - the new business offering was a real improvement. Service seemed better and the food was a bit tastier and of better quality.
Still no choice of pre take drinks and still the offer of some undrinkable of some undrinkable sparkling wine as champagne but otherwise i was impressed.
Nice touch getting both the cheese plate plus the desert .My icecream with fudge and caramel sauce and nuts was brilliant.
Choices for breakfast also improved with a cold plate now one of the options.
Green tea was available.
To top it off I flew JFK to ZRH on Swiss 2 days later and the food on offer was no where as good as that on United.
So if sustained , this is a real improvement.
Jun 6, 2012, 5:21 am
#230
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: United Premier 1K 1MM; AA Plat Pro; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Platinum; Avis President's Club
Posts: 2,529
Kurt great photos! When was your flight? I noticed the old amenity bag in your photos. Was the prior to 1 June?
Jun 6, 2012, 7:59 pm
#231
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: IAH / HOU
Programs: UA GS, DL-Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Hyatt Somethingist, Marriott Titanium Lifetime
Posts: 2,853
Post 225 would seem to indicate May 2.
Jun 8, 2012, 9:00 am
#232
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: USA
Programs: AA2, DL2, Amtrak2, US2, SPG1, MAR2
Posts: 2,550
The upgrades to F to make it feel special are, in reality, simple...but expensive.
Applying the 80/20 rule; *great* wine and caviar would get UA the super-majority of the respect it would need to say it has legitimately upgraded its F product and both of those items require very little labor and 0.0 cooking/real food pre
Even if they have dialed back the F food to pretty much match J....with those two added extras, they'd be ok.
Instead it's looking like they have not done anything noteworthy in F and that our $$$ is much better spent elsewhere.
Last edited by DrivingRain; Jun 8, 2012 at 9:25 am
Jun 8, 2012, 9:24 am
#233
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
BTW, I think it's been debated on these boards, but you might want to blur out the visible faces (other than the FA) in the first picture.
Jun 8, 2012, 12:44 pm
#234
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Programs: United 1k, BA Gold, LX Senator, Flying Blue Plat, IHG Plat. Ambassador, Marriott Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 136
The upgrades to F to make it feel special are, in reality, simple...but expensive.
Applying the 80/20 rule; *great* wine and caviar would get UA the super-majority of the respect it would need to say it has legitimately upgraded its F product and both of those items require very little labor and 0.0 cooking/real food pre
Even if they have dialed back the F food to pretty much match J....with those two added extras, they'd be ok.
Instead it's looking like they have not done anything noteworthy in F and that our $$$ is much better spent elsewhere.
Applying the 80/20 rule; *great* wine and caviar would get UA the super-majority of the respect it would need to say it has legitimately upgraded its F product and both of those items require very little labor and 0.0 cooking/real food pre
Even if they have dialed back the F food to pretty much match J....with those two added extras, they'd be ok.
Instead it's looking like they have not done anything noteworthy in F and that our $$$ is much better spent elsewhere.
Jun 8, 2012, 1:03 pm
#235
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 25 years/2MM, Honors LT Diamond, AVIS & Hertz Prez Club
Posts: 4,753
Jun 8, 2012, 5:19 pm
#236
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO, LON
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Bonvoy Tit, Hilton Dia etc etc
Posts: 2,354
Well, technically they took the bowl of soup away from BF, you're paying for the seat and CO's old BF service. Or, hopefully, not paying for that 
Jun 8, 2012, 6:54 pm
#237
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
Flying SFO to NRT this week in C. Any experiences with the "new" menus? Are they in place yet?
Jun 9, 2012, 5:08 am
#238
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: USA
Programs: AA2, DL2, Amtrak2, US2, SPG1, MAR2
Posts: 2,550
Jun 9, 2012, 5:52 am
#239
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: LAX and LHR. UA lifetime Gold 1.9MM 1K , DL Gold Medallion, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, Avis President's Club
Posts: 3,592
PMUA's policy for several years was hot breakfast only on West Coast to Europe flights. Chicago and East Coast to Europe always had continental cold breakfast.
On the other hand, you do now get a hot breakfast option on Europe to East Coast flights leaving early morning.
On the other hand, you do now get a hot breakfast option on Europe to East Coast flights leaving early morning.
Jun 11, 2012, 3:51 am
#240
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
Programs: UA Global Services 3.2 MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 2,506
Flew 881 NRT-SIN in Global First on June 9, and there was no soup, no cheese, and the short rib that is one of my favorite dishes on PMCO routes was dry and almost inedible. Maybe the reduced course load was the norm on NRT-SIN pre-6/1, although I'm not sure why, as this is a 7-hour flight in prime dinner hours (555 pm - 1155 pm). In any event, this service was nothing special and a big downgrade compared to my earlier flight the same day in BF IAH-NRT. No amenity kit either, just a la carte eyeshades, earplugs and toothbrush/paste.