DCEsquire

Yes, you are correct, technically I don't know this. Only 1 GS pre-boarded but F was full within 5 minutes of boarding commencing. The fact remains that the process of prioritizing wasn't followed. How do I know this? The lady to my right got the last salmon - actually the FA left it up to us to decide who would get it. He went from front to back and by the time he reached us he said we're out of salmon - only 1 left. Which of you wants it? I was in row 4. If you are GS and choose the bulkhead I guess you should get your salmon though!

WineCountryUA

or 1Ks rows 1, 2 or 3. Very easy to have enough prior 1Ks to be gone by row 4. Could have been a selection mix issue, not a FA process issue.

DCEsquire

That's true I suppose. I still am dogged in my insistence they didn't consider status. Usually the FA will come by with the manifest... Say my name and ask for first or second choice. When they do that they know my name and status.. The FA in this case didn't have a manifest. Didn't know my name and presumably not my status. Just had a piece of paper he was writing orders on.

sf4dfish

I believe my friend & I was on your flight! We sat in the front row upper deck and we both got the Pork Katsu! We are both Asian, but not Japanese and we are both 1K. The FA did not ask us for a second choice, she just said 'OK'.

hagan73

The last part is more what I am used to. Flying PS from JFK to SFO with my GF and a full flight. Sitting beside me she is asked for her first and second choices. Then the FA asks what I would like (1K) I tell him my first and then start to tell my second choice and he chuckles and says that won't be necessary. Took that to mean there aren't enough 1K/GS to prevent me from getting my beef! Luckily the GF is a vegetarian so the noodles were an easy grab with no status.

songzm

5/24 IAD-SEA order was taken from front to back with no mention to status, since I sit in 1A I got my first choice.
5/26 MCO-SFO FA took order for all 1Ks from back to front, I was the last 1K to be asked, I purposely chose 1A because I want to make sure I have choice fortunately when FA got to me all 3 choices were still available

ShotgunKid

I was on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco recently. I was in the last row of FC and as I heard the FA move from front to back, he started mentioning less and less options. When he finally got to me, he only offered one menu item and nothing else. I asked about the other menu items and he said they were unavailable.

I asked him if he was prioritizing based on status. He then asked what my status was (1k) and then asked me what I wanted. I told him and then he went to the last passenger that ordered it and said "the guy with status wants your meal so you will have to have XYZ."

Was this really necessary? It made me uncomfortable and made it embarrassing for the other passenger - someone who may have paid full fare - no status? If the FA followed the protocol, it would have avoided this awkward situation. Unfortunately, the meal was terrible and I wished I hadn't ordered it in the first place. Go figure.

LaserSailor

Gotta love this approach. It does point out the silliness of all this " I want my choice" hysteria.

love_to_travel

Did SFO-HNL today and the FA asked everyone for 2 choices. Then I noticed her in the galley looking at her notes and what I assume was a passenger manifest.

In my opinion this is the best way to do it, with one of the downsides being that someone might have to settle for the 3rd option as their first two were out.

I got my first choice (short ribs) which was delicious, the dessert (vanilla chocolate chip something) unfortunately was not.

wxguy

Don't be too impressed. Half the time I pre-order on AA, it's either not communicated from the Website to the airplane, or my name is on the manifest for a choice but not enough meals of the type I requested were loaded (and as a lowly AA GLD I lose out to PLT and EXP who pre-ordered).

chavala

I'm an AA nothing, but on the same res as my EXP s/o, (yes, a mixed marriage), so hoping.

EnvoyBoy

It's only one datum but I was in FC on Thai and was not able to have my first choice of entree. Not sure what happened.

coplatsat

On 3 class plane (Y-BF-GF), since GF and BF have the same entree, does GF trump BF? Ie Front to Back, GS and 1k for GF, then on to BF...

uanj

When complimentary upgrades became the norm for domestic US flights across most carriers, I wondered what this would do to the quality of FC service. The catering on both halves of UA has suffered tremendously.

I don't think UA is willing to spend much more on catering to either improve the quality or quantity of meals to ensure first choice. The fact they are prioritizing proves that.

UA has said before in surveys they are looking at customers pre-ordering meals but nothing has happened.

Once upon a time there were two airlines, one of which innovated by introducing p.s. service on transcons, explus which brought FC to regionals, and economy plus to provide more legroom to its most frequent travelers. The other airline concentrated on providing a better inflight experience (such as better meals) than its competitors. And then they merged resulting in no more innovation, sad meals, sadder wines, and poor operational performance. However the executive team's compensation soared and they felt all was well with the world.

Yes it should and in my experience always has.

adambrau

Not going to get into the subsidies debate because frankly I don't know enough about it.

UA has to make money for a few years, then maybe they will load the meals required to compete. Give them a break, they have just overcome 15 years of very tough operating environments.

US carriers operate in their own sphere and have lost billions of dollars since 9/11, and even before our premiere carriers like TWA, Pan Am, Eastern and Braniff disappeared because the US Govt doesn't want to be seen as supporting money losing operations. And I know we have chapter 11 which is an unfair advantage. But Pan Am was an instrument of the US Govt and when they were going through the last shudder of life they were allowed to die - despite all the innovations they brought to aviation and all they did for our national interest - like volunteering to fly into Saigon to rescue staff and Americans before the city fell to North Vietnamese forces. US carriers operate under incredible domestic competition and their operations are based over several domestic hubs (like 5 or 6) compared to European, Middle Eastern and Asian carriers who may have at most most 2 hubs but usually one super hub. I would argue, with US Airline consolidation, and subsequently record profits, that US carriers have the potential to come up for breath and in the next few years offer a better soft product to rival their foreign counterparts.

So when you don't get your first choice of meal on UA, just remember despite all their cancellations, when they operate they safely get you to your destination. They don't take off on runways under construction, they don't (apart from UAX) overshoot runways, they don't land in fields a mile short of the runway, they don't end up in fragrant harbors, they don't flip over on landing in Narita or Hong Kong during Typhoons, and the list goes goes on.

Everyone loves to hate US carriers at the moment, but in 1985 or 1986 I remember reading in the Economist how TWA and Pan Am were killing BA and the European carriers. Things change fast. I am not saying that having flight attendants who are still flying in their 80's is innovative, or I am proud of how lousy the food and operational dependency of UA is compared to already mentioned foreign carriers. But I see the tide turning ever so slowly. And hopefully soon we will no longer be the laughing stock but a respected global competitor. Because that will be a benefit to the traveling world and good for everyone!

Adam