jetaway96

If an FA didn't ask for your 2nd choice, it doesn't mean that he/she isn't aware of your status. As long as you get your 1st choice as GS/1K then they completed their task regardless of whether they took orders F-B or hopped around. It seems like most people on this forum are accusing FAs that took orders F-B without asking for 2nd choice as not complying with United policy which is not true. Like I said above, I would not need to ask for a 2nd choice the first few rows until the other choice runs low and spotted a few GS/1Ks seated towards the back of the cabin.

There are times that you would get a purser/lead who gets slotted into the position and has never worked in that position before. They might make some mistakes, so just cut them some slack

GoAmtrak

jetaway96, I'm curious as to your thoughts about the contingent of FAs who are not new and still don't know or don't care. Is it a training issue, an attitude problem, a cultural problem within the company, or a mix? And can you understand why it's frustrating for customers to know certain UA policies better than the person serving them, or to be in a position to call out employees when they assume the customer is ignorant?

Of course we should be polite and patient in our interactions. But just read all the threads about inconsistent res agents; it's the same dynamic of spotty knowledge of policies (which, to be fair, can sometimes be in one's favor). The alleged FAs who openly feast from the snack baskets without bothering to serve also come to mind as a customer, in terms of being made to feel that one's intelligence is being insulted. DYKWIAism will always be a factor, but with meager catering these days, we're counting on you and your peers to please be conscientious and consistent regarding meal choices.

MatthewLAX

I've (sadly) ended up on primarily PMCO flights lately and meal orders have been prioritized by status exactly ZERO times.

Thankfully, I've always received my first choice anyway.

njcommodore

If you've always received your first choice any way how can you be so sure meals weren't prioritized?

MatthewLAX

Because I see the manifests they are holding. They write down the number of each meal at the top, start in the front, work their way back, and cross off each meal as they go back.

Just last week the FA got to the row behind mine (on a lunch flight) and said, "Sorry gents, cheeseburgers only."

swm61230

The meal choice was something that didn't cost UA anything. It was a freebee for them. I couldn't believe that when I had got on a plane sitting in the last row window on A320 that I was never asked about a meal choice and that I got some nasty thing that I would never choose to eat had I gotten a meal choice. Then come to find out I was the only Premier member....Not just the only 1k.....but the ONLY status holder in the FC. I was floored! Sad thing was I was the only 1k on the flight too!

From what I could tell the manifest from shares showed the FC status of members and the first 5 eligible upgrade members.

on a side note to the upset pmCO FA's who have a problem with this policy.

pmCO FA's don't believe that elites should be treated differently. And they don't believe in customer service. They are angry people and would rather they could lock you in your seat and never let you get up. Oh and if you ever say hi to them as you get on the plane then be prepared for the attitude of how dare you talk to me. Your not allowed to talk to me. I am above you in so many ways. Talk about over entitled.

Oh and this is based on my experiences on pmCO flights.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Oh, and I assume your experience can be extrapolated to every pmCO FA out there. You get what you probably dish out. I've been on a lot of pmCO planes and pmUA planes and I can assure you both have excellent FAs, average FAs, and poor FAs. Why don 't you just book flights with the PmUA crews or just fly another carrier, where I'm sure your DYKWIA self will be treated like the king you are every single time.

swm61230

Well I would just fly the pmUA flights but because they had the better destinations then pmCO and now they have taken pmUA flights and crew and turned them into pmCO flights and crew all I can do is call up and report each FA as it happens. As I said it was my experiences. Sorry if I try to fly pmCO as little as possible because of it which means my percentage of FA's between the two is very drastic.

And I don't use the DYKWIA unless I am on the phone with customer relations or trying to be transferred to customer relations from somebody who says you can only email and use the website.

I don't expect to get nasty looks or snarled at when it is 5:30am and I say good morning or hello. Nobody wants to be up that early and we all just had to deal with the inexperienced flyer at security who doesn't know that their laptop needs to come out of the bag. So why not be nice and say hi or good morning back. Why get a nasty look on your face or say whatever. And it just happened again on the 23rd. It was all good until I told her what I wanted for my preflight beverage. They should just go back to water or juice. And then when somebody asked for coffee we don't get yelled at saying not until we are in the air.

I stopped flying pmCO back in 2004 when I was treated like total garbage. Delayed then canceled flight over 6hrs in the airport and all I got when I walked up to the counter to try and get a meal voucher or some sort of compensation for the delay was "we don't care about you...you didn't pay enough for your ticket". Needless to say I had some not to choice words for her!

Things happen. Weather, mechanical, my own goofs, computer glitches, baggage problems. I just expect to be compensated and for the company to make it right. I find it interesting that I have been taken care of better when it is my mistake or problem then when they make the mistake.

I am right now dedicated to UNITED because they accomplished something back on Nov 11, 2011. They got me and my bag on the next flight about 25min from departure and bumped my standby all the way to the top of the list to get me on the plane so I could be with my father before he passed. Could have the average flyer accomplished what I did. Probably not and that is sad. But it is something that made UNITED stand above the rest in my opinion and why I am so frustrated at what has happened to it now.

So go take your rude tude because I attacked your pmCO staff and point it where it will do some good.....management.

FriendlySkies

The CO FAs on PDX-ORD the other day bounced around the cabin for lunch orders, just like the 'old days'. Two GS in row 1, and then she visited me in row 3. Told the person in 3B that she would be right back, and then proceeded to take orders front-back.

^

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Not sure of it's a "rude tude" or it's "my pmCO staff". I'm just unwilling to spray paint everyone at either airline with the "bad" label. I've flown with both airlines extensively and have run into good and bad at both. I've flown both pmCO and pmUA flights since the merger and I see no appreciable differences. Want to see a real difference? Fly Singapore and the compare to UA (either crew). Maybe that's why I'm not perturbed by the UA vs CO argument - the differences are pitiful compared to the experience internationally. If one doesn't have that reference, maybe it's easier to get po'd.

The differences aren't enough to make me alter flight plans. That'd be a ludicrous use of my time and effort relative to other things.

EmailKid

#1 on u/g list SAN-IAH, alas that's how it goes on Sunday afternoon (second time in a row)

But cleared early IAH-SAN, and quite competent PMCO crew, with FA saying: "we're all getting used to this."

Alluding to taking orders for GS first, 1K second, and then front to back.

For some reason she had me as a GS, but I fessed up to being a mere 1K, but was still offered the shrimp salad. My seatmate asked for said salad when I decliend, only to be told that it was not for her, so I assume another 1K was offered same ^

Say what you will, but I see PMCO trying to get with the program, but have to admit that two previously OK to good programs have resulted on one hell of a mess

As much as I liked PMCO domestic and PMUA int'l, Alaska had/has the best domestic service in US (caveat, haven't flown Jetlblue / Virgin).

Sadly, current UA is racing to the bottom, and dong that much better than anything else they are currently doing ......

EmailKid

ptonwind

During the latter part of '12, my experiences were such that pmUA in-flight service was greatly superior to pmCO. Which was especially frustrating when I chose to sit in the last row of F and then got stuck with a bad meal.

HOWEVER, on a pmCO flight from LAX to HNL last Thursday, I had a wonderful experience. The FA's were kind and accommodating. And they made sure to take 1k meal orders before anyone else.

That's a change I like.

love_to_travel

I was on HNL-SFO, SFO-JFK, JFK-SFO, SFO-LAX, LAX-HNL this weekend. No prioritization on any flight (there was no meal on SFO-LAX), which I really don't mind, I'll eat what I can get, it's not that great in any case.

What concerns me is that FAs are ignoring a corporate directive. I know if I did that for the company I work for I would be disciplined at the very least and maybe even terminated.

Is anyone really in control at the new United?

njcommodore

Look at the different welcomes FA give and boarding procedure GAs perform. If you disciplined every FA who didn't follow meal order, you would quickly need a new staff. Oh an unions are mostly to blame.

jackal

Same thing happened on EWR-FLL the other day. The "bouncing around" thing was actually less awkward than other FTers made it sound, and it's kind of a nice ego booster.