drowelf

Really? I often grab a USA Today for light reading on the plane. I've never seen anything that prohibits it. There are generally very large stacks of several papers (WSJ, USA Today and the major locals) placed out. Also I've never seen any of the staff recycle the used ones back to the stack.

sfo2bos

People really have issue with grabbing a banana or a pack of crackers on the way out? As a poster said above, as long as you're not lining your pockets with a plastic bag and pilfering the soup, grabbing a piece of fruit, a coffee to go (or a to go cup with red wine, or maybe a Coke can a la IASIP!) is just not a big deal.

As they are testing in BOS, it looks like you are encouraged to take a small nibble.

Use some common sense. No one cares about a pack of crackers. It's not devaluing your membership.

Lastly, on arrival in BOS off a redeye I often grab a quick bowl of Cheerio's in lounge (edit for clarification), and then a croissant and to go coffee for the cab. IMO this is EXACTLY how the lounge is meant to be used.

emcampbe

True. But who wants to stand in a long line to pay $1.50 (or whatever) for a banana at Starbucks. Again, I'm not shoving bunches of bananas under my shirt. Last time I tried the Starbucks approach, by the way, UA called final boarding for my flight...and it was 5 or 10 minutes prior to the boarding start time. So really, they then need to address stuff like that first.

I've also never seen staff so much as flinch. But feel free to report me to the Club staff if you see me leaving with a single pack of crackers next time. Or a mint off the desk. If UA wants to fire me for that, they can go ahead....I'm sure another carrier would be happy to take my family's fares....which are sometimes $0.40 - $0.60 cpm, and would be willing to part with an extra $.05 pack of crackers for that. But what do I know?

StuckinITH

My comment about taking a newspaper from the UC was in response to another poster saying that nobody should take anything from the UC that can be bought from outside vendors. I do take newspapers even when I have a tight connection and just go in and out of the UC just for the newspaper. The other poster seems to think that instead of doing that I should just buy a newspaper from an outside vendor. Like I'm going to do that!

Now, a question about the Polaris Lounge in ORD. Near the front desk, there's a "counter display" (I don't know the real word for this display) filled with small sized bottled water. I always grab one on the way out to my Polaris flight thinking that I may need it if boarding is delayed. So, are those bottles for people who are so dehydrated when they arrive at the Polaris Lounge that they can not walk 10 meters to the closest fridge or for people on the way to their Polaris flight? For sure, the Polaris Lounge agents never told me to return the bottle I grabbed in their full view on the way out.

laxmillenial

Those bottles are DEFINETELY for the taking on your way to your Polaris or other flight. Keep taking them!

eng3

Back when I was stuck in Y on most intl flights, I'd take whatever was packaged, crackers, cheese, milano cookies, nuts to help get me through the journey.

I then started flying up in J so there was no longer a need. UA had also switched everything (except the crackers) to unpackaged food so it was harder to take. I think I had taken a cookie out of the lounge once or twice for a connecting domestic tcon flight in Y. Though since they downgraded the cookies to chips ahoy I no longer have anything worth taking out of the lounge. I do continue to take coffee, sugar, cream, paper cups, and napkins out of the lounge

Maybe it's not right to take stuff out of the lounge but whether it is right or wrong to take food out of the lounge is not very high on my priorities list. I've basically told lounge agents that I was taking a cookie for the flight once or twice when I chat with them and they've never told me its not OK. It's not like I ever take more than I could consume while sitting in the lounge. I remember when I leave the TK lounge at IAD, I always stop at where the lounge dragons sit because they have the plate of turkish delight. I always take a handful (using tongs) for the road and they have always encouraged me to take more.

I'm currently watching FA's on my flight take food out of the F refreshments snack basket. It was after they went around once so I guess it is left overs. On the other hand, they could have gone around again too. I don't see this as much different.

flyalways

Hi there,

Not singling out anyone but what one considers minor could be interpreted
by others differently. People abuse such privileges and start making up
their own interpretations. If you read this thread from the beginning
you will see many instances of such behavior. That is why it is better
NOT to have even a small leeway to these rules to avoid someone
abusing the system. BA group has a thread similar to these where
people have emptied Black/Blue label whiskey into water bottles for
later use !! It all starts with one cup or one cookie...That is my $.02

joe_miami

This is how we get warning labels on plastic bags, by setting the rules based on the very dumbest among us. Anyone who sees someone take a mini pack of cookies and thinks that it's an invitation to surreptitiously purloin a bottle of whiskey is an idiot.

dmurphynj

I’m glad you’re not in my chain of command at work .... if you think taking a mint or a banana with me is bad, I’d hate to see what happens when I make a personal phone call, or even use a paper clip on a non-company piece of paper.

nycityny

This is a thread about taking "stuff" from the United Club. Apparently many of us do it which is why this thread goes on for pages. And yet many think this is a mortal sin that should result in revocation of our membership. I live in New York and if I stuck to every rule I wouldn't survive here. Taking some nuts or a roll or a banana from the Club is the least of most people's worries here. Those that refuse to do so can revel in their stellar morals. The rest of us can eat some grub on the plane.

Two Bee

That's RIGHT! I starts with one little toke on a cookie, and next thing ya know you're main-lining the Lifesavers on your way out the door!

STOP before it's too late!!!

atword

A couple of tea bags usually leave with me. Sometimes a banana or apple.

I wish I had taken a couple of the smallish United-marked mugs for my kids. The mugs were replaced at all clubs a year or two ago and now have no United markings. I didn't know they were going away at the time.

usbusinesstraveller

When SMI/J scrapped the free Y mid flight snack on long hauls (since restored) I'd take a banana or two from the UC to get even. I'd also take a banana and sandwich out of the LH SEN lounge at FRA for the same purpose.

FlyfromDenver

This thread is funnier still. Yes, I took a theater size KitKat from the bowl at an IAD Club yesterday. There were also the theater size Milk Duds to choose from.

Interesting that I didn't see a response for when there are no seats left in the club...

AugustusM

I really, really, really wish I had taken one of the showers from the club at EWR. Then each flight would have been just like being on my own personal A380.