50 Seat United Express Beverage Service - When Offered?
 

I fly on fifty seat UAX jets every week. Most of my flights are scheduled for 90 minutes gate to gate. On the same scheduled time, we have been offered up:

1. Nothing - usually because of turbulence.
2. Water only - usually "flight too short."
3. Water/Soda only, no beer or wine, usually no explanation offered.
4. Water/Soda and beer/wine but no coffee/tea, usually explained as "not working."
5. Full beverage service.

"1" I understand. I can't figure out what the criteria is for selecting 2-5. I have seen all of these offered up on the same 90 minute segment, sometimes with an explanation, sometimes not. Anyone know the current guideline/rules? Is it different for different regional operating carriers?

Even if there were a standard 'rule' it clearly is applied so inconsistently that nobody can tell what it is. Hopefully someone here knows - I too would be curious.

You can add the 'snack mix' question to this for the E175s too, with the first class. It's equally always a toss-up what you'll get, with no plausible explanation (all of these are experiences I've had on EWR-MSP-EWR loops over the las few months). You could end up with:
1) a single bag
2) 2 bags
3) 2 bags followed by a refill of 2 bags
4) no bags
All of the above can also vary based on whether the bags are served in a cup or just a napkin.

In my experience, the only thing that's consistent about UA is the inconsistency.

On my most common UAX route there is no beverage service period! Granted the flight spent a grand total of 39 minutes in the air.
I've also been on 2+hr UAX flights that had no turbulence whatsoever and no beverage service...

I think the only "standard" is the individual whim of each particular UAX flight attendant.

The lack of oversight by UA on their outsourced contractors is amazing.

Other than when there is turbulence, I have never been denied what I have asked for. That's what the call button is for.

+1 with the exception of short intraCA E120 flights, where I once asked for a soda and was told that none were provisioned at SFO. not sure if it was true or not.

This is nothing more than pure LAZINESS. Get off your a$$ and go to work please. I've been on 45 minute flights in Europe in coach and not only are their TWO beverage services there was a meal service as well.

Lazy. Lazy.

A couple months ago I was informed by an ExpressJet flight attendant that CLE-EWR was "too short" for her to make coffee. This on a 6:00am departure with a 1:28 block time.

This is everyone's experience!
 

^^^^^^^^^^^

I find this (very) frustrating as well. It just boggles my mind that UA doesn't do anything to police this. Not only have I had the experiences that previous posters have had, I've actually had the experience on an EWR - DCA flight where the f/a brought a cup of ice and a soda to another f/a who was sitting behind me. I find that the "too short" rule applies either in the morning or late evening, when someone is "too tired."

I seem to recall a beverage service being offered on the quite short LAX-SNA E120 route, when it existed (i.e., in the "good old days")

I've actually flown several times on the 18-minute -- yes, that's correct -- CLD-LAX flight and the FAs do a full beverage service. Of all the UAX carriers, I actually really enjoy SkyWest flights. Their people are great. The other regional carriers? Yeah, not so much.

Does the number of PAX make a difference?

+ Short flight, few pax ... full service
+ Short flight, many pax .... water only
+ Short flight, many pax, "A-Game" FA ... full service

Prior to this year, I regularly took 3-4 55-minute gate-to-gate UAX flights each week and consistently received 1, 2, 3 or 4. :D

^

AA (DCA - JFK), US (DCA - LGA), and DL (both DCA - JFK and DCA - LGA) all manage to serve drinks on what amounts to a 35 - 45 minute flight from wheels up to wheels down.

In fact US and AA manage to do it on mainline planes (A319 and 738 respectively) in addition to RJs (almost all of which have more than 50 seats).