Oct 14, 2015, 3:37 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
UA Press Release dated October 14 2015.
Oct 25: PS menus get upgraded and look delicious
Nov 1: Domestic first flights between 1:30 and 3:59pm that are more than 3 hours get lunch
Nov 1: Hawaii and transcon redeyes get dinner service
Beginning Nov. 1, the airline will refresh lunch and dinner choices for United First and United Business customers on flights throughout the U.S. and Canada, and to Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America leisure markets.
United-operated flights that currently offer meal service will addnew dishes, like Spanish paella, mushroom risotto and seafood cioppino on shorter dinner flights.
Meal window expansion
The carrier will also expand meals to:
Lunch flights longer than three hours, departing between 1:30 and 3:59 p.m., which will offer options that include seasonal entree salads like a Napa salad with grilled salmon, goat cheese and fig and an arugula salad with Milanese-style chicken; and
Late-night flights between Hawaii and Houston, Chicago, New York/Newark and Washington, which will offer full dinner service with new entrees, such as hoisin short ribs with wasabi grits and stir-fried vegetables.
Late-night non-p.s. transcontinental flights and service between Hawaii and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, as well as other late-departing flights of at least five hours and 20 minutes, will offer hearty sandwiches after takeoff, such as a pretzel burger with bleu cheese dressing, arugula and pickled onions, followed by warmed pastries before arrival.
United will continue to offer its p.s. made-to-order sundaes for dessert, followed by bake-on-board cookies prior to arrival.
Oct 25: PS menus get upgraded and look delicious
Nov 1: Domestic first flights between 1:30 and 3:59pm that are more than 3 hours get lunch
Nov 1: Hawaii and transcon redeyes get dinner service
Beginning Nov. 1, the airline will refresh lunch and dinner choices for United First and United Business customers on flights throughout the U.S. and Canada, and to Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America leisure markets.
United-operated flights that currently offer meal service will addnew dishes, like Spanish paella, mushroom risotto and seafood cioppino on shorter dinner flights.
Meal window expansion
The carrier will also expand meals to:
Lunch flights longer than three hours, departing between 1:30 and 3:59 p.m., which will offer options that include seasonal entree salads like a Napa salad with grilled salmon, goat cheese and fig and an arugula salad with Milanese-style chicken; and
Late-night flights between Hawaii and Houston, Chicago, New York/Newark and Washington, which will offer full dinner service with new entrees, such as hoisin short ribs with wasabi grits and stir-fried vegetables.
Late-night non-p.s. transcontinental flights and service between Hawaii and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, as well as other late-departing flights of at least five hours and 20 minutes, will offer hearty sandwiches after takeoff, such as a pretzel burger with bleu cheese dressing, arugula and pickled onions, followed by warmed pastries before arrival.
United will continue to offer its p.s. made-to-order sundaes for dessert, followed by bake-on-board cookies prior to arrival.
Hi everyone,
As a follow-up to our recent news release about investments we’re making in dining onboard and in our United Clubs, we have a number of details to share about changes coming this weekend to every cabin on many of our North and Latin America flights, to offer you restaurant-quality meals. These latest upgrades come in addition to those we made October 25 to premium-cabin dining on our p.s. Premium Service.
For a more in-depth look at the investment we’re making in our food, UnitedAirtime.com now includes insightful foodie stories and a new video about why we want the food we serve to be exciting and interesting – something we’re working on in partnership with The Trotter Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring new generations of culinary minds.
Here are some highlights of menu changes on flights within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and leisure markets in Mexico; which will be reflected beginning November 2 on our united.com North America premium-cabin dining page and Choice Menu page:
p.s. Premium Service enhancements beginning October 25:
Premium-cabin dining changes beginning November 1:
We hope many of you have the opportunity to experience these new dining options and we look forward to hearing from you.
-UA Insider
As a follow-up to our recent news release about investments we’re making in dining onboard and in our United Clubs, we have a number of details to share about changes coming this weekend to every cabin on many of our North and Latin America flights, to offer you restaurant-quality meals. These latest upgrades come in addition to those we made October 25 to premium-cabin dining on our p.s. Premium Service.
For a more in-depth look at the investment we’re making in our food, UnitedAirtime.com now includes insightful foodie stories and a new video about why we want the food we serve to be exciting and interesting – something we’re working on in partnership with The Trotter Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring new generations of culinary minds.
Here are some highlights of menu changes on flights within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and leisure markets in Mexico; which will be reflected beginning November 2 on our united.com North America premium-cabin dining page and Choice Menu page:
p.s. Premium Service enhancements beginning October 25:
Premium-cabin dining changes beginning November 1:
-New seasonal entrée salads with refreshed protein component served on the side
-New side salads and transcon/Hawaii starter salads
-The United Business cabin on three-cabin aircraft will offer all entrée choices served in the United First cabin
-United Express two-cabin regional jet service will also offer new premium-cabin lunch, dinner and snacks, and expanded lunch meal service to flights longer than three hours
Choice Menu Bistro on Board changes beginning November 1 We hope many of you have the opportunity to experience these new dining options and we look forward to hearing from you.
-UA Insider
Starting Oct 25 '15 UA PS/HNL long-haul redeyes/mid-cons will feature BETTER options!
Jan 21, 2015, 2:37 pm
#61
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: HNL
Programs: United Gold
Posts: 1,581
I hope the ice cream sundae does not disappear on the Hawaii flights, to be replaced by just the pre-arrival cookie. I find it strange they note the ice cream on p.s. flights, but not Hawaii flights. Strange, ice cream is mentioned on flights 1500-2299 miles, but not on 2300+ miles. Hopefully, an oversight.
As you can all tell, I want my sundaes....
As you can all tell, I want my sundaes....
Jan 21, 2015, 2:42 pm
#62
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,546
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I must have missed cereal (totally acceptable!) -- was on my mind based on my last long haul business flight with no options. Now hopefully includes lunch and light meals too. :-)
I must have missed cereal (totally acceptable!) -- was on my mind based on my last long haul business flight with no options. Now hopefully includes lunch and light meals too. :-)
Jan 21, 2015, 3:30 pm
#63
Join Date: May 2007
Location: variously: PVG, SFO, LHR
Programs: AA ExPlat, UA 1MM Gold, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat, HH Gold
Posts: 1,678
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Kbd) AppleWebKit/537.35+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.2.1.3253 Mobile Safari/537.35+)
I must have missed cereal (totally acceptable!) -- was on my mind based on my last long haul business flight with no options. Now hopefully includes lunch and light meals too. :-)
I must have missed cereal (totally acceptable!) -- was on my mind based on my last long haul business flight with no options. Now hopefully includes lunch and light meals too. :-)
Jan 21, 2015, 3:33 pm
#64
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AS, UA, WN, IHG Diamond Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Gold, CET 7*
Posts: 3,293
From the USAToday article and the UA press release, it sounds like plenty. French toast soufflé and steel-cut oatmeal at breakfast, along with the soups and salads (Strawberry Fields) at lunch. I'm also happy to hear there's a dedicated veg entree at dinner as that hasn't always been the case.
Jan 21, 2015, 3:54 pm
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
I hope the ice cream sundae does not disappear on the Hawaii flights, to be replaced by just the pre-arrival cookie. I find it strange they note the ice cream on p.s. flights, but not Hawaii flights. Strange, ice cream is mentioned on flights 1500-2299 miles, but not on 2300+ miles. Hopefully, an oversight.
As you can all tell, I want my sundaes....
As you can all tell, I want my sundaes....
It seems they're mixing up the frozen dessert some. Sorbet/gelato is a welcome change. Hopefully it's of decent quality. The ice cream is of such poor quality, I typically decline it (I've declined three (3) in the past week).
In the jambalaya photo, they show the ice cream glass with some orange substance (sorbet maybe?). The UA food quality has been so poor as of late, I almost would prefer the cheesiness of pre-packaged items (e.g., Haagen-Dazs or like DL uses, Ciao Bella) so I know what it is.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:03 pm
#66
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
Me thinks someone is not liking how January is looking, draw a line between the "worst than last" catering and a loss of HVFers...
Now if they would just fix the coffee, add some decent brown spirits, and better wine...
Jan 21, 2015, 4:07 pm
#67
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,546
Understood. That just means a side salad, which means I bring my own lunch for something more substantial and use the UA meal as sides/dessert. This is fine as I now just assume no proper lunch, but was hoping for an option (since no specials now). FAs have told me soups contain chicken stock, unfortunately.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:13 pm
#68
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
That is the dish I feel is still decent. The egg-mcmuffin they serve on shorter flights is dreadful. IMHO, the lunches are the worst (the soup bowl being an exception) followed by dinner.
Also, I am so over being served warm cookies on a plane. Why do all the airlines think we all want a warm cookie for dessert?
Also, I am so over being served warm cookies on a plane. Why do all the airlines think we all want a warm cookie for dessert?
That and a cup of hot water so I can make a Starbucks VIA packet... just fine in the morning for me.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:28 pm
#69
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
I agree, this is a much broader and bigger change. The timing suggests something else is up. They had a "plan" which involved slight tweaks to their poor offerings, I read this as much bigger. Someone bumped up the catering budget 10% or more. And this did not happen in August, this just happened. It would be in UA's interest to have announced these details - if they intended to do this major of changes - back before year end, when Corporate Contracts are discussed and people consider switching programs.
Me thinks someone is not liking how January is looking, draw a line between the "worst than last" catering and a loss of HVFers...
Now if they would just fix the coffee, add some decent brown spirits, and better wine...
Me thinks someone is not liking how January is looking, draw a line between the "worst than last" catering and a loss of HVFers...
Now if they would just fix the coffee, add some decent brown spirits, and better wine...
I wouldn't assume catering's budget climbed 10% or more. Remember who we are dealing with.
There are no doubt cuts buried in here that manipulate the budget favorably as well. I'm not saying this is a negative, but there are a lot of things that have been done here that may make this cost neutral, or thereabouts. They are simply repurposing funds from some areas and spending them more strategically.
The flights < 1,499 miles losing meals for departures between 1:30 PM and 3:59 PM is a lot of flights. That is food, trays, and dishware that is not being carried as well. This impacts Denver to practically the whole country; Houston to the East Coast and Southern California; Chicago to the South; Dulles to Denver and points East; etc.
The loss of the snack tray on redeyes and late night flights is even more flights, and represents a real cost reduction. UA flies a lot of redeyes and late night departures on midcons at this level.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a negative. They seem to be spending the funds in a more thoughtful manner. The chicken jambalaya, for example, sounds like it probably has a lower food cost than the hunk of prison beef they've been serving for the last four years. After all, it's a little bit of chicken and a lot of fillers. It also probably reheats better. If that results in a higher quality dish, with higher customer satisfaction, at a cost reduction, that's a win-win.
But that doesn't mean it's a substantial budget increase. Maybe they got rid of the CO catering gal who did things cookie cutter style for the last so many years, and this is just a smarter approach.
We'll see in a few weeks how it works out. Maybe the Jeff McMuffin wll be upscaled. ...to the Jeff McCiabata.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:30 pm
#70
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
I agree, this is a much broader and bigger change. The timing suggests something else is up. They had a "plan" which involved slight tweaks to their poor offerings, I read this as much bigger. Someone bumped up the catering budget 10% or more. And this did not happen in August, this just happened. It would be in UA's interest to have announced these details - if they intended to do this major of changes - back before year end, when Corporate Contracts are discussed and people consider switching programs.
Me thinks someone is not liking how January is looking, draw a line between the "worst than last" catering and a loss of HVFers...
Now if they would just fix the coffee, add some decent brown spirits, and better wine...
Me thinks someone is not liking how January is looking, draw a line between the "worst than last" catering and a loss of HVFers...
Now if they would just fix the coffee, add some decent brown spirits, and better wine...
Jan 21, 2015, 4:44 pm
#71
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Verdi, NV, SFO & Olympic (aka Squaw )Valley.
Programs: Ikon Pass Full + AS Gold + Marriott Titanium + Hilton Gold. Recovering UA Plat. LT lounge AA+DL+UA
Posts: 3,823
I'm cautiously optimistic. My last upgrade (SFO-MSP) meant a free snack box and two buck chuck.
Really...Greek yogurt in the UCs and $5 footlongs up front would be a serious upgrade from current offerings.
Really...Greek yogurt in the UCs and $5 footlongs up front would be a serious upgrade from current offerings.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:50 pm
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
Funny how AA was able to change plans rather quickly after people complained -- in less than a month's time.
Jan 21, 2015, 4:57 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,961
Did I miss this? The snack tray on redeyes is always very appreciated, and most people seated around me enjoy it on those flights. Always surprises me, but they do. Are redeyes losing meal service?
Jan 21, 2015, 4:58 pm
#74
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
Those AA fixes used existing elements - adding some sundaes, some tweaks to the already planned choices.
I think the August UA announcement and the quick BOB based sandwich / salad additions were more urgent and reactive.
This feels more planned out with a wholesale menu change. It was foreshadowed with the original announcement. And after AA's downgrade of meal windows they could have taken an entirely different approach.
If there's one place not to give UA the benefit of the doubt, it's being agile with service standards.
I think the August UA announcement and the quick BOB based sandwich / salad additions were more urgent and reactive.
This feels more planned out with a wholesale menu change. It was foreshadowed with the original announcement. And after AA's downgrade of meal windows they could have taken an entirely different approach.
If there's one place not to give UA the benefit of the doubt, it's being agile with service standards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fly18725
The lead times to develop and implement new catering plans is not insignificant. Speculating that this was a rush job in response to poor financial performance in January conflicts with basic knowledge of business practices and common sense.
Funny how AA was able to change plans rather quickly after people complained -- in less than a month's time.
Originally Posted by fly18725
The lead times to develop and implement new catering plans is not insignificant. Speculating that this was a rush job in response to poor financial performance in January conflicts with basic knowledge of business practices and common sense.
Funny how AA was able to change plans rather quickly after people complained -- in less than a month's time.
Jan 21, 2015, 5:00 pm
#75
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond, UA 1K MM, SPG Plat For Life, Marriott Plat, Nexus/GlobalEntry
Posts: 9,198
Fantastic news! I just emailed 1KVoice a few days ago wondering about when they were going to finally implement these changes and they responded with a "we appreciate your feedback" email.
Flying PS on 2/2 and 2/4..now really looking forward to it.
Flying PS on 2/2 and 2/4..now really looking forward to it.