fumje

I think 'front to back for non-GS/1K' is a good summary.

Even with the hopscotch, after it finishes they go front to back from what I see.

As a tangent, I've never seen back to front, although I wasn't so aware of the procedures before the merger (also, never flew CO). And my experience is that front to back with galley or real-time/retroactive priority is more common. Real-time/retroactive priority means FA will tell pax both options until one runs out, unless GS/1K status in which case both. If status requests the impacted option, FA will go back to someone else and offer a BoB or snackbox.

JimInOhio

I've seen "back to front" but it's been a while.

findark

Front to back for all is the most common version I see, with priority only occasionally accorded properly. In my experience it was fine until they cut the third option from longer flights; now the crew feels too awkward to ask for a second choice when there is only one other choice, and similarly too awkward to deny a choice.

Some crew skip around; I wish they wouldn't since it feels weird but I guess it's better than not getting a meal choice. Once we did a public "roll call" and shouted out meal choices, but to be fair it was an E70 flight with a 6-seat cabin.

bocastephen

Why are so many folks uncomfortable with hopscotching by status? It simplifies and clarifies the meal order process and reduces the risk of priority customers not getting their choice.

findark

It doesn't bother me a lot, but the system of asking for a second choice, prioritizing in the galley, and quietly apologizing to anyone who doesn't get their first choice seemed to work fine on my old 3-choice TCON flights and avoided loudly calling out who in the F cabin was/wasn't 1K or GS.

lincolnjkc

I've (coming from the CO side) never seen back to front, but IIRC AA did "FEBO" -- or "Front Even / Back Odd" where they did Front to Back for even flight numbers and the reverse for odd flight numbers.

I don't mind either most of the time but sometimes when they hopscotch, I'm in the middle of the cabin they come to me first (leaning over the person in the aisle), address me by name and then repeat with other 1Ks before returning to my (unrelated) seatmate... I've gotten more than one "what makes you so special?" from that and it can be awkward.

diburning

DL still does this.

I don't understand how GS/1K have no qualms about preboarding ahead of the rest of the cabin, yet feel that FAs taking orders from them first is an awkward immodesty.

fumje

If you're the only one preboarding perhaps you will stick out a bit. But with the usual clump of people preboarding, along with the fact that many of the preboard categories aren't status-related, I think having the verbal call-out with someone stuck next to you is a bit more obvious. This is especially so when seated at the window, since the FA has to say it over the aisle seat occupant.

TWA Guy

Catering made it easy for our FA on UA1964 IAD-SEA yesterday morning - they only loaded one option! He did make an announcement to the cabin and apologized profusely, we even left 10 minutes late hoping they would bring a second option but nothing showed up. He then went from to back asking if we wanted breakfast and jokingly asked if eggs were OK

bocastephen

+1 - I too am confused by the angst shown about the hopscotch process.

If someone feels the need to tell me "I must be special", my answer would be "thank you, everyone thinks so".

What are they going to do, throw their $0.75 glass of "sparkling wine" at me in a jealous rage?

The same thing can happen in Y - I've had nasty looks from other passengers when the FA gives me a tapas box without charge, but insists they need to pay - or even better - when the FA came to my row, thanked me for being a loyal 1K and Million Miler, asked me if I wanted a snack box or drink, brought it to me right away and ignored the non-status customers near by until they were served - and charged - from the cart.

GBadger

tarheelnj

This is the perfect response. I just smile and say, "I fly way too much" and the seatmate almost always replies with some version of "Glad I'm not you..."

jonsail

Imagine going to an expensive restaurant, there is a menu offering 5 entrees, you advise the server you will have the salmon, and the server says, "There are 38 customers dining tonight, we only have enough salmon to serve 4 so we have carefully analyzed every guest's spend at this restaurant for the past year. You don't qualify for the salmon. How about pasta?" This my experience on a recent Polaris flight EWR-MAD. The FA went to the lady ahead of me and said, "You are 1K so I am asking your for your choice of entree first." Then the FA worked her way down the status levels and kept apologizing that they only had 4 salmon dishes. That seems to be the UA way. The Delta way is to offer their business class PAX their entree choice online in advance so no customer is disappointed.

I hesitated to post this. If one is privileged enough to fly over the ocean in business class it is bad for one's soul to focus on minor disappointments rather than to appreciate all of the great things about the experience. However, running a small service business myself--I am a lawyer--and wanting to leave my clients and potential clients with a great impression of myself, I just have to scratch my head in wonderment as to why UA thinks its way of offering customers entree choices is not far inferior to Delta's way.

zombietooth

The only way they could do this is with pre-order, and I don't see people adopting that in sufficient quantities to make sure that no one is disappointed onboard by not getting their first choice.

Luckily for everyone here, I no longer eat any main courses on any Polaris flight, leaving more choices for everyone else. I mainly have the tomato soup and grilled cheese on the Asian flights and some cookies/cakes or cheese on the European flights. In flight food is so poor and inconsistent that I just plan not to have it anymore, and I eat something good in the Polaris Lounge or a nice airport restaurant prior to departure.

Kacee

This is absolutely the best option nowadays.

I will add that what UA does in prioritizing elite meal selection is not unique. I've been denied first choice on both LX (as *G) and AF (as ST+) on paid business class tickets. It does sting a little, but I understand the rationale.