Last edit by: DELee
Pre-discussions
New United Club menus to be "announced" 4 March 2015
United Clubs to be renovated
Confirmed Clubs with New Food Offerings:
All domestic clubs now confirmed with some version of the New Food Offerings. Full spread at all domestic hubs, with cut-down or hybrid versions at most outstation clubs.
International Clubs with different catering: GUM, HKG, MEX, LHR, NRT
Updates:
October 11, 2017: A new flavor coming to United Clubs
New United Club menus to be "announced" 4 March 2015
United Clubs to be renovated
Confirmed Clubs with New Food Offerings:
All domestic clubs now confirmed with some version of the New Food Offerings. Full spread at all domestic hubs, with cut-down or hybrid versions at most outstation clubs.
International Clubs with different catering: GUM, HKG, MEX, LHR, NRT
Updates:
October 11, 2017: A new flavor coming to United Clubs
UC amenities - regular & special food / snacks, power, wifi, work areas, ...{archive}
#751
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: KEWR
Programs: UA 1K, HH Diamond, SPG/Marriott Gold, Hyatt Plat, National Exec, GE/Nexus
Posts: 501
The salamis are out right now, here in EWR C just past security. Get them before they disappear, lol.
#752
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,767
The new soup will be "Vegetables from the Garden", a modern twist on an old classic.
#753
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SAN
Programs: AS MVP 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, UA 1MM,
Posts: 1,702
Are we just throwing out random slurs now, trying to show how negative we can be? (Of course we are; this is FT.)
It's not "dinner." It's simply a low-end version of, say, the spread you might see on the club level of a hotel. While a small segment may believe it's worse than the pre-packaged cheese and carrots that preceded it, the majority disagree with that assessment.
Not saying there isn't always room for improvement -- I for one would like to see some sweets besides Skittles and brownie dust -- but the endless hyperbole is unhelpful.
It's not "dinner." It's simply a low-end version of, say, the spread you might see on the club level of a hotel. While a small segment may believe it's worse than the pre-packaged cheese and carrots that preceded it, the majority disagree with that assessment.
Not saying there isn't always room for improvement -- I for one would like to see some sweets besides Skittles and brownie dust -- but the endless hyperbole is unhelpful.
United has stepped it up a bit. The new options are healthier than the last ones, and if you are expecting prime rib carving stations, well, you are traveling in the wrong country.
Come on, complaints about "less than prime salami"? Do you even know what salami is? Nothing prime about it. It's like spam, or a hot dog. And the fact that you try to make a meal out of lounge food and then get mad about it? Well, let's just say we can all find something to gripe about. Doesn't exactly elevate your class level.
#754
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott/SPG/Hilton Gold, PreCheck + Clear
Posts: 2,306
No luck, the staff told me: the eggs were all gone and the oatmeal is only available every day from 6-8.
#755
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1k, SPG Plat 100
Posts: 619
I've been told the winter soup will be a hearty "garden of vegetables" in keeping with the UA menu tradition of unnecessary prepositions.
#756
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
Sure, eggs are only on weekdays, oatmeal only during early hours, and salami is elusive at best. But it wasn't so long ago that there was a 0% chance that any of these would show up (well, they had oatmeal at ORD sometimes).
It's almost as if people's expectations somehow were set to high, and can't appreciate the improvement.
I will join those wishing that if the UCs are going to advertise something, they'd ensure that it's readily available. I arrived at the BOS UC at 8:15am last week fairly hungry and searched in vain for hard-boiled eggs or oatmeal.
No luck, the staff told me: the eggs were all gone and the oatmeal is only available every day from 6-8.
No luck, the staff told me: the eggs were all gone and the oatmeal is only available every day from 6-8.
I, for one, have never seen the salami. I'm sure it exists. I've decided not to renew my membership when it's up in February, due to the price increase, so it's something of a quest to find it in the next few months.
#758
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,663
Are we just throwing out random slurs now, trying to show how negative we can be? (Of course we are; this is FT.)
It's not "dinner." It's simply a low-end version of, say, the spread you might see on the club level of a hotel. While a small segment may believe it's worse than the pre-packaged cheese and carrots that preceded it, the majority disagree with that assessment.
Not saying there isn't always room for improvement -- I for one would like to see some sweets besides Skittles and brownie dust -- but the endless hyperbole is unhelpful.
It's not "dinner." It's simply a low-end version of, say, the spread you might see on the club level of a hotel. While a small segment may believe it's worse than the pre-packaged cheese and carrots that preceded it, the majority disagree with that assessment.
Not saying there isn't always room for improvement -- I for one would like to see some sweets besides Skittles and brownie dust -- but the endless hyperbole is unhelpful.
How about this? Instead of measuring itself against mediocre domestic lounges, UA should up its game and try to match the international competition? @:-)
^^
If you've read my posts you know I'm harder on UAL than most anyone.
But I will concede that the new offering is a huge improvement. It's not quite to the level of LH's Senator lounges, but it's pretty close. The couscous and soup are actually quite decent. And the fresh berries in the morning are also quite nice. I don't expect UAL or anyone else to provide a complete meal for a regular club.
If you've read my posts you know I'm harder on UAL than most anyone.
But I will concede that the new offering is a huge improvement. It's not quite to the level of LH's Senator lounges, but it's pretty close. The couscous and soup are actually quite decent. And the fresh berries in the morning are also quite nice. I don't expect UAL or anyone else to provide a complete meal for a regular club.
I don't expect UA to provide a complete meal either (my expectations for UA are pretty low for everything) but let's not put lipstick on a pig.
#759
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
And there's the rub. If you visit an LH business lounge at FRA or MUC (the equivalent of IAH, SFO, etc.) or a QF lounge in Australia, you would find enough food for a meal. Because the whole point of the lounge (for me anyway) is to grab something in between connecting flights without worrying about somebody snatching my parked luggage when I get a drink refill. UA/AA/DL lounges are all equally worthless in this regard, though at least AA offers a few meal choices for $$.
How about this? Instead of measuring itself against mediocre domestic lounges, UA should up its game and try to match the international competition? @:-)
How about this? Instead of measuring itself against mediocre domestic lounges, UA should up its game and try to match the international competition? @:-)
UA's lounges are full of domestic travelers, many of whom haven't paid for a premium ticket. My typical year includes about 50 visits to UA clubs as I'm taking 2 hour flights ORD-IAH or wherever for work. I get my money's worth. I would bankrupt the clubs if they had the spread and beer taps like the LH lounges.
The reality is they're not competing with the international carriers, they're competing with AA and DL, and the recent food changes have made them much more competitive in the regard. And there are rumors of paid food (AA-like) in the future.
Perhaps there's another product they should offer just for premium international travelers at EWR, ORD, IAH, SFO, which is more like you suggest. Or they could raise the membership fees. But comparing a domestic UA lounge to many of the non-US airlines is apples and oranges.
#760
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,767
I happen to love visiting the Senator's lounges, but that's a totally different model. You can get access to UA lounges for <$500/yr. LH, and I assume most of the others, are almost exclusively international travelers, *G, or on a premium ticket.
.....But comparing a domestic UA lounge to many of the non-US airlines is apples and oranges.
.....But comparing a domestic UA lounge to many of the non-US airlines is apples and oranges.
#762
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,616
I happen to love visiting the Senator's lounges, but that's a totally different model. You can get access to UA lounges for <$500/yr. LH, and I assume most of the others, are almost exclusively international travelers, *G, or on a premium ticket.
UA's lounges are full of domestic travelers, many of whom haven't paid for a premium ticket. My typical year includes about 50 visits to UA clubs as I'm taking 2 hour flights ORD-IAH or wherever for work. I get my money's worth. I would bankrupt the clubs if they had the spread and beer taps like the LH lounges.
The reality is they're not competing with the international carriers, they're competing with AA and DL, and the recent food changes have made them much more competitive in the regard. And there are rumors of paid food (AA-like) in the future.
Perhaps there's another product they should offer just for premium international travelers at EWR, ORD, IAH, SFO, which is more like you suggest. Or they could raise the membership fees. But comparing a domestic UA lounge to many of the non-US airlines is apples and oranges.
UA's lounges are full of domestic travelers, many of whom haven't paid for a premium ticket. My typical year includes about 50 visits to UA clubs as I'm taking 2 hour flights ORD-IAH or wherever for work. I get my money's worth. I would bankrupt the clubs if they had the spread and beer taps like the LH lounges.
The reality is they're not competing with the international carriers, they're competing with AA and DL, and the recent food changes have made them much more competitive in the regard. And there are rumors of paid food (AA-like) in the future.
Perhaps there's another product they should offer just for premium international travelers at EWR, ORD, IAH, SFO, which is more like you suggest. Or they could raise the membership fees. But comparing a domestic UA lounge to many of the non-US airlines is apples and oranges.
If I did my math correctly, 55 Euros back in 2014 was hovering around 1.33 Dollars to the Euro and 55 Euros would be approximately $73.15.
UNITED offers Day Passes for $50.00 so clearly Lufthansa is valuing their product and its offerings higher than UNITED is, thus I expect less from UNITED.
The problem is that I always expect less from UNITED and that is not anyone person's fault, it is an institutional problem that can only be fixed from the top down.
I find myself saying well it is UNITED so I set my expectations low and sometimes even set low UNITED manages to fall so below par that I am amazed and let me tell you my expectations are not high to begin with. Case in point the SFO United Club, my buddy took me to wait for our flight and he went to get some soup only to find it out, no problem except the cleaner told him they were out for the day.
He said something to one of the UNITED Employees in the club who said that she has nothing to do with it and to complain on the website, not let me see what I can do or let me call someone, just go make a complaint in any other place than in front of me.
My point, I do not expect Lufthansa nor do I expect DELTA, I know going in that I am going to expect UNITED and it is not something worth expecting, it is more like something you tolerate.
#763
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, UA Gold, Marriott LTT, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,539
I'm on a new work project in Boston and was at the club today. If United made all their clubs like that, with the new snacks, I would be happy. Now, when I'm at SFO I go to the Centurion lounge since that is where you can get a meal. Otherwise, I thought the hunnus and bell pepper slices where fine as a snack before my flight.
#764
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: DCA, IAD (not BWI if I can help it)
Programs: UA 1MM 1K, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Explorist, status-free on AA, AS, B6, DL, WN, Amtrak, etc.
Posts: 1,477
Forgot to post this earlier: Front-desk rep at the temporary SFO club told me Thursday that the big new one should open in November (no, not Nov. 2016!). That seems plausible, looking at the overall state of construction visible from the rest of T3.
#765
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Houston
Programs: UA GS 2.6MM & Lifetime UC, Qantas Platinum, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Platinum, HawaiianMiles
Posts: 8,633
Thanks for the info!