thefuzzylogic

Yes, the toilet water is separate from the potable water. It's designed that way to prevent cross-contamination, also because the toilet water has an added disinfectant solution that is not intended for contact with skin.

Also, as channa said the coffee makers are fed from the potable water system, there's no reservoir like a Mr Coffee at home.

Normally, the FAs or the flight crew would notice the tank running low as part of their preflight checks and request the water to be topped up, but it seems they didn't notice it on this occasion.

pushmyredbutton

This happened on a 787 SFO-IAH flight for me a couple weeks ago.
It was announced in advance.

Personally, I didn't even bother to ask for compensation or complain, since having no water for coffee or the sinks was a far far better alternative to a MX delay, in which no compensation would likely be due at all.

adampenrith

The FA forgot to load the water.

There may have been no water on board - BUT it had nothing to do with the FA.

What happens is the FA board the aircraft, at about the same time - the catering truck arrives and and carts are loaded, the FA then place the carts in their places and do whatever they need to do pre departure before boarding the pax and doing the safety briefings etc.

So if there is no water or no ice cream or no napkins - etc - its the fault of the caterering trucks not the FA.

reamworks

Exactly. That's why I said "The FA said _they_ forgot to load the water" meaning someone else whose job is was dropped the ball.

Agreed, but our expectations have been set by TV commercials showing jets turning around because they were out of Colombian coffee.

I was on a flight once, sitting in first, EWR->LHR I think, where they announced there was a delay because "the first class meals weren't loaded yet." I'm surprised the people in the back of the plain didn't revolt!

thefuzzylogic

I do believe it's part of the FA's preflight checks to make sure the potable water has been filled if necessary. It's not automatically done at every outstation, so it may be the case that it was meant to be filled earlier in the day but wasn't, then they're not in the habit of checking or filling it at STL.

But the FA does certainly play a role in ensuring the water gets filled and the lavs emptied.

Often1

This has nothing to do with the catering trucks. The potable water for the coffee makers and skin contact, e.g. sink is delivered separately from those carts.

FT has this notion that every complaint has to be about wringing compensation out of a carrier.

This one is about making certain that UA knows that a service failure ocurred. I would file a short (2 sentences max) complaint which simply advises that potable water was not delivered and the aircraft departed without it. I would expressly state, "I don't want anything from UA for this service failure, but I would appreciate it if you would follow up to determine how the aircraft departed without proper service."

While the failure to top up the tank was not the FA's, it was the FA's responsibility to check that the tank was at an acceptable level prior to departure and to notify the Captain and then ground services when it was not.

The failure to follow pre-flight checklists here had no ramifications other than minor nuisance. But, failing to stick to a pre-flight checklist means that the FA's likely overlooked other items and some of those relate to safety.

N1120A

This is a very legitimate complaint to make. A lack of potable water onboard is a health and safety issue, not just an inconvenience issue for a lack of coffee and tea. On a flight like STL-SFO, you can expect a significant number of passengers to use the lavs at least once. The inability to wash hands in the most effective manner - soap and water - becomes a health and safety issue both for that flight itself and future flights until the aircraft receives a significant cleaning.

iapetus

+1 Those of us with a genuine interest in helping United become a better airline -- and I think it's clear they can use our help -- need to bring light to issues like this if there's to be any of hope of the carrier addressing them.

Jetpig32

I hate to break it to you all, but there is one potable water tank on the 320's and 737NG's. This tank feeds all toilets, sinks, and coffee makers. I don't think any mainline aircraft have the older re-circulation "blue juice" toilets.

On the 320's, the indication panel is in the front galley. 737's its in the rear. Yes, it would be a FA's pre-flight check. That said, it is unlikely this went overlooked. When the water/waste system is serviced before each flight, the contractor calls it in to operations. If they do not enter this into the computer, it locks the flight crew from receiving a final weights manifest. (a stop gap measure for this not happening)

More then likely, the inoperative water was due to a maintenance issue, and the FA's kept it simple.

found this courtesy of Aeroflot. gives you an idea of the airbus.
http://lms.aeroflot.ru/data/U0FT1M0/...0&%20WASTE.pdf

thefuzzylogic

I used to service water and lavs on 320s and 737s (among others), and we definitely filled both the potable water and blue juice using two separate trucks and two separate service panels. (Though yes, the toilets used a splash of potable water to clean the bowl.) We didn't call anything in or enter anything into the weight and balance, not every plane was serviced, and it never kept flights from receiving their manifests. As I recall, there was a standard placeholder figure that was used, similar to how they use an "typical" passenger and baggage weight rather than weighing everyone.

My experience is over 10 years ago though, so maybe things have changed?

halls120

This. x1000

Jetpig32

Perhaps. Please view attached document from aeroflot/airbus. This it the same vacuum system on the UA 320 series. If there are any recirc systems left, it may be perhaps a late model 757. All 737 NG's (600/700/800/900) have vacuum systems. Classic 737's (100/200/300/400/500) had re-circulation.
So, no blue juice on the current fleet.

As far as the final weights manifest, that took place with the SABER changeover a few years back. If a lav/water service was not completed (or entered complete), final wights will not push to the acars.

kettle1

I thought the honey bucket driver filled the plane with blue juice and water.

JVPhoto

Is hand sanitizer more effective than a half-butt effort of washing your hands?

Are restaurants and every place of business going to install monitors to force people to wash their hands?

NWAFA

I'm surprised to hear checking water levels are part of any FAs preflight check. We did that decades ago on planes no longer flying.

Even when I was still flying, that practiced had stopped. A planes comes in, it is serviced on turn around and goes back out. Yes we could check water levels on the main panel, but ground staff would come on and do the checking.

I guess you learn something new everyday.

Fly Safe!

NWA FA