Mar 25, 2018, 4:42 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Word is out on another site (not my post) regarding a company memo about the May 1 "enhancements".
Some key points:
- Return of the salad/appetizer cart, although I suspect it's just going to be the meal cart with a fancy cover, to reduce the number of galley trips with hand-run trays
- Beverage carts coming back to the aisle (similar to DL and the former 3-cabin sUA business class service) with branded cart covers
- Soup is gone in Polaris First (so no more differentiation; the product isn't expected to last the full year, anyway)
- Wine tasting arches are gone
- No bloody mary carts (already announced)
- Hot bites will stay
- Bread refills to be offered (return of the bread basket?)
- Pre-departure chocolates returned to the pre-arrival tray
In many ways, this is going to look like the former three-cabin BusinessFirst service with nicer linens and serviceware. Overall, not the sweeping change (or depth of cuts) I was expecting. No word on provisioning of the other items (gel pillows, mattress pads, slippers, PJs, etc.)
POLARIS SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When do the service updates go into effect?
A: The service updates are effective May 1, 2018, on all long-haul international flights.
2. Why are we making changes to our United Polaris® service?
A: Customers have positively received our United Polaris lounge, and this year we are opening more United Polaris lounges beginning this summer in San Francisco, Houston and New York/Newark and in the fall, Los Angeles. As we continue to add more lounges, we want to take into account the feedback that customers have given us — they’ve emphasized their desire to rest and relax during their journey, especially onboard. The updates to the service flow will allow us to continue providing a premium product with high-quality food, wine, amenities and more, but it’ll be delivered in a more efficient way.
3. What is the new international United Polaris meal service flow?
A: The meal service flow for both first and business class will be the same:
Pre-departure
• Pre-poured sparkling wine, orange juice and water offered from a silver tray, with other beverages available upon request.
Main meal service
• Hot towels
• Linen placement
• Pre-meal beverage cart
• Appetizer and salad cart
• Bread and beverage refills
• Entrées
• Bread and beverage refills
• Dessert and pre-plated cheese cart
• Individual water bottles with hang tags
Mid-flight service (when applicable)
• Display mid-flight snacks on console, self-service unit, fold-down trays or galley countertop.
• Heat and serve hot on-demand items (when applicable) upon customer request.
Pre-arrival service
• Hot towels
• Pre-arrival tray setup with entrée and choice of beverage
• Breads and pastries
4. Will we be able to offer other pre-departure beverages?
A: Yes, upon customer request fulfill other pre-departure beverages in accordance with each departure country’s pre-departure liquor procedures. Refer to the Flight Attendant Policies and Procedures Manual to determine if you are allowed to open beverage carts/carriers that contain alcohol on the ground.
5. Is there still a chocolate offered during pre-departure?
A: Pre-departure chocolates/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray instead for customers to enjoy during or after their flight.
6. What’s changing with the Bloody Mary and wine specialty beverage carts?
A: Wines and Bloody Marys will continue to be available upon request, but the dedicated cart service will change. This was a common flight attendant suggestion for improvement. A new branded cart cover is being sourced to improve presentation in the aisle and will be available shortly after launch.
7. Can we still offer wine tastings?
A: Absolutely. Although the wine arches with the 3 tastings will not be boarded, we can continue to honor customers’ requests to sample select wines.
8. What about the United Polaris first class soup and salad course?
A: The salad and appetizer will be delivered at the same time on a tray setup, instead of having a soup course.
9. What about the turndown service?
A: We will continue to offer the turndown service upon request.
10. Will Express Dining continue to be offered?
A: Yes, Express Dining will continue to be offered and can be requested and delivered at any point during the flight.
11. Will we continue to offer the mini desserts and fruit and cheese?
A: The mini desserts will continue to be offered from the three-tier cart with the signature ice cream service. In addition, pre-plated cheese will be added to the dessert cart. To make room for the fruit and cheese on the dessert cart, the specialty tea box will be removed from the cart, although specialty teas will continue to be available from the galley.
12. Are there any updates to the mid-flight and pre-arrival services?
A: There will be a few updates to both the mid-flight and pre-arrival service.
Mid-flight service (when available) – While we’ll no longer have formal presentation of mid-flight snacks, snack provisioning levels will remain the same and will continue to be displayed near the galley as is done today. Hang tags advising the customers that mid-flight snacks are available will be added to the individual bottle waters distributed after the main meal service. Hot snack items, when available, will also be delivered upon request.
Pre-arrival service – We’re removing tray table linens to reduce trips through the aisle. The tray itself will continue to have a linen liner. The pre-departure chocolate/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray for customers to enjoy during or after the flight.
13. Will there be any new service items introduced to support the new United Polaris service?
A: Yes, there are a few new elements that will be introduced, including:
Cart covers – Similar to some of our competitors, branded cart covers for both the half and full carts will be boarded for use in the aisle on both the beverage and meal tray carts. Cart covers will be available shortly after launch.
Hang tags – To be placed on individual bottle waters at the end of the main meal service to advise customers that mid-flight snacks are available.
14. Will we be changing the domestic meal service procedures to align with the new United Polaris service (e.g. pre-poured pre-departure beverages)?
A: We will continue listening to the feedback of our customers and our flight attendants and will adjust our processes where necessary to deliver the best service for our customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When do the service updates go into effect?
A: The service updates are effective May 1, 2018, on all long-haul international flights.
2. Why are we making changes to our United Polaris® service?
A: Customers have positively received our United Polaris lounge, and this year we are opening more United Polaris lounges beginning this summer in San Francisco, Houston and New York/Newark and in the fall, Los Angeles. As we continue to add more lounges, we want to take into account the feedback that customers have given us — they’ve emphasized their desire to rest and relax during their journey, especially onboard. The updates to the service flow will allow us to continue providing a premium product with high-quality food, wine, amenities and more, but it’ll be delivered in a more efficient way.
3. What is the new international United Polaris meal service flow?
A: The meal service flow for both first and business class will be the same:
Pre-departure
• Pre-poured sparkling wine, orange juice and water offered from a silver tray, with other beverages available upon request.
Main meal service
• Hot towels
• Linen placement
• Pre-meal beverage cart
• Appetizer and salad cart
• Bread and beverage refills
• Entrées
• Bread and beverage refills
• Dessert and pre-plated cheese cart
• Individual water bottles with hang tags
Mid-flight service (when applicable)
• Display mid-flight snacks on console, self-service unit, fold-down trays or galley countertop.
• Heat and serve hot on-demand items (when applicable) upon customer request.
Pre-arrival service
• Hot towels
• Pre-arrival tray setup with entrée and choice of beverage
• Breads and pastries
4. Will we be able to offer other pre-departure beverages?
A: Yes, upon customer request fulfill other pre-departure beverages in accordance with each departure country’s pre-departure liquor procedures. Refer to the Flight Attendant Policies and Procedures Manual to determine if you are allowed to open beverage carts/carriers that contain alcohol on the ground.
5. Is there still a chocolate offered during pre-departure?
A: Pre-departure chocolates/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray instead for customers to enjoy during or after their flight.
6. What’s changing with the Bloody Mary and wine specialty beverage carts?
A: Wines and Bloody Marys will continue to be available upon request, but the dedicated cart service will change. This was a common flight attendant suggestion for improvement. A new branded cart cover is being sourced to improve presentation in the aisle and will be available shortly after launch.
7. Can we still offer wine tastings?
A: Absolutely. Although the wine arches with the 3 tastings will not be boarded, we can continue to honor customers’ requests to sample select wines.
8. What about the United Polaris first class soup and salad course?
A: The salad and appetizer will be delivered at the same time on a tray setup, instead of having a soup course.
9. What about the turndown service?
A: We will continue to offer the turndown service upon request.
10. Will Express Dining continue to be offered?
A: Yes, Express Dining will continue to be offered and can be requested and delivered at any point during the flight.
11. Will we continue to offer the mini desserts and fruit and cheese?
A: The mini desserts will continue to be offered from the three-tier cart with the signature ice cream service. In addition, pre-plated cheese will be added to the dessert cart. To make room for the fruit and cheese on the dessert cart, the specialty tea box will be removed from the cart, although specialty teas will continue to be available from the galley.
12. Are there any updates to the mid-flight and pre-arrival services?
A: There will be a few updates to both the mid-flight and pre-arrival service.
Mid-flight service (when available) – While we’ll no longer have formal presentation of mid-flight snacks, snack provisioning levels will remain the same and will continue to be displayed near the galley as is done today. Hang tags advising the customers that mid-flight snacks are available will be added to the individual bottle waters distributed after the main meal service. Hot snack items, when available, will also be delivered upon request.
Pre-arrival service – We’re removing tray table linens to reduce trips through the aisle. The tray itself will continue to have a linen liner. The pre-departure chocolate/dessert will be catered on the pre-arrival tray for customers to enjoy during or after the flight.
13. Will there be any new service items introduced to support the new United Polaris service?
A: Yes, there are a few new elements that will be introduced, including:
Cart covers – Similar to some of our competitors, branded cart covers for both the half and full carts will be boarded for use in the aisle on both the beverage and meal tray carts. Cart covers will be available shortly after launch.
Hang tags – To be placed on individual bottle waters at the end of the main meal service to advise customers that mid-flight snacks are available.
14. Will we be changing the domestic meal service procedures to align with the new United Polaris service (e.g. pre-poured pre-departure beverages)?
A: We will continue listening to the feedback of our customers and our flight attendants and will adjust our processes where necessary to deliver the best service for our customers.
- Return of the salad/appetizer cart, although I suspect it's just going to be the meal cart with a fancy cover, to reduce the number of galley trips with hand-run trays
- Beverage carts coming back to the aisle (similar to DL and the former 3-cabin sUA business class service) with branded cart covers
- Soup is gone in Polaris First (so no more differentiation; the product isn't expected to last the full year, anyway)
- Wine tasting arches are gone
- No bloody mary carts (already announced)
- Hot bites will stay
- Bread refills to be offered (return of the bread basket?)
- Pre-departure chocolates returned to the pre-arrival tray
In many ways, this is going to look like the former three-cabin BusinessFirst service with nicer linens and serviceware. Overall, not the sweeping change (or depth of cuts) I was expecting. No word on provisioning of the other items (gel pillows, mattress pads, slippers, PJs, etc.)
[Rumor] More Polaris "Enhancements" coming May 1, 2018? ...
Feb 11, 2018, 9:00 pm
#226
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
Feb 11, 2018, 9:59 pm
#227
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,231
Let me repeat, UA Polaris did not promise better flight attendants. Some of the best flight service comes from the cabin attendants who have flown for decades. Some older FA's are lazy. Just don't see how this is germane to Polaris cuts, or lack of them. Other than being offensive
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
Feb 12, 2018, 3:20 am
#228
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
Inconsistent FA service is a symptom of a greater disease. When I fly ANA, I get the same, exact service on every flight - everything is predictable because everyone is trained to the same standards and held to those standards on every flight. The union in the USA has no say on whether or not a FA should be trained to, and held to basic service standards. Sure, the union can file grievances when staff are disciplined or terminated for failing to deliver against service metrics, but those grievances are going nowhere. In this regulatory environment, no one is going to be siding with a unionized airline employee who was disciplined due to repeated issues with service, communication and attitude.
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
Last edited by adambrau; Feb 12, 2018 at 3:21 am Reason: typo
Feb 12, 2018, 5:43 am
#229
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,971
The sad thing is most companies nowadays, airline or not, seem to care more about cost cutting than quality and customer service. Until they see an effect of poor product/service on profitability, there is no need to change.
Feb 12, 2018, 6:11 am
#230
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,159
I think we should not mix with personal preference/expectation/tolerance vs UA's competitiveness.
It is fine if one prefers not to drink wines, expects to eat less food during flight or have lower threshold for inadequate services. At the end of day, if a person is satisfied with UA's Polaris offerings based on the $/miles/upgrades paid, then that person should be happy to continue to fly United Polaris.
However, if UA would like to be competitive among its closest competitors on in-flight product and services offerings, the enhancement just won't cut it. UA will continue to struggle to build a corporate customer base without offering deeper corporate discount. In order to meet Wall Street profit expectation, UA will resort to more cost cutting in the future instead invest to improve on-board product and services offering to provide a better customer experience in terms to attract new customers and retain high margin customers to improve its bottom line.
It is fine if one prefers not to drink wines, expects to eat less food during flight or have lower threshold for inadequate services. At the end of day, if a person is satisfied with UA's Polaris offerings based on the $/miles/upgrades paid, then that person should be happy to continue to fly United Polaris.
However, if UA would like to be competitive among its closest competitors on in-flight product and services offerings, the enhancement just won't cut it. UA will continue to struggle to build a corporate customer base without offering deeper corporate discount. In order to meet Wall Street profit expectation, UA will resort to more cost cutting in the future instead invest to improve on-board product and services offering to provide a better customer experience in terms to attract new customers and retain high margin customers to improve its bottom line.
I think the management of United and AA would love to be able to take remidial or punative action against FAs that didn’t perform to a high standard of service. It’d actually be financially beneficial to have more turnover and a staff of motivated employees. The challenge is that collective bargaining does not give them this flexibility. Changing the management culture or paying the FAs more are not magic solutions either.
Inconsistent FA service is a symptom of a greater disease. When I fly ANA, I get the same, exact service on every flight - everything is predictable because everyone is trained to the same standards and held to those standards on every flight. The union in the USA has no say on whether or not a FA should be trained to, and held to basic service standards. Sure, the union can file grievances when staff are disciplined or terminated for failing to deliver against service metrics, but those grievances are going nowhere. In this regulatory environment, no one is going to be siding with a unionized airline employee who was disciplined due to repeated issues with service, communication and attitude.
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
Remember when there used to be Management reps on the long haul flights, and they would engage with passengers and evaluate service?
Feb 12, 2018, 7:02 am
#231
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Wayne, NJ USA
Programs: UA Million Miler, Lifetime United Club member
Posts: 2,175
Feb 12, 2018, 8:01 am
#232
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Boston MA
Programs: UA 1K/1.5 million miler, SU Gold, JL Sapphire
Posts: 529
Unfortunately the bottom line is a total lack of proper, thorough training, follow-on training, coaching/mentoring, inspections/reviews, feedback/corrective action/reward. The problem starts at the top and goes down the hill from there, where it finds crew members who lack the training, tools, monitoring and feedback necessary to do their job the right way, every single flight. For a product like Polaris, I would expect little to no variation in service standards on any flight that is sampled - yet, just reading Flyertalk, we have endless posts that range from "best service ever!" to "worst service ever!" and everything in between. In my view, it seems as if crews are given very brief, basic training, some information to read on their own, and then just sent on their way - and that's why every service related topic in this forum has so many reports of crew members being totally clueless, or just outright not giving a damn, about policies and procedures that we know to be true.
When you fly ANA, or Asiana, or SQ or one of the other great airlines you imagine, you have to put themselves in the shoes of the employees. Upon joining, they KNOW they are part of a classy company. They are not only taking a job, they are taking a position in an organization that is held in high esteem by many. Albeit there are bad apples everywhere, I would bet this excellence also percolates in the organization as well. There is a pride - a well deserved pride - by the people making up the organization. They like their image, it reflects good on them, and for sure they aren't going to let newbies come and ruin it for them.
That corporate culture is possibly the best asset these organizations have because it makes things work better, almost magically. Just a few days ago, on an Asiana flight, there were some hiccups in the operations. I saw the gate agent go back and forth in great hurry, running (yes, running) in the jetway. All because the flight was getting out 5 minutes late. I also saw desk agents in Japan run in high heels with my stuff in hand just to make sure they would arrive at another counter before I did and had the time to explain the situation to their colleague.
This is not something you can mandate or train for. This is what happens when a corporate culture that breeds excellence is present. It did not come overnight, it was patiently put in place.
Can this be transposed to US carriers? Well, maybe not in these exact same ways. Japan is a special place in terms of customer service. The bar may be too high. But nothing should prevent United to become, say, Lufthansa (which I also find a lot more consistent). Lufthansa also has unions and strikes, but the service you receive is consistently on the higher end.
Now, how you put this in place, well that is another question. But corporate culture is decided at the top. And consistency of the messages provided is key. In other words, if you announce one day you will create a super-duper-classy-dreamy Polaris class and then start quietly paring back a few days later on the amenities, or improperly train personnel, or slow delivery of the seats to a crawl, or merely stop communicating about to which promise land you are going, you can forgive employees for being inconsistent. Some will strive for a higher standard, some will default to business as usual, and some may even slack off.
Feb 12, 2018, 8:17 am
#233
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1K & 2MM, MR Titanium
Posts: 459
There is that, yes. Which stems from a corporate culture problem.
When you fly ANA, or Asiana, or SQ or one of the other great airlines you imagine, you have to put themselves in the shoes of the employees. Upon joining, they KNOW they are part of a classy company. They are not only taking a job, they are taking a position in an organization that is held in high esteem by many. Albeit there are bad apples everywhere, I would bet this excellence also percolates in the organization as well. There is a pride - a well deserved pride - by the people making up the organization. They like their image, it reflects good on them, and for sure they aren't going to let newbies come and ruin it for them.
That corporate culture is possibly the best asset these organizations have because it makes things work better, almost magically. Just a few days ago, on an Asiana flight, there were some hiccups in the operations. I saw the gate agent go back and forth in great hurry, running (yes, running) in the jetway. All because the flight was getting out 5 minutes late. I also saw desk agents in Japan run in high heels with my stuff in hand just to make sure they would arrive at another counter before I did and had the time to explain the situation to their colleague.
This is not something you can mandate or train for. This is what happens when a corporate culture that breeds excellence is present. It did not come overnight, it was patiently put in place.
Can this be transposed to US carriers? Well, maybe not in these exact same ways. Japan is a special place in terms of customer service. The bar may be too high. But nothing should prevent United to become, say, Lufthansa (which I also find a lot more consistent). Lufthansa also has unions and strikes, but the service you receive is consistently on the higher end.
Now, how you put this in place, well that is another question. But corporate culture is decided at the top. And consistency of the messages provided is key. In other words, if you announce one day you will create a super-duper-classy-dreamy Polaris class and then start quietly paring back a few days later on the amenities, or improperly train personnel, or slow delivery of the seats to a crawl, or merely stop communicating about to which promise land you are going, you can forgive employees for being inconsistent. Some will strive for a higher standard, some will default to business as usual, and some may even slack off.
When you fly ANA, or Asiana, or SQ or one of the other great airlines you imagine, you have to put themselves in the shoes of the employees. Upon joining, they KNOW they are part of a classy company. They are not only taking a job, they are taking a position in an organization that is held in high esteem by many. Albeit there are bad apples everywhere, I would bet this excellence also percolates in the organization as well. There is a pride - a well deserved pride - by the people making up the organization. They like their image, it reflects good on them, and for sure they aren't going to let newbies come and ruin it for them.
That corporate culture is possibly the best asset these organizations have because it makes things work better, almost magically. Just a few days ago, on an Asiana flight, there were some hiccups in the operations. I saw the gate agent go back and forth in great hurry, running (yes, running) in the jetway. All because the flight was getting out 5 minutes late. I also saw desk agents in Japan run in high heels with my stuff in hand just to make sure they would arrive at another counter before I did and had the time to explain the situation to their colleague.
This is not something you can mandate or train for. This is what happens when a corporate culture that breeds excellence is present. It did not come overnight, it was patiently put in place.
Can this be transposed to US carriers? Well, maybe not in these exact same ways. Japan is a special place in terms of customer service. The bar may be too high. But nothing should prevent United to become, say, Lufthansa (which I also find a lot more consistent). Lufthansa also has unions and strikes, but the service you receive is consistently on the higher end.
Now, how you put this in place, well that is another question. But corporate culture is decided at the top. And consistency of the messages provided is key. In other words, if you announce one day you will create a super-duper-classy-dreamy Polaris class and then start quietly paring back a few days later on the amenities, or improperly train personnel, or slow delivery of the seats to a crawl, or merely stop communicating about to which promise land you are going, you can forgive employees for being inconsistent. Some will strive for a higher standard, some will default to business as usual, and some may even slack off.
Last edited by lotemblizej; Feb 12, 2018 at 1:30 pm
Feb 12, 2018, 9:16 am
#234
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,231
UA flight crews are in my experience consistently inconsistent and I do not believe there is anything that can be done to overcome the fundamental issue that they do not feel empowered or compelled to do the right thing. UA has some of the best flight attendants I have ever encountered in the air, but UA's inability to consistently fields crews that even pretend to work as a cohesive unit and give top quality service in C or F is why UA in my mind will never be a first rate experience on a consistent basis needed to prevent frequent fliers like me to increasingly take their premium travel to airlines that do offer such superior experience on board. In my case that is Air New Zealand, Austrian, and ANA, for others it may be ME3, etc.
1. intensify initial training - after safety training and certification, follow the ANA model with live mockups, roll-play, live flight samples, live demos, etc - anyone who wants to work in the front cabin would need additional training focused on drink prep, meal plating, communications, service cadence, etc
2. refresher training on a more frequent cadence
3. stop the written service 'memos's and replace with online CBT that has live demos and teaches in a classroom format with compliance exams
4. period "pop quiz" compliance exams in a "do you know" format to assess retention and compliance with procedures and policies
5. less frequent official measurement in all cabins via period audits by UA inflight service management who are empowered to make on-the-spot corrections
6. more frequent measurement via 'mystery shopper' teams who submit post-flight detailed written assessments - these teams can be made up of UA management on pass rides, certain travel agents, certain frequent customers, and outside contractor businesses who do this type of assessment work professionally
7. new-hires are assigned to a senior "mentor" for x-weeks for live training in the field, coaching, assessment and feedback - the mentor has demonstrated a long term history of excellent service delivery
8. feedback process rewards those who consistently meet or exceed standards, coaches those who try but can't quite hit the mark, and disciplines those, regardless of seniority, who are problematic
9. everything in the customer contact portfolio from voice training for announcements, to the correct way to deliver F+B in the premium cabin to ensuring compliance with the myriad of service requirements (who gets what for free in coach, for example), becomes part of the training and coaching process to create consistency, similarity and standards
It's really not that hard to do - what appears to be hard is finding any shred of motivation within UA management to even try this.
Feb 12, 2018, 9:44 am
#235
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,971
On my flight this morning, they showed the "Making Of/Behind the Scenes" of the Olympics PR campaign. I was thinking....gee, if you want to save money, why not cut these things out. The last thing you want is to give marketing more money to advertise things they can't deliver. Obviously, I am not a business person 
Feb 12, 2018, 11:23 am
#236
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,324
Yeah, or the safety video reinventions. The one 3-4 iterations ago was perfectly adequate. Ditch those and give Polaris biz some soup, or a wine that costs $2/bottle more, or ditching crap sparkling wine as the PDB 'champagne' at locations they don't want to pay duty, or...etc etc
Feb 12, 2018, 1:13 pm
#237
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
That said, I don't know comprehensively outside of the 2012-14 period where UA's renewals were brutal.
When you fly ANA, or Asiana, or SQ or one of the other great airlines you imagine, you have to put themselves in the shoes of the employees. Upon joining, they KNOW they are part of a classy company. They are not only taking a job, they are taking a position in an organization that is held in high esteem by many.
UA flight crews are in my experience consistently inconsistent and I do not believe there is anything that can be done to overcome the fundamental issue that they do not feel empowered or compelled to do the right thing. UA has some of the best flight attendants I have ever encountered in the air, but UA's inability to consistently fields crews that even pretend to work as a cohesive unit and give top quality service in C or F is why UA in my mind will never be a first rate experience on a consistent basis needed to prevent frequent fliers like me to increasingly take their premium travel to airlines that do offer such superior experience on board. In my case that is Air New Zealand, Austrian, and ANA, for others it may be ME3, etc.
On another note, while some may think that service cuts don't cost UA business, on this thread there are by my count 1 GS, 4 1Ks, 1 PLT, and 1 Gold who have identified themselves as not flying UA, or flying them a lot less, due to service quality cuts. Another 1K says they will only now fly UA when its cheaper, and 1 GS, 1 1K, and 1 PLT are reconsidering flying with UA due to unhappiness with the direction service is going. These are all new people, not posters who I recall having said in the past they were cutting back their UA flying.
Feb 12, 2018, 6:28 pm
#238
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
I was never really into the wine flights but this makes me sad. I wonder if it was based on FA's complaining it was too much work to prep the cart. Actually I have noticed that meal services have been a lot more drawn out after the Polaris roll out but I never really minded that much....
Feb 12, 2018, 6:40 pm
#239
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,010
I was never really into the wine flights but this makes me sad. I wonder if it was based on FA's complaining it was too much work to prep the cart. Actually I have noticed that meal services have been a lot more drawn out after the Polaris roll out but I never really minded that much....
Feb 12, 2018, 8:39 pm
#240
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
Posts: 35,432
I minded when trying to sleep on EWR-LHR...having the meal service take 2 hours for the entire J cabin on a short redeye is ridiculous. Given this means busing back and forth between the seats and the galley, I'm not entirely sure this really saves much time in prep. Methinks that the long Polaris serving times has something to do with having dense J configurations, more than anything...
ption" for speedy service... I always choose that on TATL flights.