Drink changes, No tomato juice&SpriteZero-social media pressure restores tomato juice
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,346
Yet....
#92
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,713
I kind of wonder if the tomato juice move was just misdirection--they had no intention of removing tomato juice long term, let the flying public get all up in arms about it, issue a press release about how it's back because "they value customer feedback", and meanwhile the REAL cuts go by with little angst or outcry.
#94
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: San Francisco
Programs: 1K 2.2MM
Posts: 2,352
FA announced on MSN DEN today that a company memo just announced return of tomato juice after customer push back....
#95
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,219
Well I can tell you I was one of those folks. On Monday in the survey where I normally rate them very high I dinged them on the tomato juice issue. I also commented on the lack of savoury vs sweet items on morning flights. I declined the muffin on both of my morning flights. Would it kill them to make a banana or cheese available on morning flights? Although I did not mean a cheese plate should replace a meal, although there are days I would be happy to have that as my meal vs other options.
#96
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
#97
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
#98
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO / LHR
Programs: UA GS 2.2MM / UC / AS Gold 75K / Bonvoy Plat / Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,028
#99
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
#100
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Hertz, Avis, National, Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 9,454
#101
Join Date: May 1999
Location: JFK, LGA, EWR
Programs: AA Platinum (Lifetime), United GS, HHonors Diamond, Shangri-la Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 549
my name is UK Stages and i am a sprite zero drinker.
i found out about the removal a couple of days ago on a flight from HKG to EWR, so there goes that theory about it being available on longer flights. as others have mentioned, it's really about finding a no calorie caffeine-free beverage. i don't drink coffee, and i limit myself to one or two cans of diet coke a day. if i'm on a 16 hour flight, or even if i'm on a five hour afternoon flight, i really don't want to drink caffeine. there are very few caffeine-free options onboard, other than water or sparkling water. nothing wrong with those, of course, but sometimes you want a little somethin' somethin'.
for me, that was sprite zero.
as for who's drinking it... apparently, quite a few. i've been on a number of domestic and international flights on which they ran out in business or first and the FA ran back to coach to snag a few for me. and i've seen them run out in coach, too. sure, that's probably about loading only a small quantity on the flight, but clearly some are drinking it. and enjoying it. as for FA or management's perception of how much they serve, well that's directly related to how much they have on board, isn't it? you can't serve it or suggest it if you don't have it. (or if there is one can hidden in the back of the drawer where neither the FA or the passenger can see it.)
as for whether or not, it's coming back... well, it was only a year or two ago that sprite zero disappeared for the first time... only to be brought back.
as for why they might need diet coke and coke zero... well, they are actually two very different tastes. i don't care much for coke zero myself, but people seem to like it. i will say this: i have had FAs and waitstaff in restaurants try to serve me coke zero insisting that there is no caffeine in it. (there is... it's the "zero" that makes people think otherwise. other beverages use the "zero" to signify an absence of everything, including caffeine.) and so it's possible that somebody at united thinks they ARE providing a caffeine free beverage when they serve coke zero. just a thought.
i found out about the removal a couple of days ago on a flight from HKG to EWR, so there goes that theory about it being available on longer flights. as others have mentioned, it's really about finding a no calorie caffeine-free beverage. i don't drink coffee, and i limit myself to one or two cans of diet coke a day. if i'm on a 16 hour flight, or even if i'm on a five hour afternoon flight, i really don't want to drink caffeine. there are very few caffeine-free options onboard, other than water or sparkling water. nothing wrong with those, of course, but sometimes you want a little somethin' somethin'.
for me, that was sprite zero.
as for who's drinking it... apparently, quite a few. i've been on a number of domestic and international flights on which they ran out in business or first and the FA ran back to coach to snag a few for me. and i've seen them run out in coach, too. sure, that's probably about loading only a small quantity on the flight, but clearly some are drinking it. and enjoying it. as for FA or management's perception of how much they serve, well that's directly related to how much they have on board, isn't it? you can't serve it or suggest it if you don't have it. (or if there is one can hidden in the back of the drawer where neither the FA or the passenger can see it.)
as for whether or not, it's coming back... well, it was only a year or two ago that sprite zero disappeared for the first time... only to be brought back.
as for why they might need diet coke and coke zero... well, they are actually two very different tastes. i don't care much for coke zero myself, but people seem to like it. i will say this: i have had FAs and waitstaff in restaurants try to serve me coke zero insisting that there is no caffeine in it. (there is... it's the "zero" that makes people think otherwise. other beverages use the "zero" to signify an absence of everything, including caffeine.) and so it's possible that somebody at united thinks they ARE providing a caffeine free beverage when they serve coke zero. just a thought.
#102
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: 42,220
The other thing to consider here - it's a can of soda. It's not a cucumber that will expire in a week. If the cans are not used on flight 1, they can go to flight 2, then 3 etc until the can is used - and that could be months without the can losing any of its wonderful chemical laced quality. To put the blame on demand is just nonsense - it's not difficult to know how many cans of Diet Sprite, Diet Coke, regular Coke, tomato juice, soda water, etc etc are used per a given time period - then just order enough to cover the known demand instead of saying "it's not that popular so we're getting rid of it". It's not like they got rid of Diet Sprite to make room for something more interesting like Diet Root Beer or Diet Dr Pepper or Diet 7-Up - no - they got rid of it because Kirby is too cheap and lazy to order the correct amount to accommodate known demand. If they want to sub Diet Sprite for something else that is equally or more interesting, then sure, I'm all ears - but we all know that's not what was happening here.
#103
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: United 1K, Southwest Companion, Marriott Platinum Premier, National Executive
Posts: 50
I am an avid Sprite Zero fan, especially on INTL flights where finding no calorie/no caffeine options can be challenging. I also fly WN and they just did the same in the last few months by removing Sprite Zero from their lineup
#104
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
The other thing to consider here - it's a can of soda. It's not a cucumber that will expire in a week. If the cans are not used on flight 1, they can go to flight 2, then 3 etc until the can is used - and that could be months without the can losing any of its wonderful chemical laced quality. To put the blame on demand is just nonsense - it's not difficult to know how many cans of Diet Sprite, Diet Coke, regular Coke, tomato juice, soda water, etc etc are used per a given time period - then just order enough to cover the known demand instead of saying "it's not that popular so we're getting rid of it". It's not like they got rid of Diet Sprite to make room for something more interesting like Diet Root Beer or Diet Dr Pepper or Diet 7-Up - no - they got rid of it because Kirby is too cheap and lazy to order the correct amount to accommodate known demand. If they want to sub Diet Sprite for something else that is equally or more interesting, then sure, I'm all ears - but we all know that's not what was happening here.
I think it is laughable that you think Kirby had anything to do with this. I doubt the C-suite was aware: if they were, people deserve to be fired for wasting their time with trivial issues.
#105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
You are ignoring the fact that while there’s no restriction on how long soda can be kept in inventory, there’s a finite amount of space in each cart. If a well-stocked beverage like Diet Coke or ginger ale is constantly running out in flight, a solution is to change the inventory mix, potentially removing another drink altogether, to make more space for the popular drink.
I think it is laughable that you think Kirby had anything to do with this. I doubt the C-suite was aware: if they were, people deserve to be fired for wasting their time with trivial issues.
I think it is laughable that you think Kirby had anything to do with this. I doubt the C-suite was aware: if they were, people deserve to be fired for wasting their time with trivial issues.
Whether or not Kirby personally had anything to do with it, he and Oscar are ultimately responsible for this and other tone deaf changes. Managing solely by spreadsheet with an extensive consumer facing corporation is stupid, tone deaf and dumb. United has the opportunity to do some effective marketing and customer engagement every time it makes a decision that directly affects the passengers. And consistently, it steps on its own feet and falls on its face.
Is this forum and social media the only way that UA management can understand how idiotic and tone deaf their policies and decisions are? It ought not to be. But apparently these methods are the only way they hear that they've stumbled once more.
David