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Old Jan 21, 2019, 2:25 pm
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2019 Let's Eat - Polaris Business

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Old Feb 5, 2019, 5:07 pm
  #91  
 
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Originally Posted by cricketer
Hopefully the spicy thai chicken is on the menu, because I suspect that will somewhat survive the pre-plating.

Is that even still offered on ANY route? I thought they rotated it out recently.
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 5:45 pm
  #92  
 
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Originally Posted by narvik
Is that even still offered on ANY route? I thought they rotated it out recently.
There was a variant of it in the domestic rotation last month; much more of a noodle dish than a soup (as previously). Served in the casserole. I wonder if this will make its way to Polaris?

NOTE: This is NOT from a Polaris service... January 2019 EWR-DEN dinner


It's a decent DOMESTIC dish, but it's downright sad for an international business class entree portion.

Ironically, for now, the premium transcon service has much nicer main course presentation than Polaris (or has that changed, too?).

It goes without saying, but mark this down as a "change I hate"...
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 7:10 pm
  #93  
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Originally Posted by MatthewLAX
I confirmed with United that all int'l meals will now be served on this casserole dish.

How pathetic. I'll write about it tomorrow. Almost as bad as the partner award space blocking.
United called me. The plates are gone, but the bowls will remain for soup and pasta. So no, not every meal will be on the casserole dish, but almost all.
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 7:54 pm
  #94  
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I am less concerned about the plates themselves, but more concerned about what will be served on the plate/dish/bowl and the portion of serving.

looking at the photo above, the plate and contents are less in quantity and lower in quality than SQ economy class.

I am flying Polaris J and SQ Y this month, and will see if I can do pictorial comparisons.
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 8:04 pm
  #95  
 
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Pre-plated meals can be delivered in an appealing manner. These aren't. This seems to be the lowest-cost option.

It's remarkable to look at the initial Polaris soft product announcements and see what the product has degraded to... though it should come as a surprise to exactly no one.
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 8:31 pm
  #96  
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Originally Posted by EWR764
Pre-plated meals can be delivered in an appealing manner. These aren't. This seems to be the lowest-cost option.

It's remarkable to look at the initial Polaris soft product announcements and see what the product has degraded to... though it should come as a surprise to exactly no one.
Given all the positives for UA lately, including their financial performance, it's disappointing they are not taking this opportunity to provide a better quality product. They are right on the cusp of being able to compete straight-up with the better carriers, and then they pull this nonsense . . . .
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 9:32 pm
  #97  
 
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Originally Posted by narvik
Is that even still offered on ANY route? I thought they rotated it out recently.
It was served on LAX-LHR this past week. The flight attendant commented that it was a very popular dish.
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 11:32 pm
  #98  
 
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Originally Posted by rch4u
Make sure you eat before boarding! A glimpse of the new "enhanced" Polaris meals in the tiny domestic casserole dishes, LAX-NRT ...

The new meals look just like the ones promised!
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 12:52 am
  #99  
 
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I have personally seen the new meals more than once this month. As much as I dislike going to pre-plated meals in Polaris-they are the exact same meals and portions as served before, just pre-plated, with the exception of the spicy chicken noodle soup, which is still dished up. The casserole dishes are a larger size than what is used for domestic first meals.
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 9:02 am
  #100  
 
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Actually pre-plated meals are guaranteed to be of lower quality. It is essentially impossible to cook all the ingredients to the correct degree. Something is going to be overcooked; something else undercooked. You simply can't have a premium quality meal prepared this way. Are the flight crews too lazy or incompetent to plate up meals?
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 9:06 am
  #101  
 
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Originally Posted by sfoeuroflyer
Actually pre-plated meals are guaranteed to be of lower quality. It is essentially impossible to cook all the ingredients to the correct degree. Something is going to be overcooked; something else undercooked. You simply can't have a premium quality meal prepared this way. Are the flight crews too lazy or incompetent to plate up meals?
It's issues of cost, FA workload and galley packout.

The forthcoming 46J 767 uses essentially the same galley space as the 30J version, and premium economy will likely use casserole-style entrees similar to those served in Polaris. All of this is accomplished with the same level of FA staffing (and in some cases, less). Plus, the company is looking to shave costs where it can. So, here we are.
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 12:01 pm
  #102  
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Originally Posted by cerealmarketer
Let us compare...

As much as the others aren't great, UA is just that much worse and harkens to an era when business was the second cabin on the plane.


AA

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1cc476541.jpg






DL

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...171aa8b5c6.jpg


Given this are AA & DL pre-plated meals, UA should at least be able to live up to that standard as well.
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 12:07 pm
  #103  
 
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I guess that the fancy Polaris dishes will go to join those defective ice cream bowls in a warehouse somewhere. Or will they be recycled? Or will they stay in service in the Willis Tower dining room?
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 12:37 pm
  #104  
 
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Why can't UA and others simply pre-plate the protein separately from pre-plated sides? Jetblue's popular Mint service does this. Smaller dishes for each, can be cooked to different temps, and allow for more mixing and matching of options. Plus, vegetarians can choose two of the sides for a meat-free option. And the small dishes can also then serve as the mid-flight and pre-arrival meals? Almost provides a dine-on-demand option.
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 1:49 pm
  #105  
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Originally Posted by SFO_FT
Why can't UA and others simply pre-plate the protein separately from pre-plated sides?
They can, but it's more labor intensive, and UA wants to pay less for labor, not more.
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