No meal, no upgrade
Mar 22, 2019, 1:41 pm
#16
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
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That's all well and good but it can be EASILY fixed ...
GA to FA: I know we're short on meals, but the guy in seat 3F said he'd take the upgrade without a meal anyway. Can you just grab him something off the economy cart? Kthxbye.
Done.
Bethune wrote about a similar situation in From Worst to First, where catering was a few meals short... Instead of holding the plane, the FA found a few business travelers who'd be willing to have a liquid lunch instead, and they took off on time.
This is the problem with having a "process" or "policy" for every little thing -- when everything has to be "by the book", you remove employees' freedom to solve problems creatively.
GA to FA: I know we're short on meals, but the guy in seat 3F said he'd take the upgrade without a meal anyway. Can you just grab him something off the economy cart? Kthxbye.
Done.
Bethune wrote about a similar situation in From Worst to First, where catering was a few meals short... Instead of holding the plane, the FA found a few business travelers who'd be willing to have a liquid lunch instead, and they took off on time.
This is the problem with having a "process" or "policy" for every little thing -- when everything has to be "by the book", you remove employees' freedom to solve problems creatively.
Mar 22, 2019, 2:13 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
Even easier - they have a printout of who's in first - just mark it with ML for "offer meal options last". Job done. Then the FA taking orders - always one person on these birds in my experience - can take the requests, go to the galley to sort things out and then come back and say "I have the gruel left, or would you prefer something from the economy offerings."
A bunch of different ways to solve this, all of which involve someone taking the big seat.
Mar 22, 2019, 2:53 pm
#18
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,893
This reminds me of the time that United didn't cater enough cookies for the whole F cabin so the FAs just baked them and ate them in the galley.
Presumably the same protocol applies if you only have enough F meals for 19/20 people. I feel for UA here, no way do I want some poor FAs having to eat 19 meals between them.
Presumably the same protocol applies if you only have enough F meals for 19/20 people. I feel for UA here, no way do I want some poor FAs having to eat 19 meals between them.
Mar 22, 2019, 3:08 pm
#19
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Mar 22, 2019, 3:13 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: UA -GS 4.5 MM, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 116
All the reason UA should move to a pre-ordering system like AA and (now) DL does.
UA should also have a chart distributed to FA's, with a list of F passengers who are paid F, CPU'd, and then OP-UP'd at no cost. The FA can then determine how to prioritize meal orders, based on status of payment towards the F cabin and elite status.
IMHO, a fair tiered level would be, for meal priority, from top to bottom:
-Paid F tickets (elites, then non-elites)
-TOD upfares (elites, then non-elites)
-CPU by GS, 1K, other elites
-Non-elite paying passengers who got bumped to F (due to oversales, etc.)
-Employees on free travel
Thoughts? That way, passengers who paid something tangible to get into the F cabin would get prioritized meals, then upgrades/non-elite bumps/employees on free travel gets the remaining choices (or, in this case, nothing). More fair that way, IMHO.
If I'm not mistaken, UA only offers special meals for 2000+ mile flights, so in this case, it wouldn't apply (AUS-EWR is less than 2000 miles).
UA should also have a chart distributed to FA's, with a list of F passengers who are paid F, CPU'd, and then OP-UP'd at no cost. The FA can then determine how to prioritize meal orders, based on status of payment towards the F cabin and elite status.
IMHO, a fair tiered level would be, for meal priority, from top to bottom:
-Paid F tickets (elites, then non-elites)
-TOD upfares (elites, then non-elites)
-CPU by GS, 1K, other elites
-Non-elite paying passengers who got bumped to F (due to oversales, etc.)
-Employees on free travel
Thoughts? That way, passengers who paid something tangible to get into the F cabin would get prioritized meals, then upgrades/non-elite bumps/employees on free travel gets the remaining choices (or, in this case, nothing). More fair that way, IMHO.
If I'm not mistaken, UA only offers special meals for 2000+ mile flights, so in this case, it wouldn't apply (AUS-EWR is less than 2000 miles).
Mar 22, 2019, 3:26 pm
#21
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
Why shouldn't those are who are hypoglycemic get priority?
Or how about those who woke up earliest today?
Or those furthest from home?
Maybe number of miles driven to the airport comes into play?
Who's exercised the most?
My point is -- no matter what viewpoint you take, there's always a spin to who should go first.
I'm a 1K, so appreciate meal choice but my honest opinion? Whatever makes the entire process smoothest.
Pre-ordering doesn't actually make the process smoother - it really gets all screwed up with last minute upgrades, and same day changes, and displaced passengers, and all that. Let's not give United any encouragement to change the SDC system, please!! I'll take a 2nd meal choice - or no meal at all - EVERY TIME to preserve that magnificent benefit.
Mar 22, 2019, 3:28 pm
#22
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
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Posts: 1,381
(I just couldn't help but notice your current status.)
Mar 22, 2019, 3:35 pm
#24
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,461
... says the GS.
Why shouldn't those are who are hypoglycemic get priority?
Or how about those who woke up earliest today?
Or those furthest from home?
Maybe number of miles driven to the airport comes into play?
Who's exercised the most?
My point is -- no matter what viewpoint you take, there's always a spin to who should go first.
I'm a 1K, so appreciate meal choice but my honest opinion? Whatever makes the entire process smoothest.
Pre-ordering doesn't actually make the process smoother - it really gets all screwed up with last minute upgrades, and same day changes, and displaced passengers, and all that. Let's not give United any encouragement to change the SDC system, please!! I'll take a 2nd meal choice - or no meal at all - EVERY TIME to preserve that magnificent benefit.
Why shouldn't those are who are hypoglycemic get priority?
Or how about those who woke up earliest today?
Or those furthest from home?
Maybe number of miles driven to the airport comes into play?
Who's exercised the most?
My point is -- no matter what viewpoint you take, there's always a spin to who should go first.
I'm a 1K, so appreciate meal choice but my honest opinion? Whatever makes the entire process smoothest.
Pre-ordering doesn't actually make the process smoother - it really gets all screwed up with last minute upgrades, and same day changes, and displaced passengers, and all that. Let's not give United any encouragement to change the SDC system, please!! I'll take a 2nd meal choice - or no meal at all - EVERY TIME to preserve that magnificent benefit.
But, to the point at hand, the upgrade should have been offered, whether at the gate or on board, perhaps with a caveat to the 'anointed' that there might not be enough meals. If the FA and GA think of the passengers first, that seems the obvious answer, but if they think of minimizing their own active output, we get the situation in the OP.
Mar 22, 2019, 4:07 pm
#25
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Join Date: Sep 2002
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This was *not* the FA's call to make - and the GA should have told her to buzz off and get out of her business. As noted, the correct approach is to 1. call ops and try to get extra catering if there is time, then 2. visit the upgrades if they have already boarded (or call them up at the gate) and explain the situation and let them choose - if someone declines, offer it to the next person on the list and so on. At the very least they would be offered a snack box or hot item (if over 3hrs) from the back and probably a proactive service voucher.
I hope the OP writes this up with customer service.
I hope the OP writes this up with customer service.
Mar 22, 2019, 6:29 pm
#26
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presumavly, the ones who pre-order get what they ordered, with anyone who didn’t pre-order (whether they are last minute CPU, SDCd into the flight late, paid last minute ticket, booked I. Advance but just didn’t bither) getting the same options they get today,
Mar 22, 2019, 6:33 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
MCO-SFO
This just happened on my MCO-SFO flight, 2 seats went out empty in F and Y was totally full. Now, this is a 5+ hr flight and anyone would've taken the CPU, and there must have been a few 1Ks/Plats back there, or even a Gold/Silver or two. I heard the GA and the FA talking about upgrading pax into the last 2 seats and the GA told them not to. I don't know if it was for the same reason but, if I had been back in Y and seen 2 empty F seats, I would've been livid. I refused the meal, as did the kid behind me, so there would've been no shortage of food.
Mar 22, 2019, 6:46 pm
#28
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,161
GA should not have aborted the upgrade list over catering issue. I’m pretty sure meals are prioritized by status based on my experience. Isn’t there a whole thread on that? This whole notion of ‘paid F’ is a bit trite as it can be a $69 TOD as opposed to the $50K of business GS members give UA or $15K in the case of 1K and so forth. Remember Plat, 1K and GS may also use instruments, which are certainly a valid form of payment based on large volumes of business given to UA.
Mar 22, 2019, 7:56 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BOS<>NYC<>BKK
Programs: UA 4.3MM LT-GS; AA1MM; Amtrak SE; MAR LT TITAN; PC Plat; HIL DIA; HYA GLOB
Posts: 4,392
This brings me way back to EA's Executive Traveler Program. It was unpublished, invitation-only (I still have my card -- the program number was your home phone number!). We got free upgrades to F on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis at airport check-in (this is long before on-line check-in). EA usually catered F for the number of reservations. So more frequently than not, the offer would be, "I can upgrade you to an F seat, with a Y meal - unless another passenger chooses not to eat." A no-brainer to accept!
Mar 23, 2019, 4:36 am
#30
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: CoUniHound 1K 1MM, AA EXP 2MM, DL Plat, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,625
I think the problem here is the exact opposite. The employee's freedom to "solve problems" overrode the process and someone didn't get their upgrade.