EWR764

This is an interesting sidebar discussion.

That sounds terribly unfortunate and unpleasant, but It also sounds extraordinarily, exceptionally rare. I would be completely sympathetic of a person next to me who suffered from this condition, whatever it is, but I still think I would switch my seatmate's reading light off if I noticed they had dozed off without doing so. A curious dilemma, and I am sorry if you have that issue.

threeoh

It's not that much of a dilemma, you just say "I'm going to sleep with my light on, please don't turn it off." You can explain more if you want, or not -- it's your light. I don't have a medical condition, but sometimes on the ground I nap with the light on if I'm trying to adjust to a new timezone.

But in the absence of a heads up that the light is going to be left on intentionally, I don't think it's rude or unacceptable to turn off a sleeping seatmate's light, as long as you can do so without touching them.

EWR764

That would certainly be sufficient for me to avoid doing so... absent that admonition, I think I would turn out a seatmate's light as much out of courtesy to them as convenience to me.

BlueSky72

MrAndy1369

I can definitely see both sides of the argument for mandatory express service, but I do think UA should think carefully about how they're presenting their J product. A lot of people pay good money for Int'l J, and grow resentful if they feel they don't have a choice/are treated like cattle in J.

I think UA should, instead, continue to make the express service optional, but invest in better sleep masks and headphones to help sleeping passengers better block out light/sounds. Sounds like a more happy compromise, but probably won't happen in profit-seeking UA-land.

Also, yes, AA does offer mandatory expedited service on their shorter JFK overnight TATLs, but they utilize the snack bar and set up snacks for their passengers to nibble on, which seems like a good solution.

augias84

In response to cmd320's comment about SQ:
this was not my experience. When I flew the route (admittedly, this was over a year ago), I went to sleep 2 hours into the flight, and appetizers had not yet been served. I think it depends on where you sit in business class, since there are like a hundred passengers in J on the A380!

dilanesp

As I think about this more, they should have tried this experiment on some flights out of EWR and been very explicit about it. That way the Polaris lounge is available for anyone who wants a full meal service.

cmd320

I suppose it's possible, or possible there was just a poor crew. Never had such an issue myself though.

oopl

This should be sold as Polaris minus or light and priced accordingly.

goodeats21

I think at this point, TATL Polaris is on Level F, and TPAC Polaris is on Level D.

Haven't seen Level B in some time now...

bocastephen

Don't count on it for long - I am pretty confident in my forecast that TPAC catering will be slashed equally at some point this year, unless this experiment over the Atlantic shows data that customers are booking away because of it.

Hot breakfast, hot midflight snack, cheese plate, port, enhanced desserts, Japanese special meal, etc - bits and pieces of the combined Continental and United catering legacy that were folded into the new airline and made their way into Polaris will be gone, along with pajamas.

Polaris meals will more closely match today's PS meals regardless of flight length, potentially allowing for additional crew cuts in the forward cabins.

cerealmarketer

The PS meals are Polaris sans the port these days

App / salad
Main separate (still on larger plate as of last month)
Dessert cart with ice cream, cheese, sweets

Let's not give them ideas on expressifying that like Delta did on its transcons

bocastephen

I stand corrected as I didn't realize PS had a dessert cart - in that case I would expect Polaris, and PS to follow, a domestic F setup with similar portion sizing, and dessert ordered and served separately from a limited menu. The only difference I can see between future PS/Polaris will be the dessert course vs the small piece of cake served on domestic F. Portion sizes will likely be identical to domestic F, with a much smaller appetizer and salad jammed onto the same tray.

I don't think I'm giving Kirby any ideas - I would suggest he had plans to wreck Polaris and the MP program the moment he was hired.

phkc070408

While we're only about 30% done the reconfigs, does the Polaris seat address the light / noise issue of the traditional service? If so, the disturbance argument that UA is making is less valid.

On another note, while I voted in favor of making it mandatory, I think that my view has changed now that my opinion as to UAs motives behind this have changed.

Now, what if UA changed the focus meal on these flights to the pre-arrival meal? While this does apply to OD traffic more, I would think that most people are less interested in a big dinner at 10:00pm, but a larger breakfast at 8:00am before landing and getting on with your day could be more beneficial. It would also help acclimate people to the new time zone easier.

That said, my vote is for a default express dinner on these flights, with the option for full service by request, and then a 3 or 4 course breakfast prior to arrival (A Fruit Plate, a Hot or Cold Cereal Course, a full selection of hot options for the main course, and a Yogurt Parfait to end.)

usbusinesstraveller