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Discussion of the Quality of UA's In-Flight Meals

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Discussion of the Quality of UA's In-Flight Meals

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Old Feb 20, 2020, 5:37 pm
  #181  
 
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Originally Posted by cmd320
I mean, it sounds grotesque, however you also chose to fly TATL on a US airline so...
Touche
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 7:41 pm
  #182  
 
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Originally Posted by manstein58
TATL today in Polaris. Reckon cost of all food was less than $10. Nuts were OK,everything else inedible. Anyone want to weigh in?
Airline catering involves a whole bunch of logistical issues, and there isn't a longhaul J meal on any decent airline that costs that little.
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Old Feb 20, 2020, 7:45 pm
  #183  
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Originally Posted by dilanesp
Airline catering involves a whole bunch of logistical issues, and there isn't a longhaul J meal on any decent airline that costs that little.
Luckily UA isn’t a decent airline.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 11:55 am
  #184  
 
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Originally Posted by dilanesp
Airline catering involves a whole bunch of logistical issues, and there isn't a longhaul J meal on any decent airline that costs that little.
I beg to differ. Salad consisting solely of wilted lettuce, an “appetizer” of two tiny mozzarella marbles and two quarter-sized tomato slices, boneless chicken the size of a small oyster shell with some vegetables of indeterminate origin, and ice cream from the Pelozoic Era! Easily under $10! I guarantee you there is someone in Willis Tower whose bonus depends on keeping the grocery TATL bill in single digits. This person likely sits right next to United’s Senior VP in Charge of Chiseling Global Service Members
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 12:10 pm
  #185  
 
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Had Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese for lunch IAH-SEA. Thought it was pretty tasty.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 1:01 pm
  #186  
 
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Originally Posted by manstein58
I beg to differ. Salad consisting solely of wilted lettuce, an “appetizer” of two tiny mozzarella marbles and two quarter-sized tomato slices, boneless chicken the size of a small oyster shell with some vegetables of indeterminate origin, and ice cream from the Pelozoic Era! Easily under $10! I guarantee you there is someone in Willis Tower whose bonus depends on keeping the grocery TATL bill in single digits. This person likely sits right next to United’s Senior VP in Charge of Chiseling Global Service Members
The cost of the ingredients isn't the only thing that makes airline catering expensive. Logistics cost a lot, especially for anything cooked at the airport, packaged, and catered to a plane.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 1:17 pm
  #187  
 
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Originally Posted by dilanesp
The cost of the ingredients isn't the only thing that makes airline catering expensive. Logistics cost a lot, especially for anything cooked at the airport, packaged, and catered to a plane.
Well then, if the cost of the food itself is low relative to other factors, increasing quality would seem to be a fairly easy lift, no?
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 1:57 pm
  #188  
 
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Originally Posted by manstein58
Well then, if the cost of the food itself is low relative to other factors, increasing quality would seem to be a fairly easy lift, no?
Doesn't work that way

​​​​​​
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 2:23 pm
  #189  
 
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Originally Posted by dilanesp
Doesn't work that way

​​​​​​
Enlighten us then
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 3:19 pm
  #190  
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Unions.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 3:34 pm
  #191  
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Originally Posted by iluv2fly
Unions.
Foreign airlines use the same unionized catering companies and don’t seem to suffer from this quality issue. This entirely has to do with the amount US airlines invest (or don’t) in their catering services.
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Old Feb 22, 2020, 3:44 pm
  #192  
 
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Originally Posted by bhunt
Had Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese for lunch IAH-SEA. Thought it was pretty tasty.
That one's pretty solid. Better than some Polaris meals that I've had.
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Old Feb 23, 2020, 6:14 am
  #193  
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Recent meal photos from SQ:

I used “Book the Cook” option to select Chirashi sushi, and it was delicious! I did not eat deserts on neither flights.









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Old Feb 23, 2020, 4:15 pm
  #194  
 
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Originally Posted by dilanesp
The cost of the ingredients isn't the only thing that makes airline catering expensive. Logistics cost a lot, especially for anything cooked at the airport, packaged, and catered to a plane.
Right. But the discussion here is about the cost of the food part.
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Old Feb 23, 2020, 4:34 pm
  #195  
 
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Originally Posted by st530
Right. But the discussion here is about the cost of the food part.
Exactly. Plus- if these associated services represent such a substantial, unseen cost- why not spend just a bit more to make the end product palatable as opposed to the inedible dreck now being served? Answer: because UA is so cheap that they give Ebenezer Scrooge a run for his money
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