Apr 18, 2020, 1:31 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ll-cabins.html
Updated posting July 2020 - Ice, tea and coffee returns and some small food enhancements.
orignal posting
crew meals, covered by contract, appear minimally changed
Updated posting July 2020 - Ice, tea and coffee returns and some small food enhancements.
Safety updates to inflight dining
Your safety and the safety of our employees is our highest priority. To try and further limit potential exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) on board, we’re temporarily adjusting our inflight service as of March 29 and will be moving to primarily pre-packaged foods and sealed beverages. Preorder meals and food for purchase will not be available. We’re also unable to offer special meals except for Kosher meals on flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Beverage changes for all flights
We will be offering sealed beverages on all flights. If you’re on a flight under 1 hour, you’ll receive beverages on request. We’ll also offer coffee and tea on domestic flights departing before 9:45 a.m. and on all international and premium transcontinental flights. Non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary, and alcoholic beverages are complimentary in premium cabins. Wine and beer are also complimentary in United Economy® on long-haul international flights.
Food changes for domestic flights
We won't have snacks available in United Economy for flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes or in United First® for flights under 1 hour. As always, you're welcome to bring snacks on board. For flights between 1 hour and 2 hours and 20 minutes in United First, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks.
For flights 2 hours and 20 minutes or longer, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks in United Economy. In the premium cabin, you'll be offered a snack box.
Food changes for premium transcontinental flights
If you're flying in United Economy or Economy Plus®, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks. Customers in the premium cabin will receive their meal with their entrée choice covered and will be offered a packaged snack for pre-arrival.
Food changes for international flights
In United Economy®, you’ll receive an entrée, a snack and packaged dessert, as well as pre-packed mid-flight and pre-arrival items on select flights. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap.
In United Premium Plus® and United Polaris® business class, your entrée, dessert and bread will be served together. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap. You’ll receive a pre-packaged snack for midflight and a fresh packaged meal for pre-arrival on select flights.
Your safety and the safety of our employees is our highest priority. To try and further limit potential exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) on board, we’re temporarily adjusting our inflight service as of March 29 and will be moving to primarily pre-packaged foods and sealed beverages. Preorder meals and food for purchase will not be available. We’re also unable to offer special meals except for Kosher meals on flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Beverage changes for all flights
We will be offering sealed beverages on all flights. If you’re on a flight under 1 hour, you’ll receive beverages on request. We’ll also offer coffee and tea on domestic flights departing before 9:45 a.m. and on all international and premium transcontinental flights. Non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary, and alcoholic beverages are complimentary in premium cabins. Wine and beer are also complimentary in United Economy® on long-haul international flights.
Food changes for domestic flights
We won't have snacks available in United Economy for flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes or in United First® for flights under 1 hour. As always, you're welcome to bring snacks on board. For flights between 1 hour and 2 hours and 20 minutes in United First, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks.
For flights 2 hours and 20 minutes or longer, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks in United Economy. In the premium cabin, you'll be offered a snack box.
Food changes for premium transcontinental flights
If you're flying in United Economy or Economy Plus®, you'll receive an "all-in-one" snack bag with a wrapped sanitizer wipe, 8.5-ounce bottled water and two snacks. Customers in the premium cabin will receive their meal with their entrée choice covered and will be offered a packaged snack for pre-arrival.
Food changes for international flights
In United Economy®, you’ll receive an entrée, a snack and packaged dessert, as well as pre-packed mid-flight and pre-arrival items on select flights. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap.
In United Premium Plus® and United Polaris® business class, your entrée, dessert and bread will be served together. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap. You’ll receive a pre-packaged snack for midflight and a fresh packaged meal for pre-arrival on select flights.
Safety updates to inflight dining
Your safety and the safety of our employees is our highest priority. To try and further limit potential exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) on board, we’re temporarily adjusting our inflight service as of March 29 and will be moving to primarily pre-packaged foods and sealed beverages. Preorder meals and food for purchase will not be available. We’re also unable to offer special meals except for Kosher meals on flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Beverage changes for all flights
We will only offer sealed beverages and we will no longer offer ice, coffee and tea service, and poured alcohol. Instead of pouring you water from a large bottle, we’ll provide sealed individual water bottles. In premium cabins, we will offer beer and individual wines. Flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes will only have beverages on request.
Food changes for domestic flights
For flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes, we will not offer a snack service in any cabin. As always, you’re welcome to bring snacks on board.
For flights over 2 hours and 20 minutes, you will receive your choice of pretzels, a stroopwafel or cookies in United Economy®. In the premium cabin, you’ll be offered a snackbox.
Food changes for premium transcontinental flights
If you’re flying in United Economy or Economy Plus®, you’ll be offered a snack choice. Customers in the premium cabin will receive their packaged meal with their entrée choice covered and will be offered a packaged snack for pre-arrival.
Food changes for international flights
In United Economy®, you’ll receive an entrée, a snack and packaged dessert, as well as pre-packed mid-flight and pre-arrival items on select flights. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap.
In United Premium Plus® and United Polaris® business class, your entrée, dessert and bread will be served together. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap. You’ll receive a pre-packaged snack for midflight and a fresh packaged meal for pre-arrival.
Your safety and the safety of our employees is our highest priority. To try and further limit potential exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) on board, we’re temporarily adjusting our inflight service as of March 29 and will be moving to primarily pre-packaged foods and sealed beverages. Preorder meals and food for purchase will not be available. We’re also unable to offer special meals except for Kosher meals on flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Beverage changes for all flights
We will only offer sealed beverages and we will no longer offer ice, coffee and tea service, and poured alcohol. Instead of pouring you water from a large bottle, we’ll provide sealed individual water bottles. In premium cabins, we will offer beer and individual wines. Flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes will only have beverages on request.
Food changes for domestic flights
For flights under 2 hours and 20 minutes, we will not offer a snack service in any cabin. As always, you’re welcome to bring snacks on board.
For flights over 2 hours and 20 minutes, you will receive your choice of pretzels, a stroopwafel or cookies in United Economy®. In the premium cabin, you’ll be offered a snackbox.
Food changes for premium transcontinental flights
If you’re flying in United Economy or Economy Plus®, you’ll be offered a snack choice. Customers in the premium cabin will receive their packaged meal with their entrée choice covered and will be offered a packaged snack for pre-arrival.
Food changes for international flights
In United Economy®, you’ll receive an entrée, a snack and packaged dessert, as well as pre-packed mid-flight and pre-arrival items on select flights. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap.
In United Premium Plus® and United Polaris® business class, your entrée, dessert and bread will be served together. Everything is served packaged or covered for you to unwrap. You’ll receive a pre-packaged snack for midflight and a fresh packaged meal for pre-arrival.
crew meals, covered by contract, appear minimally changed
COVID Era UA inflight service changes {Archive}
Oct 20, 2021, 7:26 pm
#2491
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
bad news: UA catering is insufficient
better news: UA is still probably better than the alternatives
best news: UA's inflight offerings are - and have never been - very good at all and you can do much better on the ground out of almost any station
better news: UA is still probably better than the alternatives
best news: UA's inflight offerings are - and have never been - very good at all and you can do much better on the ground out of almost any station
Oct 20, 2021, 7:36 pm
#2492
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: UA 1K, AA Gold, DL Silver
Posts: 410
AS needs to get some lie-flats to start getting my business. However, the few times I’ve flown them, the crew was excellent!
Oct 20, 2021, 9:30 pm
#2493
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,597
If providing a welcoming pleasant flight experience isn’t part of the FA job, then United should take down all the “Friendly skies” advertising they push. Otherwise they are being dishonest in pushing their product.
Oct 20, 2021, 9:35 pm
#2494
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Especially when they are aiming to be the "best airline of the world"
Oct 20, 2021, 10:03 pm
#2495
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,503
So far this year, I have logged 56 flights with UA, translating to almost 110K BIS miles (and 50 flights with other airlines) - I have given every chance to UA, and have spent thousands in fares with the carrier, I just can't agree with the statement. Maybe I am just unlucky, but the UA inflight experience has gotten worse and worse with each passing month this year - I was scolded by UA FAs, not once, but twice in recent weeks for asking for two snacks (the Biscoff cookie and the bag of pretzel) on transcon flights; separately, FA almost charged me for a snack box, and told me I didn't inform her about being 1K.
Oct 20, 2021, 10:03 pm
#2496
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,324
If 'it isn't their job to provide customer service; it's all about safety' is your argument, as FA's are standing, folded arms, and doing the bare minimum (or even reprimanding you for begging for food) - you're losing. 
Oct 20, 2021, 10:28 pm
#2497
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
"Service is our passion," 
Oct 21, 2021, 4:39 am
#2498
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,597
OP should be under no delusion that buying F will get them a "first class" experience on UA. DL is a lot nicer but also way more expensive on most of my routes. What you are buying is a more comfortable seat and less crowding, with some free alcohol thrown in to smooth the edges off of the abysmal service.
Oct 21, 2021, 4:48 am
#2499
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,355
Oct 21, 2021, 7:55 am
#2500
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Hertz, Avis, National, Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 9,452
The job description I provided is the most high-level articulation of a FA's duties and responsibilities, and was offered to rebut the incorrect notion that the only responsibility of a Flight Attendant is the safety of the passengers. Clearly, there is a fundamental service element.
That does not mean United does not provide flight attendants brand/service/appearance standards, service delivery guidelines, memoranda, etc. To the contrary, they certainly do, and I can assure you that those materials, and recent communications, are emphasizing greeting passengers, acknowledging status, "personalizing service", etc.
Whether flight attendants comply, or are motivated to do so, is another issue entirely.
Oct 21, 2021, 8:01 am
#2501
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 347
UA's personnel are about to get a $1,000 bonus, which for their typical worker will be a nice little boost for the holidays. The on-board product might not be great, but to me it's objectively better now than it was earlier this year (I'll take the current hot food over the snack boxes and sandwiches, thanks). UA is also, in theory, about to eliminate one of the biggest pain points for the average traveler by updating their cabins so that everyone entitled to a carry-on should have space for that carry-on. They're also at least propping themselves up as an airline focused on future "cool" technology like the Boom supersonic planes and on sustainability with eco fuels and whatnot. I'm pretty cynical on most of that tech ever really working out, but the average traveler and arguably their average employee doesn't really know that. And, with nearly all of the employees vaccinated, they're going to avoid the issues that their competitors may be about to struggle to deal with regarding a potential vaccine mandate.
So, in conclusion, if you're the typical UA employee, I think you're not feeling all that bad about the company, especially compared to most of its domestic competitors. Not having enough supplies sometimes probably does suck, but that's an issue everyone in every industry is dealing with due to supply chain woes and lack of labor and whatnot.
Oct 21, 2021, 8:09 am
#2502
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
And to think... nothing in that job description requires them to ask you for your meal choice and drink order... that's above and beyond service!
The job description I provided is the most high-level articulation of a FA's duties and responsibilities, and was offered to rebut the incorrect notion that the only responsibility of a Flight Attendant is the safety of the passengers. Clearly, there is a fundamental service element.
The job description I provided is the most high-level articulation of a FA's duties and responsibilities, and was offered to rebut the incorrect notion that the only responsibility of a Flight Attendant is the safety of the passengers. Clearly, there is a fundamental service element.
And I really do think a lot of passengers (not just folks on FT) don't get that. They really do think of FA's as personal servants. That's NOT why they are there. That's something they do, to some greater or lesser extent, because they are already there to protect our safety.
Oct 21, 2021, 8:19 am
#2503
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
So far this year, I have logged 56 flights with UA, translating to almost 110K BIS miles (and 50 flights with other airlines) - I have given every chance to UA, and have spent thousands in fares with the carrier, I just can't agree with the statement. Maybe I am just unlucky, but the UA inflight experience has gotten worse and worse with each passing month this year - I was scolded by UA FAs, not once, but twice in recent weeks for asking for two snacks (the Biscoff cookie and the bag of pretzel) on transcon flights; separately, FA almost charged me for a snack box, and told me I didn't inform her about being 1K.
I've also flown a lot on DL and AA during the pandemic and DL definitely has the best crews. However, their F prices are consistently higher than UA, so I rarely fly them. For instance, on a recent transcon booking from SNA, DL was $500- more that UA. AA's F crews seem about the same to me as UA's, although many here think AA is the worst. UA has a real problem though because, even though I'm a lifetime 1K, I have no loyalty to UA whatsoever-I buy only based on price. I've canceled all of my UA CCs because I can't see any way to use the millions of miles I already have, so why would I want more? Now, if UA improves the domestic UG situation, where I could use my PPs or miles to UG consistently, or if they would consistently offer STW for flights booked well in advance, my loyalty would return.
Being an elite on UA these days is not worth much. The most valuable benefit is the 3x70 lb baggage allowance, with the Hertz PC status coming in second. UGs don't factor in since I never get any domestically, and there is not yet enough allowed international business travel for me to benefit significantly on that end.
Oct 21, 2021, 8:57 am
#2504
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,503
There is obviously a service element, but it is secondary and not fundamental. The fundamental job of a FA is to protect all of us.
And I really do think a lot of passengers (not just folks on FT) don't get that. They really do think of FA's as personal servants. That's NOT why they are there. That's something they do, to some greater or lesser extent, because they are already there to protect our safety.
And I really do think a lot of passengers (not just folks on FT) don't get that. They really do think of FA's as personal servants. That's NOT why they are there. That's something they do, to some greater or lesser extent, because they are already there to protect our safety.
In a customer facing position, the service element is essential and fundamental.
Crews of other airlines can perform safety and customer service with no issues.
Oct 21, 2021, 9:04 am
#2505
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447