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}
Nov 28, 2021, 5:20 pm
#2806
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,929
Nov 28, 2021, 6:02 pm
#2807
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Marriott Gold Elite, IHG Platinum, HHonors Silver
Posts: 965
Were MUC and GVA ever High J routes pre pandemic? Im flying high J to GVA next week for work (will change to MUC when omicron is confirmed in US and CH puts quarantine on US travelers) and even MUC is high J. But still enough seats open on either plane.
Nov 28, 2021, 6:19 pm
#2808
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,468
No Old Fashioned catered on int'l flights, if that's what you were thinking.
Nov 28, 2021, 9:10 pm
#2809
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,357
Nov 29, 2021, 12:39 pm
#2810
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
First of all, nobody in your own alliance is a competitor in any real sense. And certainly nobody who is a UA joint venturer. Part of the point of these things is to suppress competition, by allowing United to have a financial interest in your travel even if you fly other airlines. Indeed, once upon a time, American anti-trust law might have been interpreted to prohibited this sort of thing.
As for international airlines in other alliances, consider:
1. The existence of the joint ventures means that United doesn't have to compete with them, and certainly doesn't need to on in-flight and on-the-ground luxuries, so long as someone in the alliance is doing so. You can see this most clearly with First Class- United (and Delta, for that matter), doesn't have to offer it, because Lufthansa and Swiss do. But it's true of unnecessary luxuries in business class too. A traveler who wants them but is still hooked on Star Alliance frequent flyer points can fly a UA joint venturer, and United still makes money.
2. Cabotage rules basically limit the competitive hit United could ever take even from being inferior to a directly competitive product from an out-of-alliance carrier and even assuming FF'ers had the guts to switch alliances and take a hit on their points to punish United. You are dealing with a very limited number of people who might ever switch from United to Air France on their San Francisco to Paris flights.
The whole system is designed so that United has only two real full-service competitors, Delta and American, and United generally stays competitive with them, even though they don't really try to stay ahead of them. And then there's a few other partial domestic competitors that do different things, like Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue, Spirit, and Allegiant. And in many ways some of those competitors lean in the direction of fewer luxuries, not more.
No, United doesn't have to improve its game. And it won't unless travelers really think this stuff is important enough to take a status and points hit and switch alliances. Otherwise, things will keep going along the way they have for years.
Nov 29, 2021, 2:01 pm
#2811
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,515
Nov 29, 2021, 3:16 pm
#2812
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,929
And certainly nobody who is a UA joint venturer. Part of the point of these things is to suppress competition, by allowing United to have a financial interest in your travel even if you fly other airlines. Indeed, once upon a time, American anti-trust law might have been interpreted to prohibited this sort of thing.
As for international airlines in other alliances, consider:
1. The existence of the joint ventures means that United doesn't have to compete with them, and certainly doesn't need to on in-flight and on-the-ground luxuries, so long as someone in the alliance is doing so. You can see this most clearly with First Class- United (and Delta, for that matter), doesn't have to offer it, because Lufthansa and Swiss do. But it's true of unnecessary luxuries in business class too. A traveler who wants them but is still hooked on Star Alliance frequent flyer points can fly a UA joint venturer, and United still makes money.
1. The existence of the joint ventures means that United doesn't have to compete with them, and certainly doesn't need to on in-flight and on-the-ground luxuries, so long as someone in the alliance is doing so. You can see this most clearly with First Class- United (and Delta, for that matter), doesn't have to offer it, because Lufthansa and Swiss do. But it's true of unnecessary luxuries in business class too. A traveler who wants them but is still hooked on Star Alliance frequent flyer points can fly a UA joint venturer, and United still makes money.
Your determination of what are "unnecessary luxuries" in business class is patently absurd, but there is no sense in arguing about that.
2. Cabotage rules basically limit the competitive hit United could ever take even from being inferior to a directly competitive product from an out-of-alliance carrier and even assuming FF'ers had the guts to switch alliances and take a hit on their points to punish United. You are dealing with a very limited number of people who might ever switch from United to Air France on their San Francisco to Paris flights.
The whole system is designed so that United has only two real full-service competitors, Delta and American, and United generally stays competitive with them, even though they don't really try to stay ahead of them. And then there's a few other partial domestic competitors that do different things, like Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue, Spirit, and Allegiant. And in many ways some of those competitors lean in the direction of fewer luxuries, not more.
The whole system is designed so that United has only two real full-service competitors, Delta and American, and United generally stays competitive with them, even though they don't really try to stay ahead of them. And then there's a few other partial domestic competitors that do different things, like Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue, Spirit, and Allegiant. And in many ways some of those competitors lean in the direction of fewer luxuries, not more.
Second, when Kirby talks about UA becoming the biggest and best airline in the world, he means quality (see the extensive discussion in the other thread). Functioning internet, nice blankets, real cups, appetizers, and desserts may not matter to you, but I assure they do. My consulting business books millions of dollars worth of premium cabin airline tickets each year. People do care. They care a lot.
No, United doesn't have to improve its game. And it won't unless travelers really think this stuff is important enough to take a status and points hit and switch alliances. Otherwise, things will keep going along the way they have for years.
Nov 29, 2021, 3:41 pm
#2813
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
Conversely, I don't see foreign airlines reacting to US Big 3 policies - but instead, lets take European Airlines - focus on other European Airlines - so an airlines like LH is going to react to BA, AF, TK, etc.....
Nov 29, 2021, 3:47 pm
#2814
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, CM Plat, Amex Plat, Hertz CP, Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Vons Club
Posts: 6,852
Simply not true. LH and TK compete fiercely and hate each other. Same with AI and LH. TP and SK are seen as adverse competition to the LH-AC-LX-UA JV partnership. Competition is fierce in Latin America between AV and CM for the same traffic.
Even this is not true. Take AC and UA - there is metal neutrality on transatlantic routes, but not on most transborder flights.
About a decade ago, UA tried to move to BOB in economy class on transatlantic flights from the East Coat. LH immediately revolted and UA scrapped the plan. Why? You fail to examine the other side of the JV partnership. It's about providing a consistent (high-quality, in theory) product across carriers. That's because a loyal LX or LH customer who "accidentally" flies on UA (say, due to codeshare flight number) and has a rotten experience, may not just never fly UA again, but never fly LH or LX again and choose to connect in CDG or AMS instead on the competition.
Your determination of what are "unnecessary luxuries" in business class is patently absurd, but there is no sense in arguing about that.
First, the world is bigger than the United States.
Second, when Kirby talks about UA becoming the biggest and best airline in the world, he means quality (see the extensive discussion in the other thread). Functioning internet, nice blankets, real cups, appetizers, and desserts may not matter to you, but I assure they do. My consulting business books millions of dollars worth of premium cabin airline tickets each year. People do care. They care a lot.
Why do you think UA is bringing back glassware and Kirby apologized for taking so long to do so? Why has meal service gradually been restored in premium cabins? Why are PDBs back? Certainly not because of my blogging or the griping on Flyertalk...
Even this is not true. Take AC and UA - there is metal neutrality on transatlantic routes, but not on most transborder flights.
About a decade ago, UA tried to move to BOB in economy class on transatlantic flights from the East Coat. LH immediately revolted and UA scrapped the plan. Why? You fail to examine the other side of the JV partnership. It's about providing a consistent (high-quality, in theory) product across carriers. That's because a loyal LX or LH customer who "accidentally" flies on UA (say, due to codeshare flight number) and has a rotten experience, may not just never fly UA again, but never fly LH or LX again and choose to connect in CDG or AMS instead on the competition.
Your determination of what are "unnecessary luxuries" in business class is patently absurd, but there is no sense in arguing about that.
First, the world is bigger than the United States.
Second, when Kirby talks about UA becoming the biggest and best airline in the world, he means quality (see the extensive discussion in the other thread). Functioning internet, nice blankets, real cups, appetizers, and desserts may not matter to you, but I assure they do. My consulting business books millions of dollars worth of premium cabin airline tickets each year. People do care. They care a lot.
Why do you think UA is bringing back glassware and Kirby apologized for taking so long to do so? Why has meal service gradually been restored in premium cabins? Why are PDBs back? Certainly not because of my blogging or the griping on Flyertalk...
Is that equivalent dollars based on award transactions, or revenue tickets.?
Nov 29, 2021, 4:01 pm
#2815
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
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Nov 29, 2021, 8:53 pm
#2816
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
About to take UA31 today for the first time since the pandemic. The catering quality I saw upthread has been a shocker. Would have flown LH or Swiss instead if I thought to check.
It's a shame--I loved Polaris much more than LH's business.
It's a shame--I loved Polaris much more than LH's business.
Nov 29, 2021, 9:06 pm
#2817
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
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Let us know what you get and how it goes.
David
p.s. Given United's current cancellation policy, if you have any flexibility with your travels, you could consider cancelling and re-booking on LH or LX accordingly.
Nov 29, 2021, 9:09 pm
#2818
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: CHI
Programs: UA 1K, MR Titanium, IHG Gold, National Exec
Posts: 3,842
I only flew UA because I needed PQP on UA metal for Fly to the Finish. I would've flown LH or LX otherwise.
Nov 29, 2021, 9:15 pm
#2819
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
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Posts: 20,061
Nov 29, 2021, 9:19 pm
#2820
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: CHI
Programs: UA 1K, MR Titanium, IHG Gold, National Exec
Posts: 3,842
