RobOnLI

I don't disagree with your assessment of things moving slowly in the industry. However, given how quickly the mobile app is able to be updated for the "warnings" now (must wear a face mask, must not have symptoms, etc.) to now having to check a box for *each* of these --- that required several app updates in the span of a week. We all know the agents on board the plane read from a script on a device. United could *easily* update their app as well to include the changed wording about the mask policy.

I flew on two flights again today. Both used the same script, both mentioned the medical exemption, and oddly the ad lib announcement from the SkyWest pilot on one of my flights also included the "except if you're eating, drinking or have a medical necessity not to wear a mask...". I would think pilots would be the last to get the memo of course.

The FA on the United Express flight had to reiterate the mask policy after take off because half the plane took it off. The domestic wide body (50% full) didn't have to mention it after take off and I didn't see anyone remove their mask.

-RM

bluedemon211

Until they clear upgrades at the gate and POOF! You're now trapped in a window seat between someone and the wall. It's all theater. They will fill every seat if people are willing to buy them or spend points to UG into them.

Gate45

1B and 1E have been blocked and empty on every mainline domestic flight I have taken.

lincolnjkc

I think I'm at ~25% with 1B/1E actually remaining open on the 737 fleet and 0% Row 1 blockage on the CR7 fleet (the only fleet types I've had more than a single flight on since the world ended) -- perhaps its because these flights are extremely full -- in one case I'm pretty sure Y was sold to 100%+ so without CPU/OP-UPing people had 1B/E not been used I think the flight would have gone the VDB route.

It could also be gate agents not understanding/consistently implementing the guidance -- one early flight 1AB were open but 1EF were full (I got stuck in 1E... I hate aisles...but thought it would have been pushing it to to ask to move to 1A)

Duke777

I got upgraded at T-24 into 1B and promptly switched as I abhor bulkhead and strongly prefer a window. This was a 739. It has looked like 1E/F have been blocked.

bluedemon211

+1 That has been my experience over the last 30 days. Whether it is load or GA's clearing into those seats, it is definitely happening. My percentage is about 60% of the time on mainline those seats got filled. YMMV

WineCountryUA

As a part of UA Plans to Resume Service on More Than 25 International Routes in September UA included this updated on their COVID procedures
Does not appear to be anything new

wpcoe

With all the hoo-hah about infection control, I was surprised to see (from two different sources above) a plastic glass inverted over a wine bottle. Have UA serving standards dropped that much, or do they actually disinfect the tops of wine bottles? Granted, the chance of Covid surviving on a wine bottle is apparently not likely, but what about other viruses, bacteria and just plain dirt?

Think about it: How comfortable would you feel (health-wise) about licking a wine bottle cap?

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Hmmm - I’ve seemed to have avoided the urge to lick a wine bottle cap during my six decades on this planet.

DELee

What 1984SW is getting at - the bottom of the cup now rests atop the bottle cap that hasn't been disinfected and was likely touched as the FA grasped from above and extracted it from the tray, not to mention the Chelsea FS folks who touched the bottle and cap - all within a few hours of you receiving said bottle and now contacted cup bottom.

Others on this forum and thread will respond that the criticality of this exposure is low to CV-19.

What is more important is the obvious lack of concern about secondary contact and further contamination depending on where you next touch once you've removed the cap since you'll have touched the cap that wasn't disinfected.

David

wpcoe

Right, you WOULDN'T lick the bottle cap, but by drinking from a plastic cup whose inner surfaces were touching that bottle cap, you've accomplished the same thing -- you are ingesting what ever dirt/virus/bacteria were on that cap.

The entire spectrum of dirt, bacteria, virii, etc that can be on that bottle cap is now going to be in the cup that you drink out of. Such a scenario is basic hygiene training in the food and beverage industry, or used to be, and should again be.

Textile

This is funny - I took four flights this week and every single flight I was served wine with the bottle right side up, in a cup, but the bottle was surrounded by a napkin so that it never touched the cup itself -- while I know the risk in infinitesimally low I still appreciated the effort -- now having a tapas box as the only food on a 5+ hour flight in F -- I miss the old days - but I did suck down those nuts fast....

wpcoe

That's totally acceptable! The photos I referenced were in a different thread (from which my post was moved to this thread) and both photos were of a cup inverted over a wine bottle with *no* napkin.

DELee

Ah, but perhaps the FA thought that the collective spectra on the cap would add to to the bouquet given the quality of the wine...mmmmm....

David

radonc1

I find it entertaining that folks above have serious contamination concerns when a cup may come into contact with a wine cap yet........

Have little issue with eating and drinking for an hour on a plane (i.e. going without a mask) which has far greater chance of your lungs coming into contact with Covid-19 than your mouth coming into contact with the same or any other infectious agent from the bottom of a "touched" plastic (i.e. one use) wine cup.