eng3

Thanks for clarifying. It was not clear to me that pre-orders get priority over GS/1K who have not pre-ordered. I've never successfully received what I pre-ordered before (in domestic F) as they always load something else so it was never clear what they were doing. As 1K, I've never not received my choice before in Polaris. I think the FA told me once that they eat the same food so they get whatever is least popular. I've been denied my choice in domestic F before when FA's decide to go front to back likely without prioritizing.

1P

Had an email offering pre-order snacks on DEN-RNO upcoming. The first time I have ever had such an offer. What is going on?!

bocastephen

As long as that policy is followed - and we all know how consistent crews are with following policies. Taking the old pre-virus Japanese meals as an example, aside from a few posts here years ago describing this issue, I personally had a few flights to or from Japan where I had pre ordered the Japanese meal only to have a GS throw a tantrum over not getting one (because they didn’t pre order) and I was asked (but refused) to give up my meal to them.

Is the current policy written somewhere where it can be referenced in case of conflict?

MatthewLAX

I have an internal memo, but cannot post a screenshot (don't want to compromise my source). It says that 1K/UGS do not have priority over pre-orders.

limey1K

My issue with this policy is that it requires the FAs to be proactive in reviewing the manifest for GS/1K passengers, then checking to see who pre-ordered and then reconciling the deficiencies in the catering prior to taking orders.

I stopped pre-ordering because my last two instances have resulted in no food for me. Here's what happened:

FA grabs their manifest, looks down it and sees who pre-ordered and then takes orders back to front from those that didn't pre-order, asking the GS/1K for their choice. All orders are placed and they start serving. I'm in 4A on 739 and when they go to pull my pre-order, lo and behold, it wasn't catered and they have already given the last of my selected pre-ordered meal to a non-member in 3F, who ordered it when they took the orders front to back. I'm offered whatever is left, typically the vegetarian option which I detest. It's happened twice now so I gave up counting on accuracy of UA catering or the FAs to double check pre-orders had been loaded. In both instances, I would have had the meal I ordered if the FA had checked catering, seen that it wasn't catered and just pulled one from the available meals catered as part of the standard loading.

DCA writer

Between this morning and this afternoon, the preorder selections for Monday's IAD-LHR daytime flight lost one option because of "popularity." I was going to go with steak and eggs anyway--that's one thing that has yet to show up on the brunch menu in my own kitchen--but you'd think that a system meant to let an airline manage demand better would then succumb to demand five days before departure.

My other question: Since our 12yo is a bit of a picky eater, what would a kid's meal be like on this morning flight?

MatthewLAX

About this. United is allowing pre-orders of up to 80% of a menu's items stock.

So there will be 20% of the French Toast onbaord that is not subject to pre-order. In this way, United hopes to honor the requests of GS/1K who are not able to pre-order.

I get the logic of all this, but I don't understand why ratios cannot be adjusted based on pre-orders. At this point, it seems that meals are loaded in the same ratios as always and the pre-order process is just a chance to reserve, essentially, what is left. That means it is necessary to jump on your meal reservation at the five-day mark, which I find rather pathetic.

I should do a story on this...I think it would clarify the matter.

SS255

Or, maybe there are a lot of pre-order passengers who don’t like mushrooms!

DCA writer

Mrs. DCA writer is one of them—and she, too, missed out on the French toast preorder.

DELee

Upgraded with Mrs. with my LT Gold status at T-33 for LAX-BZE. Here's what we have been offered for on this lunch time flight:



Selected the burger and Mrs. went with the harvest grain bowl.

David

econ

Yeah, this new process is quite silly then. I would have thought one of the ideas behind pre-order would be to reallocate based on anticipated demand.

Boraxo

Your luck must have rubbed off on me. For the first time in history my PP cleared, and my son and I were upgraded at T-36 for SFO-IAD!

And we also selected the burger and grain bowl LOL!

Have the GS abandoned SFO? Or just not so many flying during the holiday week. Or they cancelled out as a result of last week's UA disaster.

Kacee

Perfect UA logic - they allocate based on cost, not demand. Passenger experience is always a secondary (at best) consideration.
Lol. 4th of July week is traditionally very light for business travel.

Xyzzy

I love my choice of pre-order meals for next week. Why d they even bother to list items if one can't order them?

fumje

Yeah, that would be the right way to do pre-order. This is the cheap way. Thus, it's no surprise which one United picked.