IMissThe747

I recently flew DEN-SJO, which is a 5:10 flight. I was in Y, and asked for the 1K snack and drink. I was given a beer, but the FA told that me that they never load snack boxes or food for purchase on the DEN-SJO flights. Current UA policy says that flights > 4 hours have Choice Menu snacks available for purchase, so this was quite confusing. Also, the free snack for 1Ks is a published benefit for flights > 4 hours, so their choice to not load food precludes them from honoring that benefit.

This week I fly SJO-EWR in Y. This flight is 5:11, and yet my reservation says that food is not available for purchase on this flight either. I'm assuming that I will again be denied the snack box that is a published 1K benefit.

Is there some special reason that the 5+ hour SJO flights from places like DEN and EWR are not being loaded with food for purchase?

I've flown the same routes in J recently, and they are still being catered as normal (well, as normal as COVID gets... wine in a plastic cup). The lack of food on the 5+ hour flight seems to be only in Y.

WineCountryUA

"Within the United States"

narvik

(bolding mine)

Nothing special going on; just United being cheap as always.

IMissThe747

Thanks for the link. That's interesting. I wonder what the logic is behind that. Seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to load a few items on the plane in DEN, IAH, or EWR - certainly they'd sell all of them either en route to SJO or on the way back.

modi

Hello,

is the Bistro really back? (warm snack? burger.. etc.)

Early September after seeing the menu in the United's magazine on my way to IAD from Canada, I said great! but on my second leg IAD to SFO where I was very hungry only the snack boxes were available.
Now I have a new flight next Tuesday with tight connection at EWR, for 6 hour flight EWR to SFO.

So I am a bit curious...

Regards,

HNLbasedFlyer

I'll chime in Wednesday if I don't get my upgrade ORD-LAS which clocks in at 4 hours 5 minutes. I'll try to get the burger.

SPN Lifer

SJO = San Jose, Costa Rica

N1120A

Why not get Tortas Fronterra instead?

Boraxo

IME this applies to all 5 hour flights. It's been this way since the start of the pandemic. It's incredibly stupid but airline management doesn't seem to understand what makes customers happy, aside from low fares and flights that run as scheduled.

MatthewLAX

The issue is not so much UA being cheap (they'd love to sell you their crap food), as food importation restrictions in Central America (and Canada) - at least that is what I have been told.

Boraxo

thats a bs excuse just like covid. If they wanted to do it they would do it. Nobody at UA gives a - about the customer experience.

aw

Yes it is back, at least on the SFO-IAH route. I purchased the hamburger on Sat. Oct. 9.

ISTFlyer

To be honest, UA could easily return cater "food on sale" on these flights without meals being offloaded at Central American and Canadian countries with the trolleys being sealed if they want to.
I am writing this because, importation restrictions would also affect First Class passengers, and they are probably getting more than a locally sourced snack + drinks on these flights.

emcampbe

I'd honestly love to know more details about this from whoever might know. I've been flying various US-YYZ routes multiple times a year going on 15+ years, and I think something must have changed relatively recently (by that, I mean the last 5 or so years ago) - not sure if its strictly regulations or a choice by UA. Before whatever point the changes were, the [food] menu was the same for flights originating in US or Canada, but then they started having separate [choice] menus for flights departing Canada, many with similar, yet different items (ie...they had a burger, but different bun, cheeses and/or toppings, etc.) When they rolled snacks back out, flights ex-Canada also got things like Peak Freans cookies as the snack vs. stroopwafel or Biscoff.

IMissThe747

I figured something like that played a role. Still, is there not enough space on a 737-800SFP to double cater snack boxes upon departure from the USA?

Today's flight leaves at 9 AM and arrives 4:11 PM. Only 5:11, but still, right through the lunch hour. I have to imagine they'd have plenty of takers if they sold the snack boxes or the Bistro items in Y. J is catered, so clearly no issue there.

Normally I can find the profit-driven logic, even if it's not customer friendly, but this is just perplexing to me. UA has a captive audience of 100+ hungry people - why not sell them food?