Supply chain issues. 😂

I flew BCN-EWR on June 13th and overall was pretty impressed by the service vs. Polaris flights I'd taken in the last few months (DEN-MUC, EWR-FRA, GIG-IAH). Purser did personal introductions to all 38 passengers, FAs very attentive/warm and clearly happy to be there. PDB offered (seconds if a passenger finished theirs too early). Meal choices taken (presumably) based on status (and for the first time I wasn't asked what my second choice would be, so presumably there aren't too many status flyers on this route - possibly because J is filled with many going on cruises). The options were short rib, chicken, halibut & vegetarian. I chose the chicken.

The meal service started with beverage service (generous pour) and hot nuts. Then the meal came out all on one tray.
The raisin/grape/nut salad was sizable, quite tasty. The chicken wasn't bad (slightly bland though the texture was fine) and a generous size. Warm bread rolls offered twice. Desert was cheese plate, some kind of raspberry cake, and a third option which sounded elaborate but ended up only being chocolate ice cream. FA came around to top up champagne several times.

In the galley mid-flight they had some potato chips and a couple of little bowls of nuts left. There may have been more in the top galley (on a 764 there's no reason to go up there as the lavatories are behind the J cabin).

Maybe my expectations are low nowadays, but I was pleasantly surprised by the experience overall. Much better than my previous few Polaris flights (in Feb, March and May).

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b9bc3c7396.jpg
Initial beverage service
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5250f0933a.jpg
Chicen option. Breadrolls also offered
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...994b1b2716.jpg
Sounded elaborate, turned out to just be chocolate ice cream
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b01ec935c6.jpg
Pre-arrival snack - pizza.

Was the cookie bigger than the pizza?

June 11, 2022
UA 33 NRT-LAX


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...66dc93af6.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8aaa63375.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5046630bb.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...26a3dc416.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...421d73662.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5330e1240.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f3560019c.jpeg

Just about as substantial - definitely felt like a lot more than a "quick snack", though I guess they call it that to manage expectations.

Any ice cream yet ex-NRT, or still the terrible packaged brownie?

-FlyerBeek

Because one may rather go without if first choice is not available.

Lol. Classy job United with the saltine crackers with cheese.

not correct. guess again. ;)

Having restarted international flying, and on my recent CDG-IAD AF Affaires flight having just had the best food I have ever had on a plane (and good service, too), I am not looking forward to doing Polaris again any time soon.

Hey, at least there were crackers. On my LHR-LAX flight last month, the crackers weren't catered. So cheese and crackers turned out to be ... just cheese.

Ice cream sundae, cheese plate and a desert pastry/cake were offered, but one can only pick one out of three unlike pre-Covid when one could pick all three.

I had the exact same meal in Premium Economy on BRU-IAD last Saturday. I thought it was an economy meal with proper plating. I didn't find the meal very good, or filling, my portion sizes the bowl were a bit larger. We didn't get a nut cup and had a packaged room temp roll, so not like the full business class treatment. We also received chocolate ice cream in its packaging rather than a bowl.

Does this mean that PE catering is mostly the same as Polaris on TATL flights, or does it depend on the routes?

On eastbound flights to Europe, there is a different menu (same as premium transcon)

On westbound flights from Europe, 2/4 choices in J are available in PE.