Starbase 1K

I can’t seem to find a thread about this type of incident and it’s not a covid-era service issue.

One time flying SLC>ORD, the FA announced after boarding that no snacks were loaded onto the flight. However, they would have beverage service. As annoying an issue as it was, I understood that mistakes happen and just forgot about the ordeal.

However, in a recent thread, one passenger noted that on a recent AUS-ORD flight the FA announced that catering “forgot” to load any snacks on the flight.

Another passenger chimed in that the same happened on an AUS-EWR flight.

Then others started chiming in. Perhaps the most incredible report was a passenger on a recent ORD-HNL in J also said that the FA said UA “forgot” to load any food or snacks on the flight. However, passengers were somehow allowed to grab food before door close. Beverages were loaded tho.

I also find it interesting that on some routes recently, flights will few times not offer even water service because “of the short flight time.” (The majority of times, beverage service is offered.)

How does UA “forget” to load food or snacks? Has anyone else had this happen?

WineCountryUA

First it is not UA per se but their contacted cater that makes this error. The cater prepares the F&B and the cater delivers it to the aircraft. And needs to meet a tight timeline, 1/2 hour later is a miss. I guess there is a possible case, UA forgets to order catering but that should be pretty automatic.

Why might the caterer mis-cater? As with a process with humans in the loop, errors happen. I am sure UA tracks those errors.
You also have supply issue, the cater may not have enough stock or enough staff or ??? other shortages issues.
All these issues have been worst recently -- ask anyone in the food service / restaurant industry.

UA operates upwards of 4,000 flights daily, 1 1/2 million a year.
We generally will not hear a comment the flight was catered, but mis-catered are disproportional reported.

fezzington

For what it’s worth, the current process for catering is a bit of a patchwork. Certain out stations will cater everything(bar carts, snacks, BoB, coffee pots,etc), just like a hub. Some will only do trash removal and ice. most fall somewhere in between.

I mention this because in the past it was very easy for an FA leaving a hub to know whether or not they were supposed to have snacks for the downline flight. Now, most have no idea whether or not they’ve been properly catered in a hub for the downline flight and can’t remedy the situation before it’s too late and the next flight will have no snacks.

Couple the lack of information with a lack of staff after the Chelsea kitchens were outsourced… and well, you have situations like what prompted this thread far more often than before.

goodeats21

There has seemed to be an uptick in these types of events lately. Far more common for me is just running out of specific selections.
Several times have been leaving a hub (Newark) and been told that no Gin was boarded, etc.
I've had the missing snacks in First Class several times as well, but can't recall if outstation, hub, or combination.

And sure, it is the catering vendors "fault"...but is part of the new United narrative where they want to be so cheap on everything, including their contracted services, with quality and consistency not as valued.

TomMM

I’ve only been on 2 flights that had catering issues. Both were on LH.

LarryJ

The catering vendors are having a very hard time staying properly staffed. A lot of business are but those, like catering, which require workers to deal with airport security/badging and DOT drug testing (in areas that have decriminalized marijuana) are having a particularly difficult time. This is affecting fueling contactors and all airport staff from baggage handlers to food outlet staff. For many of the people who are looking for entry-level jobs, working at the airport is not an attractive option.

The flights listed by the OP departed from upline catering stations which means that the catering from the flight was boarded at the aircrafts last departure from a hub. Once at the outstation, there isn't a catering vendor to replace missing items.

lincolnjkc

And I've certainly heard stories of (particularly newer) FAs not realizing that the aircraft is through catered and lavishing everything (or almost everything) on the ex-hub leg not realizing that that provisioning was intended to serve the return leg as well. Given the two ex-AUS mentions that was my first thought.

Another possibility that springs to mind but certainly shouldn't be very common is if the aircraft is intended to operate a short onward leg (e.g. say an AUS-IAH) but got reassigned for whatever reason, there may not be catering based on the original assignment. For the truest edge case, a few years ago I was doing ORD-JAX on an E175 with inop antiicing and inflight icing forecasted somewhere around Jacksonville. We diverted to ATL, where they moved us to a E170 that was going to be doing ATL-IAH, put the IAH passengers on our aircraft and after much debate by the agents about what to do re: catering (move carts between AC or not, etc.) eventually just making PAs that if the IAH pax wanted anything to drink they should get it before they started boarding.

(incidentally that was one of the more comical overbooking scenarios I've seen with 6 seats (most of them in first with most of those being paid and all GS or 1K...ahh the before times) suddenly disappearing from a fully booked flight -- "Want to rent a car and drive to Jacksonville? We'll set it up and give you an ETC! Want to spend a night in Atlanta or Houston instead of Jacksonville? We'll make it happen and give you something for the trouble! Crazy enough to fly Delta the rest of the way to Jacksonville?!? We'll put you in first!, c'mon we're begging you!")

EWRFlyerAL

I was listening to the flight attendants on my flight from IAH-ORD yesterday. I have stopped eating on UA flights but it was interesting to hear them say that catering did not cater wine glasses, plates for the Pie in the Sky cookies, and only one bottle of red wine (no white and no sparkling). I ordered a ginger ale and the FA told me I got the last one (I was sitting in row 1). Not sure why so much was miscatered.

LarryJ

When a flight has catering for multiple legs, it is very well marked. I'm sure that happens, but it shouldn't. There are tags all over the catering indicating that it has been catered for multiple flights.

I've never been inside the catering facilities so don't know how that happens but it is common. My best guess is that they're so short staffed that they are making a lot of mistakes.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

One of my breakfast flights last week (2 of them) had the yogurt missing. I can't recall which one - just that I wanted the yogurt and it wasn't there.

Danski

I had two flights yesterday with just the clear plastic snack bag with the small water bottle and pretzels in F. The first flight was about three hours in an E-175, the second was over two hours in a 737-900. While I don't expect much from United (or any U.S. airline domestically) food wise, flying most of the way across the country, in F, with only a snack bag on each flight just seems chintzy to me I guess.

threecap

I had a DEN-EWR flight late last year or early this year, in F, in which catering failed to get to the plane. Weird that this happened on a hub-to-hub, but it was the only flight I can recall since beverages and snacks returned that actually missed. Personally, with that kind of ratio, in this dismal workforce environment (not just supply of people who will show up to work, but the quality of work that employers get), I chalk it up to "it happens".

Edit: I checked and this was mid-Jan, on a 752 with the 2/2 lie-flat config. We only had the snack boxes that Y had available for purchase.

jburns513

I remember a CO flight many years ago, beverages were late and those of us in F got to vote for leave on time or wait for the cart.
(leave on time was unanimous winner)

eng3

I remember an extremely delayed redeye SFO-PHL. No voting. We waited 2hrs for snack boxes. Not because of our flight, because of follow-on flights the next day.

As for mis-catering, I had a recent LAX-SYD flight that had no dessert at all. These days, it's hard to tell when they forget or if it's by design.