May 11, 2022, 1:38 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This us an archive thread, the active thread is General discussion of UA's inflight service (Domestic / International, all cabins)
previous thread: COVID Era UA inflight service changes
Thread is for general discussion of the state of UA in-flight service / catering, comparison to other carriers, past UA offerings and concerns with management decisions.
For a specific post about a recent in-flight food, use the appropriate Let's Eat .... thread.
The current Onboard Service descriptions by UA.com
Long-haul international premium cabin dining
North America, Caribbean and Latin America premium cabin dining
United Economy dining
Since the UA website is extremely vague, I'm looking for a few volunteers to submit data, and I will summarize to complete the wiki. kind regards, phkc070408
Domestic Under 300 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Domestic Over 300 Miles Under 800 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Domestic Over 800 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon or Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon or Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening/. or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
P-Tcon
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Polaris USA - Europe
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Related thread: How bad does onboard catering need to get before UA invests in improving it?
previous thread: COVID Era UA inflight service changes
Thread is for general discussion of the state of UA in-flight service / catering, comparison to other carriers, past UA offerings and concerns with management decisions.
For a specific post about a recent in-flight food, use the appropriate Let's Eat .... thread.
The current Onboard Service descriptions by UA.com
Long-haul international premium cabin dining
North America, Caribbean and Latin America premium cabin dining
United Economy dining
Since the UA website is extremely vague, I'm looking for a few volunteers to submit data, and I will summarize to complete the wiki. kind regards, phkc070408
Domestic Under 300 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Domestic Over 300 Miles Under 800 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Bagged Snack? Yes/No
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Domestic Over 800 Miles
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon or Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon or Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening/. or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Late Evening?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Served Snacked? Yes/No. Hot/Cold. What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket?
P-Tcon
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Snack Basket/Pre-Arrival?
Any other notes of relevance?
Polaris USA - Europe
Sample 1
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 2
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 3
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 4
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Sample 5
Route? Morning or Afternoon/Evening or Red-Eye?
PDB - Yes/No? What was offered?
Menu?
Hot Towels?
First Meal Served? Yes/No. Short description.
Appetizer / Desert Info:
Snack Basket/Mid-Flight Snack?
Arrival Meal? Short Description.
Any other notes of relevance?
Related thread: How bad does onboard catering need to get before UA invests in improving it?
General discussion of UA's inflight service (Domestic / Int値, all cabins) {Archive}
May 26, 2022, 10:49 am
#961
Join Date: May 2004
Programs: LX Senator; AF Platinum and Club 2000; AA Platinum for life (former EXP)
Posts: 494
$$$$
The type of meal you describe would probably cost a multiple of what UA is budgeting. Processed cheese, powdered eggs, "meat product", etc. is cheaply-sourced in volume. Right before the pandemic, United was actually starting to roll out some arguably healthier options, including some plant-based items, protein bowls, etc. That seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of sugary/cheesy/salty, carb-laden unhealthy entrees. Of course, the dirty little secret is those unhealthy items tend to score much higher in customer satisfaction metrics (broadly) than others.
Besides that, for all the talk of pre-ordering function enabling additional meal choices and new menus, it really hasn't manifest in operation in any meaningful way. From speaking with United people, my impression is that the mid-pandemic decision to eviscerate Chelsea and outsource catering (a panic move) went horrendously and set United about a year or two back in terms of what it was planning to do with meal service in 2020 and beyond. They still aren't up to speed with the various vendors and that continues to play out in supply chain issues and United's poor catering as compared to Delta or American.
The type of meal you describe would probably cost a multiple of what UA is budgeting. Processed cheese, powdered eggs, "meat product", etc. is cheaply-sourced in volume. Right before the pandemic, United was actually starting to roll out some arguably healthier options, including some plant-based items, protein bowls, etc. That seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of sugary/cheesy/salty, carb-laden unhealthy entrees. Of course, the dirty little secret is those unhealthy items tend to score much higher in customer satisfaction metrics (broadly) than others.
Besides that, for all the talk of pre-ordering function enabling additional meal choices and new menus, it really hasn't manifest in operation in any meaningful way. From speaking with United people, my impression is that the mid-pandemic decision to eviscerate Chelsea and outsource catering (a panic move) went horrendously and set United about a year or two back in terms of what it was planning to do with meal service in 2020 and beyond. They still aren't up to speed with the various vendors and that continues to play out in supply chain issues and United's poor catering as compared to Delta or American.
May 26, 2022, 10:57 am
#962
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Francisco/Tel Aviv/YYZ
Programs: CO 1K-MM
Posts: 10,762
$$$$
The type of meal you describe would probably cost a multiple of what UA is budgeting. Processed cheese, powdered eggs, "meat product", etc. is cheaply-sourced in volume. Right before the pandemic, United was actually starting to roll out some arguably healthier options, including some plant-based items, protein bowls, etc. That seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of sugary/cheesy/salty, carb-laden unhealthy entrees. Of course, the dirty little secret is those unhealthy items tend to score much higher in customer satisfaction metrics (broadly) than others.
Besides that, for all the talk of pre-ordering function enabling additional meal choices and new menus, it really hasn't manifest in operation in any meaningful way. From speaking with United people, my impression is that the mid-pandemic decision to eviscerate Chelsea and outsource catering (a panic move) went horrendously and set United about a year or two back in terms of what it was planning to do with meal service in 2020 and beyond. They still aren't up to speed with the various vendors and that continues to play out in supply chain issues and United's poor catering as compared to Delta or American.
The type of meal you describe would probably cost a multiple of what UA is budgeting. Processed cheese, powdered eggs, "meat product", etc. is cheaply-sourced in volume. Right before the pandemic, United was actually starting to roll out some arguably healthier options, including some plant-based items, protein bowls, etc. That seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of sugary/cheesy/salty, carb-laden unhealthy entrees. Of course, the dirty little secret is those unhealthy items tend to score much higher in customer satisfaction metrics (broadly) than others.
Besides that, for all the talk of pre-ordering function enabling additional meal choices and new menus, it really hasn't manifest in operation in any meaningful way. From speaking with United people, my impression is that the mid-pandemic decision to eviscerate Chelsea and outsource catering (a panic move) went horrendously and set United about a year or two back in terms of what it was planning to do with meal service in 2020 and beyond. They still aren't up to speed with the various vendors and that continues to play out in supply chain issues and United's poor catering as compared to Delta or American.
I enjoy some junk food too, (particularly the baked on board cookies and the cinnamon rolls).. I'd even pay some $ for a decent meal (ha)
May 26, 2022, 11:14 am
#963
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Hertz, Avis, National, Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 9,452
Please don't call "plant based items" as healthy. They are not healthy. They have more calories than meat. DL served a wretched meat ball main course made with impossible beef. It tasted like dog food, had a gummy texture, and was stupidly caloric. Someone came to his or her senses and it's gone now. If UA put this to one side, let's hope it dies there.
May 26, 2022, 11:56 am
#964
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: New York
Programs: United MileagePlus 1K
Posts: 55
Please don't call "plant based items" as healthy. They are not healthy. They have more calories than meat. DL served a wretched meat ball main course made with impossible beef. It tasted like dog food, had a gummy texture, and was stupidly caloric. Someone came to his or her senses and it's gone now. If UA put this to one side, let's hope it dies there.
May 26, 2022, 12:04 pm
#965
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
. It would be much better if they'd knock it off and just offer some quality dishes that happen to be vegetarian instead of trying to offer some fake meats (e.g., the falafel dish that's part of the pre-order program right now is really good, and the enchiladas that are sometimes offered are also delicious).
And real meat for the rest. Plant based mock meat is a solution looking for a problem
May 26, 2022, 12:05 pm
#966
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 2,887
Please don't call "plant based items" as healthy. They are not healthy. They have more calories than meat. DL served a wretched meat ball main course made with impossible beef. It tasted like dog food, had a gummy texture, and was stupidly caloric. Someone came to his or her senses and it's gone now. If UA put this to one side, let's hope it dies there.
May 26, 2022, 12:08 pm
#967
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: TPA for now. Hopefully LIS for retirement
Posts: 13,705
(I am vegetarian and when I am in a premium class it is usually for personal travel on my own dime.)
May 26, 2022, 12:11 pm
#968
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: TPA for now. Hopefully LIS for retirement
Posts: 13,705
Does "plant based" mean something like the Impossible or Beyond products (which are definitely not "health foods," but delicious and do not involve torturing and killing animals); or something like steamed veggies on rice (which definitely has fewer calories than meat)?
May 29, 2022, 11:49 pm
#969
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: NZ *E
Posts: 346
So I haven't flown United in a while until today, but what has happened to the domestic catering! Tiny portions of chicken, sliced fruit instead of the salad (strange) and a tiny tiny cake thing for dessert.
This doesn't jive with their whole goal of trying to me more premium to compete with Delta..
This doesn't jive with their whole goal of trying to me more premium to compete with Delta..
May 30, 2022, 12:06 am
#970
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT/NY
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AA EXP, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 6,020
So I haven't flown United in a while until today, but what has happened to the domestic catering! Tiny portions of chicken, sliced fruit instead of the salad (strange) and a tiny tiny cake thing for dessert.
This doesn't jive with their whole goal of trying to me more premium to compete with Delta..
This doesn't jive with their whole goal of trying to me more premium to compete with Delta..
May 30, 2022, 12:28 am
#971
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
May 30, 2022, 1:16 am
#972
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: LAS/DXB
Programs: LH HON
Posts: 1,193
The first couple of months after introducing Polaris might have been the best times to fly United up front in retrospective.
May 30, 2022, 5:32 am
#973
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,324
).
May 30, 2022, 9:35 am
#974
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,211
Just for comparison, here is my lunch service LAX-YYZ on AC - not in business, but in premium economy! While UA is slowly - very slowly - improving inflight premium meals, there is still a huge gap to fill, even to reach parity with a competitor's PY meal. I get that investing in the 'hard product' is important, but I see wasteful follies ahead like spending millions on bluetooth IFE connections that will hardly ever get used, while the soft product continues to languish.
May 30, 2022, 10:17 am
#975
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: AA PP, UA 1K/MM, WoH Globalist, HH Gold
Posts: 1,201
Just for comparison, here is my lunch service LAX-YYZ on AC - not in business, but in premium economy! While UA is slowly - very slowly - improving inflight premium meals, there is still a huge gap to fill, even to reach parity with a competitor's PY meal. I get that investing in the 'hard product' is important, but I see wasteful follies ahead like spending millions on bluetooth IFE connections that will hardly ever get used, while the soft product continues to languish.
Sadly with United, we are not getting either. The narrow body hard product refresh as best I can tell hasn稚 happened aside from new MAX-8 deliveries.