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General discussion of UA's inflight service (Domestic / Int値, all cabins) {Archive}

Old May 11, 2022, 1:38 pm
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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?
​​​​​​​

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General discussion of UA's inflight service (Domestic / Int値, all cabins) {Archive}

Old Nov 22, 2022, 11:58 pm
  #1846  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 2,874
Originally Posted by Kacee
But this is very specifically a UA thing. AS and DL contracted regional provide a snack basket. (I assume AA does as well, but no personal experience.)

We've been over this before. Many of us have been refused. Please keep in mind that GS get special treatment.
I've been refused twice as a GS even when I offered to pay. Both times first flight of the day, nothing open yet at the airport. While nothing was catered in FC, one time the FA explained if they let people in FC buy something there would be nothing left for the main cabin.

Originally Posted by Kacee
I have NEVER seen proactive snack box offering in F.
I was actually offered one once when the FC meals were not loaded. End of the day and wanted to sleep so skipped.
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 7:20 am
  #1847  
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Houston, TX
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I have NEVER seen proactive snack box offering in F.
I just saw it last week on my flight from BWI IAH.

Of course, this was a top notch crew, who did continuous wine refills unprompted and the like
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 8:18 am
  #1848  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I have NEVER seen proactive snack box offering in F.
Interestingly, I've seen the offer of snack boxes quite often in F.

Maybe because LA people are picky eaters or UA FAs at LAX are just better!
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 8:18 am
  #1849  
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: PVG
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Hilton Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 318
Originally Posted by jewree
Whole Wheat Roll. The roll was served cold, even though alongside the warm pie. I heated mine in my portable oven, as I had it ready to go, and that worked well. I do actually really like these rolls, but I wanted it warm. ***+.
***.
I love your write-up jewree...! What is this "portable oven" you speak of?? Seeing pictures and reading the reviews of the dry mozzarella and tomatoes has made me wonder if those would be better heated up like a sandwich in that bread.
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 8:24 am
  #1850  
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Originally Posted by flaii
I love your write-up jewree...! What is this "portable oven" you speak of?? Seeing pictures and reading the reviews of the dry mozzarella and tomatoes has made me wonder if those would be better heated up like a sandwich in that bread.
Yes seriously. Because back in the pandemic days when UA was serving those nasty sandwiches, I seriously considered bringing my own toaster oven along and making a viral blog post out of it, but UA prohibits it:

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...t/devices.html

(heating devices prohibited)
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 8:33 am
  #1851  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,618
Originally Posted by MatthewLAX
Interestingly, I've seen the offer of snack boxes quite often in F.

Maybe because LA people are picky eaters or UA FAs at LAX are just better!
My wife was flying back home from a work trip in LA last week and was denied with a new answer.

The FA told my wife that if she gives my wife a snack box than other FC passengers might want a snack box and it would lead to lots of extra movement from economy to FC delaying the economy beverage service.
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 11:12 am
  #1852  
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Originally Posted by MatthewLAX
Interestingly, I've seen the offer of snack boxes quite often in F.
It's probably the route. Most of my UA flights are PHX-SFO, where they stopped giving out anything in F after the baggy of despair was terminated.
manstein58 likes this.
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 12:42 pm
  #1853  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 572
Originally Posted by MatthewLAX

(heating devices prohibited)
Since we are covering the topic of onboard heating, is it possible to ask FA to heat our pre-purchased Quiznos sub in the galley? (Yes, Quiznos is still in business, for example: HNL's G gates).
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 2:34 pm
  #1854  
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Originally Posted by UAFAM
Since we are covering the topic of onboard heating, is it possible to ask FA to heat our pre-purchased Quiznos sub in the galley? (Yes, Quiznos is still in business, for example: HNL's G gates).
From a potential contamination perspective, FAs will say no since anything either in the oven or going forward could be contaminated since it wasn't sourced from a UA catering entity.

Might ask fezzington or Whyme

David
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 5:49 pm
  #1855  
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I've had a few shorthaul trips lately, on Embraers... but its just pathetic that the only food is pretzels up front?
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 6:39 pm
  #1856  
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Originally Posted by kmersh
My wife was flying back home from a work trip in LA last week and was denied with a new answer.

The FA told my wife that if she gives my wife a snack box than other FC passengers might want a snack box and it would lead to lots of extra movement from economy to FC delaying the economy beverage service.
That's a terrible reason! But I'm somehow not surprised...
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 7:34 pm
  #1857  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Programs: UA 1K, DL PM, AA Nobody, Marriott Ambassador Elite
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What is the current status of the sundae? I know the sundae cart went the way of the dodo, replaced by the ice cream truck-style paper cup, but now what is this sundae on glassware? Is that plated and frozen before departure, or are they making those in the galley? (probably not)
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 8:14 pm
  #1858  
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Originally Posted by AsiaTravel2019
What is the current status of the sundae? ....
See this discussion earlier in the thread
Originally Posted by Unitedloyalflyer
Live and lets fly reporting that full Sundaes returning to a few routes on Dec 1
Originally Posted by kdad
Restoring three-tier dessert cart for SFO to BNE, FRA, SIN, SYD. Might have to book a flight - I like ice cream.

Additionally in that report is that other positive meal service changes on domestic routes will be shared tomorrow (Nov. 18).
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 9:00 pm
  #1859  
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Originally Posted by AsiaTravel2019
What is the current status of the sundae? I know the sundae cart went the way of the dodo, replaced by the ice cream truck-style paper cup, but now what is this sundae on glassware? Is that plated and frozen before departure, or are they making those in the galley? (probably not)
Fly AA domestic premium transcon and no need to wait for Sundaes. AA had restored it a while back.

UA had store brand packaged ice cream on those same routes as recent as 2021 (iirc). FAs couldn't even serve those right (either rock hard or melted).
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Old Nov 23, 2022, 9:26 pm
  #1860  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
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EWR to CHS this week, delayed almost 3 hours because of a leak in the lavatory. Nothing served in F except drinks once the flight took off. But hey, snacks are available for purchase in the back (but not the front.)

Originally Posted by Repooc17
Fly AA domestic premium transcon and no need to wait for Sundaes. AA had restored it a while back.

UA had store brand packaged ice cream on those same routes as recent as 2021 (iirc). FAs couldn't even serve those right (either rock hard or melted).
Hmm..I was an AA elite a couple years ago and enjoyed too many sundaes on LA to Tokyo and back in J. Good times and great crews.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Nov 23, 2022 at 10:03 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
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