General discussion of UA's inflight service (Domestic / International, all cabins)
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#16
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#17
Join Date: Aug 2017
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One time last year I received nuts with beverage prior to meal tray - ex-JFK (which has some of the best UA crew, IME) when 763 was still flying in and out of the airport.
Even UA will get it right once in a blue moon.
Even UA will get it right once in a blue moon.
#18
Join Date: Oct 2011
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#19
#21
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
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Well we’ll see day by day what changes (if any, and I suspect it will be none) I will report back the meal service on EWR-DEL this evening. Precovid they did well on the ultra long hauls but COVID era has been nothing short of starvation
#22
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bay Area California
Posts: 345
I am not sure whether Precovid was better ... maybe now is worse than bad?! . I guess depends on how you define "did well" and what do you compare with: Last trip before shutdown in late Feb 2020 - about 5-6 of my colleagues and I flew SFO-HYD, for our usual quarterly visit. Half of us were on Emirates and the other half on UA via DEL. The ones with UA reported that FA service and food was atrocious, ..like the FAs screaming back at people and then disappearing for the majority of the flight. They showed me a picture of their meal that looked just awful. .... While the rest of us were sipping champagne at the EK A380 bar.....
#23
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I am not sure whether Precovid was better ... maybe now is worse than bad?! . I guess depends on how you define "did well" and what do you compare with: Last trip before shutdown in late Feb 2020 - about 5-6 of my colleagues and I flew SFO-HYD, for our usual quarterly visit. Half of us were on Emirates and the other half on UA via DEL. The ones with UA reported that FA service and food was atrocious, ..like the FAs screaming back at people and then disappearing for the majority of the flight. They showed me a picture of their meal that looked just awful. .... While the rest of us were sipping champagne at the EK A380 bar.....
David
#24
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
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Hello from somewhere above Russia on my way to Delhi right now.
So the international purser supervisor from the Newark office (name removed per FT Rules) is working my flight I got his business card too (and actually the international purser supervisors from SFO and ORD are also working today’s flight to Delhi and they are all having a meeting of sorts there for service related stuff to india and whatnot). But I asked him a few questions mid flight when things weren’t too busy and here’s what I heard back and take what you will with a grain of salt most of it sounded genuinely some of it sounded you know how “so we’ve been getting customer feedback and etc…..”.
Q1: when are multiple courses coming back?
Answer: so for the foreseeable future multiple courses will not come back we will likely keep it one tray just because the feedback from the customers has been that they want to get to sleep and sleep more but we will see some changes by the end of the quarter hopefully March. Desserts should be back by then thought there won’t be the cart anymore. You’ll have all the same options it’ll just be on demand. Like we’ll take your tray and ask you if you want anything. Cheesecakes, the sundaes, all the usual stuff, just without the cart.
*If this is true (only about the dessert and not the rest of the service), each to their own, i wouldn’t mind it I guess though it was nice to see what was in front of me *
*Preface: I asked about menus in general though he answered specific to EWR maybe because he’s not sure about other hubs or UA as a whole*
Q2: What about the menus? I’ve been having the same 3 options in and out of india for the last 2 months now and I’m sure other routes to certain regions are seeing the same thing what’s going on?
Answer: so in Newark we had our own United catering kitchen all this time and we now have another vendor which caused a holdup but in the coming month we will be building menus for each region so hopefully to provide more variety and more options than what we currently have.
Q3: Are paper menus coming back?
Answer: We are currently looking at our options on that
——————-this next question is more a pet peeve for me than others so feel free to stop reading———————
Q4: AA has told their crew to stop blocking 787 windows and tell a passenger should they need to dim it some more. It doesn’t make sense on flights like my return from bom to EWR (which he actually might be working on my flight) where its 16.5 hours of pure darkness, what’s the point?
Answer: we want to maintain passenger comfort I’m sorry for your experience for sure, but we want to make sure to accommodate everyone and this is something i am constantly discussing with my team.
*Doesn’t seem like it should warrant that much discussion, seems like a very straightforward issue*
anyways hope this helps put some light on things. I’ll be in flight for another 2 hours before they get super busy again, I’ll check periodically as we are out of the northern latitudes so Wi-Fi should be more stable now. Happy to ask any other questions you guys might have while I can. Cheers all!
So the international purser supervisor from the Newark office (name removed per FT Rules) is working my flight I got his business card too (and actually the international purser supervisors from SFO and ORD are also working today’s flight to Delhi and they are all having a meeting of sorts there for service related stuff to india and whatnot). But I asked him a few questions mid flight when things weren’t too busy and here’s what I heard back and take what you will with a grain of salt most of it sounded genuinely some of it sounded you know how “so we’ve been getting customer feedback and etc…..”.
Q1: when are multiple courses coming back?
Answer: so for the foreseeable future multiple courses will not come back we will likely keep it one tray just because the feedback from the customers has been that they want to get to sleep and sleep more but we will see some changes by the end of the quarter hopefully March. Desserts should be back by then thought there won’t be the cart anymore. You’ll have all the same options it’ll just be on demand. Like we’ll take your tray and ask you if you want anything. Cheesecakes, the sundaes, all the usual stuff, just without the cart.
*If this is true (only about the dessert and not the rest of the service), each to their own, i wouldn’t mind it I guess though it was nice to see what was in front of me *
*Preface: I asked about menus in general though he answered specific to EWR maybe because he’s not sure about other hubs or UA as a whole*
Q2: What about the menus? I’ve been having the same 3 options in and out of india for the last 2 months now and I’m sure other routes to certain regions are seeing the same thing what’s going on?
Answer: so in Newark we had our own United catering kitchen all this time and we now have another vendor which caused a holdup but in the coming month we will be building menus for each region so hopefully to provide more variety and more options than what we currently have.
Q3: Are paper menus coming back?
Answer: We are currently looking at our options on that
——————-this next question is more a pet peeve for me than others so feel free to stop reading———————
Q4: AA has told their crew to stop blocking 787 windows and tell a passenger should they need to dim it some more. It doesn’t make sense on flights like my return from bom to EWR (which he actually might be working on my flight) where its 16.5 hours of pure darkness, what’s the point?
Answer: we want to maintain passenger comfort I’m sorry for your experience for sure, but we want to make sure to accommodate everyone and this is something i am constantly discussing with my team.
*Doesn’t seem like it should warrant that much discussion, seems like a very straightforward issue*
anyways hope this helps put some light on things. I’ll be in flight for another 2 hours before they get super busy again, I’ll check periodically as we are out of the northern latitudes so Wi-Fi should be more stable now. Happy to ask any other questions you guys might have while I can. Cheers all!
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jan 9, 22 at 11:17 am Reason: FT rule 21 - Do not post (full) non-exec names or contact information of airline employees
#25
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: wandering expat
Posts: 48,168
Q1: when are multiple courses coming back?
Answer: so for the foreseeable future multiple courses will not come back we will likely keep it one tray just because the feedback from the customers has been that they want to get to sleep and sleep more but we will see some changes by the end of the quarter hopefully March. Desserts should be back by then thought there won’t be the cart anymore. You’ll have all the same options it’ll just be on demand. Like we’ll take your tray and ask you if you want anything. Cheesecakes, the sundaes, all the usual stuff, just without the cart.
Answer: so for the foreseeable future multiple courses will not come back we will likely keep it one tray just because the feedback from the customers has been that they want to get to sleep and sleep more but we will see some changes by the end of the quarter hopefully March. Desserts should be back by then thought there won’t be the cart anymore. You’ll have all the same options it’ll just be on demand. Like we’ll take your tray and ask you if you want anything. Cheesecakes, the sundaes, all the usual stuff, just without the cart.
I don't believe for a minute that the majority of Polaris customers just want to sleep. That hogwash might fly if we all just flew eastbound with departures in the late afternoon/early evening. This is all about Kirby being cheap.
#26
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
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Posts: 923
If the above is true, it just shows that the current cutback has nothing to do with COVID, it has everything to do with saving money. Going back to pre-pandemic meal service will cost United $$$, both in the food and drink itself, and having to return staffing to pre-COVID levels.
I don't believe for a minute that the majority of Polaris customers just want to sleep. That hogwash might fly if we all just flew eastbound with departures in the late afternoon/early evening. This is all about Kirby being cheap.
I don't believe for a minute that the majority of Polaris customers just want to sleep. That hogwash might fly if we all just flew eastbound with departures in the late afternoon/early evening. This is all about Kirby being cheap.
And I'm with you, from all the flights I've had, sleeping early is a rare case and not the norm
Last edited by flyingrohit; Jan 9, 22 at 5:55 am
#29
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: UA silver, Bonvoy gold
Posts: 666
If the above is true, it just shows that the current cutback has nothing to do with COVID, it has everything to do with saving money. Going back to pre-pandemic meal service will cost United $$$, both in the food and drink itself, and having to return staffing to pre-COVID levels.
I don't believe for a minute that the majority of Polaris customers just want to sleep. That hogwash might fly if we all just flew eastbound with departures in the late afternoon/early evening. This is all about Kirby being cheap.
I don't believe for a minute that the majority of Polaris customers just want to sleep. That hogwash might fly if we all just flew eastbound with departures in the late afternoon/early evening. This is all about Kirby being cheap.
#30
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: wandering expat
Posts: 48,168
we’ve heard it from some here. And for those who want to sleep early, UA used to offer express dining- an option I’ve rarely seen used by more than a handful of front cabin customers during my almost 30 years of flying UA internationally.