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’l, all cabins) {Archive}
Feb 17, 2022, 4:46 am
#436
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
Because the entire Polaris product is about sleep on your eastbound overnight flight. You get an amazing dinner in the lounge, take a shower, and then can sleep like a baby in your slippers in that amazing seat with nobody stepping over you. Which is why the branding of the product is centered around stars.
Feb 17, 2022, 4:48 am
#437
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,595
LH's seat isn't "horrendous" - it's just not as good as the Polaris seat. It's closer to UA's fast disappearing diamond seats found on a few 789's and the 764. perfectly fine for sitting, not so much for sleeping.
Feb 17, 2022, 4:48 am
#438
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
When Polaris was rolled out, it was rolled out as a hybrid J/F product. Same as when BusinessFirst was rolled out
Now, the Polaris cabin was far too large for the service levels that were initially introduced. Overall poor planning in that aspect.
As for true F, that will only work on very high end leisure routes these days where people are willing to drop 10s of thousands. Think OGG, HNL, PPT, maybe MIA/LAX, Maldives where people are paying up to 10K just on hotels. Businesses won't pay for F, so putting F on business heavy routes means you have upgrade class
Now, the Polaris cabin was far too large for the service levels that were initially introduced. Overall poor planning in that aspect.
As for true F, that will only work on very high end leisure routes these days where people are willing to drop 10s of thousands. Think OGG, HNL, PPT, maybe MIA/LAX, Maldives where people are paying up to 10K just on hotels. Businesses won't pay for F, so putting F on business heavy routes means you have upgrade class
Feb 17, 2022, 5:15 am
#439
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: RIC
Programs: UA 1K MM
Posts: 3,387
"All the lounges" = 5 lounges total that represent less than half of the # of departure points for Polaris flights.
Feb 17, 2022, 5:31 am
#440
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
Polaris is a product centered around sleep. And it does what it supposed to do extremely well.
Feb 17, 2022, 6:21 am
#441
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: msp
Programs: AA PLT 3MM, DL PM 2MM
Posts: 1,142
Also fully agree. Happy if upgraded but often pay to upgrade. I appreciate the space and seat and almost never eat. I look forward to next meal at home, airport or in the city I'm going. I do appreciate a couple glasses of wine and some pretzels or nuts. I can set up my laptop, put my ear buds in and get some work done without interruption. That's my game plan in this day and age and it works well.
Feb 17, 2022, 6:55 am
#442
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: IAH & CMH
Programs: UA GS, UA MM, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Uber Platinum :)
Posts: 773
Correct, and it's quite "acceptable".
If there was a market for a gourmand First Class service, it would be offered- the closest out there is either Jet Blue's Mint or American's Flagship First on premium transcon routes. And note, those are only on a very limited number of ultra high value routes between the major cities of the coasts.
Nobody has to like the status quo. If what a particular traveler wants is the type of thing you see in 1960's travel brochures, with the stewardesses rolling the chateubriand cart through the aisle and carving it, well, I can see how that traveler would hate what FC dining has become.
But the industry responds to demand, the front cabins are full of people who didn't either pay for their upgrade or paid a discounted TOD fare for it anyway, and that reality is going to produce the modern domestic First Class service. It's acceptable because travelers in fact accept it.
And one thing I think is missed in all of this is AIRPORT food has gotten much better. It used to be there was a hot dog stand in the terminal. Food at the airport was generally awful. Now you can get very decent food at the airport- and that means there are fewer hungry travelers who need that inflight meal, especially on shorter duration flights. (Note, back in the day, you used to get a meal IN COACH on a 3 hour domestic flight. That reflected the lack of options at the airport.)
If there was a market for a gourmand First Class service, it would be offered- the closest out there is either Jet Blue's Mint or American's Flagship First on premium transcon routes. And note, those are only on a very limited number of ultra high value routes between the major cities of the coasts.
Nobody has to like the status quo. If what a particular traveler wants is the type of thing you see in 1960's travel brochures, with the stewardesses rolling the chateubriand cart through the aisle and carving it, well, I can see how that traveler would hate what FC dining has become.
But the industry responds to demand, the front cabins are full of people who didn't either pay for their upgrade or paid a discounted TOD fare for it anyway, and that reality is going to produce the modern domestic First Class service. It's acceptable because travelers in fact accept it.
And one thing I think is missed in all of this is AIRPORT food has gotten much better. It used to be there was a hot dog stand in the terminal. Food at the airport was generally awful. Now you can get very decent food at the airport- and that means there are fewer hungry travelers who need that inflight meal, especially on shorter duration flights. (Note, back in the day, you used to get a meal IN COACH on a 3 hour domestic flight. That reflected the lack of options at the airport.)
you’re right that in the terminals there is generally now better food options than 30 years ago… but IMO that’s generally for the economy pax that get diddly squat in the back these days.
the fact that it is now not uncommon to see First Class passengers bringing purchased food onboard, or items from the UC is a CLEAR indicator that United’s ‘premium’ product is far from premium and for a large number of passengers is unacceptable.
Feb 17, 2022, 7:21 am
#443
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,502
Because the entire Polaris product is about sleep on your eastbound overnight flight. You get an amazing dinner in the lounge, take a shower, and then can sleep like a baby in your slippers in that amazing seat with nobody stepping over you. Which is why the branding of the product is centered around stars.
The Polaris lounge is part of the ground experience, and is supposed to be complementary to the experience on board. It's not one or the other.
Personally, I find most Polaris seats on the narrower side.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 17, 2022 at 8:36 am Reason: Inappropriate / snarky comment removed
Feb 17, 2022, 7:47 am
#444
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,461
Then UA should ceases all inflight services since they are not important. (except for folks traveling from and through DEN/GUM, outside the US, non-Polarized planes - e.g. 789/752).
The Polaris lounge is part of the ground experience, and is supposed to be complementary to the experience on board. It's not one or the other.
Incorrect. DEN would like to have a word.
Personally, I find most Polaris seats on the narrower side.
The Polaris lounge is part of the ground experience, and is supposed to be complementary to the experience on board. It's not one or the other.
Incorrect. DEN would like to have a word.
Personally, I find most Polaris seats on the narrower side.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 17, 2022 at 8:36 am Reason: quote updated to reflect Moderator edit
Feb 17, 2022, 8:49 am
#445
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,926
The problem in this thread, over and over and over again, is assumptions treated as fact that have never actually been proven or verified. FT may not be a courtroom, but undeveloped theories treated as indisputable truth severely weaken arguments. Let's be kind to one another, but do better, please.
Feb 17, 2022, 9:18 am
#446
Join Date: May 2006
Location: STL
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Platinum Pro, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,429
Well, those were the times of regulated airfares/routings. The quality definitely started going down after deregulation, as price became the factor to attract customers and airlines had to find ways to cut costs. I think the drop in quality on U.S. airlines became precipitous after Bethune left CO. Nowadays, it's easy for airlines to continually chip away at food costs (or maintain the status quo), rather than increase cost/quality. The Polaris meals one sees now is probably the new norm and expecting it to get better might be a bit optimistic.
Feb 17, 2022, 9:33 am
#447
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
please explain how if nobody is paying for first, and nobody is getting upgraded, where do all these phantom passengers come from?
you’re right that in the terminals there is generally now better food options than 30 years ago… but IMO that’s generally for the economy pax that get diddly squat in the back these days.
the fact that it is now not uncommon to see First Class passengers bringing purchased food onboard, or items from the UC is a CLEAR indicator that United’s ‘premium’ product is far from premium and for a large number of passengers is unacceptable.
you’re right that in the terminals there is generally now better food options than 30 years ago… but IMO that’s generally for the economy pax that get diddly squat in the back these days.
the fact that it is now not uncommon to see First Class passengers bringing purchased food onboard, or items from the UC is a CLEAR indicator that United’s ‘premium’ product is far from premium and for a large number of passengers is unacceptable.
Feb 17, 2022, 9:58 am
#448
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: IAH & CMH
Programs: UA GS, UA MM, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, Uber Platinum :)
Posts: 773
The one where it says PREMIUM at the top of the page.
So I think you're saying United is engaging in deceptive advertising if there's "not a 'premium' product" ??
Feb 17, 2022, 10:28 am
#449
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
IMO domestic catering was fine circa 2016, when three-choice mealsets were standard for transcons and there was quite a bit of variety. There was a continuous cycle of cuts since then.
Similarly, the onboard catering with the initial Polaris rollout was decent and it has degraded steadily ever since.
United, nor any US carrier, has never come close to matching foreign soft product standards on flag carriers, at least in my lifetime.
Similarly, the onboard catering with the initial Polaris rollout was decent and it has degraded steadily ever since.
United, nor any US carrier, has never come close to matching foreign soft product standards on flag carriers, at least in my lifetime.
Feb 17, 2022, 12:10 pm
#450
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
My bad... I was relying on United's website: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ing/first.html
The one where it says PREMIUM at the top of the page.
So I think you're saying United is engaging in deceptive advertising if there's "not a 'premium' product" ??
The one where it says PREMIUM at the top of the page.
So I think you're saying United is engaging in deceptive advertising if there's "not a 'premium' product" ??
No, United First is not a premium product, yes, customers know exactly what they get, and no, United is not engaging in deceptive advertising.