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}
Feb 22, 2022, 12:57 pm
#526
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
Is revenue/profit not inherently impacted when any food or beverage service is introduced/improved onboard?
On another note, a flight attendant sent me the UA flight attendant manual, which was revised earlier this month. Wish I could post it because it is fascinating...
One thing I noticed that gets back to our earlier discussion:
On another note, a flight attendant sent me the UA flight attendant manual, which was revised earlier this month. Wish I could post it because it is fascinating...
One thing I noticed that gets back to our earlier discussion:
Look, at the end of the day two things are obviously true: (1) a lot of business class travelers do not care about getting whatever the definition of "gourmet" food and beverage and believe that United's tasty Polaris meals (and they are tasty- I have had several recently) are just fine; and (2) FF programs, both through airline alliances and through upgrades, decrease the incentive of United to spend a ton of money on their business class food service, because they have a captive audience.
Instead of complaining about United's food like it is some sort of outrage rather than an airline serving its customers' preferences, I would suggest that people who care about this issue should avail themselves of the options the market offers (mostly 3 class First on foreign carriers) that serve the type of food they want. If the Star Alliance loses enough business in this fashion, United may have to up its food game. Or maybe it won't and will just serve the far larger part of the market who don't feel that the food on an airplane flight has to taste and be delivered like a 3-star restaurant on the ground. Either way, it won't be outrageous, and if something violates United's internal policies (which the general public is not even supposed to have access to), that's irrelevant.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 22, 2022 at 3:33 pm Reason: quote updated per Moderator edit
Feb 22, 2022, 2:38 pm
#527
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,490
Look, at the end of the day two things are obviously true: (1) a lot of business class travelers do not care about getting whatever the definition of "gourmet" food and beverage and believe that United's tasty Polaris meals (and they are tasty- I have had several recently) are just fine; and (2) FF programs, both through airline alliances and through upgrades, decrease the incentive of United to spend a ton of money on their business class food service, because they have a captive audience.
2) Taste is subjective. You may think UA catering is "tasty"; others think they are disgusting.
Can't follow your 2nd point. Upgrades disincentivize UA to improve inflight services? Just the other day we were told there are no upgrades to be had.
Feb 22, 2022, 3:17 pm
#528
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,158
Seems to be a base misunderstanding of frequent flyer programs being bandied about on here.
News Flash......
MileagePlus is a money maker for United Airlines.
Demonizing FFP as an excuse to serve slop. Interesting perspective.
News Flash......
MileagePlus is a money maker for United Airlines.
Demonizing FFP as an excuse to serve slop. Interesting perspective.
Feb 22, 2022, 4:40 pm
#529
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,993
https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor...h=3c187f6f14e9
However, selling miles to third parties that award them to various customers really doesn't translate into operating profit. So, given the reality that improving UA's soft product in F would be expensive, I wouldn't count on any significant changes in quality without concurrent increases in price. And, if UA increases price too much, they'll lose the "Kayakers", like myself, to DL and AA.
Feb 22, 2022, 5:09 pm
#530
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
And they will certainly lose corporate contracts as AA and DL swoop in to show how much various companies can save over UA's higher ticket prices - corporate travel managers don't care about your onboard food and beverage - they are held accountable to the $'s. UA is in no position to raise ticket prices over competitors - all downside.
Feb 22, 2022, 5:38 pm
#531
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,919
Feb 22, 2022, 11:13 pm
#532
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,168
Pretty illogical (albeit humorous) to see one claim that UA cannot offer premium food because of too many upgrades and then another claim that UA cannot offer premium food because first class cabins sell out and therefore UA has no incentive to improve food.
Clearly shows that too many are operating from (false) assumptions...
Clearly shows that too many are operating from (false) assumptions...
And if it doesn稚 matter, why introduce it in the argument? It is extraneous.
The more likely answer is Kirby Kwality, no correlation to anything else. As that logic works independent of sales data
Feb 23, 2022, 3:38 am
#533
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
No, you are a third party commentator.
For an airline to up their food service you need those seats to be empty. If people are paying that means they are fine with the level of service. If people are upgraded they paid less and the airline doesn't need to give them upgraded service.
The only way United feels the heat is if high value travelers abandon them.
But at least pick a narrative as to the current state. Is it too high % free upgrades? Or a high % of sold seats? I mean that can be validated with data.
And if it doesn稚 matter, why introduce it in the argument? It is extraneous.
The more likely answer is Kirby Kwality, no correlation to anything else. As that logic works independent of sales data
And if it doesn稚 matter, why introduce it in the argument? It is extraneous.
The more likely answer is Kirby Kwality, no correlation to anything else. As that logic works independent of sales data
The only way United feels the heat is if high value travelers abandon them.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 23, 2022 at 9:47 am Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Feb 23, 2022, 4:04 am
#534
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Programs: JAL Global Club & oneworld Sapphire, ANA SFC & Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 3,746
Instead of complaining about United's food like it is some sort of outrage rather than an airline serving its customers' preferences, I would suggest that people who care about this issue should avail themselves of the options the market offers (mostly 3 class First on foreign carriers) that serve the type of food they want.
Feb 23, 2022, 5:02 am
#535
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,490
For an airline to up their food service you need those seats to be empty. If people are paying that means they are fine with the level of service. If people are upgraded they paid less and the airline doesn't need to give them upgraded service.
The only way United feels the heat is if high value travelers abandon them.
The only way United feels the heat is if high value travelers abandon them.
Likewise, not all fares buckets are the same. You can't just group all Y cabin fares on one level, and F/J pax as another.
Feb 23, 2022, 7:34 am
#536
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,919
Still can't follow the logic but there are all kinds of reasons why people pay for premium cabin (outright), certainly more than just for the catering and inflight services - you can't box everything into the same group and category.
Likewise, not all fares buckets are the same. You can't just group all Y cabin fares on one level, and F/J pax as another.
Likewise, not all fares buckets are the same. You can't just group all Y cabin fares on one level, and F/J pax as another.
Feb 23, 2022, 7:38 am
#537
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: EWR
Programs: UA 1K, DL DM
Posts: 255
I've status matched to Delta (and retained it with 2021 BIS) because for some of my routes DL first is even cheaper than UA.
Feb 23, 2022, 7:49 am
#538
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: EWR
Programs: UA 1K, DL DM
Posts: 255
Still can't follow the logic but there are all kinds of reasons why people pay for premium cabin (outright), certainly more than just for the catering and inflight services - you can't box everything into the same group and category.
Likewise, not all fares buckets are the same. You can't just group all Y cabin fares on one level, and F/J pax as another.
Likewise, not all fares buckets are the same. You can't just group all Y cabin fares on one level, and F/J pax as another.
In my experience at LEAST half of economy passengers are inconsiderate enough with personal space - legs spread well over the imaginary dividing line beyond the seat, arms and elbows well over the actual common armrest line... it's pretty bad. To try to get my laptop in front of me and be productive in that space, with that being my typical econ seatmate, and work for 2.5+ hours on my average segment... its just not practical. It's well worth the extra money to be able to get my stuff done without all that.
Feb 23, 2022, 8:17 am
#539
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,993
Like you, I am a small business owner and always fly on my own dime. I also book all of the air travel for my contractors because I'm really good at it. For me, price is the only consideration (assuming similar short total transit times).
Last edited by zombietooth; Feb 23, 2022 at 9:22 am
Feb 23, 2022, 9:35 am
#540
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,168
Whether F is 100% paid J or 100% upgraders or 100% empty, somehow we arrive at the same result. That痴 quite the 5D chess.
In the meantime, this thread is about COVID related service. Even if they choose to serve lesser quality, there is the valid question of the actual service resuming normalcy.