IAH MCO is barely over 800 miles

refreshments now is 'water' ... snack is any pre-packages chips or cookies and a coke ... dinner is ... oh well.

UA seems to have updated my existing reservation that has the ORD-DEN segment. In the iOS app, it shows Snack now, instead of Breakfast.
Still not sure if I'll cancel and switch to my AA Award reservation (it gets a "continental/snack breakfast). Right now, I'm hedging my bets on weather (ORD/DEN in January if there's a storm...) vs. my ALB-DFW-GJT flight on AA. The lie-flats on ORD-DEN seem nice (plus since I booked so late with AA, I'm in bulkhead for the ALB-DFW segment and a CRJ700 from DFW-GJT).

My 2/7 LAX-DEN flight also now shows "snack." I'll write in to complain although I expect UA will "politely" just tell me to pound sand!

The end of first class meals from DEN <-> LAX and DEN <-> SNA is also the end of me paying for first class on these two routes. At around 2.5 hours, the meal service was the only thing that tipped the scale between booking coach and first class. 2 - 2.5 hour flights, I will book coach and use my free economy plus benefits. I guess I will be saving about $400 - $600 dollars each flight with United's new cut back.

When United had the Covid service in FC, I stopped paying for it and only started buying FC again when service returned to normal. I may drive more than fly going forward. The choice for me has been renting a car for 1 month in Denver(Cost less than renting for 2 weeks at LAX) and driving out west vs flying United. The more and more the experience of getting to and going through DIA gets worse, the scales are tilting towards driving more and more for me.

and AA and DL are way ahead of UA in doing this. And more changes are likely to come

I don't think we on FT are alone in stating that pulling the meal service off these routes is a big deal and a deal breaker for me too when it comes to buying F, which I have done quite a bit in the last couple years, on these shorter routes.

My story here:

https://liveandletsfly.com/united-ai...eal-downgrade/

(disclaimer - link to blog)

Do you ever get feedback/outreach from United after calling them to task like this? Please keep us posted. I hope they reinstate meals on exception/hub-to-hub routes at the very least.

Now I can "enjoy" flying from RIC to LAX (via DEN) and never be served real food/a meal in First.

I do. Even Kirby told me he reads my blog. So I do expect a lot of eyes at UA to read this.

Yep - which is why I've been saying UA is following DL. AA is still out there in the fringes IMO.

And I do expect absolutely zero to change. They didn't make this policy change in a vacuum.

Everyone: Feel free to vote with your wallet and not buy UA F is a meal is an important thing to you but it sounds like most of AA/DL routes also don't offer it unless you're ex-SEA where DL is trying to compete with AS.

Honestly, if less people buy F then there are more upgrades (which UA absolutely does not want to see). So they'll lower the price point of buy-ups or the price differential.

-RM

Interestingly, United already reached out in light of my story:

Quote:

Originally Posted by United

"[O]ur teams worked quickly on an update this week and customers should see the correct info on united.com and the United app beginning Friday. We know this caused confusion for customers and we�ve authorized flight attendants to offer compensation on board to make it right."

Fingers crossed!

Probably right, but if enough people complain it may make a difference.

I get that anyone can survive a 2-hour flight with no food, but if you connect from one <900 mi flight to another, with meetings on either/both ends, it becomes a major PITA. And this is supposed to drive more FCM?

correct, especially with flight banking in DEN

I've already moved my next two DEN-LAX flights to AA and DL. Not that UA meals are great, but If you're not even going to offer one, there is zero incentive for me to book UA. I may as well pay less for F and earn miles where they matter to me and have a much shorter hike to TBIT. The new Denver UC is basically lipstick on a pig. With DL in the A concourse, I get the Capital One Lounge, With AA in the C concourse, I get the Centurion Lounge.