Shhh. You're not supposed to tell anyone.

DCA-EWR today FAs may not even get out of their jump seats.

Twenty years ago I had a full head of hair...

Who is telling us it is not possible?

To be fair, the Tiny Tate's cookies are one ounce, not less. And popcorn weighs almost nothing.



Maybe ask the FA and see if they are willing to get the beef jerky from the back next time?

Those cookies are DELICIUS!

I like this plan. It culls the herd of those who can�t travel 2 hours without a meal plan.

Ive never heard it's not possible. Whether they want to offer it (ie, put in the $ to provide it) is another completely different question. With domestic F fares where they are now compared to where they were when they did that kind of stuff, not to mention upgrades these days, so every seat full, not really surprising the offerings are cut back. We get what we paid for. Americans speak with their wallets. And while there are absolutely some who are willing to shell out extra $ for these kinds of amenities, in general, Americans have shown, time and time again, that they are not. The history of domestic air travel is rife with examples of it. Demand the low prices, then complain about everything that it doesn't come with later.

It's been a long time, but AC used to serve a 'snack' plate - not a hot meal, sure, but a pretty decent snack plate - on Rapidair flights YYZ-YOW/YUL - something like a sandwich, bag of chips and dessert. To everyone in Y. AI did, and I suspect still does, but it's been a while since I've flown this kind of flight, serve a full hot meal on short domestic flights that were 1 hour or so. Even more, TG used to run wide bodies on many domestic routes, with a full meal to everyone in Y - personally, flew BKK-CNX in Y on a 747 and received a full meal along with everyone in Y.

Is it possible - absolutely? Whether domestic US flights earn the revenue, or have the work rules that allow the FAs to do the kind of work needed for this on shorter flights anymore - that I doubt. For the record, I stopped expecting anything more than minimal on short-haul in F a long time ago. I also find it interesting the amount of people that lament the lack of food, but also complain about what they get on the flights that do have it.

In the late 80s/early 90s I flew BOS-DC weekly. EA flew a 727 to/from DCA and served a full, hot dinner in F. UA flew a DC-10 to/from IAD and served a full, hot dinner in F.

And the EA Shuttle between BOS and LGA used to have time to collect fares (cart with credit card imprint machine!) AND serve snacks/drinks during the 45 minute flight.

It CAN be done. Today the airlines choose not to do it.

we want the lowest fares, refundability, and now, 5 years to use flight credit proposed.

popularist, but not boding well for those of us who travel for work.

Keep FAs focused on getting us on/ off the plane safely. It�s not the 1950s where they were there for Small membered men to enjoy

Exactly. Here in Japan, JL serves full hot meals in F on 45 minute flights between Tokyo and Osaka.

As someone that lives in Japan and the US I've refrained from posting pics of what real business class looks like -- even on shorthaul flights -- I'm on one in a few days to UBJ where I will get better service than Polaris lol. The truth is the rest of the world delivers "service" for your premium class ticket -- UA delivers "safety" ....

Honestly -- my shorthaul flights on LH within Europe gets me better food....

They chose to run minimum staff, F&B, ... which allows air fares to be to lower (inflation adjusted) today than those "glory" days as driven by competition.

Ironically, it is on many of these short hops with "no meal no mo" that these airlines are making the most money. While I don't doubt your "many frequent flyers" phrase, it comes down to "are we losing customers with these cuts," "what is our competition, if any, doing," and "are we filling our planes at fares we want to charge," not "will many frequent flyers pay more."

I was just making the proposition that there might be an opportunity for another carrier to step-up quality and try competing on that level. IMO DL is already significantly better than UA domestically. I give them priority consideration when I fly and am willing to pay more to fly them. Internationally, I just buy whichever carrier has the cheapest price, a comfortable J-cabin, and a good short transit time.

I am going to be in for a treat when I fly intra-Japan in a few weeks in F.

Polaris isn't great and somehow I think UA knows that, cost controls are paramount at UA (in fairness most companies) and they are happy with the results.

I always say that if UA were more like Costco it would be a better experience.