New Manifests-Full Fare Customers Meal Orders will be Prioritized @ Same Level as 1Ks
Oct 10, 2007, 11:28 pm
#1
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New Manifests-Full Fare Customers Meal Orders will be Prioritized @ Same Level as 1Ks
Saw this on a popular FA web site (NOT an official UA source) but it looks like a quote from Onboard Updates (the official weekly newsletter to FAs sent by WHQ). Looks like this goes into effect on 10/18:
"A new and improved customer manifest debuts Oct. 18. The enhanced manifest will assist flight attendants by identifying full-fare customers and indicating each customers “priority”.
These changes are being made in response to flight attendant feedback via DIS*123, as well as the Customer Experience Committee, purser meetings and Business Education classes.
Knowing that our full-fare customers deserve the same special attention as our Global Services, 1K and Premier Executive customers, flight attendants asked for a manifest that would help them identify these valuable customers, too. That information is being added to the manifest, while the indicator for General Mileage Plus members is being removed.
The other significant change is designed to help flight attendants allocate main course preferences by using “stars” (asterisks) to indicate each customer’s “priority”.
First, follow meal order procedures by taking main course preferences in United First® and United Business® from front to back, rather than in order of priority, asking each customer for their preference and taking second choices if needed. Then use the new manifest information to determine priority when allocating preferences (out of customer’s sight) according to status. The order of priority becomes:
**** (4 stars) GS
*** (3 stars) 1K/Full Fare Customers — all status
** (2 stars) Premier Exec/Exec Million/OA*Gold
* (1 star) Premier/OA*Silver
This improved tool will make it easier for flight attendants to identify our valued premium and full-fare customers in order to provide them with the special attention they deserve."
Note that this manifest does NOT give FAs direct access to any 1K who has upgraded. However, a FA can infer which General Members and elites below the 1K level have not paid full fare (so they either paid a discounted First/Business fare or upgraded).
One nice thing is that this will also give a temporary bump to 2Ps/*S and 1Ps/*G customers each time they pay full fare for that cabin of service for that particular flight.
Does anyone know which booking codes corporate contract fares and government fares usually book into? Just wondering how they will be classified.
This applies to meal orders (but realisticaly I assume FAs will end up using it to determine who to pass out amenity kits/headsets to if they are short and can't get a replacement in time, etc).
It does NOT apply to DM lists.
And before someone starts shouting that the sky is falling, try (just try) to keep in mind it's just airplane food, mmmkay?
"A new and improved customer manifest debuts Oct. 18. The enhanced manifest will assist flight attendants by identifying full-fare customers and indicating each customers “priority”.
These changes are being made in response to flight attendant feedback via DIS*123, as well as the Customer Experience Committee, purser meetings and Business Education classes.
Knowing that our full-fare customers deserve the same special attention as our Global Services, 1K and Premier Executive customers, flight attendants asked for a manifest that would help them identify these valuable customers, too. That information is being added to the manifest, while the indicator for General Mileage Plus members is being removed.
The other significant change is designed to help flight attendants allocate main course preferences by using “stars” (asterisks) to indicate each customer’s “priority”.
First, follow meal order procedures by taking main course preferences in United First® and United Business® from front to back, rather than in order of priority, asking each customer for their preference and taking second choices if needed. Then use the new manifest information to determine priority when allocating preferences (out of customer’s sight) according to status. The order of priority becomes:
**** (4 stars) GS
*** (3 stars) 1K/Full Fare Customers — all status
** (2 stars) Premier Exec/Exec Million/OA*Gold
* (1 star) Premier/OA*Silver
This improved tool will make it easier for flight attendants to identify our valued premium and full-fare customers in order to provide them with the special attention they deserve."
Note that this manifest does NOT give FAs direct access to any 1K who has upgraded. However, a FA can infer which General Members and elites below the 1K level have not paid full fare (so they either paid a discounted First/Business fare or upgraded).
One nice thing is that this will also give a temporary bump to 2Ps/*S and 1Ps/*G customers each time they pay full fare for that cabin of service for that particular flight.
Does anyone know which booking codes corporate contract fares and government fares usually book into? Just wondering how they will be classified.
This applies to meal orders (but realisticaly I assume FAs will end up using it to determine who to pass out amenity kits/headsets to if they are short and can't get a replacement in time, etc).
It does NOT apply to DM lists.
And before someone starts shouting that the sky is falling, try (just try) to keep in mind it's just airplane food, mmmkay?
Oct 10, 2007, 11:34 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HNL/SMF/IAD
Programs: Mostly Mileage Plus (UGS) + AAdvantage (Gold)
Posts: 386
I thought UA had such a policy in the past, something like "revenue first."
Oct 10, 2007, 11:43 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2005
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Oct 10, 2007, 11:44 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boulder, CO
Programs: UA, AA, WN; HH, MR, IHG
Posts: 7,054
Paging PTravel, since this was one of his major peeves recently... personally, I think this is a good change. It allows upgraders to receive status-based priority, while full-fare customers receive revenue-based priority. A good compromise, IMHO.
However, I don't quite like the fact that they left "Premier" out of the first sentence in the third paragraph, however... sure, they did include it in the priority list (so upgraded Premiers and/or discount-fare Premiers still get higher priority than discount-fare GMs), but it doesn't bode well that they left it out of the other sentence. Maybe inconsequential, maybe a Freudian slip, maybe deliberate... just doesn't give me a good feeling. (Yes, I know that 2Ps, despite their large numbers, really are the least important of the elites... I'm not trying to imply that UA is wrong, either morally or factually, I'm just expressing my sinking feeling.)
So I know this is just a rumor for now (despite the official-sounding nature of the "memo" excerpt), but how would a 3P fit into this? Would they count the same as Premier, since they're both *Silver, or would they count as a GM? 3Ps are the least likely to upgrade but still an important question, IMHO.
However, I don't quite like the fact that they left "Premier" out of the first sentence in the third paragraph, however... sure, they did include it in the priority list (so upgraded Premiers and/or discount-fare Premiers still get higher priority than discount-fare GMs), but it doesn't bode well that they left it out of the other sentence. Maybe inconsequential, maybe a Freudian slip, maybe deliberate... just doesn't give me a good feeling. (Yes, I know that 2Ps, despite their large numbers, really are the least important of the elites... I'm not trying to imply that UA is wrong, either morally or factually, I'm just expressing my sinking feeling.)
So I know this is just a rumor for now (despite the official-sounding nature of the "memo" excerpt), but how would a 3P fit into this? Would they count the same as Premier, since they're both *Silver, or would they count as a GM? 3Ps are the least likely to upgrade but still an important question, IMHO.
Last edited by cepheid; Oct 10, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Oct 10, 2007, 11:46 pm
#5
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Here's the letter he wrote UA on this very topic:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...1&postcount=36
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...1&postcount=36
Oct 10, 2007, 11:55 pm
#6
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP, lowly UA 1K; Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold; National EC, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,213
They could have left it out as they summed up all "full-fare" to mean premium cabin fare (similar to all the fare that count in GS re qualification), in which case 2P would be the lowest level as they would have been upgraded if they did not purchase the "premium cabin" ticket.
Oct 10, 2007, 11:58 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,333
They could have left it out as they summed up all "full-fare" to mean premium cabin fare (similar to all the fare that count in GS re qualification), in which case 2P would be the lowest level as they would have been upgraded if they did not purchase the "premium cabin" ticket.
Oct 11, 2007, 12:00 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Posts: 121
This is excellent news, and I say this as someone who no longer travels as full fare business...I've seen both sides in the past as an upgraded 1P receiving service before others who I know are on full fare tickets, and as a full fare ticket receiving service late, and consequently ending up with the chicken dish...
In both cases I thought at the time that I'd rather the revenue tickets were served first.
In both cases I thought at the time that I'd rather the revenue tickets were served first.
Oct 11, 2007, 12:03 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: UA Plat, AS MVP, HH Gold, MR Gold
Posts: 1,848
While this bumps me down (I can only buy economy), I have to say I think this is the right way to do it. I just hope there's enough gin to go around.
Oct 11, 2007, 12:11 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: xLAS
Posts: 1,362
just as i'll ..... when UA has some dumb policy (no E+ in ted when connecting on an intl F/C ticket, for example), i'll give kudos to them when deserved, and this time they earned it.
Oct 11, 2007, 12:30 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
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Posts: 3,732
Great news, and the right move. People that may the most should get their choice.
- T
- T
Oct 11, 2007, 12:54 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SFO/SAN/Ganado Arizona
Programs: Affilated with the orders of I need to rest, doctor's orders!
Posts: 1,400
Should make the FA's job a little easier and what a good enhancement for UA to implement. This should allow the FA's to know which customers to truly not piss off. ^
Oct 11, 2007, 1:25 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Premier Plat (1.2 MM), Hertz PC, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, GE
Posts: 154
I was sitting in F from KOA-LAX on 10/8 (great food, by the way). The Purser appeared to ask the 1K's for their meal choices first (based on my furtive glance at the F manifest while I was waiting for the lavatory) and then proceeded from the front to back rows asking each F pax for their 1st and 2nd meal choices.
I agree with the new policy. Full-fare paying pax in C or F should be given higher priorities and this is a subtle, yet meaningful way to do this. Also, determining meal choice priority "behind the scenes" and asking for 1st and 2nd choices up front reduces the resentment factor by the inexperienced non-1K elites and mileage upgrade folks who got stuck with the "chicken meal".
I agree with the new policy. Full-fare paying pax in C or F should be given higher priorities and this is a subtle, yet meaningful way to do this. Also, determining meal choice priority "behind the scenes" and asking for 1st and 2nd choices up front reduces the resentment factor by the inexperienced non-1K elites and mileage upgrade folks who got stuck with the "chicken meal".
Oct 11, 2007, 1:34 am
#14
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 9,916
Smart move ^ On my UA full fare F flights in the past it was a bit annoying to get a seemingly choice of leftovers. It was always annoying when the FA asked the person next to me what they wanted, and then gave me the, "i'll come back to you later."
This was pre - FT and the first time I thought they thought I was a non-Rev. The FA explained it, but still an annoying policy.
This was pre - FT and the first time I thought they thought I was a non-Rev. The FA explained it, but still an annoying policy.
Oct 11, 2007, 1:48 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP , Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hertz Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 105
This is a good change. I've been on both sides of this as well. I've been denied my choice on a Full F ticket and at the same time gotten my choice on an upgrade over full fare passengers. The problem with UA is the consistency. I was on a LIH-SFO flight and I don't think any policy would have fixed the horrible service of the bitter F/A. It really comes down to how seriously the F/As take their job.