ual744777sta

This is definately not a good move.

ML306V

...they'll wait a few months until this has blown over and then randomly pass out pretzels on selected flights. FTers will post their reports of pretzel sightings and concoct elaborate schemes to determine which flights to take to get pretzels.

This is the same theory that makes slot machines attractive. Psychologists know that these small rewards are effective at hooking people, even though people say they are looking for the big jackpot.
http://krigman.casinocitytimes.com/articles/10510.html

Once they see how easy it is to reinforce compulsive United-taking behavior with mere pretzels, they can slowly do away with more expensive unexpected rewards like early arrivals, upgrades, fine wine, etc...

Brilliant!

momdadok

I think that's what CO is doing. I flew SFO-MOB on CO during the thanksgiving sunday last year. My connecting flight was around lunch time and it was over 2 hours so they served pizza-in-a-bag and a salad. Granted the pizza tasted like cardboard with tons of seasonings and the salad was made of iceburg lettuce, I felt that I was in heaven well their seats are great too-- firm and plushy, not hard and deformed. that helped me feel like I'm in heaven

I have more and more reasons not to fly united and I think this may be the last straw... maybe people can start digging the seats to see if they find those old pretzels. ick!

Majority of the Asian carrier would beat majority of the US airlines. sadly.

N334AA

I sent an email telling them how pathetic this is, I doubt I'll receive a response back.

carl92103

They have been doing this for a few months even in F. I did several DEN-SAN flights in F with no snacks.

None of this makes any sense. All these press releases about Ms. Disney, Mr. Ultra Gourmet and new seats while they are making little service cuts like no fruit for breakfast on International C and now no pretzels. Even cheap US tried cutting pretzels and they found out that did not work and HP reinstated them during the takeover.

Why hire someone to improve the customer experience and take away an item that cost them pennies? TSA is starting to sell ads for the plastic bins maybe UA can find a sponsor to advertise on the pretzel packages.

carl92103

Dont bother with the emails. They have these canned responses that make you more angry

MarkXS

And to think I switched my primary and secondary programs between UA and NW last year so that UA is my primary. Hmm, no pretzels. So, do I want an E+ seat with no snack at all and an upgrade maybe 5-10% of the time (based on earning 500-milers and clearing %), or do I want a normal (small)-pitch E seat with no snack at all but a 50% chance of free upgrades as a Gold?

Wonder if I should have shot to requal NW gold and let UA stay 2P instead of the other way around?

Ah well no idea now as to whom I'll be flying next year, even if I don't proactively switch. Could be DL (DL/NW), could be CO (CO/US), could be anybody the way this merger mania is going.

tommy777

Gezz..

It's not that we can't live without these snack packs, but has UA considered this scenario?

This happens to me many times a year. You are in a meeting all day and you are flying back to ORD in the afternoon. You haven't eaten for hours and you are rushing to get an earlier flight to get back home and you don't have time to get anything to eat. Of course, getting on an earlier flight means that the F seat you had is gone. You are stuck in coach.

After boarding, you push back and taxi out. The captain gets on the horn telling you there's a weather situation at ORD and you have a wheels up time in 1 hr and 40 minutes... He also told you that because this time is likely to improve, they decided to board the plane so they could get on their way when the clearance has been given...

Well, there you are starving and miserable for 3-4 hours.. At least you got a couple of snack bags to keep you going till you get home. NOT! If the delay gets even longer, UA has now NOTHING to offer their passengers, not even something for sale...

A disgrace.. I would expect this from anyone but UA

OU812

On my Ted flight from IAD to MIA this past Sunday, the flight attendant made two comments. He said UA is about to begin charging for beverages in coach except water and the snacks were going away. I thought he was kidding, but I guess not. MIA to IAD is just over 2 hours. I'll see if we get a snack tomorrow.

RIP...

lucky9876coins

That should definitely have the snacks. IAD-TPA is typically around 1hr58min in the air, so MIA is well over that. I really hope that it is based on block time, or lucky will be .

gj83

How much will they charge for 1/2 a can of soda? $2.50?

United definitely has the smallest cups onboard in coach.

as219

At UA, these are called transpac C saver awards.

as219

Are you serious? In F? No gold-foil "premium" snack mix bag? Yowza!

gfowler-ord-1k

A few month ago I sat next to the owner of a snack company. Some of his clients are airlines, but not UA. He told me that the cost of the UA snack mix should be around 2 or 3 cents. He also had nothing nice to say about the product.

At that low cost it should not be the product cost that is the reason to cut them out. It must be the catering and distribution expense.

notquiteaff

Are there any laws/rules against passengers walking up and down the aisle selling snacks on aircraft? Might be a good way to finance some MRs.