Oh do not even joke!! US is worse or same as E- on most flights. They still say "Generous 31" pitch in coach". And they are stripping their A330 from 34" pitch to 31" pitch for INTERNATIONAL COACH.. can you say LH pitch :(

I do fly UA internationally over US.. and SQ or VS over US or any US airliner.

Thank God for Ted, cause you could be flying mainline US.

I'd rather be in US mainline F than explus F or Ted E+. ;)

The new seats are just that, new.

I think it is related, too. When they introduce the new seating in F & C, they will bring back some of the things they cut to make the new product seem even more impressive by comparison. If I was just a little less cynical, I'd think they are going to even add a few bells & whistles...

Having recently flown AA several times, I'm not sure I buy into the comparison, at least as far as domestic is concerned. I haven't seen any snacks in Y on AA, I've only seen pillows occasionally in F, and those dirty red blankets are in Y far fewer and farther between than on any UA flight I can remember.

Just curious: UA cut fruit plates on Asian flights? When was this announced, and what exactly does this entail?

I see where the OP is coming from, but I would not say that AA is getting better either, for the most part. They also cut snacks in Y, like UA, as well as some other things. Heck, IIRC they don't even have pillows in Y domestically (not that any FT'er would use those horridly dirty specimens).;)

so i guess it's fair to say that we are paying for the salaries with our lunches and breakfasts?

Sorry, but if some of these things listed here will entail future enhancements on UA's on-board service, I will not be seriously impressed. I could care less for chocolate, mints and water with garnish. Focus on 'real' improvements. Get your upcoming C seats right to begin with (flat). Sustain the current sizes and quality of main entrees/salad/dessert to their former glory (no more countable wilted lettuce pretending to be salad please). And with your upcoming new premium seats, focus on service, so that it will be consistently good. No amount of Ghirardelli chocolates can hide mediocre service.

Focus on 'real' improvements.

I don't know...AA used to be the premium product, with MRTC in the back of the bus and the highest spend per passenger on food/bev among U.S. carriers in premium cabins. In my admittedly limited experience, they have slashed service in premium cabins in recent years and pulled MRTC altogether.

At least United has remained steadfast with E+ to the point where they continue to speak well of it to investors as being a profitable feature. And UA is about to retrofit many J/F seats, so I don't think all is lost.

Certainly don't want to see them cut anything out - and I'd love to see the "small touches" because they've been so sorely lacking for so long - but we should keep it in perspective. I will have 2 transatlantic J trips later this year, and they will probably both be on UA metal. I don't perceive AA as having a significantly better product. (If we were talking about non-U.S. carriers, it might be a different discussion.)

As much as I'd like to see UA continually improve amenities, what do you think the shareholders (i.e. owners) would like to see. Profit in their pockets or more chocolate squares and bags of snack mix on tray tables?

We live in a quarter to quarter world and public companies don't really have the luxury of thinking much farther ahead than that. I'm sure someone at UA is balancing the ratio of what amenities need to be provided before enough travelers stop flying UA to decrease profits. Obviously, they've been doing a pretty good job the past 2 quarters. Unfortunately, airline travel is going to become more and more like riding the bus.

I think you are right, pinniped - I recall many threads on the AA forum starting about 2-3 years ago bemoaning the cuts in services taking place. Good for AA to be adding some back, of course...I hope qasr was correct and UA is waiting for the new J/F seat unveiling to bring back many of the "enhancements" we've come to expect and love. :)

Here's wishing the flash of new seats doesn't blind UA to the need for focus on their soft product...if I was a UGS I'd need to see serious commitment to that area to justify my continued spend. But hey - I'm just a 1P, so I can only dream of UGS.

I can give up food, even the faux food of pretzels, if I could just have some technology on my flights. UA used to excel in this area, but they have now fallen far behind.

Give me a power port and HSIA at my seat and you can even take away the drinks.

(Don't you touch Channel 9, though.)