Has been a hot topic, 1,100 postings
Fall 2008 Catering Changes at UA
The TransAtl changes have been rescinded

I flew C class p.s SFO-JFK on 6th Oct and there was still a hot meal offered ^. (Got a new version of skykit b/c my 1st choice meal was not avail - with no prompting- FA just provided it when delivered my 2nd choice ^)!

I am hoping (and guessing) that this means the p.s service was spared this new enhancement :rolleyes: to C class service!

If this is incorrect, please advise.

Thanks.

For drinks, did they use glass or plastic?

Only 16 flights out of the entire domestic network but 100% of my remaining travel for 2008. :( I understand the weird illogical foodie comments. It's so true...the food really is average in every sense of the word but I think it's the enjoyment of being served a meal in flight that thrills some of us.

Are all 3 mealtime services standardized?
 

The breakfast offering for domestic C class:

No linen service but coffee cups and saucers are still used.

Plastic tray with plastic utensils. Three different wedges of cheese, two packets of Pepperidge Farm crackers (4 crackers total), about 20 grapes and three wedges of melon, a prepackaged apple danish, strawberry yogurt cup.

What has been the lunch and dinner offerings?

Correct. Only widebodies were affected.

I wish. All (4) widebody C flights we had booked have been downgraded to 2-class (either 777 or 757).

I think the issue can look completely sensible if you take it from another perspective. Think of it this way (admittedly very UA-corporatespeak view here):

"3 class widebody aircraft are not really supposed to be serving the domestic market. You lucked out by getting one on your flight today, and being able to upgrade no less, from regular old economy to an international business class seat. If we had operated the route as we otherwise would have, you would probably be stuck on a 757 or 737, back in E+ not having been upgraded at all because there are fewer F/C seats in those aircraft. So be grateful that you got a much better seat than would otherwise have been possible, and the coach class meal for free. "

But then, the problem is that people don't view this as an improvement from domestic economy, but as a downsizing/degradation of true 3 class service.

And yet when I do a C dummy booking for next May on 902/903 (DEN-IAD-DEN) .bomb still says Lunch/Dinner (respectively). Shouldn't it say "Lunch box" or "Dinner box"?

JJ

Precisely. Business class without a real meal service? Come on! Seems like the only thing falling faster than United's service and product is the price of oil. Management needs to start rethinking these bad, knee-jerk decisions quickly before those of us who spend 10's of thousands a year on them for business travel look elsewhere.

Who else flies 3-class service domestically?

AA flies 3-cabin aircraft domestically (I like taking the afternoon ORD-DFW flight).

What AA does is let elites reserve Business class seats and then allows them to upgrade to F. Service is Y, but no upgrades are taken.

Help...
 

I'm doing a mileage run and will be doing plane hopping pretty much all day long, and since I have a few e500s on hand to upgrade to C, picking planes with *HOT* meals to upgrade will be important to me. How can I tell which of my flights is a 2 cabin aircraft?

6105 LAX - SEA Depart: 7:45am
0876 SEA - DEN Depart: 11:27pm
0938 DEN - ORD Depart: 3:48pm

Thanks!
:D

The only flight with real food served on china would be SEA-DEN, but it's probably not going to be hot - a choice of a salad or a sandwich.

DEN-ORD should be long enough for real service.