Fall 2008 Catering Changes at UA
Oct 12, 2008, 6:35 am
#1126
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: BOS and vicinity
Programs: Former UA 1P
Posts: 3,725
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):
...
"So be grateful that you got a much better seat than would otherwise have been possible, and the coach class meal for free. "
...
"So be grateful that you got a much better seat than would otherwise have been possible, and the coach class meal for free. "
The reality is that pax are paying for a domestic first class seat, or paying with an upgrade to a first class seat, and because of the "bad luck" of ending up on a 3-class widebody flight, they get substandard service compared to domestic F on narrowbody.
Oct 12, 2008, 7:39 am
#1128
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 240
Also 100% of the (non-p.s.) transcons on which you are guaranteed working emPower. So now you can choose whether to spend an upgrade on being able to eat, or being able to work. (Or, I guess, one could move to Queens.)
Oct 12, 2008, 4:18 pm
#1129
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,713
Oct 12, 2008, 5:28 pm
#1130
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: DUB/ORD/SIN/PVG
Programs: EI AerClub Concierge, EK Gold, BA Gold, BD Gold (Retired), HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 2,923
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.
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.
That's not going to make much impact on the 08:00 LAX-IAD appetite. How times have changed...
Last edited by Dambus; Oct 12, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Oct 13, 2008, 11:33 pm
#1131
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Global
Programs: AAexp, UA*G, HY LT Globalist, FB Plat, Centurion
Posts: 988
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.
"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.
Oct 13, 2008, 11:56 pm
#1132
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,174
Oct 14, 2008, 12:28 am
#1133
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Programs: United/Star Alliance - 1K
Posts: 2,176
If this is true then UA should just forget about trying to carry west coasters to europe and back. The only thing that made flying UA even near palatable from LAX to europe was the fact that you could fly to the connection point in the same class of service you expected on your trans-oceanic flight. They should specifically exclude 946/947 from this nonsense.
Uhhhhh, how about flying NS? @:-) Maybe LAX isn't cool enough, but from SFO, you can fly to FRA & LHR. I wish they'd add MUC, but that's covered by LH (at 9:50pm, which I gotta try one day). I must admit, it *is* really cool departing home station in int'l F, but you know what, if they don't just hand it to you on a silver platter, then pay for it. If you can't survive any transcon in 2 class F, you're just a wuss.
Oct 14, 2008, 1:42 am
#1134
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
Guess which one I would choose...
But where would the non-revs sit if UA did this...
Oct 14, 2008, 2:10 pm
#1135
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Since the BoSox and ChiSox won it, now it is the Cubs turn to take the Series. Go Cubs Go!
Posts: 3,685
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!
6105 LAX - SEA Depart: 7:45am
0876 SEA - DEN Depart: 11:27pm
0938 DEN - ORD Depart: 3:48pm
Thanks!
Oct 14, 2008, 8:55 pm
#1136
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,713
Given that someone else posted this *only* affects 16 flights daily, I have come to the conclusion that this is UA's way to test out a new concept. If there's not a huge uproar, then they will roll this change out for all domestic two-class F service as well.
Oct 14, 2008, 9:00 pm
#1137
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: RIC
Programs: UA 1K MM
Posts: 3,387
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,51501,00.html
Oct 14, 2008, 9:06 pm
#1138
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,193
Even if they did, I don't think it would stick. Plenty of people still pay F or discount F fares across the domestic system and those folks might have something to say about that.
Oct 14, 2008, 9:34 pm
#1139
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
Yeah, I'm not sure UA has the balls to try and remove all domestic F food service and replace it with BOB.
Even if they did, I don't think it would stick. Plenty of people still pay F or discount F fares across the domestic system and those folks might have something to say about that.
Even if they did, I don't think it would stick. Plenty of people still pay F or discount F fares across the domestic system and those folks might have something to say about that.
I don't think there's much of an uproar as those 16 flights seem to be hub-to-hub flights and there aren't that many of them and many people would never get hit by it. I think these are typically relatively short flights that a lot of people wouldn't make a big deal out if even if they do think it sucks. Deploy free BOB in F and then everyone gets hit ... I think there'd be big problems.
Oct 15, 2008, 10:23 am
#1140
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,713
I'm just saying that, if they get away with it on domestic C (and it hit me on transcons between LAX and IAD, so it's not like a little hop to DEN) then I wouldn't put it past them to roll it out in domestic F as well. There might be an outcry, but then again we passengers have shown a remarkable resilience to continually degraded service.