gre

903 MUC-IAD Wednesday.

When dessert came around the choices were cheese and crackers with grapes or some kind of cake.

A gentleman across the aisle had the cheese and crackers which I remarked to the FA looked good. Mrs. gre and myself both asked for it too. We were told in no uncertain terms that we could have one plate to split because she had to save some for the rest of the pax in C.

So, we each got 1 grape, 1 cracker, and a square of cheese.

To be fair though, after the service was over and my table was long stowed the FA came and slapped a plate down on the armrest (absent the grapes).

As an aside, we also were not offered bread or drinks with our dinner (not that I particularly needed either).

I wonder how much UA saves this way? I hope it's a lot.

drummingcraig

Perhaps it was a catering mistake/shortage on that particular flight and not something that has been initiated systemwide. I flew in C FRA-ORD this past Monday and food & drink was in abundance (and C cabin was full save for 3 seats on a 777).

grayland

????? Why did you have to share?? I assume you both had C tickets.
What if you weren't traveling together and were not with you seat partner? Would you have had to share? Is this a "couple" penalty?

Makes no sense.

PanHam

Let's hope it was just an aberration. One grape? Comical. Mostly, I just cannot believe the absolute shamelessness with which the FA delivered both the news and the grapes. I'd be embarrassed to work for United.

dimramon

I hope this is just a catering debacle, and not another "service enhancement".
If it is the latter, it really wouldn't surprise me, unfortunately.

grayland

Imagine someone from another airline program (considering UA) flying International C and getting this treatment.

I would guess that UA would not ever see a dollar from that person/persons.

gengar

That's what I didn't get when I read OP. I would complain on this basis alone.

glennaa11

Well, I was on UA 804 SIN-NRT on Wednesday and the couple in my row were offered a choice of breakfast by the FA early in the flight, maybe before we even took off. Both selected "continental". Shortly before the meal service started the FA returned to tell them that their choice would not be available but that after the F pax ate she would see if there was anything leftover she could give them. Much argument ensued. She told them choices were allocated based on status, and presumably they were lowest on the totem pole. They were not pleased and spoke with the purser who told them pretty much the same thing. They argued that as UA had abandoned them in BKK the least the airline could do is give them the breakfast they chose when offered a choice. I quietly cheered them on but didn't want to get involved. The purser was rather indignant about their abandonment claim, but as some one who was similarly left to find his own way out of Thailand I agree with them.

So anyway, is this system-wide catering short-cutting? Sure sounds like it.

I don't know why anyone would ever fly UA internationally. My trip to SE Asia was on ANA. And while they also had some problems (a canceled flight after a mechanical issue) they took pretty good care of us and at least the aircraft was clean and comfortable. UA's aircraft are looking really worn. My NRT-IAD leg on UA 804 was in F. And while it was an improvement over the a/c with old C on the SIN-NRT leg the F suites were looking a little ratty. I can't imagine paying 10's of thousands of dollars to fly that product.

Fredd

Would your wife peel your grape for you? Mrs. Fredd never will.

While it's a relatively minor incident, your description of the FA who "slapped" a plate down on the armrest compounds the annoyance.

Tending toward passive-aggressive reactions, I think I would have ordered anything slapped down to be removed (unless, of course, it was something really good).

Cheers,
Fredd

mcgahat

I don't get it either to be honest....

notquiteaff

I would have pulled out my camera and taken a photo of that generous offering, to send to customer relations afterwards.

xevious

And don't forget sandwiches have been eliminated as part of the mid-flight snack on longer haul flights in C. It's pathetic on SFO- or LAX-NRT flights, for example, to only have a small assortment of junk food available 7 hours into a flight.

ZRH2SFO

On a recent FRA- SFO UA 901 no mid-flight sandwiches were available. Catering screw up, I was told by the FA. The UD FAs however, tried very hard to find something for me. One even went to F, interrupting his own meal.

sobore

The absurdity and pettiness of UA international service is obscene.
How could an FA actually tell C passengers they have to split a cheese and crackers plate with a straight face?

drummingcraig

So are you saying that these two px didn't get anything to eat, or just that their first choice (the continental breakfast) wasn't available to them?
If the latter, then that's pretty much how it works sometimes, and if these px were indeed "lowest on the meal choice totem" then the FA/purser followed the correct protocol. Notwithstanding their claim to being "disserviced" in BKK, they may very well have been 2P px who received OpUps, and certainly it would be better to deny them their first choice then to deny that of a paid C or GS/1K C px (assuming here that you were in C cabin on this flight; you didn't specify).

If they were indeed denied anything to eat...well, that's just ridiculous and a HUGE to UA.