US Could Improve First Class by ____.
Feb 26, 2007, 7:45 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA-EXP, Flying Blue-Silver
Posts: 727
What an excellent idea for a thread. I would suggest (in order of flight experience):
1. Offer a true F only pre-board (instead of the current Zone 1 & Zone 2 omnibus boarding call which results in 50% of the people on the plane coming forward all at once);
2. Offer a ramekin of warm nuts along with cocktails in F on meal flights after take-off;
3. Bring BACK THE GLASSWARE;
4. Provide tray table lines, real linen napkins and real metal cutlery (to the extent permitted by FAA regulations);
5. Improve the quality and quantity of the meal choices offered and ONLY OFFER HOT MEALS ON TRANSCON AND CARIBBEAN FLIGHTS!; and
6. While I'm dreaming
---- offer ice cream sundaes for dessert on transcon lunch and dinner flights.
Seriously, however, in particular given the decrease in F capacity (think A-320; 757; A-321, A-330 (for SJU)), I really do think it's time to focus on INCREASING the quality of the product being offered in the new leaner F-equipped fleet.
1. Offer a true F only pre-board (instead of the current Zone 1 & Zone 2 omnibus boarding call which results in 50% of the people on the plane coming forward all at once);
2. Offer a ramekin of warm nuts along with cocktails in F on meal flights after take-off;
3. Bring BACK THE GLASSWARE;
4. Provide tray table lines, real linen napkins and real metal cutlery (to the extent permitted by FAA regulations);
5. Improve the quality and quantity of the meal choices offered and ONLY OFFER HOT MEALS ON TRANSCON AND CARIBBEAN FLIGHTS!; and
6. While I'm dreaming
---- offer ice cream sundaes for dessert on transcon lunch and dinner flights.Seriously, however, in particular given the decrease in F capacity (think A-320; 757; A-321, A-330 (for SJU)), I really do think it's time to focus on INCREASING the quality of the product being offered in the new leaner F-equipped fleet.
Feb 26, 2007, 12:27 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Programs: DL Silver, UA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Silver, IHG Plat, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,695
[QUOTE=dcpatti;7290772]-Doing it all the same way. If you're going to place a bottle of water, pillow and blanket on the seat before boarding, do it that way on all the flights.
-A little more variety on the beer selection would be nice. Even if they keep only 4 beers at any one time, it'd be nice to see something other than bud/bud light/the other 2 I forget.
-The FA's should always call us by name.[QUOTE]
I agree with you--CONSISTENCY. Pillows and blankets, pre-departure drink, address by name, a better selection of drinks, meals, etc. I flew an itinerary this past weekend where I flew a mix of US and UA segments in F. What a difference. With UA, you knew what to expect, as the FAs did and said the same things, like always offering a pre-departure drink and having a pillow and blanket on each seat. The FAs tried to anticipate your needs and called you by name. FC/1K/Global customers even boarded the plane first (before the other preferreds) in a separate "lane" complete with a red carpet!
PS. The beer choices on my US flight yesterday were Bud, Bud Light, and Heineken. Is there a 4th choice? (I remember when they used to have Sam Adams on the US Shuttle!
)
-A little more variety on the beer selection would be nice. Even if they keep only 4 beers at any one time, it'd be nice to see something other than bud/bud light/the other 2 I forget.
-The FA's should always call us by name.[QUOTE]
I agree with you--CONSISTENCY. Pillows and blankets, pre-departure drink, address by name, a better selection of drinks, meals, etc. I flew an itinerary this past weekend where I flew a mix of US and UA segments in F. What a difference. With UA, you knew what to expect, as the FAs did and said the same things, like always offering a pre-departure drink and having a pillow and blanket on each seat. The FAs tried to anticipate your needs and called you by name. FC/1K/Global customers even boarded the plane first (before the other preferreds) in a separate "lane" complete with a red carpet!
PS. The beer choices on my US flight yesterday were Bud, Bud Light, and Heineken. Is there a 4th choice? (I remember when they used to have Sam Adams on the US Shuttle!
)
Feb 26, 2007, 12:42 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2007
Programs: United 1K, Delta PM, Hilton Diamond, Starwood Gold, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 1,406
I only fly F because of status but I sat next to a lady from CMH - LAS that was next to me due to overbooking. She hardly ever flys and said "first class doesn't seem all that great". We sat on the deicing paddock for over 2 hours with no drink service. Then onto the 4 hour flight to LAS with very limited F service. If I had paid for the ticket I would have complained.
On this flight we had a minor medical emergency and the FA's were awesome. They still managed meal service and drinks and took care of the lady having the problems. We landed in LAS with a request for everyone to keep their seats while the paramedics did their thing. I was surprised at how many people got up and got in the way of the paramedics. IMHO if you want to improve the experience consistancy and having everyone understand what a FA does would help.
On this flight we had a minor medical emergency and the FA's were awesome. They still managed meal service and drinks and took care of the lady having the problems. We landed in LAS with a request for everyone to keep their seats while the paramedics did their thing. I was surprised at how many people got up and got in the way of the paramedics. IMHO if you want to improve the experience consistancy and having everyone understand what a FA does would help.
Feb 26, 2007, 1:24 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA Plat, Starwood Gold, AX Plat, Hertz Gold, Avis Preferred, Star Alliance Gold
Posts: 1,381
I completely respect that safety is the first and foremost job of the FA. I will readily admit that I would be a poor FA and I respect those that excel in that job.
Okay, now another thought on 'US First'.
On some planes, the bulkheads are covered in blue carpet with 1980's style splashes of color. Can those go, please? Beige carpet with a simple stripe could go a long way to dressing up that cabin. If they wanted to go one step further, hang (bolt) a picture on the wall. It could be a vintage a photo, a destination, Matisse-style pencil art... I don't care. But, it would add comfort, differentiation, and interest to the cabin.
Okay, now another thought on 'US First'.
On some planes, the bulkheads are covered in blue carpet with 1980's style splashes of color. Can those go, please? Beige carpet with a simple stripe could go a long way to dressing up that cabin. If they wanted to go one step further, hang (bolt) a picture on the wall. It could be a vintage a photo, a destination, Matisse-style pencil art... I don't care. But, it would add comfort, differentiation, and interest to the cabin.
Feb 26, 2007, 6:17 pm
#21
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,452
I love this idea Alysia. My Mom mentioned it to me once as well, she said she would love some healthy stuff in the basket. Maybe some fruit? Probably wouldnt be fresh, but some chilled fruit cup would be nice. And some veggies. I'm thinking of Carrots N' Ranch. Maybe I am going a bit too far now.