Paper or plastic? United Airlines finally has a permanent solution for its ice cream bowl issue…plastic.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read here. In a nutshell, United’s glass ice cream bowls were cracking, prompting the carrier to eliminate ice cream sundaes for almost two months then use paper cups for more than six months.
> Read More: For Your Protection, No Ice Cream Sundaes on United Airlines
The original bowls looked like this–
With customers ingesting shards of glass, United transitioned to paper bowls for business class:
Nothing screams premium like a paper bowl…
Last week I flew from Newark to Seattle and was shocked to see bowls had returned–
But don’t be deceived. These are not glass bowls, but plastic ones.
These reusable bowls look nice, are made of heavy plastic, and eliminate the sad mockery of serving ice cream in paper bowls in premium cabins.
You might ask what took so long? I’m not defending United here, but it’s not like it could just snap its fingers and a solution would magically appear. United likely submitted an RFP (request for proposal) for a solution, reviewed options, chose a vendor, reviewed and tested samples, and finally approved their production. That takes time.
CONCLUSION
While plastic may also not scream premium, it’s sure a better solution than the paper cups.
Now I can sleep at night !
Psst, chard is a vegetable
Shards. Thanks!
Finally United gets something right!
I travel economy and I travel Business. I have no issue being served ice cream in a small container as sold by the manufacturer. I prefer knowing that I am getting a premium brand rather that whatever.
Why are other airlines able to use glass without this problem?
And THAT’s the million dollar question.
Answer: Because those other airlines aren’t UA.
I’m not a big fan of the ice cream sundaes personally, but I agree it took a long time to find a solution.
Fine, use plastic. I am happy they have added other desserts to the menu – small tarts, etc.
What saddens me more is the loss of the wine cart which featured the always fun “Flight of Wine.”
That was a REAL step up for United, and now it was removed from service.
It doesn’t if it comes in plastic or paper. The only thing that truly matters is that they have hot fudge instead of the cheaper chocolate syrup. We are paying for business class (or at least using our points for it) and we deserve the good stuff. Nuff said.
Jeez, just use porcelain bowls like everyone else. Ain’t rocket science.
I spoke to some of the crew about this on my recent flight and they told me it isn’t just plastic. Apparently it is a high end polycarbonate which is virtually shatter proof and has a better performance compared to regular plastic or even glass. The glass products are seemingly being phased out as part of their drive for a more sustainable operation.
The same crew member told me they also had been trialing a similar polycarbonate glass for their pre-departure drinks, which looks like a regular glass but has the same shatter proof properties. Haven’t seen that one myself, but would be good to see.
Hi Thomas,
I received one of those glasses on a recent flight from FRA-IAD (pre-departure beverage). They are a big improvement over the old plastic cups!