Repeat after me: it’s just an airline meal. It’s just an airline meal. I wish stuff like this did not bother me…
I flew from Minneapolis to LA earlier this week on United. The flight was operated by a United Express E-175. In all honesty, I find this aircraft just as nice as mainline in both cabins of service. For this flight, I was seated in first class.
Longer regional jet flights now include meal service on United and this flight featured lunch. After takeoff, the FA began taking meal orders. Contrary to protocol, she hopped around the cabin, presumably taking meal orders by status.
At least that’s what I thought…
There were two lunch choices and the contrast between the two of them could not be greater, at least for my taste buds and diet. The first choice was an arugula salad with salmon filet and a bowl of fresh cut fruit. The second choice was cold pasta with a small side salad and grapes.
Not surprisingly, every single person in the cabin wanted salmon. And who wouldn’t: vegetables and protein versus carbs and fat?
I only have Gold status now. According to Flyertalk, meal order preference is prioritized according to:
1. Global Services
2. Premier 1K
3. All other revenue passengers (no difference between $$$ or mileage or upgraders)
4. Nonrevs
I think Golds and Silvers should get preference over non-status passengers, but it is what it is. In any case, the proper protocol is:
Our standard procedure is to take meal orders from front to back of the cabin and ask for a second choice in case your first choice is not available. After meal orders are taken, our inflight crew will prioritize meal orders in the galley. This way, we can streamline the order-taking processes while eliminating skipping around the cabin for order-taking.
No Salmon For You
I like that policy. It wasn’t followed on my flight, though. As I mentioned, the FA skipped around the four-row cabin and I just assumed the people behind me were 1Ks or Global Services.
There was an older couple in front of me who took the last two salmons. They also mentioned to the FA that they never fly but there son was bringing them out to Los Angeles. Fine, good for them.
I took the pasta (it was that or nothing) and hoped for the best, though it was simply nasty:
The FA noticed that I did not eat it and offered me a snack box from the back. I appreciated that gesture.
If that’s where our story ends, this post would be of limited value. But it doesn’t end there.
We landed in LA and I stood up to retrieve my bag. I noticed the first class passenger behind me had a United ID badge on, though she was not in uniform.
I listened in on the conversation between her and the passengers across the aisle and found out that she was non-revving (not deadheading) home after visiting her daughter. It is rare for non-revs to ever get first class seats (absent shenanigans) on a domestic flight, but I did notice all elites were upgraded on my flight so it appears she was accommodated in the forward cabin.
I just had to roll my head. Way to take care of your own, madame FA…
CONCLUSION
I spent time in the Escape Lounge in MSP prior to the flight. A beautiful salad bar was offered with protein options. For the life of me, I don’t know why I don’t start eating in lounges and skipping the game of roulette onboard airplanes.
Missing out on your meal choice is no fun, but not really a big deal when both options are edible. But when one looks delicious and the other is inedible, it just dampens the whole flight experience.
Oh to have 1K status again…
Oh how pathetic to get worked up over an in-flight meal, but come on, you know you would too.
For someone I think is a pretty smart cookie, I am having a hard time understanding your devotion to UA. I have NO fond memories of any UA flight over the course of far too many years. Perhaps you should look into getting lifetime Gold on BA? Access to arguably some of the best airline lounges around the world and pretty good treatment on Oneworld carriers. The culture at UA is toxic and has been for 20+ years. Chances are it won’t change. BA has problems, but frankly, I get more benefits from BA Gold than I do from AA exec plat.
I get it. When you have status and are detail-oriented, the details matter. Protocol matters. You expect a consistent experience.
Stuff like this gets under my skin, especially with Hiltons (Diamond here). I know how it’s supposed to be, and I get frustrated when it isn’t. My wife always tells me to chill. LOL
Agree wholeheartedly with this post. It’s a first world problem but it neatly summarises what is wrong with United: staff who are out of control. Rather than maintaining a reasonable service standard and sometimes exceeding it, United fights to maintain any sort of standard. It doesn’t dare empower staff because they can’t be trusted. I have no idea what the solution is but they have a very real problem and it’s tearing the company apart.
I frequently don’t get my first choice as a 1K when i’m in first which is almost never. I can’t even clear CPUs.
LOL CPU’s clearing. I meant “I can’t even clear RPU’s”. These vouchers are useless these days. I apply them to every flight then get them back.
I’m also weird about airplane meals, but one thing that has changed of late for me is eating in lounges. In almost every instance lounge food will be superior to food served onboard. Especially the cold meals served on United Express. If there are good options in the lounge, I’ll almost certainly eat there first. Obviously this is easier on international flights with better lounges…
Maybe you were being targeted by FAs or United because of your recent article(s)?
Off course there will be no evidence whatsoever. Just a little bit of inconvinience here and there…..
Even tough the non-rev crew got a better meal, at least they don’t beat and drag you to get your seat for her……
it’s a mixed blessing, you think that salmon is healthy is so wrong. there are much more pollutants and toxins in that salmon than what you breathe in LA air. even with the drench oil on the pasta, it is the healthier choice.
I don’t know that it is healthy, but it does have protein.
I’m a Premier Gold too and have generally gotten everything I’ve expected or needed from UA. Granted, I’m also a pretty easy going flier and don’t expect too, too much.
That being said, I’m fearful that the next step after Basic Economy will be a paid cold meal, while anyone without status will be offered a chance to pay for botulism.
slow news day or what? To whine about not getting some bottom of the barrel, farmed raised garbage salmon over getting pasta? just LOL!
I mean, he already beat the dead Ethiopian horse to death!
No sympathy for you. Sorry. After what we’ve seen lately, and what Scott Kirby has in store, why should anything surprise you?
I’m with you Matthew, it would bother me too. But as you know this was not really a UA mainline plane; it was probably a Republic flight or one of their other RJ operators.
Are they bound by the same UA rules on how to handle UA’s customers and their nonrev flyers?
This was a United 777 pilot who received her salmon.
If she is a B777 pilot she is making $150+K a year. She probably paid $200 -$300 for discounted first class. She can easily afford it without regrets. When employee purchase discounted tickets they are treated as revenue passengers.
Nope, she was on the cleared standby list and specifically mentioned “NonRev” when taking to the people across from her. Very friendly woman. She probably made friends with the crew.
1. Non revenue employee will never get domestic first class these days. All GSs, 1Ks, Platinums, Golds and Silvers and those who is using RPU certificates would have clear first.
2. Employee can purchase discounted fare if they don’t want to deal with non-reving it is guaranteed seat at low price. In that case they are treated as regular revenue passengers. Just like some large companies get discounts on business travel.
3. In domestic first class I always opt for a snack box instead of the meal. You don’t want to eat mass prepared salad who knows how many hours before the flight. Sometimes there are bugs.
4. Request special meal before the flight and your choice will be almost guaranteed, but it doesn’t work for last minute upgrades. Although if you got free upgrade you should not complain about meal choices. You didn’t pay for it. Be great full for what you got. Also if you pay for a first or business class ticket and request special meal, there is 50/50 chance they won’t have that special meal on board. Then you can write a column about it. UA didn’t have gluten free meal for Famke Janssen for example.
Several issues here. First, you cannot order meals on domestic flights, except for Hawaii and Premium Transcon flights. Second, this was not a myUA discount ticket, based upon flight standby list (not upgrade standby list). Third, I used an RPU to upgrade. Fourth, non-revs still get business class domestically from time to time. There is a whole thread on FT about flights that go out with open F seats. Yes, it rarely happens, but it does and did here. It makes me feel like a bigger fool for burning a friend’s RPU on this flight.
Livid, Horrific, and let’s not forget FA’s “revolting”; seems to be an over abundance in the use of attention grabbing headlines for seemingly mundane issues when it comes to your posts.
That being said…..there are a lot of assumptions being made absent the actual facts. Perhaps the FA indeed went out of her way to accommodate the employee. But we are also talking about Express FA’s who also tend to jump between different carriers from time to time and seemingly get the carrier policies confused. I’ve had FAs on DL connection refer to AA Eagle or vice versa. Yes your FA jumped around taking orders and the person behind you got a choice of entrees. But do you have solid proof that the FA looked at the manifest noticed that it was a non-rev and took her order because of that….could the nonrev swapped seats with someone that did have status? And then I’ve seen it where an FA hops around, then start at the last row moving back forward using FEBO. And if you never saw the person behind you wearing an ID would you actually have had a gripe?
I guess I’m confused. You said the people in front of you got the last of the salmon. So what does the non-rev behind you have anything to do with you not having salmon? Did the FA take the non-revs order then go to the couple in front of you and then you were the last one to be asked when there were no choices left?
FA started with non-rev in row four, then moved to row one, then row two, then to me in row three.
Were you picturing puppies and kittens during the meal service to keep your cool? You are so lucky there was a madame serving your flight, alas one of your hungers went unsatisfied. 😉
I was playing “Let it go” from Frozen on my iPhone…
Matthew I get that everyone has airline preferences but this is yet another example of just how bad UA service is these days. I mean these people make AA look like an excellent service airline and that is frankly quite a feat. Beyond sentimental value are there still any tangible benefits that keep you loyal to UA? Personally, domestically in the US I feel it’s a crap-shoot and will now go for the best price/itinerary for my route (especially with Amex centurion/priority pass lounge access) while internationally I keep status with one world (where elite status stilll seems to matter on intercontinental business, even with BA…). In either case have to say UA comes in the back of the line, only in urgent situations would I ever consider booking them.
I am on sitting is Economy Plus on UA and the four “meal options” ALL have cheese embedded. Those of us born with the “hate cheese” gene, like me, find this very, very frustrating.
I am 1K with United and often am at the mercies of where my seat it. In the last 2 years I think once I was approached for my meal in advance of other passengers displaying 50K and 75K tags on their luggage. It is definitely frustrating when united has a policy and everyone doesn’t follow. I agree that the 1st cabin on the express flights is equal to the mainline cabins; however, the food choices on those flights is almost always abysmal and I don’t think an express FA has ever requested my meal choice in advance on someone lower down the status line.
I am platinum with United and started buying Biz Class tickets for a little break—until the guy in front of me was offered quiche and I was offered Honey Nut Cheerios (seat 2B). United, I could stay at Motel 6 and get that breakfast for free, I’m not a child, and I’m not looking to be diabetic! I complained and they are sending me a voucher. Guessing it will be enough to cover the cost of a tapas box and not the $600 premium I paid for the ticket. Back to economy for me!
Seriously for a bunch of “seasoned” travelers I see a lot of rookie mistakes and assumptions in almost all of these posts and also the OP. I fly about 125k a year. Have been doing that for most of my life. I know the game, I know the good and the bad, I know how to plan for what is in front of me and I also know how to not sweat the small stuff. Airline meals I must say is small stuff. If you are picky about what you want or what you can eat then plan accordingly. Pack some snacks. Eat before. Any seasoned traveler should be keenly aware that US domestic air travel is dicey. On all the majors. I hear complaints from status on all of the carriers. About one thing or another. Lower your expections already. Don’t like it then don’t fly. Otherwise realise that this is current air travel. Put your head down. Plan accordingly and get over the small stuff like an airline meal. I hear so many selfish and foolish complaints weekly it’s comical. Flying is not glamorous. Even when you spend big money. It’s a way to get somewhere you need to go and ocasionally it might exceed but most of the time it disappoints. That is the reality and complaining about it gets you nothing but maybe a voucher. You don’t fly to experience fly these days you fly to get somewhere you want to go or have to go, that’s it. Play the CC game. Play the points game and take advantage of them like they take advatange of you that’s what I do. Good luck and safe travels people.