Both Rocky and Sriram have sampled American Airlines’ new onboard premium class menu, effective 01 September 2014, and both found it to be supremely lacking. They are not the only ones, for I have not read one positive review of the new meal policy. Meanwhile, United Airlines has announced a true enhancement in in-flight meal service, adding meals to shorter flights that do not currently offer meals and making the menu more attractive. Polling consistently finds that travelers do not choose airlines based upon meals, yet annoy a high-value business traveler with a bagged finger sandwich on a flight of nearly three hours and s/he just might look for greener pastures. United has a chance to capitalize on this discontent if it can market itself as catering to business travelers without the nickel-and-diming.
United’s Enhanced Onboard Meal Service
There is no downside to United’s new meal service – only good. Here are the changes that are coming:
Mainline premium cabins within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and most of Mexico:
- New short and mid-haul salads and sandwiches: Beginning now, all-new salads and sandwiches, which will be served chilled or warmed depending on flight distance and departure time. These new meals will be offered during lunch and dinner times on flights between 900 and 1,299 miles, and during lunch time on flights between 1,300 and 2,299 miles. Prior to your meal United will offer warmed nuts and a beverage. All freshly prepared salad and sandwich entrees will be paired with a gluten-free soup, bread, and a warmed cookie for dessert.
- Sparkling wine in North America: Beginning this fall, Prosecco sparkling wine will be available in North America mainline premium cabins.
- Refresh for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack flights: Through 2015 new menus for remaining markets.
- Expansion of meals to shorter-haul flights: Starting in November, United will be reintroducing full meal service on additional shorter haul flights during meal times. With the exception of some competitive routes, UA serves meals on flights of 900 miles or more. Soon, flights of 800 miles or more will receive meal service (which adds meal service to 13 routes)
- Increased menu variety: An increase in the frequency of menu changes so that you see new options more often.
United Express premium cabins:
- “Significant” improvements on the way: No speciifc details but a promise of premium cabin dining on United Express in 2015 by introducing fresh meal options.
United Economy on long-haul international flights:
- Enhanced food and beverage options in 2015: Improved food and beverage experience in United Economy on long-haul international flights.
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The new salads and sandwiches sound like a nice change of pace to the current tired wraps/burritos and chicken salad that we have seen the last few years and I’ve already tried the new hot chicken & swiss cheese focaccia as an economy BOB meal on a recent flight and thought it was delicious–
My Tips for United
Here is how United can distinguish itself –
1. Highlight the New Meals – The difference between a bagged sandwich and warmed nuts, a hot sandwich or salad, soup, and a hot cookie on a flight of almost three hours is worth advertising.
2. Free Wi-Fi and streaming IFE in Premium Cabins – I foresee wi-fi onboard airplanes evolving in the way hotel wi-fi has – customers will one day expect it for free and as operating costs drop, that will be possible. United is already introducing complimentary streaming IFE on select flights and is slowly catching up to the competition in offering Wi-Fi on most aircraft. By offering a password-based complimentary Wi-Fi to premium cabin customers, it can further make the case for being the airline for business travellers.
3. Friendly, On-Time Service – Yes, the most important thing and the thing that United has sadly struggled so much with since the merger. Yet I see this as the easiest thing to fix.
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I don’t think I have ever written that while AA cuts back, UA adds on – but this is a nice development and a chance for UA to win back some business (and leisure) travellers.
While people complain about the quality and lack of airplane food I don’t think an increase in either or both would drive business. If AA were better than UA would you pay an extra $50 for a trans con? $10? How many would?
@Michael the idea is to keep the elite happy as they provide the most revenue for the airlines. Otherwise they jump to other airline programs. A non status leisure flier isn’t going to choose AA or UA for food options but an elite flier and business travelers will
@rocky How many more elites would switch airlines because of better and more food?
Food is way down on my ‘make me jump’ list.
Have flown UAL 3x internationally in C class the last 3 months and have found the meal service surprisingly good – EVERY time. In fact a few days ago the MUC-IAD flight had many options including a chicken dish that was outstanding.
UA’s inflight catering has been sunk so low since the merger — really, the CO hamburger* in F was a real joke! — anything would be an improvement. AA’s meals have been superior to UA in every way to date, so I don’t understand the slagging of AA’s product other than an adjustment to the hours meals will be provided for. I’ve a few domestic/transborder UA meals coming up over the next few months, in both cabins, so will sample the new menus. Also quite a few AA flights within the US so if there’s any downgrading I’ll certainly notice. (Of course, most of those AA flights have connections at DFW for which I’ve assured enough time to visit the Amex Centurion lounge, just in case there’s really been a decline in the inflight offerings.)
@Michael D – I discussed this in my post, but I don’t see this as a “people will jump ship just for food” deal so much as a feeding poor perceptions problem. A lot of AA elites simply don’t trust Doug Parker, and have been convinced that he intends to gut AA inside and out and turn it into US Airways. Things like going el cheapo on meals just feeds the mistrust, and provides one more reason to consider switching carriers.
No one picks a domestic carrier based on meals. There is nothing to “capitalize” on.