United Airlines is reducing its bedding onboard with new blankets for premium cabins on select flights to Hawaii and Alaska and all premium transcontinental flights. It will also eliminate the throw blanket from intercontinental flights.
United Will Trim Saks Fifth Avenue Bedding Options
Part of what makes United’s “premium transcontinental” service premium is the soft duvet from Saks Fifth Avenue. It is silky soft and somehow keeps you warm while remaining cool to the touch. To put it simply, this is an amenity I look forward to most of all beside the lie-flat seat itself when I fly business class on United.
But effective July 15th per Zach Honig, the blanket will be cut from the following flights:
- premium transcontinental flights (flights between Newark – San Francisco/Los Angeles + Boston – San Francisco)
- flights between the Mainland USA and Alaska or Hawaii that feature lie-flat seats
In its place, United will offer a “light throw blanket.” Don’t worry, these are not the “gauze” like blue blankets that appear on other United flights and systemwide in economy class. Rather, these are the lounging blankets that have traditionally been offered on longhaul international flights along with the duvet.
To source these blankets, United will eliminate them from longhaul flights. Longhaul flights will still receive the Saks Fifth Avenue duvet, a standard pillow, and a cooling gel pillow.
Can We Blame Latest Kirby Kutback On Theft?
If United CEO Scott Kirby, as the WSJ reported, personally approved the return of coffee onboard, then you can bet that he was directly involved in the decision to eliminate these blankets.
I wonder if the problem was theft? Even though United has used menus to ask guests not steal duvets, an insider tells me they continue to disappear at an alarming rate. While I haven’t seen people steal them, a Flyertalk forum is full of theft stories.
So theft is a problem, especially of these compact, comfortable, United-branded blankets. Is it too much to work these blankets into the ticket price? The new “throw blanket” is nice enough, but doesn’t replace the duvet, especially on an overnight flight.
Collecting duvets before landing would not be practical (and be even more annoying than American Airlines collecting headsets prior to landing), but what about offering them on-demand only?
In any case, don’t expect duvets after July 15th unless you are flying longhaul international business.
CONCLUSION
United remains in cost-cutting mode. The latest cut from Polaris cabins is regrettable, but the removal of duvets on domestic flights is sad. Sadly, I wouldn’t bet on this being a temporary thing. And while I certainly won’t commend Kirby’s latest elimination, the old “this is why we cannot have nice things” adage does come to mind.
Will United’s removal of bedding from premium transcontinental, Hawaii, and Alaska flights impact you?
> Read More: United Really Doesn’t Want You to Steal Onboard Bedding!
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Ridiculous! Does Scotty think he can save the airline by such niggling little things like this. This kind of think only produces disappointment from regular customers and extends united reputation of irregular service. He should think about Bethune’s oft repeated mantra, you can keep removing ingredients from the pizza until soon you will have an inedible pizza. i think his phrasing was a bit more catchy than this semi quote, but don’t have time this morning to look it up. Why not try 90% ontime flights, a few more services, a few more blankets, a few more had sanitizing machines, more CORE 4 training, more attention to the details. Try the hard things instead of the easy stupid things.
Agreed.
United will soon be replacing Spirit and Allegiant for the worst US airlines. Seriously, unless one is a hub hostage why would anyone fly United?
It’s sad because the Saks bedding on United is so much better than the Westin bedding on Delta or Casper on AA. It truly was industry-leading.
Stamp a length of burlap with “SAKS” and some people would swear it’s the finest silk…probably why they pinch them.
Airlines are going to be ‘dining out’ on COVID for decades: it’s the perfect excuse to make all the cuts they’ve always dreamed of, but never dared.
That might be an interesting social experiment, but the United duvets are truly nice.
As for your second point, sadly I agree. Even Turkish Airlines…
Correct me if I am wrong here- We, the loyal customers to United are the ones to blame.
Many years ago, when United decided to change the way to earn miles by multiplying 11, 9, 7… on the ticket we pay, we DECIDED to continue to support United.
Last November, when United announced that elite qualification will be based on $$$ spent on ticket, not the distance we fly, we DECIDED to continue to support United.
Then soon right after, United announced that pax can only earn max 1000 or 500 PQP’s per partner, we DECIDED to continue to support United.
Is this cut back the last thing United will do to loyal customers, I strongly doubt it. Does United value us as loyal customers? Not in my opinion. If we, including myself, love United that much regardless what it did, is doing, and will do to us again, then why are we complaining here?
You raise reasonable points.
Rotten – AA and DL offer a full duvet on transcon
The problem with the DL one is it is so small I cannot wrap myself around it.
Sigh, I prefer to be cold when I sleep and the day blanket is my choice on all flights especially those without personal air vents, the full blanket is too warm for me to sleep in.
Ive seen more flight attendants carrying this and putting them into their own crew bags. Those gel pillows ? mostly all go into FA bags. the bigger issue isnt trying to save a few bucks but getting rid of the good stuff. How about hiring, training and retraining to they actually have the service part of customer service nailed. Wonder if they have ever flown any asian carrier before.
I’d argue that this is not as big of a deal as the headline suggests. Polaris flights, which arguably are the only flights these are officially offered on, aren’t impacted by this change. The availability of the improved blankets/pillows etc seemed to be inconsistent unless it was a widebody to begin with. Is it a nice amenity? Yes, but UA’s premium domestic cabin is barelyt
Surprisingly, I would have expected all resuable items (linens/pillows/blankets/silverware/etc) to have been pulled completely off the aircraft given the current pandemic, or at least UA using it as a means to make additional cost cuts. The product has been on the slide for the past few years, so much that I’ve actually made the switch to AA.
No, premium transcontinental flights are also marketed with these duvets
Yes, you are correct. I guess premium transcon flights are so far gone with respect to service/amenities that I really don’t even hold them in the same category as Polaris. Not that the current Polaris offering is anything but a stripped down “econo” version relative to the initial product launch.
I love the service and yes definitely the pillow and Blankets the Agents and Crews are always friendly