Amazingly enough some of you people actually seem to like airline food (and even more of you seem to roll your eyes at my obsession with hot nuts, cookies, and getting my first meal choice). So I posted all the delightfully healthy food I was served on my flights last weekend, so I might as well do the same for this past weekend.
Yes, I’m working on finding my way to the gym as we speak, and yes, my Diet Coke with lime sponsorship is obviously back on. 😉
The only two things worth mentioning are the awful breakfast presentation and that I didn’t get my first choice meal for the first time. The joys of an Airbus 319 with only eight first class seats, catering for exactly the right number of people, and a flight attendant that prefers simplicity (front to back) over procedure (taking meal orders by status).
The only thing that makes me feel worse than looking at those pictures is realizing that I’ll be flying the same exact routing next weekend, plus four more flights. Bleh, I think I just won’t eat anymore….
@LUCKY, Did you make a comment to the FA and why didn't you ask for a new one,just curious...... btw the way the sausages on UA is pretty salty and too much sodium, not healthy.
JOSH
@ ssullivan -- I'd be curious to hear what airline serves "good" meals domestically.
@ Eric -- I completely agree with you. I think GS and F should always get their meal choice first. I actually think paid F should come ahead of 1K. But they do have a system in place, and I can assure you no one was flying paid F to TPA. We had Ted for a reason. :D
For what it's...
@ ssullivan -- I'd be curious to hear what airline serves "good" meals domestically.
@ Eric -- I completely agree with you. I think GS and F should always get their meal choice first. I actually think paid F should come ahead of 1K. But they do have a system in place, and I can assure you no one was flying paid F to TPA. We had Ted for a reason. :D
For what it's worth I actually sneaked at the manifest. I was the only passenger with three stars in first class (there were a couple of two stars, three with one star, and a couple with no stars).
@ JOSH -- Nope....
@ Rich -- My PS flights have been VERY, VERY, VERY elite heavy up front lately. On my last PS flight there was only one passenger that didn't have at least three stars. Crazy!
@ HunterSFO -- Great question, though I have no clue. I'm nuts about nuts, but not nutty enough to know the difference! :D
@ Matthew -- Yep, it seems like they have real catering now on flights that don't overnight in TPA. Who knows, though....
Real (non-plastic) catering ex-TPA in your first two meal pictures?
hi Lucky-
Do you know what that new nut is in the hot nuts mix that replaced the macadamias? And shame on them for taking out the macadamias!
Rich, I travel the same flight a lot and even as a 1K I only get my first choice half of the time. Unless I flirt a lot that is. Once I saw the FA eyeing the magazine I was reading. I told him he could have it after I was finished. Somehow I got the most in-demand entree after that!
Speaking of not getting first choice meals...
I was on PS today, JFK-SFO in C, seated in row 10. After taking orders for row 9, the FA stopped to count, then realized there was a problem, went back to 9D to explain that the chicken was no longer available. At this point, I'm not concerned, since I've never missed my first choice as a 1K. He makes his second selection, the chili, she goes to...
Speaking of not getting first choice meals...
I was on PS today, JFK-SFO in C, seated in row 10. After taking orders for row 9, the FA stopped to count, then realized there was a problem, went back to 9D to explain that the chicken was no longer available. At this point, I'm not concerned, since I've never missed my first choice as a 1K. He makes his second selection, the chili, she goes to write it down, pauses, then says that the chili is gone too!
Apparently by row 9, the C was down to the last meal choice. The FA insisted that she was following the correct meal selection order. If so, I have incredibly bad luck and was on the most GS/1K/full fare PS flight that I've ever seen.
LUCKY,
Did you ever ask the FA to replace your meal?
JOSH
The shrimp and bacon salad spinach taste good, btw the shrimp is grilled.
Delta does not use the status for meal order,only front to rear first come first serve.
JOSH
@CM
Thanks! That makes a lot of sense. Global Services represents high revenue, so giving them first choice is ideal.
Anyone know the order for Delta first class? My family and I will be flying first in a few weeks to SEA>PBI.
@Eric:
United uses a star system to prioritize meal selection:
4 Stars: Global Services
3 Stars: Paid First and 1K
2 Stars: Premier Executive
1 Star: Premier
0 Stars: Everyone else
"catering for exactly the right number of people": I once flew an El-Al 747 which ran out of chicken exactly where I was sitting, at row 53. This started a conversation among passengers in my area, some of whom were regulars on this route, and it turned out that this particular flight always ran out of chicken at row 53 or 54. So I wrote a letter to El-Al, explaining how they could get customers...
"catering for exactly the right number of people": I once flew an El-Al 747 which ran out of chicken exactly where I was sitting, at row 53. This started a conversation among passengers in my area, some of whom were regulars on this route, and it turned out that this particular flight always ran out of chicken at row 53 or 54. So I wrote a letter to El-Al, explaining how they could get customers happy by adjusting the proportion of meals they load on the plane, and also that having made this adjustment, just a few extra meals of each type would get everyone satisfied on the vast majority of flights (think law of large numbers). I received a polite response explaining that that they don't have the capacity to carry two meals for each passenger and therefore they take 50% chicken and 50% beef.
You mention that the 'procedure' is to take orders by status. Shall I presume that full first class fare paying pax would - er, should - get first pick? And only after that, would the upgraders be given their preference by status?
AFAIK front-to-back order taking is official policy now. This way no one feels singled out, and orders are still prioritized by status/etc behind the scenes.
You know there are airlines that do serve good food in domestic F in this country. Sadly UA isn't one of them.
In an 8-seat F cabin, taking meal preferences by status is ridiculous.
Nothing wrong with one ramekin of nuts each way. Shrimp salad has to be on the positive side of the ledger. And one warm cookie with milk --- as long as they only serve you one, how bad can it be? Now it's the Double Cheeseburger at your favorite fast food joint that would tip the scales. Not to mention the 72 oz sugar-laden soda.
Well,... at least you're drinking Diet Coke instead of regular. :-P