United, possibly no more free meals for International flights.

[Toto2Kansas]

Oh My, 8 or 9 hours on a United flight but no meal service in COACH whatsoever, unless you are willing to purchase it.

Another horrible cut back is in the works. Those booking cruise air could be assigned to a United International flight, and a big bad surprise soon.

See the story here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2hssF7MnyXo&refer=home

[DanJ]

If they got rid of airline food altogether that would be a plus in my book. I'd rather take a sandwich or buy something at the airport. What does Amtrak or Greyhound do for you on long trips with them?

[Keith1010]

Very silly on their part. Just raise the airfares on international flights by the $6.00 or so to cover the meal. I guarantee that they have more overhead to collect the money, account for it, deposit it, manage it etc. Just crazy.

 

Keith

[ohioNCLcruiser]

what is very crazy is how even Business Class won't get a free one.

[Keith1010]

what is very crazy is how even Business Class won't get a free one.

 

They are talking about coach. :)

 

Keith

[rkacruiser]

Very silly on their part. Just raise the airfares on international flights by the $6.00 or so to cover the meal. I guarantee that they have more overhead to collect the money, account for it, deposit it, manage it etc. Just crazy.

 

Keith

 

I quite agree with you! This idea is ridiculous. The airlines' pricing policies have made them the "Greyhound of the skies" and now they want us, the customers, to pay for their poor business model.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

If they got rid of airline food altogether that would be a plus in my book. I'd rather take a sandwich or buy something at the airport. What does Amtrak or Greyhound do for you on long trips with them?

 

I am guessing you are asking out of curiosity so here goes:

 

Amtrak has dining cars with full service or snack cars with walk up counter service with burgers and dogs etc.

 

Greyhound makes stops at diners or fast food places. It would be a bit hard to provide meal service on a bus wouldn't it? :confused:

[greatam]

They are talking about coach. :)

 

Keith

 

There have been "hints/suggestions/rumors" that this will also extend to business. BIG discussion on various websites. IF United has it's way and continues with plans, food AND drinks will go away in business. They have notified catering that "on or about" October 1, catering will only be for First Class. I only know this as one of our bakery customers was notified that his orders with airline catering would be cut back SUBSTANTIALLY for all United flights. They could always change it, but United is soooo broke and such a lousy airline, I believe they will stick to their plan of NO food in business.

[Keith1010]

greatam, wow. They are even crazier than I thought and obviously broken. When I lived in Washington DC and also in San Francisco, during the 1980's I I used United often. And they were fine back then. I never use them now. That post I made about a week ago asking about flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo and looking for feedback about Cathay Pacific, I know darn well that United has a flight between these points as I flew it back in the 1990's. But today no way. So, in my humble opinion, if they can continue this way and have the nerve or lack of business smarts they wil lbe the K Mart of the airline industry.

 

Keith

[NCMtnBoys]

We're booked on United flights SFO-HKG and HKG-SFO next March. As far as I'm concerned one airline is about as good (or bad) as another, so it really doesn't matter who you fly...the important thing is to get from your origin to your destination. I don't mind flying United, as I've flown them to Asia a couple times before and had no problems. For our upcoming March flights I liked the fact that each flight will be non-stop and on 747s.

 

To each their own, but I rarely have any complaints about the airlines (and yes, I've flown plenty - probably three dozen times). Some people would complain that their ice cubes aren't cold enough during the onboard beverage service. I mean geesh - as long as you get to where you're going, give 'em a break. They're just people doing their jobs.

[greatam]

We're booked on United flights SFO-HKG and HKG-SFO next March. As far as I'm concerned one airline is about as good (or bad) as another, so it really doesn't matter who you fly..

 

You will just have to hope that United is still in business next March. They are doing absolutely everything they can to run more and more passengers AWAY. International flights of 8-15 hours WITHOUT food unless you pay???? Why would ANYONE fly United when you can get food (and blankets/pillows, etc) for free on another airline at about the same price????

 

There is a HUGE difference in airlines. Maybe not US airlines (although there are some better than others), but once you start flying European/Asian/South American airlines, the differences are VERY visible.

 

PS: Flying "plenty" is 50,000 miles per year, year after year. When you REALLY start to fly "plenty", you will start to explore the LARGE difference in airlines. And there truly are differences.

 

Did you look at some of the Asia carriers to HKG??? Especially out of SFO where there are "family package tickets" available dirt cheap in Chinatown.

 

Just a suggestion-start looking for alternatives to your United flights. Betting money says United will not be around much after the first of the year.

[SelectSys]

Wow. They must really not want to stay in business. They really need to come up with something more than shrinking service and service offerings if they want to survive. UA not caring about their coach passengers is crazy as some number of them would make up their next generation of elite and premium passengers. This just makes sure that more of the up and coming passengers never consider UA as their primary carrier.

 

In my opinion UA management is "grasping at straws" and is likely being seduced by spreadsheets that don't reflect reality ... I can see the young MBA from marketing making the pitch - "if only y% of passengers buy this we'll make $x! We ran the Monte Carlo simulation and our downside risk is only $z at the the 95 percentile of confidence! It's a sure thing to enhance revenue with minimal customer risk! ... "

[Keith1010]

We're booked on United flights SFO-HKG and HKG-SFO next March. As far as I'm concerned one airline is about as good (or bad) as another, so it really doesn't matter who you fly...the important thing is to get from your origin to your destination. I don't mind flying United, as I've flown them to Asia a couple times before and had no problems. For our upcoming March flights I liked the fact that each flight will be non-stop and on 747s.

 

To each their own, but I rarely have any complaints about the airlines (and yes, I've flown plenty - probably three dozen times). Some people would complain that their ice cubes aren't cold enough during the onboard beverage service. I mean geesh - as long as you get to where you're going, give 'em a break. They're just people doing their jobs.

 

I am one who rarely complains about anything. My wife and I feel very fortunate that we have the means to cruise and try to look on life with the half glass is full rather than empty.

 

And certainly when it comes to airline travel my number one priority is safety.

 

With that said to me it is common sense that the airlines provide meals on long flights and that the cost we reflected in the overall ticket cost. Certainly, if I am going to buy a R/T coach ticket for say $1,500.00 or a R/T Business Class Ticket for say 5,000.00 then charge me $10.00 more with the ticket so that the meal is included. That will not alter my plans to travel.

 

And, I firmly believe that there are great inefficiencies in having to collect the money and account for it adding overall cost to the airline.

 

I guess my analogy is that when I stay at a hotel I do not expect that they will also add a charge if I take a shower or use their towels.

 

I just think that there is a major problem in the business model which has been rather evident the last few years and with decisions like this it is even more evident.

 

And, personally I do worry that if the airline(s) are making these types of decisions what are they doing in the way of safety that we might not be aware of.

 

Anyway, I have known many smart people in business and some who are not so smart. I certainly would not run my business like this.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

You will just have to hope that United is still in business next March. They are doing absolutely everything they can to run more and more passengers AWAY. International flights of 8-15 hours WITHOUT food unless you pay???? Why would ANYONE fly United when you can get food (and blankets/pillows, etc) for free on another airline at about the same price????

 

There is a HUGE difference in airlines. Maybe not US airlines (although there are some better than others), but once you start flying European/Asian/South American airlines, the differences are VERY visible.

 

PS: Flying "plenty" is 50,000 miles per year, year after year. When you REALLY start to fly "plenty", you will start to explore the LARGE difference in airlines. And there truly are differences.

 

Did you look at some of the Asia carriers to HKG??? Especially out of SFO where there are "family package tickets" available dirt cheap in Chinatown.

 

Just a suggestion-start looking for alternatives to your United flights. Betting money says United will not be around much after the first of the year.

 

I agree. I will not book any flights on United because I am not convinced they will make it. Never thought that would happen to them. But they are making foolish decisions.

 

Some of the changes that the airlines have made I am not thrilled with such as charging for luggage but I understand the concept. If you have a business traveler who is not checking in any luggage vs someone who is checking in a lot of luggage there can be a difference in cost structure. I can argue that both ways.

 

But, any airline that would charge for meals in either coach or business class for long haul international flights is not trying to attract passengers for the longterm.

 

Keith

[Globaliser]

If they got rid of airline food altogether that would be a plus in my book.

As usual, it depends on which airline you fly. There are airlines on which certain dishes are worth staying up for. And yes, I am talking about economy class.

 

Top example: Qantas' fish curry.

They are talking about coach.

There have been "hints/suggestions/rumors" that this will also extend to business. BIG discussion on various websites.

There's an open source for this - see this post on the United/US Airways thread.

[Globaliser]

As far as I'm concerned one airline is about as good (or bad) as another, so it really doesn't matter who you fly...the important thing is to get from your origin to your destination.

I will echo greatam on this: You are so wrong. The difference between good airlines and bad airlines is huge - and that is even when you're simply comparing economy class against economy class.

 

One type of airline will have you simply thankful that you've got to your destination. The other type of airline will have you saying, "That was so nice, I'm really quite looking forward to doing it again."

(and yes, I've flown plenty - probably three dozen times)

PS: Flying "plenty" is 50,000 miles per year, year after year. When you REALLY start to fly "plenty", you will start to explore the LARGE difference in airlines. And there truly are differences.

I'm not even sure that I'd say that 50,000 miles a year is "plenty". I do about 100,000 miles a year, and I don't class myself as a frequent flyer.

 

To be a frequent flyer, you have to have a lifestyle like that of a friend who I was lucky enough to see last weekend. She did 30,000 miles in July. There had been another busy month back in April: 30,000 miles. She got back home (east coast USA) from a work trip to Japan just 14 hours before setting off again to fly to London - for a leisure weekend.

 

That's frequent flyer for you. IMHO, only then can you say that you're flying "plenty".

[Globaliser]

You will just have to hope that United is still in business next March.

They must really not want to stay in business.

I must have a gambling gene secreted somewhere deep inside me. A few months ago, I decided that I should try to use my UA miles for something decent. But I need to add to them. So I am now frantically using my UA card to accumulate enough miles to do that. I just hope that they stay in business long enough for there to be a decent use for the miles ...

 

I suppose that at worst, the happiness I would feel when UA goes under might well outweigh the disappointment of the lost miles, should the liquidators not be able to sell Mileage Plus.

[DanJ]

I am guessing you are asking out of curiosity so here goes:

 

Amtrak has dining cars with full service or snack cars with walk up counter service with burgers and dogs etc.

 

Greyhound makes stops at diners or fast food places. It would be a bit hard to provide meal service on a bus wouldn't it? :confused:

 

So Amtrak provides free food in those dining cars for those 10 hour+ train rides? Greyhound picks up the tab at those diners? So, why are the airlines expected to keep giving away food? Relatively speaking, airline tickets are a lot cheaper and less restrictive than they were back in the good old days when all these freebies were introduced.

[Globaliser]

So Amtrak provides free food in those dining cars for those 10 hour+ train rides? Greyhound picks up the tab at those diners? So, why are the airlines expected to keep giving away food? Relatively speaking, airline tickets are a lot cheaper and less restrictive than they were back in the good old days when all these freebies were introduced.

I don't think anyone would expect them to do it if they were not full-service airlines. There are a number of airlines in Europe which have either made, or tried to make, the transition from one model to the other - although with limited success.

 

However, I don't think those airlines have gone as far as doing it on their long-haul routes. Given the generally adverse reaction to what they've done on their short-haul routes, they would regard it as commercial suicide to do it on long-haul.

 

And that is the reaction that we see here.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

So Amtrak provides free food in those dining cars for those 10 hour+ train rides? Greyhound picks up the tab at those diners? So, why are the airlines expected to keep giving away food? Relatively speaking, airline tickets are a lot cheaper and less restrictive than they were back in the good old days when all these freebies were introduced.

 

I think we are misunderstanding each other.

[nho9504]

Not many realize the flight from ORD to HNL is over 8 hours long. No meal service from UA or AA in coach.

 

Bring some meal bars or protein bars with you when packing just in case you dont have time to grab a take-out on the way to board your plane.

[MMDown Under]

I will echo greatam on this: You are so wrong. The difference between good airlines and bad airlines is huge - and that is even when you're simply comparing economy class against economy class.

 

One type of airline will have you simply thankful that you've got to your destination. The other type of airline will have you saying, "That was so nice, I'm really quite looking forward to doing it again.

 

I agree with greatam and Globaliser on this totally.

 

Having flown long haul overseas on many different airlines, there is a HUGE difference between airlines in economy.

 

Unfortunately, I don't fly Qantas overseas very often because it is more expensive for Australians to buy Qantas tickets than it is for their overseas customers.

 

The last time I was fortunate enough to fly Qantas overseas, I flew NY JFK to Brisbane (now that is a long haul flight), check in was a complete shambles, luggage just sitting everywhere, delayed flight, etc. etc. Grumpy passengers were greeted by a smiling friendly Qantas steward, who apologised for the delay, immediately putting everyone at ease, then kept passengers informed. He even gave a commentary of sights en route from NY to LA. He made my day!

 

After safety standards, which is the most important consideration, service standards and staff make all the difference!

[nho9504]

We're booked on United flights SFO-HKG and HKG-SFO next March. As far as I'm concerned one airline is about as good (or bad) as another, so it really doesn't matter who you fly...the important thing is to get from your origin to your destination. I don't mind flying United, as I've flown them to Asia a couple times before and had no problems. For our upcoming March flights I liked the fact that each flight will be non-stop and on 747s.

 

To each their own, but I rarely have any complaints about the airlines (and yes, I've flown plenty - probably three dozen times). Some people would complain that their ice cubes aren't cold enough during the onboard beverage service. I mean geesh - as long as you get to where you're going, give 'em a break. They're just people doing their jobs.

 

No way. There are HUGE differences between Asian airlines and the US carriers even in Coach. Besides, United's 747's are soooo old and worn...

 

The United coach seats are so narrow and tight for the longhaul, even the Asian folks complained about it. Also United tickets on the Transpacific runs are constantly CHEAPER than the Asian counterparts when you purchase it in Asia. Cathay HKG to North America seems always the most expensive in every class of services, and often sold out in peak seasons. There are reasons for that!

[NCMtnBoys]

You will just have to hope that United is still in business next March. They are doing absolutely everything they can to run more and more passengers AWAY. International flights of 8-15 hours WITHOUT food unless you pay???? Why would ANYONE fly United when you can get food (and blankets/pillows, etc) for free on another airline at about the same price????

 

There is a HUGE difference in airlines. Maybe not US airlines (although there are some better than others), but once you start flying European/Asian/South American airlines, the differences are VERY visible.

 

PS: Flying "plenty" is 50,000 miles per year, year after year. When you REALLY start to fly "plenty", you will start to explore the LARGE difference in airlines. And there truly are differences.

 

Did you look at some of the Asia carriers to HKG??? Especially out of SFO where there are "family package tickets" available dirt cheap in Chinatown.

 

Just a suggestion-start looking for alternatives to your United flights. Betting money says United will not be around much after the first of the year.

 

Yea, I hope they are around next March. I guess they've been around for so long that you always just assume they'll be there. But I know they and others are reaching for a lifeline, arms flailing.

 

We actually booked a package on a well known online website (not sure I can say which one) that included the airfare and the hotel for 5 nights. I thought we got a reasonble deal and at the time we booked, United had the cheapest air out of about 15 carriers (the website showed what the price would be if you selected alternate flights/carriers).

 

I've flown a handful of foreign carriers (Singapore, Thai, KLM, Alitalia, Air Canada, Air France). Of course I'll agree with many that Singapore is tops. Thai was good, the rest were just ok, nothing memorable to put them a notch above. I've always known that many Asian carriers have a great reputation. I guess for me, I don't let having to purchase a $6 meal onboard dictate whether or not the entire experience was good or bad. I've never bought an airline meal or snack box.

 

And I never said I was a frequent flyer, however I still believe I've flown "plenty" and I have experienced an array of carriers compared to some posters on Cruise Critic that may fly once a year for a cruise or something. Someday I'd like to fly Cathay, Lufthansa, Qantas. I'll never fly as much as some, all of my foreign travels have been for pleasure. And I usually always go for the carrier that has the best fare.

 

Cheers!

[wrp96]

Not many realize the flight from ORD to HNL is over 8 hours long. No meal service from UA or AA in coach.

 

 

Yep, lots of complaints on our flight to DFW from Maui from the people in coach that had to bring their own or fly. Personally I think it's wrong for them to charge for food on any long flight, a couple of hours certainly but once you start getting at 6+ hours or longer you could at least provide a snack.