Delta lets passengers choose in advance the option to skip a meal, and save the airline money. Japan Airlines even suggests that doing so is a moral imperative.
This is a trend sweeping the industry, reducing food cost by getting passengers to pre-committing not to eat. United is a part of it too, and they are offering customers more than one choice now to nudge them not to eat. Both of these options that appear when pre-ordering mean the same thing, United can spend less on catering:
- I’m not going to eat
- I’m going to eat before my flight
I’m not sure I’d consider United Club offerings to be a meal. And I’m also not sure it’s a good idea to decide in advance that you’re going to make it to the airline early enough, and not face a backup at security, so that you’ll have enough time to do so. You could face traffic on the way to the airport! It might take longer than usual to get an Uber! You might get to the United Club and remember that what they’re offering is… barely food?
At least Japan Airlines gives you an extra amenity kit when you don’t take the meal this way, and China Southern has compensated passengers with miles. United gives you nothing – except not having to eat their food.
(HT: @airmarietta)
I thought one of the options was to look at the choices and decide against eating.
Potentially you are just now first noticing it, but it has been that way since at least November, if not earlier.
Good one, Daniel!
Why not a choice to donate your meal to a hungry fellow passenger or flight attendant? Want not, waste not.
Bean counters rule!
“Changes I think you’ll like.” 2023 edition.
UA trying to tell people to save themselves from their terrible meals
Before October 2022 I had never seen nor heard the word “Charcuterie”. Now it’s everywhere. What’s going on???
What happens if someone declines a meal in advance and (for whatever reason) doesn’t take the flight? Now that cabin/flight is short a meal?
More like, “I dont eat dog food.”
Slow news day? NOthing to write about? As somebody else mentioned, I’ve seen this for months.
When I used to go to JFK to LHR frequently on BA, most people going first class on the overnight flights had dinner in their lounge dining room before boarding, and could then go to sleep immediately after take off.
@David Stone – “Before October 2022 I had never seen nor heard the word “Charcuterie”.”
Really? David my man you must have remain sequestered for the past decade.
What a silly thing to discuss. Are you looking for reasons to slam an airline that doesn’t want to waste money, food, & weight? My word, make sure you order a meal sir. Has it now become too difficult to say yes to, or order one in advance?
Domestic airline food is nothing to be desired from my experience of traveling weekly for the past three years. I typically fly AA and seldom risk eating their food.
Honestly, you don’t pre-order your meal choice, you order it (you can order it a month in advance or while on the plane). Nor do you pre-commit. You either commit to something or you don’t.
Nothing better to write about I guess – this is not new.
Cynical thought: the “I’m United Club” option is written in the hopes that the short attention span folks will see “United Club” and select that option, stopping reading after the ‘b’ in Club.
Then once onboard, “Oh, Gee, you selected the ‘no meal’ option, we didn’t load a meal for you.”
@David Stone
There’s a really funny scene in an episode of Modern Family when Jay finds out what charcuterie is. It goes something like this: “That’s charcuterie? I’ve been avoiding that on menus for years. They’re killing themselves with that name!”
and BTW it is from 2020. lol
If I have paid a ton of money for an airline ticket, I have no interest in giving them more money regardless of the amount. If they don’t want me to eat, knock fifty bucks off the price of my ticket.
This is almost as funny as AA sending me a cookbook of their chefs’ favorite flight recipes.
You gotta hand it to that Scott Kirby. His cutbacks are about as subtle as The Black Plague.
I can also see airlines offering first and coach the ability to order a standard meal. Then, for additional fee, an enhanced meal. In the above offerings, the Charcuterie would be the free one, the burger option would be extra and the most expensive. The items in between would be priced in the middle range.
VftWing tends to report about 1st or Business class. Try to have more articles about the folks in the back of the plane.
Next the cheap skate airlines will charge us to use the toilet so they can save money on septic pumping.
I’ve actually used the “I’m eating at the United Club” option before. The cheese cubes and tortilla chips were a better option than anything on the flight. And those options have been available for a while now, since August in my experience.
I love this.ithe food the th serve is warmed up food and not hot.i am the first one to participants.
@mark johnson – United has the Polaris cookbook… https://viewfromthewing.com/now-you-can-enjoy-united-business-class-meals-at-home/
In the 90s United has a celebrity chef *for economy* and a companion cookbook:
Cabin crew aren’t catered meals on flights and often rely on a few pax elected not to eat. But feeding your employees is wasteful so i understand why united is cutting down on that.
This is a missed opportunity for Sara Nelson and AFA. While JAL is couching this as some sort of mythical “ethics” choice, UAL/AFA could frame this as an “equality” choice. Pax can save the poor, starving and slavery condition-working flight attendants from the indignity of “serving” somebody something. I can see the poster now: A black/brown fa presenting a meal to a (gasp) white pax with a red circle and slash through it. I think it will be a nice touch. Then there can be text at the bottom of the poster reminding us e̶n̶e̶m̶i̶e̶s̶ customers that flight attendants aren’t really there to be nice to us but are only there to be self-imagined heroes in the event of the pilots not paying attention and taxiing in front of a departing aircraft. Also that they don’t “get paid for boarding”……but make an exorbitant hourly rate once the door is closed to make up for it (shhhh they don’t really want to talk about that) oh…and now they’ll be forced to go through the indignity of screening since many of them like to smuggle drugs. YOU eating a meal takes away from THEIR paid time in the galley with the curtain drawn and playing on their phone…..How DARE us!
There should be another multiple choice, “Do you even want to eat our food?” LOL
Flew AA this morning at 0700 DCATPA. Their solution was to offer coffee in F, nothing else.
Non of US carriers has a first class…
I’m almost certain that with all the added fees that are collected per flight per customer and the cost of a first/business class ticket, airlines are already winning.
Good. This is an excellent policy. More airlines should do it.
I know Gary’s brand is to complain about everything. But this policy/option is good for the customer and good for the airline. It’s just a choice – nothing here is forcing you to pick anything.
Another way United is saving money ( millions) is by not negotiating in good faith with their labor unions while bragging about making record profits. Shameful behavior by a company that claims to care about their employees. Despite with worthless trinket United gives the employees on their work anniversary date, employees always need to remember that U it’s will always try to screw them of with a new labor contract or try to contact out their jobs.
My experience: Making a choice in advance and then being told at time of flight, from a major hub, that the selection was not available, and the available choices were between two items that had been standard (and disliked) offerings for about 4 months to my knowledge. Of what I chose, I ate only the dessert cookie and asked that the flight attendant convey my annoyance to United.
Good Service and good food will always win over customers. I like the pre selection option but the choices seem limited. Better than those flights where there’s no pre selection so can’t complain. Yes, it’s old news but appreciate your insights. Thanks
United’s food is so bad they probably make it when you pre order it,and let it ferment until your flight.
I have been in the industry for 20 years. I actually applaud this for one primary reason. Waste. It’s insane how many first class meals aren’t touched, and have to be thrown away. I see nothing wrong with any airline asking. Sure, the airline does benefit from it. Less waste, less weight, and less cost. I can’t tell you how many nights I feasted on first class meals when the last flight arrived. I also can’t tell you how many meals I watched get thrown away. I would rather see them take those meals to people that could eat them. Especially homeless.
United Club food has been great the past year and more than enough for a meal, compared to the previous generation only snacks like carrot/celery sticks,
cheese cubes, salad bar, chips/crackers, cookies, drinks. Recently I’ve had generous United Club meals of chicken fajitas, chili with all the toppings, Asian noodle soup, hot Italian meatballs with appropriate sides, huge meat and vegetarian sandwiches and wraps, different soups, pasta bar, and it all changes every month or two and different airports have different offerings. Probably more of us should be eating healthy salad meals as well so those count too. The snacks are pretty good too. Food competition from the Centurion Lounge and other new credit card lounges like Capital One and private lounges probably helped United improve its offerings as well.
A lot of people dislike airline food, so don’t see any issue declining it and you can always bring your own or eat before. And it reduces food waste, a huge problem in the US.
Well, if airlines want me to skip meals, at the very least, they should knock $300.00 off from my business class fare. Otherwise, it’s not fair.
@CHRIS…you must be exhausted. I’m exhausted just reading your hateful drivel. By the way, I recently flew with your ex wife. She’s doing great and happy you’re in the rear view mirror.
@Flyer1
And I just flew with your current wife. She wants a divorce.
I must be in the minority here. I WANT to eat on board! I have waited so long for them to bring back food & the options sound great…except for the Tofu…gag! We are heading to Oahu in July & we will eat on board! That is the fun of it! Back in the day, my Dad worked for TWA & when he passed away, my Mom gave me the menus from flying. Lots of amazing choices!
Next up —
While on board, I will
A. drink 1 cup of water
B. Be a greedy esshole and ask for two
C. I will not drink
Thank you for letting us know how much to expect from you in seat 6A…errr..we mean the lav. You help manage our blue juice efficiently.
I wonder if they are surveying the lounge part to see if people are more keen to eat there (e.g. put resources there) or onboard or not at all. You could see it as resource management so they can put effort into fixing one of the things, I wish they’d just fix both lounge and on board offerings. Recent articles have hinted at a future of lounge food getting better- we will see.
Right now the Polaris lounge sit down food is the only thing worth eating @United.
Ordered breakfast 4 days before the flight. I think they made it then!
How long does it take granola to go soggy in yogurt? The side of fruit was melon and 2 big chunks of pineapple core.
The meals out of Houston should be condemned. My last long haul flight the food was burning spicey. When I asked for an alternative I was told the other option is chicken everyone is complaining about the chicken being too hot as well.
Order meals out of Dublin, London and Frankfurt delicious.
I never understood people who complain so vociferously about airline food. I don’t fly for business very often… mostly for vacations, so I don’t fly as often as some people. But… the ONLY time I really didn’t like the food was one time when they served a very dry, tasteless sandwich for lunch.
Every other meal I’ve received has been pretty tasty.
When on a longer flight, it’s nice to not need to spend money on a meal in the airport, where prices for meals are exorbitant, and the food generally sucks in airport restaurants… unless you choose a very upscale (meaning extremely expensive) in-airport restaurant.
Fasting, not eating for a minimum of 12 hours is the best way to lose weight.