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United to charge for meals on international flights
Gradual reductions to in-flight meals have finally reached the international market. It used to be that everyone on the aircraft got a meal, wherever where you were going or in what class you were. That slowly devolved to meals in first class on some long-haul flights (exception: Continental, where all meals in domestic are still free!).Now, spurned by cost cutting measures across the industry, United Airlines has announced that they're discontinuing meal service on some of their international flights.
From Washington DC's Dulles airport, flights to Europe will now offer food for purchase instead of the standard "chicken or pasta" choices. Nine dollars will get you a salad or sandwich while six buys a snack box. I found no mention of warm food in this Bloomberg article.
To reiterate: they aren't even charging you $9 for the soggy chicken that you used to get.
As to whether the changes will be unrolled to the rest of the international legs, the airline is still not sure. They'll be taking input from passengers after this trial period to see how poorly it's received.
And poorly received it will be. On a three or even four hour flight across the country I can see how someone can gorge up on food beforehand and make it through the itinerary. But on a nine hour flight you need to eat at some point. And unless you brought a sack lunch you're going to be forced to pay whatever prices they're charging. Yes, they only take cash.
Take this opportunity to send a note to UA protesting the changes. There's still time to reverse the tide.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Matthew Firestone Aug 21st 2008 1:49AM
Wow - welcome to the beginning of the end of travel as we know it...
BFORR@AOL.COM Aug 22nd 2008 2:22PM
SERIOUSLY? THIS HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE, STARTING IN THE EARLY 80'S. THEY JUST KEEP CHIPPING AWAY AT OUR RIGHTS.
robobagins Aug 21st 2008 12:30PM
Good God, you've already paying to fly with them, why not just add a fee to the ticket for meal services? $10 for international, $5 for domestic!
Moody75 Aug 21st 2008 4:21PM
Besides cost this provides serious logistical problems....
I have many family members from many parts of the world that do not use dollars or euros connect to United for transatlantic services to the US. Will they starve because they only have cash in hand from countries that United does not accept the currency? Or will United accept cash from all countries of the world?
Otherwise, United does not become an option anymore.
Big Johnson Aug 23rd 2008 12:09PM
When I flew USAIR last month and asked the flight attendant for water, she sneered, "There's the bathroom numbnuts....get it yourself"....when I went in, the guy who'd been drinking before me was out cold on the floor because someone had slammed the lid on his head....next time I'm driving....
M Aug 31st 2008 12:44PM
Really? It would have been required for this flight to divert and land for medical attention and I can find no record of any such incident being reported inflight or on the ground...?
Is it possible that neither you nor the injured passenger reported the incident? If so, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Too not report the Flight Attendant's completely unprofessional attitude is a poor decision, but to not report a medical emergency is criminal.
Howard Aug 22nd 2008 2:20PM
United Airlines has done more to destroy air travel than anyone they need to close down and let the real airlines take over.
bforr@aol.com Aug 22nd 2008 2:20PM
SAY GOODBYE TO ALL YOUR FREEDOMS. AIRLINE PILOTS WERE THE FIRST TO SEE THIS, BUT DID NOTHING. IT SERVES THOSE DOPES RIGHT THAT THEY ARE NOW WORKING FOR FREE, SINCE THEY DIDN'T EVEN WHIMPER WHEN THEIR PENSIONS WERE ELIMINATED. SERIOUSLY BOYS.... GET SOME BALLS.
I GOT OUT 11 YEARS EARLY (WITH THE ABILITY TO RETURN) WHEN I SAW THIS STUPIDITY BEING PERPETRATED ON US. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR 400 HOUR PILOTS.
geblyth Aug 22nd 2008 2:56PM
I'll be bringing my fried chicken and wiping my greasy fingers on your seats! But the CEO will still be getting his big bonuses and payouts because of the cost savings of starving you. Even though he manages half the number of employees there were before 9/11 with all the layoffs!
ckenter828 Aug 22nd 2008 3:05PM
It's a bit outragous to charge for international flight's a meal charge. After all, it's not like these normally are fast filghts, nor can you get off a plane and go by a meal along the way...nor can you bring anything to eat and or drink on planes anymore. These airlines are not serving their customs, but goughing them, it would seem. Why not just raise the ticket price by the cost of a meal? That would make more sense. Bad - United Airlines, just plane old bad. Looks like my next flight oversea's won't be on yours... I may need a foreign airline for transportation, now.
Cynthia Aug 22nd 2008 3:26PM
Next: pay toilets on aircraft.
Moody75 Aug 25th 2008 10:28AM
Yeah, airlines are getting this all wrong. They should give lots of free food and drinks and charge for the restrooms
geblyth Aug 22nd 2008 3:26PM
I'll be bringing my fried chicken and wiping my greasy fingers on your seats! The CEO will get a big bonus and payout for saving money by starving you. Of course he gets more pay managing only half the number of employees with all the layoffs since 9/11 too.
oliver waskey Aug 22nd 2008 3:36PM
I used to work for UAL for many years. I am sad to see such a great company go down the tubes because they pay way to much to managment and ask the flight attendants to be the ones to provide service and safety to passengers and don't pay them "S" Now they want the flight attendants to do extra work by collecting money for meals? This is a bunch of "BS" Any idiot knows people have to eat on a long international flight. I hope like hell the public avoids flying UAL so the high paid executives get the message. Let them bring their own brown bag and sit in a space for the size of an infant for 7-8 hours. You can bet your ass, ther ass is in first class drinking and eating for free.
Margaret Aug 22nd 2008 3:38PM
Normally I find the meals on laong haul 9 hours flights just OK - more to pass the time than anything else.
Always take something with me to eat throughout the flight in case of total inedibility.
Now if they take away my coffee and O.J. - that is a different story all together.
highnesstb Aug 22nd 2008 3:42PM
That's crazy. I am a f/a for an airline that serves a hot meal for any flight over 4 hours, and two hot meals for any flight over 8 hours. No charge....imagine that.
Jamar Aug 23rd 2008 6:23AM
Is this airline based outside the US?
wldg4 Aug 22nd 2008 4:34PM
My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall, but this kind of downgrading of service is happening so fast that by the time we go--- who knows what the airlines will be charging for?
I would avoid taking a plane and take a cruise on the Queen Mary, instead, if we could afford it. I hate turbulence that much. But who knows? Maybe by the time Novemember rolls around, a trip on the Queen Mary will be the same amount of money as a flight. And a whole lot more fun.
EMS2600 Aug 22nd 2008 4:35PM
Interesting!
I guess I'll either have to fly Continental or a foreign airline internationally.
By the way, Continental has United, American, and Delta long biting the dust as for service; although NOWHERE like the panache of PanAm!
AMERICAN [or what I call Puertorican] and United [which I call Untried] probably will bite the dust in 2009.
USAirways and Delta aren't that far behind. After all, EVERYONE knows what DELTA stands for--"DOESN'T EVEN LEAVE THE AIRPORT"
EMS2600 Aug 22nd 2008 4:37PM
SOMEBODY PLEASE!
BRING BACK PAN AM!
NOW THAT WAS ONE CLASSY AIRLINE, AND THE FOOD WAS SUPERB ON ANY FLIGHT I HAVE TAKEN!