No "free" transatlantic coach meals on United......

[marmar]

.....how long before they introduce coin-operated toilettes?


from MarketWatch:



United may end free meals in coach on int'l flights

By Robert Daniel, MarketWatch


TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) - United Airlines will test the next cost-saving measure for airlines: charging for meals on some international economy-class flights.

In the fourth quarter, the UAL Corp. unit will test a plan to charge for meals in coach on transatlantic flights into and out of its Dulles hub in Washington, the company said in a statement.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the No. 2 U.S. carrier would be the first U.S. airline to stop serving free meals in economy class on some overseas flights.

United plans no changes to its meal provisions for business and first-class passengers on international flights, the Thursday statement said. Nor does it plan to charge for meals on transcontinental flights.

The industry is struggling with enormous increases in jet-fuel prices. "Our industry is changing and we need to tailor products and services to what customers value and provide them with more choice," said United's executive vice president and chief customer officer, Graham Atkinson, in the statement.

United said that it will evaluate the results of the trial at year's end and plan accordingly.


http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/united-air-charge-meals-coach/story.aspx?guid=%7B648D2435%2D96B7%2D4DF8%2DAEA9%2DF777055C799C%7D

[Tripper11]

1. Always economy class getting whacked!

And the rich keep getting the free ride...even on 14 hour flights....typical.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. what a pantload...

a coach fare ticket from ATL to LGW (that's London Gatwick in the UK) runs about $800 for the round trip (two week advanced purchase in SEPT)...the SAME times and dates...in business class is $10,059...now just how are the rich getting a FREE ride? Those fares are from Delta's site...

Class envy...it's catching!

sP

[DS1]

15. Thanks

Was going to post something similar. Talk about cookie-cutter responses!

[HelenWheels]

22. the coach passengers pay the taxes that support the subsidies

that go to the airlines that jack the coach passengers, and that's the flight the republicans built.

When this no food for coach started they offered the usual bogus line that it was the terrorists fault, by not loading food on to the plane they would thwart the terrorist plans to get their weapons on the plane that way. But then they pull the same truck up and load the food for the first class.

It wouldn't bother me one bit if there were savings to be had for not taking the meal, the airlines might get further with public relations by allowing people to pre-pay for their meals when their ticket is purchased. Big business no longer values it's average customer and too many seem to enjoy making their customers miserable.

The last two times I flew they ran out of the kids meal offered before they were a third of the way through the plane. They shouldn't offer what they can't deliver. I always take my own food and have for a long time.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. yeah...those evil 'rich' people don't pay

taxes...

do some research before you spout that garbage...

sP

[HelenWheels]

24. not at the same rate we do

When a wealthy person pays their taxes it doesn't effect their way of life one bit. They also, often, hire people to find as many loop holes as possible. Many of those loop holes they find were created for them by lobbyists that represent them. The middle class have been paying more and more of the taxes.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. while they do pay a lower percentage of THEIR income

the evil rich pay a VAST percentage of the overall taxes paid at the federal level...the one you seem to think are going to the airlines to stick it to the poor man...who most likely doesn't fly anyway or if they do it is very infrequently. the people getting screwed here are the business travelers who are stuck on planes a couple of days a week...or more.

sP

[karynnj]

35. I think you preorder special meals including kid ones

[Obamanaut]

39. Interesting how this discussion revolves around airline food on

flights to Europe, and it isn't that hard to either carry a snack or not eat at all for whole 8 hours. Oooh.

I believe many things, such as tickets for various activities, entertainment, travel, etc. have a sales tax attached. If we use 7% as a base (some places are more, others less), and one of the evil rich people buys whatever the item is for $7,000 that evil rich person will pay $490 in sales tax. One of the not evil rich buys a similar but less expensive item for $1,000 he (or she) will pay the exact same rate of 7%, or $70. I cannot for the life of me see how the evil rich person is making out here, except for the greater amount of disposable income. If he gets a thawed out microwaved meal for his $7,000, then more damn power to him.

This “cl*** envy” (a poster admonished us re the use of the word “class” oops) thing has gotten way out of hand.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html


<snip>This year's numbers show that both the income share earned by the top 1 percent of tax returns and the tax share paid by that top 1 percent have once again reached all-time highs. In 2006, the top 1 percent of tax returns paid 39.9 percent of all federal individual income taxes and earned 22.1 percent of adjusted gross income, both of which are significantly higher than 2004 when the top 1 percent earned 19 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) and paid 36.9 percent of federal individual income taxes.<snip>


<snip>The IRS data below include all of the 135.7 million tax returns filed in 2006 that had a positive AGI, not just the returns from people who earned enough to owe taxes. From other IRS data, we can see that in 2006, 92.7 million of the tax returns came from people who paid taxes into the Treasury. That leaves 43 million tax returns filed by people with positive AGI who used exemptions, deductions and tax credits to completely wipe out their federal income tax liability. Not only did they get back every dollar that the federal government withheld from their paychecks during 2005, but some even received more back from the IRS. This is a result of refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, <snip>

[Dreamer Tatum]

41. The Eat The Rich argument has nothing to do with marginal analysis

so quit trying to be rational.

We will stop foaming at the mouth over rich people when they are taxed at the rate that leaves everyone with exactly the same amount of money in their pocket at the end of the day. Period.

It is a simple, empirical fact that the top 1% of earners already pay an outsized portion of tax receipts. That isn't the issue. What IS the issue, what makes people salivate over confiscating the wealth of the rich, is that rich people still have a lot left over after they finish paying their taxes.

For someone afflicted with class envy, it doesn't matter how much one pays in taxes if there is an after-tax difference in wealth.
After having many, many discussions with people who have a taste for blood, I have surmised that the optimal marginal income tax rate is that which leaves everyone absolutely dead even on an after-tax basis.

There is nothing else that can explain why people have a problem with business and first class airfares, and the amenities provided to people who can and will pay more.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. Yes, they keep upgrading their business class and first class services

and shafting the poor average travelers in coach.

You know, United, next time I go to Europe, I think I'll fly with someone else. The hassle of changing planes at O'Hare followed by indifferent service and no food makes me think that I'll either fly on a foreign Star Alliance airline (SAS, British Midland) or just fly right out of Minneapolis on Northwest or Icelandic (with a free stopover in Iceland!).

For flights to Asia, Northwest flies there, and if I'm willing to change planes, I can go on the following Star Alliance airlines: ANA, Singapore, Thai, and Asiana.

It's not as if United has a monopoly.

[Obamanaut]

21. Do "poor" people actually fly all that much? nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

32. I'm not poor, but I'm not rich, so I refuse to pay for a business class ticket

that costs more than the entire land portion of a three-week trip, including hotels, rail pass, and meals. (United's business class to Europe is about $7,000, and first class is about $12,000.)

[petronius]

29. We flew IcelandAir last summer - it was great

A hot meal on every leg, and tasty to boot, the cheapest tickets we saw, and a bonus vacation in Iceland. Just be aware that Iceland itself is shockingly expensive - next time we go we'll pack a lot of snacks...

[RB TexLa]

2. Does Amtrack or Greyhound give people free food?

[marmar]

3. Amtrak and Greyhound don't go DC-to-Frankfurt nonstop, n'est-ce pas?

:think:

[ColbertWatcher]

5. You don't know that. n/t

[Fumesucker]

10. How so?

Amtrak and Greyhound really and truly do not have non stops to Frankfurt. This is not a matter for debate.

And with Amtrak and Greyhound you can bring your own food and liquids.

Not to mention that since Amtrak and Greyhound don't fly at 30,000 feet you don't need the liquids so much.

[Phentex]

4. No, but they offer lower cost options...

you don't have to eat in the dining car. You can get crackers or chips or a cup of coffee if you neeed to. Not cheap but not full dinner prices.

[MaryEllen9399]

7. with amtrak

you can bring your own food on board.

[LostinVA]

8. And, you can bring an entire picnic basket full of food on board

As well as LIQUID to drink. That's what I do on Amtrak. I may wind up buying a cup or two of tea on the trip, but I have my own stash of yummy, healthy snacks, meal, and bottled water and iced tea.

[karynnj]

13. You can do that on planes too - you just need to buy the drinks

past security. (We just did exactly that on domestic flights this weekend.) It's likely a good idea as the alternative would have been to raise fares. I suspect that the amount they paid to purchase, heat and serve the meals was greater than the costs of the sandwiches we bought.

[petronius]

30. Yep - and you can bring an empty bottle and fill it up at the water fountain

to avoid buying the drinks. Add some powdered gatorade or lemonade, and you're set...

[karynnj]

34. Nice idea - I'll try that next time

Not only will the water be free, but the bottle would be much nicer. :)

[Obamanaut]

20. When I was young and passenger trains were not uncommon,

there was a dining car - with a bill at the end of the meal. There were porters that went through the cars offering snacks for those who did not wish to go to the dining car. My longest ride was from San Antonio, Tx to Birmingham, Al and I had a couple of really nice meals.

Greyhound makes a lot of stops, and one can buy food at these stops.

No free lunch on surface travel.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. "Spit out that fucking pretzel and do it NOW"

The oilmen gouge us. The TSA thugs sniff our crotches. And WE get punished by going to bed without any supper.

Fuckit ..... I'll swim.

[JCMach1]

11. United can kiss my a$$

Won't be flying them again any time soon.

I suspect that this also has something to do with unionized catering contracts for the company.


i.e. this would be a classic union-busting move.

[Suji to Seoul]

12. Luckily, my trans-Pacific and trans-Asian flights aren't being touched yet

But I give it time. Oh. . .United sucks. Hauling a fur person with you when you ex-pat and move. . .HORRIFYING!!! Especially on lying, we want your money and don't do anything to help you after we lie to you United!

[Eurobabe]

14. Who the fuck would pay for their gas-inducing meals anyhow?

[truebrit71]

16. That could create some interesting conflicts...will you be allowed to bring food on board?

...flying to the UK you can't bring in any fruit, veggies or meat from the US...and the same in reverse....what happens if you forget to eat your ham and swiss and accidentally bring it through customs?

My personal feeling is that this simply will not 'fly' and that they will resort to handing out their too hot or too cold "food" for free as usual...

BTW the price of the "food" is built in to the price of the ticket so this is a bullshit scheme to dupe customers into paying for something they've already paid for...

Speaking of whic, rather than going the "cash and carry method" why not just increase the airfares by $25 a ticket to cover the cost...oh wait, they've already done that you say?....:evilgrin:

[cobalt1999]

18. I have to laugh at how soft we've gotten as a civilization.

150 years ago, it could take months to cross the Atlantic in a leaky wooden ship, poor navigation instruments, and with good chance of dying of disease, drowning, or injury along the way. Even when steam ships started plying the Ocean, steerage customers had to bring their own food for a 2-3 week trip.

Now, we sit in a climate controlled environment for all of 8-9 hours and people bitch about a middle seat or having to pay for some food along the way.

Our ancestors would laugh at us and would kill to travel as easily as we do.

[aikoaiko]

19. They should substitute xanax and beer for food and everything will be ok.

;)

[Sanctified]

26. Not to point out the obvious but the FREE food on Airlines sucks.

When I fly to Japan I can barely eat the garbage NorthWest tries to call food, it's like a TV dinner from the 60's preserved and served.

[bikebloke]

27. To South America on United

I guess there's still time for them to discontinue food for that flight. I'd better keep my ear to the ground, so I'll know whether to pack a sandwich for my trip. I didn't want to fly United, but I snagged a direct flight for a cheap fare.

It can't be worse than the marathon bus ride I took from Athens to Brussels. Two days without reclining seats. You brought your own food or bought it along the way - if you had the local currency during stops.

[Bill McBlueState]

28. figures

But here's something that annoys me about the current arrangement --

You get a free meal when flying from the east coast to London. But when you fly from the west coast to Hawaii, which is in the same neighborhood in terms of length, it's considered a domestic flight and you don't get a free meal. :mad:

[Aviation Pro]

31. Thank goodness, I fly code share on Lufthansa when I have to go overseas....

...United, really its CEO Tilton (oil man, of course), is really pushing the limits of customer loyalty.

[ladywnch]

36. there was an article published just a week or so ago here in Denver

talking about UAL and the trouble they're in. All the employees HATE Tilton. 73% of the employees are looking for other work. 80% of passengers are unhappy with UAL. My husband flys out pretty much every other week on UAL and hasn't had a flight leave on time in the last 3 months. Just last night his flight was 45 minutes late departing......and Denver is their major hub!!!! The article didn't give a good prognosis for UAL.

[Aviation Pro]

38. I was at the airport yesterday....

...at Concourse B and I spoke to the gate supervisor and he said that Tilton racked up an $18,000 hotel bill in his first month at United. The employees are extremely frustrated and the pilots are jumping at other opportunities (mostly ex-pat positions in the Gulf and Asia).

Tilton is a scumbag and he needs to crawl back to his little oil fields.

[melm00se]

33. WTF?!?!?!

no crappy assed food in coach? the humanity.

the McDonald's in the terminal is better food than the disasters they serve on airlines.

Do what I do: order something to go from the Chili's or Chammps or whatever and take it on the plane and eat in enroute - it's cheaper and better.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. On an overnight flight from the U.S. to Europe everyone's going to take a picnic basket?

In a crowded coach cabin? There's hardly room for the people, much less everyone's picnic, not to mention the food smells and the garbage.

Foreign airlines prove that it's possible to serve a tasty meal on an airplane, even in coach. For example, ANA has small portions (Japanese appetites), but good-tasting food, they come buy with a variety of drinks every two hours, and on overnight flights, they leave the cart parked in the galley area with serve-yourself bottles of soft drinks, cartons of juice, and ice tea, as well as various snacks. And Japanese wages are not that much less than American ones.

The problem with the U.S. carriers is that they forgot that their primary mission is to provide the best possible product while making a profit. They made a mistake in trying to kill off the low-cost carriers with suicidal pricing, forgetting that frequent fliers will pay more for comfort, good service, and dependability. This triggered the current race to the bottom, with all the majors having financial woes and passengers chronically pissed off at being treated like inconvenient cattle.

[dembotoz]

37. can i light up my grill and cook my own meal

I make a really good hamburger.