The Flying Critic

United Will Still Give Free Meals on Transatlantic Flights

With no other airlines following United's fee mania plan of dropping free meals to coach passengers on some transatlantic flights, United decided to stop their new program before it even started.  Here is the open letter United just sent out announcing their revised plan:

Policy announcement: meal service on flights to Europe

Dear Customer,

Thank you for your direct, candid feedback on the test we had planned to launch in the fourth quarter for food choices on some of our flights. We heard you and have decided not to move forward with the test of offering customers buy-on-board options in United Economy on certain trans-Atlantic flights. We will continue to offer complimentary hot meals on those flights.

The response from you and many of our corporate customers, even before we launched the test, told us what we would have undoubtedly learned had we proceeded - you value our hot meal service in economy class for international flights.

In this environment, where higher costs driven by volatile fuel prices are now the norm, we must continue to tailor products and services so that we provide you with choices and competitive fares. As such, we will continue to be proactive in testing new ideas.

On October 1, we will proceed with the test of new, complimentary options for United Business customers on three-cabin aircraft used for domestic routes, which represents 16 daily flights. Customers on these flights will receive complimentary fresh sandwiches, salads, breakfast, snack boxes or snacks, depending on the length of flight and time of departure. They will also continue to enjoy complimentary beverages, including beer, wine and cocktails. We will evaluate the results and determine next steps by the end of the year.

It's also important to note that full meals will still be served on our p.s. transcontinental flights.

Thank you again for your feedback. We will continue to listen and make changes that enable us in this environment to provide you with the choices you value.

Sincerely,

Graham Atkinson
Chief Customer Officer

Dinner IAD-LAX on United - Daily Travel Photo

The ravioli dinner in business class on United from IAD to LAX.

Flying Southwest LAX-PHX - Photo Review

The Flying Critic reader Barrie responded to my recent United p.s. breakfast flight review in business class with a comment that he prefers to fly in "Cattle Class."  So in honor of Barrie here is a photo review of my Southwest Airlines flight from last Monday:

Southwest planes at Phoenix International Airport (PHX) after we landed.

The clean cabin of the Southwest Boeing 737.

Lots of legroom in the exit row.

A flight attendant gave me 3 bags of dry roasted peanuts.

After the peanuts were handed out a flight attendant brought me a Diet Coke.

The crew worked hard and were cheerful throughout the flight.  After the flight attendants picked up the cups from the drink service they asked each passenger if they wanted anything else to drink.  I took a second Diet Coke.

I enjoyed this Southwest flight more than my typical United flights between LAX and PHX.  The Southwest 737 was clean and getting the exit row resulted in way more leg room than you can get on United/SkyWest's cramped regional jets. 

Flying United p.s. JFK-LAX Breakfast Flight Photo Review

Two weeks ago I flew JFK-LAX on United's premium service (p.s.).  It was a breakfast flight departing at 9:30am.

I sat in row 9, the emergency exit row with as much leg room as you could ever hope for on a commercial flight:

Once we finished our climb the flight attendants served breakfast:

After breakfast personal video players were distributed to first class and business class passengers:

Because the business class on United's p.s. flights are an international business class configuration the 757 feels spacious with everyone in business class spread out:

Before landing the flight attendants served a lunch/snack.  I ordered the chicken wrap:

$3 for a soft drink coming soon to US Airways?

According to an Arizona Republic story posted at usatoday.com:

On the revenue side, US Airways is said to be seriously considering charging for soft drinks ($3) and pillows and blankets ($5 apiece.)

Flying KLM CityHopper Amsterdam (AMS) to Geneva (GVA)

After leaving the KLM Amsterdam (AMS) lounge, I walked to the gate of my KLM CityHopper flight to Geneva (GVA). 

The flight was on a Fokker 100.  This was my first time on a Fokker.

There were only three of us in business class and one of the two others sat right next to me.  I eventually moved to the row behind me to get more space.  I don't have any pictures of the cabin.  The configuration was 2-3.  The seat pitch was tight at 31" - my knees were hitting the seat in front of me.  But for a regional jet it was an okay cabin.

The flight attendants served a small snack and provided three beverage refills:

I spent most of the flight enjoying the view:

My bag was the first out and clearing immigration and customs at Geneva was painless.  After a quick shuttle ride to the hotel I was ready for a shower.

Breakfast on United flying DEN-SFO - Daily Travel Photo

Flying Denver to San Francisco on United in Business Class this was the breakfast.  Now you see why the KLM breakfast was so good.

Flying Houston to Amsterdam on a KLM PrivatAir Boeing Business Jet

Yesterday I started telling you about my business class award ticket from Phoenix (PHX) to Geneva (GVA) via Houston (IAH) and Amsterdam (AMS).  I covered Phoenix to Houston on Continental yesterday.  Today I will share with you my first flight on a Boeing Business Jet.

KLM contracts with PrivatAir to fly an all-business class configured Boeing Business Jet (737) from Houston to Amsterdam.  Lucky for me that flight is available for mileage redemption using Northwest miles.

Here is the plane at the gate at Houston:

The gate was a short walk from both the KLM and Air France lounges.

About an hour before the flight a KLM agent showed up at the gate.  About 40 minutes before the flight I walked up and asked her if she could confirm that my one bag that I checked in Phoenix with Continental made it on the plane. 

I'm not suggesting that this is a good question to regularly ask agents.  I'm not even sure why I asked.  I guess it was because I almost never check a bag and I was worried that Continental lost it.

The agent seemed happy to have someone talk to her and she quickly started typing away.  She frowns and tells me the computer doesn't show it. 

I'm instantly yelling in my head for checking a bag.  Why?  Why?  This is why you don't check bags.  Why did you have to bring that extra jacket?  Geneva is January isn't THAT cold.  WHY!?!?!!!

The agent interrupts my internal rant and tells me not to worry just yet - that the computer is usually wrong.  She grabs the radio and calls down to a ramp agent and asks him to go inside the belly of the plane and look for my bag.  I'm shocked.  This is customer service. 

I try and tell her that it isn't necessary but she won't hear it.  A few minutes later the ramp agent calls back and says that it is on the plane and describes it in enough detail for me to be certain. 

I apologize for the hassle.  She thanks me for giving her something to do.  Apparently the flight is just a little over half full - meaning about 25 people. 

One of the best things about this PrivatAir service is the relaxed boarding process.  They announce the boarding in the lounge and at the gate and people casually make there way on the plane.  With only 25 people boarding there is no rush.  There is lots of overhead bin space.

I was the first to board and was greeted by the captain and the purser.

Any worries about feeling cramped on a 737 across the Atlantic vanished as I walked through the cabin and found my seat.  The excellent seat pitch and 2-2 seating works on this plane:

The flight attendants came through the cabin several times during boarding offering pre-departure champagne, water and orange juice on tray.  They also offered to get something else from the galley.  The champagne was unremarkable but appreciated. 

I didn't read up on their jacket-hanging procedure so I kept my light jacket on the seat next to me.  A flight attendant saw it and asked me if I would mind putting it in an overhead bin because they have limited closet space.  She then put it down flat in an empty bin for me.

Takeoff was uneventful and the flight attendants quickly sprung to action providing a beverage service.  They used a cart and made three beverage runs before they started the meal service:

One of the annoying things about the PrivatAir flight is that their seats don't have built in AVOD (audio-video on-demand) systems.  Instead the flight attendants hand out digEplayers that are DVD player like devices but with multiple movies on an internal hard drive.  As movie players they are fine.  But the result is a portable screen that you have to fit on your tray table.  It gets in the way of the meal service.  Both the flight attendant and I almost knocked it over a few times.

After the third drink run the flight attendants set the table and started the dinner service:

The lavatory had several amenities:

A few minutes after dinner the flight attendants brought everyone a bottle of water:

By now most people were reclining their seats and getting some sleep.  These seats are the slant seats.  They technically give you an almost flat surface but they are at an angle to fit within the seat space. Some people hate these seats because they keep sliding down them all night and don't get a great sleep.  I usually slide on the slant beds but on this one I didn't.  I'm not sure why.  So I slept well.  It looked like others did too:

Usually breakfast on airplanes suck.  But not this time:

Overall this was an outstanding flight.  Before the flight I talked to some people who flew on PrivatAir's Lufthansa service and they didn't have great things to say about the catering.  I thought the food was more than acceptable.  With the steak dinner decent and the breakfast great.

The flight attendants worked hard to provide outstanding service.  They succeeded.

The biggest negative is the digEplayers.  They are difficult to deal with and get in the way.  If there was a docking area in the seatback in front of you where you could put them it would be better. 

I expected the single aisle to be a bother when trying to go to the lavatory or walk around and stretch a bit but with so few people on the plane it wasn't an issue.

This was a good flight and I'm looking forward to my next PrivatAir experience.

Tomorrow I will post about my layover at the KLM Lounge at the Amsterdam airport (AMS) and the short KLM Cityhopper flight from Amsterdam to Geneva.

Flying Continental from Phoenix to Houston

In January I flew from Phoenix (PHX) to Geneva (GVA) via Houston (IAH) and Amsterdam (AMS).

I used Northwest miles for a business class award ticket.

When you book international business class tickets you typically get to fly in first class on domestic segments of the same ticket in the USA.  Don't let the first class name trick you though.  International business class is better than domestic first class.  Domestic first class usually just means a bigger seat, no middle seat, more drink refills, and the chance for a meal.

The first flight of my trip was in first class on Continental Airlines from Phoenix to Houston.

Continental doesn't have a lounge in Phoenix.  They operate out of Terminal 2.  The only lounge in Terminal 2 is a United Red Carpet Club.  I don't have a membership.  So I got to wait with everyone else in the overcrowded terminal:

Phoenix airport provides free wifi.  So I spent most of the time waiting for my flight on the internet.  Boarding started on-time with first class and elites boarding first.  I boarded third.

The seat pitch provided enough legroom to be comfortable for the short flight:

The flight attendant quickly offered a pre-departure beverage of my choice.  On United you usually need to ask specifically for a pre-departure Diet Coke as you are usually offered just water or orange juice.  I don't know if this is the norm for Continental or not, but I appreciated it.  The flight attendant even offered a pre-departure refill as I finished the first cup quickly:

Besides the seat, one of the main differences between first class and coach is the meals.  But meals aren't served on every flight.  Only flights during narrow hour ranges are considered meal flights. 

The only flight that worked with my schedule and made my connection in Houston was not a meal flight.

But Continental still served food on this flight because it was during their designated snack time.  For a snack Continental did a good job:

After an uneventful flight I made my way through Houston to the KLM and Air France lounges.

I found the Continental flight attendants professional.  So were the pilots and ground staff.  The only problem I encountered was the crowded gate area at Phoenix. 

Tomorrow, I will continue telling about this trip when I post about the PrivatAir flight from Houston to Amsterdam on a Boeing Business Jet.

Flight Review: Nok Air - Flying Nok Plus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and back (DMK-CNX-DMK)

Deciding Who To Fly To Chiang Mai

During a recent trip to Thailand I decided to break away from Bangkok and spend a few days in Chiang Mai.  While my first instinct was to book Thai Airways (TG), a Thai friend suggested that I try the low cost carrier Nok Air (DD). 

Nok Air uses the old airport, Don Mueang (DMK).  DMK was closer to where I was staying in Bangkok than the new Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and the price was right.  Nok Air was one third the price of Thai Airways.

So I booked the flight and selected my seat online about a month in advance. 

My round trip ticket cost 3,270 THB (~$100) after taxes.  I decided to pay an extra 500 THB (~$15) each way to upgrade to Nok Plus. 

Nok Plus is Nok Air's so-called business class.  It provides 2-2 seating instead of 3-3.  You get 30kg of checked bags instead of 15kg.  The seat pitch is 33" instead of a painful 29-32".  And you get a complimentary snack, newspaper and drink.  Not a bad deal.

Don Mueang Domestic Terminal Gate Area

This was my first experience with the domestic terminal at Don Mueang.  It's a dump.  There are no stores or restaurants past security so try and stay landside as long as possible.

The only good thing about the domestic terminal is the view of the airport:

This was my plane:

Boarding and Seats

The agents called for boarding and it was a free for all race down the jetbridge.  I was in seat 1A, the bulkhead in Nok Plus.  This was my seat:

Here is the view of the other side of row 1:

In Flight Snack

With Nok Plus (an extra $15/500THB) you get a complimentary snack, drink and newspaper.  You can see the newspaper above.  The drink was a choice of water, coffee or tea.  Here is the snack:

The Return Flight

After an enjoyable few days in Chiang Mai, it was time to take Nok Air back to Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.

The waiting area past security at Chiang Mai is nicer than at Don Mueang.  There is a Thai Airways lounge but Nok Air passengers don't have access.   There are also several shops, a cafe, and several Internet kiosks available past security. 

A Bad Choice on Where to Sit

I decided to try a non-bulkhead row for my return flight.  Bad choice.  They call this 33" of seat pitch:

Bulkheads on Nok Air for me next time.

Nok Air Flight Attendant Delivers Snacks

After we reached our cruising altitude, the Nok flight attendants brought the complimentary snacks:

The Return Flight Snack

Conclusion

For ~$131 (THB 4270), this was an excellent deal. 

The employees were friendly.  The planes have a colorful livery.  The worst part of the experience was the old domestic terminal at Don Mueang.

The seats in Nok Plus were like old domestic first class seats in the USA.  The seat pitch was fine in the bulkhead but was lacking in the other Nok Plus rows.  It must be brutal in the main cabin. 

I would fly Nok Air again as long as Nok Plus was available and the price was competitive.

Daily Travel Photo: Dessert on Singapore Airlines LAX-NRT