Changes in First Class Catering?

[Squonk]

Hey Folks,

The aroma of fresh baked bread was very tongue in cheek. Perhaps the caterer put BOB in coach in error. Afterall, it was the first day of this new initiative.

B)

 

[UPNAWAY]

Once again, you are missing the point--the meals are in FC. Why offer FC if you are not providing the amenities, including coffee and meals? Your logic works for Y only. And, if your fares are more in line with Airtran for FC, then it is more understandable, but they are not.

In my eye the meal is the last thing I care about. The advantages of first are:
1) Only 1 person next to me
2) More room and comfort
3) Close to a bathroom and I can tell from my seat if it is occupied
4) Free booze (see #3)
5) A meal is nice a good meal is even better but I don't care if I am feed or not really.

 

[JMM]

Plain and simple if you want to sell premium seats, then you better offer something for it. Otherwise, rip out the seats and sell more coach. In first class you should always get something even on a 1 hour flight (warm nuts maybe). I think Tempe messed this one up big time.

 

[Bear96]

Oh lordy -- not again.

How long until y'all figure it out.

What part of LCC don't you understand?

LCC = LOW COST carrier.

Get it?

USAirways is going to get its Costs as Low as possible.

Are we going to keep wringing our hands over every little change from now 'til eternity?

There's plenty of competition out there if you don't feel you are getting your money's worth. But many of y'all have made it clear you aren't going anywhere. So why shouldn't they just keep cutting, if you still keep coming back for more ...

 

[AstroLounge]

Fhat the wuck? Meal service sold to buy-on-board Y pax but NO FOOD AVAILABLE FOR FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS?

This is utterly and completely insane. If this is really true, and not just some catering bone-up, it's time for another letter-bombing campaign to Tempe.

And tell me the IDIOTS haven't regained ALL positions in the asylum! As a pax YOU get Nothing/Squat/Nada for your money....dirty airplanes, a bad paint job and that same sorry a**ed Heritage Logo to look at <Let's get those airplanes to DROP THE LEAFLETS N-O-W!>

 

[FCYTravis]

What part of LCC don't you understand?

LCC = LOW COST carrier.

What part of "full service" don't you understand? If they're going to claim to be the largest "full-service, low-fare airline" - they better at least pay lip service to the "full service" schpiel.

 

[tadjr]

If they changed the name from First Class to Business Class or Coach Plus would the whining stop? 😛h34r: 😛

(ducking for cover)

And you're not going to get the FC boarding envelope any more either! :blink:

 

[AstroLounge]

What part of "full service" don't you understand? If they're going to claim to be the largest "full-service, low-fare airline" - they better at least pay lip service to the "full service" schpiel.

EXACTLY! They keep their excessive cost cutting program underway they will not have an airline to manage..........WITH SYNERGIES or WITHOUT! :down: If they want to cut costs they should vacat that Grand office tower in Tempe and run the joint from a tepee on the range!

 

[USstew23]

Once again, you are missing the point--the meals are in FC. Why offer FC if you are not providing the amenities, including coffee and meals? Your logic works for Y only. And, if your fares are more in line with Airtran for FC, then it is more understandable, but they are not.

Ok, the coffee thing is on short flights where East does the Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke, Water only service (Express service). Actually West does more on the express service by bringing out the 250lb cart (which in my opinion is dangerous when it is 100 degresss and you're bouncing all over the desert). Coffee is offered in First on ALL flights. The fares are getting in line and I can understand your being upset with the DM program and all but please try to be patient, they are obviously trying to tweak things and find the niche, so your opinion and comments are valuable. And at the risk of sounding like a jerk, please remember that US is trying to find its spot and I'm pretty sure the last thing on their mind is how they can compete with Olive Garden. If people are going to choose this airline based on the food it serves then there is a huge problem. Now don't get me wrong, if there is food in coach then there should at least be something (even small) in First.

 

[LCC_#1]

I read the smell of fresh bread as being overly exaggerated. When is the last thing you smelled anything fresh served on a plane.

But, anyway, LCC#1, you are right, they should at least serve a fruit and bagel. Some of the people here can say what they want about roofers bringing coffee or whatever. But, when US's management tells the best customers that they are doing away with benefits because of their "rich upgrade policy" you have think someone is smoking crack. What is rich about their upgrade? Do I want my butt in a big seat, sure I do. But that's all it is and the fares I pay, I think I deserve to be there. So, when your management touts that upgrades are so worthwhile to make up for their decision to go against what they initially promised and to make the DM program worse, I take exception to that when their FC product is junk. When FA's are scrubbing seats with wet napkins because she is so embarrassed that one of pax has to put his head on goo on his seat, that is pathetic--that poor FA--she cares more than her management.

I'm telling you...remarket.

Enhanced Economy

What part of "full service" don't you understand? If they're going to claim to be the largest "full-service, low-fare airline" - they better at least pay lip service to the "full service" schpiel.

FCYTravis,

I almost agree. We are offering "full service". We just need to redefine what that is and let the price reflect. Don't call FC FC, but Enhanced Economy and sell it at a MUCH discounted rate from what FC would be. This would lower expectations and surprise people when they see what a great deal that are getting. It's all in how something is marketed.

 

[desertgal]

Y'all, I GET that amenities are not what bankrupted the old USAirways.
The point y'all are missing in my post is that THIS IS A DIFFERENT AIRLINE.
Do not expect things to be done the OLD WAY.
Look around you at the state of the industry.
Who is making money? How are they doing it?
Who is bankrupt? Why would we want to do things their way?

LOW COST is what its all about. If Doug can fill the seats without offering a meal, than no meal will be offered.
If a meal IS offered, it will be the cheapest friggin meal a caterer can put together a bid for.


And, BTW, years ago when HP started advertising itself as Low Fare, Full Service, that was opposed to Southwest, and the 'full service' meant HP had seat assignments and interline baggage agreements.

 

[luvn737s]

TED, WN and JetBlue represent the type of airlines that choose to offer all-coach service with their frequent flyer rewards in the form of either free or discounted travel (WN,JB) or traditional upgrades within mainline (UAL). If you are providing what people want at a price they want to pay, they will remain loyal and you don't need a costly First Class cabin to gain their loyalty. Every airline that has tried to go all First Class has failed because there simply are too few willing to pay too much. All coach airlines typically fail not because of the service they provide, but because they lack the market recognition necessary to stay in business without resorting to consolidators, etc.

I don't think LCC wants to run off it's VFF, but it needs either to fill all FC seats with FC fares or go all-coach (a higher-end JB style) with Live TV and reclaim the lost revenue, while offering VFF better, although different rewards. Traditional First Class amenities (on domestic flights at least)will become the domain of the Learjet, Challenger and Gulfstream crowd. Perhaps the yields on international flying will permit more lavish service and perhaps FF rewards will be redeemable on these types of flights, who knows.

It only took one generation to wean the American public off tap water, I think the travelling public is going to quickly adapt to the streamlined service that the low fares have brought.

 

[TheWatcher]

Perhaps the yields on international flying will permit more lavish service and perhaps FF rewards will be redeemable on these types of flights, who knows.


and what happens to customer perception of your product when they transfer from a nice Intl flight with nice service and amenities to a domestic barebones nightmare?

 

[luvn737s]

The RyanAir GOL type of airline is fast becoming the norm for domestic or short-haul flying in other parts of the world. At the price people are willing (or have been conditioned) to pay, the service has to be fairly lean. Or their may be no service at all.

 

[BoeingBoy]

The RyanAir GOL type of airline is fast becoming the norm for domestic or short-haul flying in other parts of the world.

Maybe if we were charging RyanAir/GOL type fares folks would accept it better, but we're not. Other than that one time someone screwed up, when have we offered 1 cent (plus taxes/fees) fares like RyanAir?

Jim