Inflight Service--Is the snack basket dead or dying?

[N965VJ]

<SNIP>Cashews, pretzels, potato chips, XOXO's (a lovely chocolate goodie), breakfast bars and biscoff cookies.

Junk food!

I’ll grab some fruit from the front desk when I check out.

I was hoping to see those Yellow Screaming Zonkers added.

Aren’t they on the list of suspects?

 

[flytchick]

For those who may not know about the US East snack basket, it contains a variety of snack items. Cashews, pretzels, potato chips, XOXO's (a lovely chocolate goodie), breakfast bars and biscoff cookies. Sometimes the items change a bit but it's very popular and my understanding is that it's offered on all flights in FC.

Would be a real shame to lose it. I was hoping to see those Yellow Screaming Zonkers added.

Why would they take it away?

Dea

Dea - Do you at US East presently serve any hot meals or is it snack baskets for medium haul flights. We even serve hot BOB in coach.......... usually 10 sandwiches - try to explain that to the pax who think there is one for everyone to purchase.....

 

[Travelpro72]

When we do a transcon at US-east we for the most part have a pretty large amount of the $7.00 snack (sandwich of some kind or a salad) and the $5.00 skyfun snack box. Though when you get to the back of the a/c you usually run out of one of the choices. The transcon hotmeal is not that bad now. On flights of over 2 hours where we only sell the $5.00 box the f/c class cabin receives a sandwich. The meals are not much to rave about at all. The other day I did a flight and catering loaded the tiny f/c meals that are usually on a halfsize tray on large blue ones. It looked absolutely horrible. I appologized for the presentation over and over. Then to my surprise there was jack squat to fill the basket. The catering fools lied and said they left snacks. Twelve damn white trash bags filled with pretzels and enough cookies to kill santa.

 

[AstroLounge]

Speaking of Santa 🙄 wasn't there a holiday tune "It beginning to look alot like......"well, we may be able to use it as a theme song and add in ".....and it appears Idiots are still in Charge". Amazing, absolutely amazing that this crap goes on, but we have a Heritage Circle

 

[FCYTravis]

I have no idea if this is taking place since US West currently does not offer them (snack basket) but long and mid haul flights on US West have hot meals. The snack mix is handed out with the initial beverage service. Hope this helps....

Right, but it's a rather poor substitute for "real" F-snack service... this is one place where I was hoping that the New US would adopt the higher standard, such as it is... the snack basket would be a major improvement to HP short-haul F. Downgrading is plain stupid.

 

[Travelpro72]

If this "new" company is being touted as being "The Worlds Largest Low Fare Full Service Airline" how is offering very little in f/c for the same price as a competitor who offers more smart business? If you can fly on US or CO from PHL to IAH or US and AA from PHX to JFK why would a full fare paying f/c passenger choose us with little amenities? True a passenger looks for kind and courteous f/a's but with nothing to offer really cheapens the experience. If you tout being low fare but offer f/c then let f/c be just that, regardless of what you want to call it.

 

[FCYTravis]

I just shot off an e-mail to Doug. I'm looking at 75k BIS this year and "snack mix" won't cut it! Not when a 900-mile flight on American gets you hot soup and a sandwich.

 

[Dea Certe]

flytchick,

As far as I know, East doesn't serve any hot food in coach except for Transatlantic. There's hot food in F/C but I'm not sure of the parameters.

We have BOB in coach on flights but again, I'm sorry, I don't know the parameters of that either.

Our folks really like the snack basket a lot and I'd hate to see it go away.

I hope we're trying to find a way to make our flights more comfortable and pleasant for both classes of service.

Sorry I'm not more helpful.

Dea

 

[AstroLounge]

I just shot off an e-mail to Doug. I'm looking at 75k BIS this year and "snack mix" won't cut it! Not when a 900-mile flight on American gets you hot soup and a sandwich.

THANK YOU TRAVIS!! Like I stated earlier, Hear Ye Hear Ye all Frequent Fliers UNITE.....SEND countless emails to Mr.Parker about the Snack basket and the general DECLINE of the F/C product. They must be nuts thinking people are going to pay more $$ for F/C and get NOTHING in return (and the seat isn't all that special).DEFEND THE HONOR OF THE SNACK BASKET

 

[Travelpro72]

After I have made a few posts in regards to this topic myself, I ask how true is this rumor? I truly hope it is just that. We are freaking here hopefully for no reason. With the stripping of actual glassware, linens, hot meals etc.... ya might as well just rip the nasty leather seats out of f/c and throw in seats up to the 1L door. I don't know how many f/a's from US really experience other carriers f/c or even walk through the cabin but ours really bites. I know there are really great f/a's out there but as an 8 year US-east f/a I must say that my junior A#$ can hardly hold the "A" position. It's flown for the most part by more senior ones that are usually horrible. Just speakin from what I see on my OWN trips. To wrap it up....the snack basket goes-thats the end of domestic f/c.

 

[US1YFARE]

With the stripping of actual glassware, linens, hot meals etc.... ya might as well just rip the nasty leather seats out of f/c and throw in seats up to the 1L door. I don't know how many f/a's from US really experience other carriers f/c or even walk through the cabin but ours really bites.
To wrap it up....the snack basket goes-thats the end of domestic f/c.

You speak the truth.

 

[UWCactus]

Most likely the snack basket will be going away in 1st for East. There is nothing of the sort on the West side and when there was, it was eliminated due to waste, cost and space. I would look for some food items very simlar to what West currently offers with some flexibility by market, time of flight and competition.

Like it or not, when HP talks about low cost, it means "low cost", which essentially means as little waste as possible, keeping catering expenses as low as possible while still offering first class seating, with food. When HP says "low cost, full service" they are referring to the amenities of advance seat assignments, first class seating, clubs to relax in, web check-in, food is not the driving factor here.

 

[Dea Certe]

How much added expense could the snack basket be? The items are bulk loaded, non-perishable and very much appreciated by the customers.

Could we look for other ways to cut cost? I realize green limes are sacred but surely there must be something else.

Dea

 

[US1YFARE]

When HP says "low cost, full service" they are referring to the amenities of advance seat assignments, first class seating, clubs to relax in, web check-in, food is not the driving factor here.

Then they need to lower their FC fares to something comparable to fares for Airtran's Business Class--not UA, AA, NW, DL, and CO.

They also need to change the name to Big Dirty Seat Class or Business Class.

 

[FCYTravis]

Most likely the snack basket will be going away in 1st for East.

Looks like it's time to fax in for a status match and start shopping around, then :down:

"Food items similar to West" means 3/4-oz foil baggies of "Gourmet Snack Mix" and coach peanuts/pretzels.

I've never seen people so attached to one foodstuff as US people to their XOXOs. Seriously, judging by FlyerTalk, if Parker kills the snack basket, that's gonna be the final straw for a bunch of US East frequent flyers... it's certainly gonna make this new US West frequent flyer look elsewhere.