I spent the Thanksgiving week back home in Mississippi with my family. The time was filled with peace and a whole lot of eating. Before I realized, it was time for my son and I to make it back to Texas. We flew to Mississippi with United Airlines as my leg is not healthy enough to withstand 11 hours in a car. On the plus side, my son is fascinated with flying.
Having qualified for Premier Silver in 2019, the status carried over into 2020. Once the pandemic hit, the status was extended through 2021. Premier Silver is the lowest elite tier on United Airlines. This means upgrades are usually hard to secure. We were lucky to secure upgrades on our segment between Houston and Dallas this past Saturday. The upgrades cleared more than 24 hours prior to the flight.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I had not flown United Airlines much since 2019 when I was traveling to Costa Rica and Panama a lot. I knew the airline, much like all other airlines, implemented changes during the pandemic. The changes included limited service and masks mandates, which made air travel an entirely different experience. United Airlines, in order to minimize contact between customers and flight attendants in First Class, implemented the All-in-One Snack Bag.
The All-in-One Snack Back, issued to everyone in first class, contained an eight ounce bottle of Dasani water, half ounce of pretzels, and a fun size pack of Swedish Fish (the same candy given in economy on our previous segments). When did Swedish Fish become an airline snack? please bring back stroopwafels. Thanks.
I feel this snack bag was totally unnecessary because it was consistent throughout the entire plane. 12 first class passengers received these bags, while the nearly 100 passengers in economy were served drinks in the standard plastic cups and offered individual Swedish Fish or Biscoff cookies. I understand first class service should not be the same as economy but this CleanPlus initiative is a waste. Especially for only water, Swedish Fish and pretzels.
Final Word
On my flight between Houston and Dallas, I was upgraded to first class. While in first class, I had my first “taste” of the United Airlines’ All-in-One Snack Bag. The snack bag was a big miss. I understand we are in lean times due to issues with the supply system but water, candy, and pretzels hardly classify as “All-in-One”. The airline would have been better served to not issue the bags to passengers. I feel bad for the people made to pack the bags for the flights.
What do you think of The All-in-One Snack Bags?
