US Airways, the Greyhound Bus of airlines
 

I just about fell on the floor when I was checking airline schedules for my next trip to Europe.

As part of the process I looked at flights from Glasgow to Charlotte, NC. The US Airways flight drew my attention.

If one flies cattle class, no meals are provided, not even for purchase. If one flies business class (Envoy Class in US Air terminology)the customers pay for their meal! The notation was "buy on board." Holy cripes.

I knew US Airways was becoming a cut rate airline that had trouble getting airplanes staffed with a crew so the flight could take off, but in my view this Scrooge-like stunt scrapes the absolute bottom of the bilge.

And this outfit wants to take over Delta?
Arghh. It has a hard enough time running itself!!

So far foreign airlines are the best still to me.

I think you need to call USAirways and confirm this. I have never paid for any meals when flying in Envoy Class.

I'm quoting here from their website:

"Envoy Class customers enjoy complimentary meals on all transatlantic flights. All entrees are served with an appetizer or salad, bread, a selection of cheeses, fruit and something sweet."

I DID CALL! And I was told that the web site notation was correct. I should have said that when I first wrote.

I was so shocked I tried first to chat.
Impossible.
Next I tried email. No answer after 2 days.

I got irked and called. I told the agent I could not believe that. She checked with her supervisor and came back on the line and said that was the case.

I suggested I would fly a different airline.

But if I need to get back to Charlotte, the only decent options are with US Air.
Otherwise, I need to go to Manchester from Edinburgh or even London.

I plan to fly first to Munich, and Lufthansa operates the flight from Charlotte.

I think you had the same reaction I did, which is not allowed on a family board.

I have travelled Envoy class to Europe and my experience has been that they do offer a meal. I checked on the US Airways web site for a round trip ticket from Charlotte to Glasgow and they offer a meal both on Envoy and on Tourist class.

DH flies from London to Pittsburgh via Charlotte or Philly. They did serve complimentary meals on both business and coach classes. Though it's another question if coach meals are considered edible. (DH brings sandwiches anyway). I think you do pay for alcoholic drinks unless flying BC.

I have always been offered meals on all airlines going overseas, including US Airways. I just booked with them for Europe, and it says "lunch", though I somehow doubt they'll be serving lunch on an overnight flight. :)

For Luhinari:
You need to check the return flight from Glascow to Philadelphia.

The notation clearly says Meal: Buy on Board.

I confirmed it with a telephone call to US Airways, and their agent confirmed that the purchase plan was in effect.

Now, I have a request. Will you folks quit telling me I don't know how to read or how to check airline web sites?

I find it a little insulting because the underlying assumption is that I am either a liar, illiterate, stupid, ignorant, inept, or some combination of two or more of the listed characteristics.

I don't know when you are flying, but I checked some dates in March and there are no direct flights from Charlotte to Glasgow. You must change in Phl and fly to Manchester. The trans atlantic flights all show some type of meal service in cattle class. It is the connecting flights that do not offer any meal service. BTW The fare listed was $ 350 RT in March. I may go.

"I find it a little insulting because the underlying assumption is that I am either a liar, illiterate, stupid, ignorant, inept, or some combination of two or more of the listed characteristics."

And your biggest problem is that your assumption is totally incorrect which probably says more about your self-esteem level than anything else.

>US Airways, the Greyhound Bus of airlines<

I think that that is rather insulting to the Greyhound people. :)

They are not as bad as USAir.

((I))

Economics. The airline supplies a meal, its cost is included in the ticket price. You either bring a lunch or diet; your ticket price is lower. Macro-Econ: Many airlines are losing money, obviously they are not charging enough or they are offering non-flight services and not being paid for them. Why not 'brown bag' it, like the Europeans do?

Get on a plane to fly.

Go to a restaurant to eat.

Don't go to a restaurant to fly.

Don't get on a plane to eat.

Simple enough, eh???

Knowing the mess that the website has been it was probably easy to misunderstand. Domestically UsAir only serves buy on board food, internationally there is always a meal, a very simple breakfast/snack in the morning in Europe and a snack prior to arrival in the US. That said, the food is not the greatest, so best bring something. US is cheap, that apparently is what the majority of customers want and you get what you pay for. So far no one has proved that wrong. I take convenience over an airplane meal. Other than a LGW or a FRA, all internationals go thru PHilly.

I don't recall if it was US or not (I think it was) but I recall seeing my transatlantic flight listed as no meal. I clicked it to check it out, and it was two separate segments. The first was no meal, the second (the part across the ocean) was dinner and breakfast provided. This could be what is confusing you, perhaps>?

Dukey, you may be an expert about low self-esteem, but please don't assume everyone else has your problem.

US routes almost all of their international flights through Philly. Some of the flights oroginate in Charlotte but stop in PHL and continue to their European destination. The domestic part of the flight has no meal in coach.
The transatlantic portion of the flight does have meals and snacks etc in coach.

Take this info from someone whao has used US Air several times for European flights.

Whoever originated this thread needs to calm down and not get bent out of shape when someone challenges the validity of their information. Just because you called doesn't mean that you were given the correct info or that the person who spoke to you understood what you were asking.

I did a European flight on US Air a few years back and it was great, and I have no problem with them domestically. I am not sure what all the fuss is about, as far as Greyhound and such.

Maybe my flight food wont be the best on the way over in April, but I paid $65.00 with my FF miles for my ticket. So I'm not stressing about it.
I can't imagine any carriers ever NOT having food on a long-haul type flight.

I fly USAir for business...they are the airline my company has a contract with.

I've also flown with them for a few international flights. The flights to LGW out of CLT have always had the same two choices, pasta or chicken. When we flew to FCO in October, we went through PHL (both ways) and we had the same two choices, pasta or chicken.

All flights were cattle class for the transatlantic portion, and usually upgraded to first for the US portion. I've never had to pay for a meal with them. Of course, the meal was only served on the transatlantic leg.

US air, hmmmm. I recently dropped my wife at Sky Harbor, PHX for a flight to Milw, she called from the plane to say that she was going back for repairs. She was told along with the other 5 folfs in first to go to the lounge but to be back by 1, at 12:30 my wife went to check, just to be sure, and was told the plane left 5 minutes ago! Bullcrap at it's best. BUT! a couple of months ago, I flew PHX-ALB, on the return, I got to ABQ and thought i had a hour to spare and forgot the time change, it was 2:55 and the FLT left at 3:08, I ran, made it, they gave me my first class seat back that they had given away to a medallion member, and I was back in PHX and hour later. When I was waiting for my bag, I went to the baggage office to inquire about where to pick up my bag because it couldn't possibly make it, but it DID! So we curse them, and mostly that it true, but miracles do happen.

I have always been appalled that Greyhound Bus has never contributed a dime to the many rescue organizations for retired racing Greyhounds.
M

If you fly coach, all airlines tend to be nothing more than a bus or cattle car. And yes, US Airways does serve meals to and from Europe, but has stopped serving meals on a number of domestic flights of 3 hours or less, just as most other airlines have done. If you want cheap flights, then there is a price to pay.

Although this is not related to the op and i cannot relate to that specific situation -although i've travelled before with US airways and i do not have pleasant memories - i'm quite astonished by GSteed's experience and quote:"Why not 'brown bag' it, like the Europeans do?"
I'm European.I usually fly every month to Asia and North America and i've never had encounter such a situation.
How odd you say such a thing.Care to share your experiences?

I fly two or three times a year between Europe where I live and Boston to visit family and don't care if they serve food or not because frankly, it doesn't matter which airline it is, the food is disgusting and is nothing I would ever eat in real life so why eat it in the air? I don't brown bag it like someone else said Europeans do (never saw that trend) but eat a good breakfast or lunch on this side before heading west and a light dinner before boarding the plane to head east. That also helps me sleep better. I usually tell them to just give me dessert, especially the Movenpick ice cream on Swiss.

I book airfares according to 3 priorities: first price and then price and lastly price. As a result I have flown USA to Europe on US Airways, Delta, Northwest, Air Italia, Air Canada, KLM, Air France and United and never found meals to be a worthy factor. They are all bad and the lack of one would not spoil my day. Nothing stops you from taking your own which does not have to be much to beat any airline meal.

Larry J

So I went to the US Airways site and looked at non stop flights from Glasgow to Philadelphia. Even for envoy class it was CLEARLY written NO MEAL. So what's this talk about "they mean on the domestic segment?" Huh? What domestic segment is there on a non stop from Glasgow to Philadelphia. I personally would believe that since Bob Brown/Brookwood saw this right on the actual site (as I did) and since he called and confirmed that no meal is now served on that flight, that he has a far greater chance of being right than those who flew the airline on another route a year or two ago and got served a meal. Things change.

I'd be surprised if there was no meal - like I said, mine said "lunch" each way (and I somehow doubt they are serving lunch on the way there, since my flight leaves closer to the evening).

But just like any other flights, I tend to have snacks and such with me. I'll make sure with US Air in April before leaving Charlotte as far as what is on the flight. You'd think there would be a lot of complaints for an 8 hour or so flight with no food. Then again, I used FF miles and am paying a total of $65 or so dollars. I can afford to spring a few bucks for a sandwich.

http://www.airlinemeals.net/

Interesting site, I'll have to take a photo of my airline food!

NeoPatrick, some airlines, even though listed as nonstop, still include a stop (not necessarily a plane change) along the way. I'm not saying this is the case, but it is a possibility. They keep the same plane, same flight number, but stop along the way. This happened to me last summer on the way to London.

I found a nonstop PHL-GLA flight for July 15 on USAir.com . I clicked on the details and see "Meal: Lunch". For the return GLA-PHL flight (I checked July 22), I clicked and saw Meal: Buy on Board. Both specifically say NONSTOP.

Seeing "Buy on Board" for an international flight is a new thing, but at least it doesn't seem you will go foodless.

7 hours and 15 minutes "nonstop" from Glasgow to Philadelphia does NOT include a stop. Some flights on that route do make a stop in Manchester, and then the total time is 11 hours plus.

But oddly enough, the same flight I checked earlier at random that clearly said "No Meal" now says "Buy on Board". Somebody has fixed some glitch somewhere.

Quite frankly, I'd be much happier if the airlines stopped shoving lousy food on all of us during night flights and let us just sleep (or try to). European flights in coach (and that is where I fly) tend to be overly busy making it even more difficult to get some shut eye.

Count my vote for eliminating airline food on night flights! I wouldn't miss the films much either. Just turn out the lights. . . .

GB944, thank you, such a hilarious post :))

Bob, I hope you'll find a convenient flight!

I'm afarid the OP was incorrect to begin withy since nobody is paying for meals in Envoy Class and the whole thing reads rather interestingly given TODAY's routine airline service cuts.

As to Greyhound...40 years or more ago we rode it as well as Trailways..even THEN there were people who wouldn't set foot on it. Now we have Greyhound's progeny otherwise known as BoltBus which provides various services...sometime hit or miss but you cannot beat the prices.

USAir is bad, but at least they seem to understand their business model: "We know these days flying is all about schedule and price, and not about food and amenities."

I fly regularly between the US and Paris. I have flown US Airways, United, Delta, Air Canada, Northwest, KLM, Air France and Lufthansa. Never noticed a bit of difference with any of them. Geez......I must be sooooooooooo stupid.

Larry J

PLEASE notice this was resurrected from 2006 and it wasn't even correct then.