Good in-flight service is crucial, especially if you're on a long-haul flight. These days, airlines provide movies and TV shows, along with WiFi to help you stay connected while you're in the air. The beverage cart is another in-flight staple, and the crew generally comes through at least once to collect drink and snack orders. But now, United Airlines passengers have taken to social media to complain about one component of the airline's service that they're calling "horrible." Read on to find out what travelers are up in arms about.
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Airlines are often slammed for their service.
iStockWhile United is under fire now, the airline is certainly not alone.
You might not expect a truly delectable meal when you board an airplane, but you probably expect it to be edible. That was not the case for one American Airlines passenger in June. Ricky James was flying business class from Frankfurt Airport in Germany to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas, when he was served an in-flight meal with a side salad. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that live bugs were crawling through the lettuce.
He took to Twitter to address the airline, stating that "business class was over $10,000 round trip and this is the quality of service...food with live bugs being served." James claimed that the airline staff "laughed it off," asking if he wanted a different salad. His complaints were definitely heard, as the airline responded on Twitter, and James confirmed that he received a call from an American Airlines representative a few days later.
Now, United is the one catching flack on social media for its food service.
Criticism started circulating on Reddit.
shutter_o / ShutterstockUnited's food has prompted some serious backlash, with customers saying they aren't happy about what they're being served. First reported by The Independent, photos of United's less-than-appetizing food were posted on Reddit, and then flooded with comments.
A Reddit user posted a picture of his United breakfast selection on the subreddit r/unitedairlines, noting that the meal was served while he was in economy, flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to San Francisco International Airport.
The photo shows eggs, which the user wrote "consisted of the hardest egg white and some yellow sauce on top," dubbing the meal "inedible."
A commenter added that the accompanying fruit salad also looked "horrible," while another said they "[couldn't] identify" any of the food items in the photo.
Some commenters did write that they had been served better meals when on domestic U.S. flights, even in economy seating. But when someone wrote that they had enjoyed the same meal in the picture, the original poster added that they tried to eat it, and compared it to "biting a Goodyear tire."
The conversation continued through lunch.
Anton Gvozdikov / ShutterstockAnother Redditor posted a photo of their "'Lunch' aboard Polaris Business Class," and they too were flying from Charles de Gaulle, this time to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The image shows a burger patty and a yellow substance with a red-orange spread. The user claimed that his ticket also cost a pretty penny.
"Is this what $7700 gets you? Any guesses as to what we think this is?" the Redditor wrote. "I would actually be really embarrassed, I know it is a plane and expectations for plane food are not high. But c’mon, food in SPACE is better than this 'burger.'"
A commenter wrote that they would've actually preferred the burger, when considering what they were served on other United flights.
"I’ve taken four Polaris flights this summer and the food has been consistently poor," the comment read. "It’s a shame because everything else about the Polaris experience has been great. But, food is kind of a big deal."
United Airlines responded to the photos on Twitter.
ShutterstockThe photos soon made their way to Twitter on Aug. 31, when user @hiandyyyy posted the breakfast and lunch selections side by side and called the airline out directly.
"@United needs to step up their international flights food offerings," the user tweeted, adding that "the food looks gross" and to "please make it at least edible."
In response to the tweet, United stated that the airline was "sorry to disappoint." The airline added that the user could forward feedback to United's catering teams or send full details of the travel experience to the customer care team "for a formal review and response."
Best Life reached out to United for comment on its food offerings, but has not yet heard back.
