I am sure there will be good things that will come of the Continental- United merger, but, for this traveling mom, I am not so thrilled about the change in the meal plan. Sure, it’s a little frustrating that I have to pay for snacks on the plane now (except for the pretzels) but there is more to it than that.
The food that is served on the bulk of the flights our family will take (flights up to 3.5 hours) offer snack food items that are all individually wrapped and require an adult’s dexterity to open and figure out how to store the trash while eating, never the mind the fact that we also have to figure out how to get the wallet out of my carry-on so that I can pay for everything.
On the flight I am currently taking, I spent $23.50 on food.On our last flight one of the flight attendants commented that we were the big spender row, but, really, if you divide by 5, it’s less than $5 per person.
I could handle paying $5 more for my airline ticket. It’s the hassle of the whole transaction that gets me. All the opening and closing and smearing cheese spread and just hoping my kids will eat something that in some way will equate to a meal.
Call me spoiled, but I was definitely used to the old Continental promise of meals at meal time. It was nice to know that something they would eat would be delivered right to our seat and my kids could unroll the paper themselves and take a bite and find something to eat and contain everything in the tidy little tray. Those days are no more.
So, my new friends at United, since we will likely see a lot of each other in the future, if you aren’t going to include meals or snacks in the price of airfare anymore, would you at least consider adding something to your menu that is a little more kid-friendly? It would sure make things a lot easier for me, and other family travelers.
Sure, we can bring our own snacks (and maybe we will have to) but I would sure rather just pay a few bucks and not have to carry so much and still allow my kids to eat something simple on the flight.
In the meantime, for anyone used to Continental’s meals, here’s the new deal for flights less than 3.5 hours in length:
Select Snack Box: $7
Multigrain Tortilla Chips, Azar Fruit and Nut Mix, Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, Crackers, Hormel Salami, Peppercorn Parmesan Cheese Spread, Oolves Marinated Olives, Plain Hummus
Classic Snack Box $5
Azar Fruit and Nut mix, Chex Mix Chocolate Chunk Bar, Crackers, Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Spread, Chips Ahoy 100-CAlorie Thin Crisps, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
Mini Snack Pack $4
Kind Almond and Apricot Bar, Yogurt Raisin Fruit Snack, Crackers, Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Spread
And a few A La Carte items, ranging in price from $1.50 – $4.50
On most flights from 3.5 hours to 6.5 hours between the hours of 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. there is a larger menu for purchase of items which the menu says are freshly prepared. My guess is that those will be easier to eat, as well, but it is my opinion that even shorter flights at mealtimes should offer something close to meal that is easy to eat.
Oh well… I guess sometimes you just don’t know how good you got it ’till it’s gone! I’ll try to feel more appreciation for the free pretzels and free bathrooms. You never know when those ‘perks’ just might be gone, too.
In the meantime, please Continental United, won’t you consider helping out your family travelers and adding something a bit more kid-friendly?
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