United's "Upgraded Fine Dining Experience"

It's never nice flying home after vacation. Even less nice when you transit Geneva airport with a tight connection and the immigration officer decides to give you the third degree because he can't find an entry stamp in your american passport because the lazy bugger at Rome airport couldn't be bothered to press down hard enough, and the swiss guy is convinced you entered Europe on a different passport because you don't sound american....

I have never been so happy to plonk my bum on a seat on a US bound plane as I was today. Little did I know I was also going to be treated to United's "new upgraded fine dining experience" with a "meal served with 3 separate courses and wine". Wow. I was in economy, so the meal was doomed to failure.

Course 1 was a Jacobs cream cracker and some spreadable cheese, which I had with a cup of tea.

Course 2 was the main course and came with free wine, which I declined, (yes, you read it right, I declined), as it was poured from a cardboard carton with a screw top. Not that I'm a wine snob or anything. Anyway, here's my meal. Faro salad, chicken in a red sauce with potatoes and peas, bread roll and butter. It seemed like everything had been heated in the oven, as not only were the main course and the bread roll hot, but so was the salad and the butter, which had turned into oil!!

Course 3 was a chocolate mousse ice cream and another cup of tea.

It was all edible, and if they hadn't bigger it up at the beginning, it wouldn't have seemed such a let down.

They haven't enhanced the second part of the meal service though, the "snack" which is still a warmed up sandwich.

I feel I ought to mention Swiss who served a very acceptable warm croissant on the short flight from Barcelona to Geneva. United should perhaps get some pointers from them!