United Backs Down - Free Food For All!

So United has backed off plans to eliminate meals in coach on international flights and sell snack-paks and meal-paks. And who doesn't like a Meal-Pak? Alas, apparently, people flying on United internationally. Or least they don't like Meal-Paks they have to pay for and it's hard to fault them for that.

The airline says that the decision was the result of listening to feedback from customers. This I find interesting for a couple of reasons. First - they listened! What's up with that? I mean if they start doing that there's no telling where this might go. They might taxi back to gates and let passengers off instead of imprisoning them on the tarmac for eight hours. Or maybe, even, dare I say it - treat passengers like human beings instead of galley slaves or WalMart employees. OK, the last bit was probably a bit too much. Still it seems like it's pretty unprecedented in the last several years for an airline, any airline, to listen to customer feedback. Especially when it conflicts with the desire to make more money.

Second, I find it interesting that there really was that much feedback over this particular issue. United says that they did a survey or poll on the subject before announcing they were instituting fees and then based on customer feedback (legalese for angry e-mails I believe) decided on reversing this decision. So what was with the survey in the first place. I find it hard to believe a majority of people said no to free meals.

Oh, well. One for the consumer. That's a nice change. Hope it means the beginning of a trend but I'm not holding my breath.