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Degradation of Meal Service

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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, October 21, 2019 7:15 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH
I don't know about other airlines, but on American Airlines, passengers are charged for meals in coach but they are complimentary in first class.  First class passengers can pre-order meals from the menu on the airline website.  It isn't quite a dining car experience of years gone by but the food is good.

In my experience, the best cabin service was on Mexicana.

Back in the 80's when I was taveling on a regular basis - on a United flight from Baltimore to Chicago the silverware I got with the breakfast that was served in coach was from Mexicana. 

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, October 21, 2019 7:10 AM

I don't know about other airlines, but on American Airlines, passengers are charged for meals in coach but they are complimentary in first class.  First class passengers can pre-order meals from the menu on the airline website.  It isn't quite a dining car experience of years gone by but the food is good.

In my experience, the best cabin service was on Mexicana.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Sunnyland on Sunday, October 20, 2019 6:00 PM

I grew up riding trains and we always ate in diner, only place to get a meal in those days, no cafe car.  Food was always delicious and never had a bad experience with whoever joined us.  So it's just natural for me to go to diner and eat, but I would be ok with catered food they would heat up, probably would not eat in my roomette as I like to interact with other passengers and the crew. But I am willing to adapt as long as the food is good and a pleasant experience. Have not flown since 2003 so have no idea what the food is like on planes today or if they even have meals to serve.  

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Posted by Sunnyland on Sunday, October 20, 2019 5:54 PM

2 friends and I took a Pullman bedroom on City of St Louis in 1965. We had a bathroom in our bedroom.  Never a odor or problem, but in those days the waste went on the tracks,  as somebody mentioned above, so no stopped up toilet like can happen with the ones on Amtrak today. And have happened on airlines too. They had about 8 toilets on the #747 going overseas and  there would often be 1 or 2 with signs out of order. Those were long flights like a train ride, 12 hours out of NYC to Cairo, Egypt was the longest one we took.  

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Saturday, October 19, 2019 1:00 PM

Overmod

'Stimmt, ja.  Und der Hitlergruß aus dem Rollstuhl auch, vielleicht.

 

 Bestimmt! 

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, October 18, 2019 5:52 PM

'Stimmt, ja.  Und der Hitlergruß aus dem Rollstuhl auch, vielleicht.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, October 18, 2019 4:50 PM

"Jawohl, mein Fuehrer!" was pretty explicit. 

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, October 18, 2019 3:18 PM

charlie hebdo
Dr.  Strangelove?

Went without saying!  The 10 women to every man clinched it, although I'm not sure the "Nazi" implications go quite far enough to qualify as Godwinist -- it is, after all, intended as satire.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, October 18, 2019 9:05 AM

Dr.  Strangelove?

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Posted by York1 on Friday, October 18, 2019 8:41 AM

zugmann
Never works out for the ones in the shelter.  I've read enough stories to know that.

 

It was a joke based on an old Kubrick movie.

York1 John       

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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, October 17, 2019 10:24 PM

York1

I plan to be one of the chosen in the shelter.

 

Never works out for the ones in the shelter.  I've read enough stories to know that.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, October 17, 2019 4:13 PM

Overmod
Should have known it was too good to be true.  (Not gonna go back to see where it was, though.)

 

Don't waste your time.  I didn't refer to "him".

It's only because I associated with someone in the War Room.  There may be some jealousy about the 10 women...

York1 John       

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, October 17, 2019 3:14 PM

charlie hebdo
Au contraire!! York1 appears to have invoked the Godwin corollary.

RATS!!!  Should have known it was too good to be true.  (Not gonna go back to see where it was, though.)

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, October 17, 2019 1:10 PM

I plan to be one of the chosen in the shelter.

York1 John       

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Thursday, October 17, 2019 1:02 PM

Au contraire!! York appears to have invoked the Godwin corollary.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, October 17, 2019 12:21 PM

zugmann
 
NKP guy
Whatever happened to a future of flying cars? I know, we got 240 characters instead.

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, October 17, 2019 12:11 PM

Here we go again.

We start with eating meals on trains, and we end up with the planet on fire and ...... the president.

York1 John       

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Thursday, October 17, 2019 10:07 AM

NKP guy

 

 
Overmod
nowadays it seems almost de rigueur to be dystopian.

 

   I agree.  But it's difficult not to be with the very planet practically on fire.

  

Especially difficult with a "denialist" at the helm. 

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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, October 17, 2019 10:06 AM

NKP guy
Whatever happened to a future of flying cars? I know, we got 240 characters instead.

And people use those 240 characters to convince others the earth is flat and essential oils can replace vaccines.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, October 17, 2019 10:01 AM

NKP guy
Whatever happened to a future of flying cars?

Strange: I was talking about this to my son at college yesterday afternoon.

It turns out to be far easier to design autonomous flying cars than it does ground vehicles for general local traffic.  It even becomes relatively cheap to implement.  The chief problems remain (1) weather; (2) other drivers; (3) landing zones and control.  The overarching concern remains the disaster of most systems failures, and the consequence of long gravitational acceleration, even with the best BRS-type systems.  We can add terrorism and the equivalents of road rage to this, if those concerns aren't severe enough.

In addition to which: in the absence of fully-interworkable standards for all aspects of operation, the number of cars in any given region can't become 'great enough' to assure reasonable production quantity to get acceptable costing, so either a 'rental'/timesharing model or some kind of fancy financing a la cellphones would have to be in place early and effective.

I am waiting with some interest to see where the Israeli idea of 10-passenger unpiloted autonomous aircraft goes.  Better yet is the prospect of Zunum, which gives nearly the convenience of a full 'flying car' for long distances but a known infrastructure and control arrangement.

We've sure gotten a long way from Amtrak meal service!

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, October 17, 2019 10:00 AM

NKP guy
Whatever happened to a future of flying cars?

Strange: I was talking about this to my son at college yesterday afternoon.

It turns out to be far easier to design autonomous flying cars than it does ground vehicles for general local traffic.  It even becomes relatively cheap to implement.  The chief problems remain (1) weather; (2) other drivers; (3) landing zones and control.  The overarching concern remains the disaster of most systems failures, and the consequence of long gravitational acceleration, even with the best BRS-type systems.  We can add terrorism and the equivalents of road rage to this, if those concerns aren't severe enough.

In addition to which: in the absence of fully-interworkable standards for all aspects of operation, the number of cars in any given region can't become 'great enough' to assure reasonable production quantity to get acceptable costing, so either a 'rental'/timesharing model or some kind of fancy financing a la cellphones would have to be in place early and effective.

I am waiting with some interest to see where the Israeli idea of 10-passenger unpiloted autonomous aircraft goes.  Better yet is the prospect of Zunum, which gives nearly the convenience of a full 'flying car' for long distances but a known infrastructure and control arrangement.

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Posted by NKP guy on Thursday, October 17, 2019 8:58 AM

Overmod
nowadays it seems almost de rigueur to be dystopian.

   I agree.  But it's difficult not to be with the very planet practically on fire.

   Whatever happened to a future of flying cars?  I know, we got 240 characters instead.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, October 17, 2019 8:37 AM

NKP guy
 
charlie hebdo
In a word,  unreliable.  Expanding a bit,  we tend to remember the past so that it fits with our current  emotions. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 10:43 PM

Congruence tends to prevail.  To change attitudes usually requires a strong dissonance, either emotional or cognitive, or both.  

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Posted by NKP guy on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 6:24 PM

charlie hebdo
In a word,  unreliable.  Expanding a bit,  we tend to remember the past so that it fits with our current  emotions. 

What about projecting the future?  Does that ever "fit with our current emotions"?

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:08 PM

JPS1

I am suspect of how well people remember the quality of a meal that they had 25 years ago.  Compared to what?  

I have ridden over every mile of the Amtrak system except Sacramento to Portland, Chicago to New Orleans, and Portland, Maine to Boston.  Some of the miles were chalked up on premium trains before the coming of Amtrak.  I have eaten in the dining cars of the Silver Meteor, West Coast Champion, Broadway Limited, City of Los Angeles, Super Chief, etc.  I don't remember any of the meals being worth a return visit.

Perhaps our contributing psychologist can address how well we remember long ago experiences. 

 

In a word,  unreliable.  Expanding a bit,  we tend to remember the past so that it fits with our current  emotions. 

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Posted by JPS1 on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 3:58 PM

I am suspect of how well people remember the quality of a meal that they had 25 years ago.  Compared to what?  

I have ridden over every mile of the Amtrak system except Sacramento to Portland, Chicago to New Orleans, and Portland, Maine to Boston.  Some of the miles were chalked up on premium trains before the coming of Amtrak.  I have eaten in the dining cars of the Silver Meteor, West Coast Champion, Broadway Limited, City of Los Angeles, Super Chief, etc.  I don't remember any of the meals being worth a return visit.

Perhaps our contributing psychologist can address how well we remember long ago experiences. 

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 2:45 PM

NKP guy

 

 
Deggesty
there were people who made the special effort to eat in diners.  I never rode a train just to eat in a diner, but I enjoyed many good meals in railroad diners.

 

   I did!

   In 1972 (I think) when Amtrak's Montrealer passed through New Haven, a couple of friends and I boarded there soley to eat in the dining car.  We got off at Springfield and hitch-hiked our way home that evening!  It was worth the trouble.  Two newbies became dining car aficonados that evening.

   In 1973, in England, my buddy and I had rail passes and one afternoon and evening took the train to Salisbury and return because it was free for us and we thought British dining cars had better food at cheaper prices than we could find in London.  Besides, does anyone remember the state of British food about 1973?  I loved watching the waiters walking gingerly on the fast train with huge platters of food as they passed by one's table and served one.

   Regarding choosing airlines for their cuisine, in 1970 & 1971 I used to fly American Airlines because they were the only one (serving Cleveland, at any rate) that offered headphones and music.  They even sponsored an all-night classical music program which I often enjoyed.

   Music isn't food, I know, but people buy tickets and have favorites for all sorts of reasons.

 

Franklyn McCormick? 

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 2:26 PM

NKP guy
Regarding choosing airlines for their cuisine, in 1970 & 1971 I used to fly American Airlines because they were the only one (serving Cleveland, at any rate) that offered headphones and music. They even sponsored an all-night classical music program which I often enjoyed.

Lousy millenials.  Always with their earbuds in.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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