VC10er From United States of America, joined Feb 2007, 1957 posts, RR: 9 Posted (3 months 2 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1070 times:
Over the past 25 years I have flown way over a million miles on United and 90% were international. I have flown close to 700,000 on CO and about 20 different international carriers--maybe I'm nuts, but I love my amenity kits!
Especially on a carrier that I've never flown or when UA would change theirs. CO has had the same exact amenity kit since 1991. Please gods of travel...I hope the merger will bring a new beautiful one for Business and First Class.
Has the new United made any statement to do so?
And who had the best? VARIG First Class 20 years ago. Leather zipper square bag with handle, a Velcro satin drawstring bag inside filled with tons of fun stuff. I still have it somewhere. Also, Lufthansa First used to have a Van Laak branded kit that was wonderful and last United about 10 years ago had a neoprene portfolio style kit in F. I kept all of those: I have about 6 as I use them as my travel case for my toiletries.
Last, TAM has a different strategy: a cart filled with 50 goodies and an empty pouch that you can fill as you like.
But on CO, I take the mints and leave the bag on my seat- it is so small and boring. And, like people will reuse it with a hook!
Schweigend From United States of America, joined Jun 2010, 396 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 months 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 918 times:
Quoting VC10er (Thread starter): CO has had the same exact amenity kit since 1991.
I know nothing personally about UA amenity kits, but IMO, the CO kit has been slowly degraded since 1991. It has been steadily reduced in size, and it once contained a 5" can of Evian Brumisateur, a hydrating microfine spray, something I loved to have. That ended by 1995, I think.
Also the ink-pens provided today in the kits are of lesser quality than before. Why not give the customer a nice pen to use again or give away, instead of a cheap, poorly-designed thing to be discarded?
I haven't flown Virgin Atlantic lately, but in the mid-2000s, their Upper Class kits seemed to me extravagant -- there were two of them, one a well-made cellphone-sized pouch with a Velcro flap, embroidered "Virgin Atlantic", and containing a pad of high quality thick linen paper and a nice stainless steel pen embossed with the airline's name and tail-logo. The other was about as big as the current CO one, but was embroidered with the name, and had very nice toiletries, including a gel to reduce eye puffiness.
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