I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago and back on United Airlines last week in economy class–domestic upgrades seem to be a thing of the past, even for 1Ks–and was quite impressed by a small but meaningful service gesture onboard before we departed.

A Small But Lovely Service Touch On My United Airlines Flight

United offers pre-departure beverages to its first class passengers. Flight attendants generally fill cups with water, juice, and sparkling wine then start in the front of the cabin and move back, refilling the tray if necessary.

Sometimes, everyone wants a drink. Other times, no one seems to want a drink…

The question then is what to do with the leftover beverages. All too often, I’ve seen flight attendants simply dump them in the trash in the front galley, which is not only wasteful, but a missed opportunity.

I was so pleased to see flight attendants walk back into economy class with the leftover pre-departure beverages and offer them to guests seated behind the curtain until she ran out. This happened on both the outbound and inbound journey.

It’s a very thoughtful touch…I know my wife and I appreciated the glass of water…but it was about more than the water: it was a conscientious effort to avoid waste and offer a premium service level, even in steerage.

Maybe this is more common than I think, but it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it and I saw it two flights in a row, so I figured it was worth mentioning.

Is this something you’ve seen on United or any other carrier? Is this an appropriate way to dispose of extra pre-departure beverages?

> Read More: United Airlines Now Serves Pre-Departure Beverages In Glassware On Longhaul Flights