Economy Passengers Will Have to Preorder Meals on Many United Flights

United customers can now order fresh, United Economy meals like burgers and sandwiches before their flight through the airline’s website and mobile app. 

The preorders are available on flights over 1,915 km (1,190 miles) within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and as of March 1, preorders will be the only way to purchase fresh entrees for customers travelling in the Economy cabin. 

United says the change prioritizes giving customers more choice and ensuring they get the meals they want, while also helping the airline’s catering operation run more efficiently and supporting efforts to reduce food waste.

United Economy will still offer snack boxes, packaged snacks and beverages for purchase onboard.

In addition to ensuring customers get the meals they want and improving catering efficiency, enabling customers to preorder meals is expected to help United’s food-waste reduction efforts by helping minimize unconsumed fresh retail items. This approach is anticipated to keep more than 100,000 pounds of unused food out of landfills each year.

United expects to add additional fresh meal choices to the preorder menu this summer that include elevated salads, gourmet sandwiches and wraps, with expanded preorder exclusive premium beverage options planned for later this year.

United first introduced preorder in the United app for premium cabins in 2021 and saw customer satisfaction scores for domestic flights increase by almost 40%.

“We’re continuing to invest in meaningful improvements to our onboard food and beverage program, with a focus on quality, consistency and customer choice,” said Aaron McMillan, Managing Director of Hospitality Programs at United. 

“Preordering is a win for everyone – customers board the plane knowing they’ll get the meal they want, our catering partners know exactly how much food to prepare for each flight and it helps our operation run even more smoothly and reduce food waste.”

Customers can preorder both fresh Bistro on Board and retail items in advance through the mobile app or on united.com, beginning five days and up to 24 hours before departure. 

Customers can browse the available options within the online Trips section, and United app users will receive a notification when preordering opens for their flight. In addition to signature snack boxes, the January menu includes a variety of options including the Steakhouse Burger, Tacos Al Pastor, Fresh Cheese & Fruit Tray, Everything Bagel Dots and more.