Hot News: United to Serve Hot Meals
Gary Sanders June 02, 2017
United Airlines has finally joined competitors Delta and American in offering free meals to economy class customers on some lucrative coast-to-coast routes, according to Skift magazine. However, this perk is only for passengers in the extra-legroom Economy Plus section.
Complimentary hot and cold meals will be offered on three routes — Newark-Los Angeles, Newark-San Francisco, and Boston-San Francisco, which are among the most important and profitable in their system. Main courses such as roasted chicken with smoked barbecue sauce and butternut squash tortellini with sage cream sauce are planned as well as complimentary alcoholic beverages and a pre-arrival refreshment.
United is stepping up the competition with Delta, which only serves cold food such as sandwiches and fruit plates. However, Delta feeds everyone on the Boston and New York routes and offers free food on 12 cross-country routes, including Seattle-Fort Lauderdale and Boston-Los Angeles. American only provides free meals on the New York-L.A. and New York-San Francisco routes, but feeds all passengers.
Rather than feeding all passengers, the airline intends to reward elite frequent flyers called “premier members,” who get Economy Plus free, as well as customers ready to pay extra. “Customers seated in Economy Plus tend to be some of our most loyal customers,” they noted. “By offering a differentiated and improved dining service, we are adding more value to Economy Plus and rewarding loyalty.”
United also plans improvements in business class on the three routes competing with JetBlue’s Mint business class cabin. In addition to flights from New York to L.A. and San Francisco offering long flatbeds, Boston to San Francisco will now have them. Customers in these seats already have it nice, but now get a Saks Fifth Avenue-branded duvet and pillow, a featured cocktail, new desserts, and pre-meal and pre-arrival hot towel service.
United has seen these routes usually filled by its “most valuable flyers,” who expect more on flights that can be over six hours and feel that the experience should be similar to an international flight.
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Great news! I don’t know why, but I always find the airplane food to be the most delicious, guess it has something to do with the magic of having a meal in the sky :) I can even guess an airline by its meal. If United’s hot meals are delicious, maybe they’ll soon be a part of the most legendary airline meal quizzes http://blog.asaptickets.com/flights/guess-the-in-flight-meal/. Good luck, United!
United have improved their meals. No more lettuce but a tasty original salad. No more awful chocolate brownie but ice cream instead. American have kept their lousy meals.
So free food on a 6 hour domestic flight but not on an 11 hour domestic flight?