UA tried this on a few routes, where one could order the C meal in Y for a fee. It wasn't a special meal, they just boarded more of the C meals to meet the demand.

I see this as tricky in a system where people make all kinds of last minute changes. It's easy enough to have a 72-hour cutoff and have a specific note that changes after that time won't result in transfer of the special order. But, from a CS standpoint, you just have angry pax.

With DL, AA(US) & UA as the three USA intl. carriers, will be interesting to see if that ups the game and whether people are willing to pay more for better service.