Sep 24, 2019, 9:23 am
Last edit by: michab
The following website seems to allow you to preview the menu options ahead of time: http://cloud.o.delta.com/fltInfo
The Delta App lets you pre-select meals 7 days prior to departure. You may or may not receive an email around the same time (it's inconsistent whether you even receive an email). On the "MY TRIPS" tab, any eligible trip in the list will have a SELECT YOUR ENTREE button; this also appears if you tap on a trip and are viewing the individual trip details. The app is able to handle selections for multiple passengers traveling on the same record (i.e. you will be able to make selections on behalf of traveling companions)
Sample screenshot:
PRE-COVID: If you don't get the email, or only one of multiple passengers receives the email*, you can ask a phone or Twitter/FB agent for the choices, and they can make your selection up until T-24h (not all agents are sharp about this, so you may need to explain that you want to pre-order a regular meal, *not* one of the special vegetarian/Kosher meals etc. HUCA as needed) Nowadays it is unclear if agents can even still do this (or if just the average phone/chat agent does not know how to do so anymore)
*If this happens, double check that you have an email address (for each passenger) in the reservation. (But this can happen at random anyway even if you do have an email address listed.)
The Delta App lets you pre-select meals 7 days prior to departure. You may or may not receive an email around the same time (it's inconsistent whether you even receive an email). On the "MY TRIPS" tab, any eligible trip in the list will have a SELECT YOUR ENTREE button; this also appears if you tap on a trip and are viewing the individual trip details. The app is able to handle selections for multiple passengers traveling on the same record (i.e. you will be able to make selections on behalf of traveling companions)
Sample screenshot:
PRE-COVID: If you don't get the email, or only one of multiple passengers receives the email*, you can ask a phone or Twitter/FB agent for the choices, and they can make your selection up until T-24h (not all agents are sharp about this, so you may need to explain that you want to pre-order a regular meal, *not* one of the special vegetarian/Kosher meals etc. HUCA as needed) Nowadays it is unclear if agents can even still do this (or if just the average phone/chat agent does not know how to do so anymore)
*If this happens, double check that you have an email address (for each passenger) in the reservation. (But this can happen at random anyway even if you do have an email address listed.)
Pre-ordering Meals on Delta, the Definitive Thread
Mar 24, 2016, 2:15 pm
#76
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In any case, providing some number of passengers their advance choice still increases the probability that I (with a last-minute upgrade) get mine.
Mar 24, 2016, 2:18 pm
#77
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I'm flying LAX-MSP right now, and they managed to provide everyone in F their choice, so I suspect there are surplus meals boarded. I suppose I could ask, or would that be cheating?
In any case, providing some number of passengers their advance choice still increases the probability that I (with a last-minute upgrade) get mine.
In any case, providing some number of passengers their advance choice still increases the probability that I (with a last-minute upgrade) get mine.
Mar 24, 2016, 2:27 pm
#78
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I don't think there are surplus meals per se (this would be so wasteful), but I do think that they board enough for first class plus each FA. My assumption is that FA's get whatever is left over (or at least this is probably the policy), so this probably increases the chances of pax getting their first choice.
Mar 24, 2016, 2:46 pm
#79
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I'm flying LAX-MSP right now, and they managed to provide everyone in F their choice, so I suspect there are surplus meals boarded. I suppose I could ask, or would that be cheating?
In any case, providing some number of passengers their advance choice still increases the probability that I (with a last-minute upgrade) get mine.
In any case, providing some number of passengers their advance choice still increases the probability that I (with a last-minute upgrade) get mine.
I suppose it's possible that someone didn't choose to eat on that flight though. I see this happen sometimes.
Mar 24, 2016, 3:10 pm
#80
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I'm pretty sure they have surplus based on a recent experience I had. I was in FC and the meal I chose had fruit with it. I mentioned that I was glad there was a variety of fruits because I couldn't eat some of them. The FA kindly took it upon herself to take the fruit from an extra meal tray and give me a full serving of the fruits I could eat.
I suppose it's possible that someone didn't choose to eat on that flight though. I see this happen sometimes.
I suppose it's possible that someone didn't choose to eat on that flight though. I see this happen sometimes.
Mar 24, 2016, 4:41 pm
#82
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I've heard FAs telling people, when the last two are selecting meals, that there is exactly one A meal and one B meal left. From this I conclude that there were no extra meals loaded. I don't think crew get meals on all flights that serve meals to FC passengers.
Mar 24, 2016, 5:23 pm
#83
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I think that's right. On NWA I believe crew meals were dictated by the union contract. I'm sure Delta has policies--though I can't imagine that they are so different from the pax meal times.
Mar 24, 2016, 8:06 pm
#84
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I don't think anyone has suggested that this was about saving time. When you are paying lots of money for service that includes a meal, you should be able to order what you want. People have all sorts of different preferences and restrictions. And yes, for $5K you preferences should matter.
I've been paying for FC and D1 more and more lately (for personal travel) as I prefer the convenience of the SC when flying between LAX/JFK, having more room on all flights, etc. I don't book flights depending on the meal as I'm an adult who can simply pick something up in the SC or in the terminal before my flight if I'm hungry. Having a decent meal on a plane is a bonus but not something I'm going to spend time fretting about.
Mar 24, 2016, 10:17 pm
#85
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Delta soon to allow 1st class & D1 to preselect meal choice at booking
Re: surplus meals - I take lots of ATL-LGA (and return) flights in 16F M88/M90s.
I very often hear the caterers talking to FAs and see the little checkboxes they draw on the manifest. I specifically have noticed over the past few months that they seem to load 9 of each meal, so one surplus of each. Just today I flew LGA-ATL and heard someone in the galley say "9 chicken salads, 9 strombolis".
I very often hear the caterers talking to FAs and see the little checkboxes they draw on the manifest. I specifically have noticed over the past few months that they seem to load 9 of each meal, so one surplus of each. Just today I flew LGA-ATL and heard someone in the galley say "9 chicken salads, 9 strombolis".
Mar 24, 2016, 10:25 pm
#86
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This has to be an improvement.
Recent experience: 767 from NRT to SIN, 36 seats in business class. I picked the most appealing entree from the printed menu and was told that it was not available. Only 3 of that meal had been catered for the flight.
Folks paying $8000 to $10,000 for a business class itinerary should have an ample selection to choose from.
Recent experience: 767 from NRT to SIN, 36 seats in business class. I picked the most appealing entree from the printed menu and was told that it was not available. Only 3 of that meal had been catered for the flight.
Folks paying $8000 to $10,000 for a business class itinerary should have an ample selection to choose from.
Mar 24, 2016, 10:29 pm
#87
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Re: surplus meals - I take lots of ATL-LGA (and return) flights in 16F M88/M90s.
I very often hear the caterers talking to FAs and see the little checkboxes they draw on the manifest. I specifically have noticed over the past few months that they seem to load 9 of each meal, so one surplus of each. Just today I flew LGA-ATL and heard someone in the galley say "9 chicken salads, 9 strombolis".
I very often hear the caterers talking to FAs and see the little checkboxes they draw on the manifest. I specifically have noticed over the past few months that they seem to load 9 of each meal, so one surplus of each. Just today I flew LGA-ATL and heard someone in the galley say "9 chicken salads, 9 strombolis".
Mar 24, 2016, 11:06 pm
#88
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1. What's the timeline for implementation of this? All flights at once of phased introduction?
2. This won't be very helpful to those who are upgraded at the gate. In fact, it will decrease the chances of getting one's choice as there will be fewer unclaimed standard meals loaded per flight on average.
3. DL playing copycat is new. I guess competitive pressures and market forces still do work somewhat in the airline industry.
2. This won't be very helpful to those who are upgraded at the gate. In fact, it will decrease the chances of getting one's choice as there will be fewer unclaimed standard meals loaded per flight on average.
3. DL playing copycat is new. I guess competitive pressures and market forces still do work somewhat in the airline industry.
Mar 25, 2016, 1:37 am
#89
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In fact, why not make anyone in a premium cabin who hasn't paid the FULL F or FULL J/C fare wear sackcloth, a dunce cap, and a great big sign saying that they don't really deserve to be up front? FAs could make a point of serving them only coach meals or offering the coach food that's for sale (and charging an additional fee, in addition to the coach price, to bring it to the passenger in the premium cabin.
Mar 25, 2016, 6:11 am
#90
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Let's assume that DL loads the same number of meals in total, with the same mix (suppose it's 50-50 between meal A and meal B) of the standard meals for those who did not preorder. Suppose, as now for most domestic flights, that DL loads exactly one meal for each FC seat and there aren't any crew meals that can be offered to unhappy passengers. For simplicity, assume that the aircraft has 20 FC seats and all are occupied. Also to make the case more favorable for the new system, assume that everyone who ordered a meal in advance is on the flight and wants to consume their selection; no one is trying to change their mind about their choice.
In one scenario, if ten people have preordered, there are ten people remaining who (let's assume again for simplicity) prefer A or B with 50-50 probability, identically and independently distributed. For everyone to get their choice, we need to have exactly 5 request A and 5 request B.
In the other scenario, perhaps under the current system, no one preorders a meal. Now we have 20 random drawings for A versus B with 50-50 probability, iid, and we need to have exactly 10 pick A and 10 pick B.
You're more likely to be at (or close to) the exact 50-50 proportion with larger numbers of iid random drawings, so it's easier with 20 than 10 people picking their meals on board. However, of course with only 10 people who didn't preorder, the other 10 are automatically happy, so from this perspective the chance that some randomly selected passenger from all of those in FC will be unhappy is reduced (due to the 10 who preselected and therefore are automatically happy), but a given passenger who did not or could not preselect is more likely to be happy if no one else has preselected either.
Of course, this assumes that the 50-50 meals loaded reflect consumers' true 50-50 preference for A versus B.
Fun with probability, but I suspect I'm not explaining this very well. It's the same principle as the little trick of flipping an unbiased coin many times and watching the results converge (with very high probability) to be very close to exactly 50% heads and 50% tails.
In one scenario, if ten people have preordered, there are ten people remaining who (let's assume again for simplicity) prefer A or B with 50-50 probability, identically and independently distributed. For everyone to get their choice, we need to have exactly 5 request A and 5 request B.
In the other scenario, perhaps under the current system, no one preorders a meal. Now we have 20 random drawings for A versus B with 50-50 probability, iid, and we need to have exactly 10 pick A and 10 pick B.
You're more likely to be at (or close to) the exact 50-50 proportion with larger numbers of iid random drawings, so it's easier with 20 than 10 people picking their meals on board. However, of course with only 10 people who didn't preorder, the other 10 are automatically happy, so from this perspective the chance that some randomly selected passenger from all of those in FC will be unhappy is reduced (due to the 10 who preselected and therefore are automatically happy), but a given passenger who did not or could not preselect is more likely to be happy if no one else has preselected either.
Of course, this assumes that the 50-50 meals loaded reflect consumers' true 50-50 preference for A versus B.
Fun with probability, but I suspect I'm not explaining this very well. It's the same principle as the little trick of flipping an unbiased coin many times and watching the results converge (with very high probability) to be very close to exactly 50% heads and 50% tails.
Last edited by Bicostal; Mar 25, 2016 at 6:23 am Reason: Oops