Just to be clear, is it a common option or do they commonly deliver a genuine veg lacto/ovo meal, rather than a vegan meal, when you choose that option?

Got the pre-order yesterday for a flight tomorrow in D1. Not impressed with the options:

Crab Cake
Braised Short Rib
Stuffed shells (vegetarian option)
Chicken Meatballs

I don't eat meat, but eat fish (no shellfish). In all the flights I've had in J / F over the years (at least 30-40 segments over the pond), there has almost always been at least one fish dish I could choose from. I don't order a special meal because I can always get something from the choices. Not very impressed with the options for this trip. I'd have to say the worst selection I've ever seen in J.

Offering a non-vegan vegetarian meal that includes dairy and sometimes eggs is commonplace. It meets the dietary needs of many people, not just vegetarians. For example, many people who eat kosher but who are not extremely strict will opt for a vegetarian rather than the kosher meals with all of their sealed containers. People who eat some meats but others, etc.

Yes. The issue is that, while it's commonplace to offer lacto/ovo veg, it's unusual to actually deliver it. From what I can tell, most airlines deliver a vegan meal even if lacto/ovo is chosen. I was wondering if DL is likely to deliver a non-vegan lacto-ovo vegetarian meal if that's what was ordered.

Well, while I did get to pre-order my meal, the FA said there was no record of any pre-orders on the flight. I still got the burger I ordered though — and the other option was the tandoori chicken (though it was a salad, which I don't recall being mentioned in the email).

It's hard to say. Until recently they always had a real lacto-ovo meal. Usually it was a pasta dish with some type of cheese and veggies, with a salad and fruit on the side. Not the most inventive but it worked. I'll also say that what they are serving for vegan food is just not acceptable. I'd generally be just fine eating vegan when ordering vegetarian, but when they bring stale bread with a few slices of onion, a sad looking slice of green pepper and the like, it just does not work.

Normally the tray has your name on it. It's done just like a true special meal. The catering crew put a label that says the passengers name on it. More than once it wasn't on the FA meal paperwork but was in fact loaded as a SPML tray in the meal cart.

If you do a F SDC does the pre-ordered meal follow you?

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No. Needs to be 24 hours in advance, and you can't same day change until 24 hours.

Yesterday (Friday afternoon) I text [MENTION=12946]Delta[/MENTION] Twitter asking them to have the preorder email sent after I used a weather waiver for a flight late Sunday. Had to go back and forth with the agent about special meal vs preorder. After we get that straightened out the agent says I took care of it for you. So, I wait and wait for the email. It never arrives. I call the Diamond line this morning. After more back and forth come to find out the reason why. Rather than having the email sent, the Twitter agent just made a selection for me. It was not what I would have ordered (was chicken-which I despise), so I asked the diamond agent to cancel it since she couldn’t figure out how to find what the other offerings for the flight were.

Amazing how difficult it seems to be for Delta to get something right that AA has done for years.

And more proof Delta Twitter has gone waaaaay downhill.

Have a TPA-DTW-PDX itinerary on Tuesday. Just got the e-mail for TPA-DTW but nothing yet for DTW-PDX.I am hoping to do an SDC but made a choice just in case. Choices were:
LEMONGRASS CHICKEN

served over red curry coconut rice
ANTIPASTI PLATE

roast beef, turkey, grilled chicken breast; gruyere, brie and sharp cheddar cheeses; pearl onions and grape tomatoes