Delta policy regarding special meals in FC
 

Having recently been upgraded on a long-haul flight, I moved quickly to make a VGML meal choice online, since it cannot be stored in advance in the case of upgrade. I recently learned four things from this experience.

1) Even if VGML is stored as a personal preference in the delta.com profile, it is not automatically loaded for meal choice if one is upgraded. It is Delta's policy to require manual selection of a special meal at least 24 hours in advance. This cannot be done automatically.
2) As in my case, my upgrade came at 24 hours. 1 minute later, the option to select the special meal was gone. "Specials meals are ordered only if the deadline is met."
3) I asked for the non-entree items from the meal when I declined the entree. I was not allowed to have these until everyone else was served. "Based on availability, the flight attendant should offer the non-entrée items, as the flight assistant did, but this is the exception because extra may not always be available because the non-entrée is served with the entree."
4) I used to carry paper vouchers from Delta for free snack boxes. I didn't have any on me. I asked for a vegetarian snack box from coach. I had to pay for it. "If the deadline is not met [for ordering a special meal], even if only by two minutes, any meals purchased in-flight are at the passenger’s expense. This has always been the policy and a boxed vegetarian meal from coach is not offered in lieu of for free.

I hope that this information is useful for those who are unable to pre-select special meals and are debating on purchasing food in the airport or playing the entree choice lottery.

This is a pretty absurd policy. Obviously if you're in this situation again the correct move is to order the meal you want the non-entree items from and then after you make the selection tell the FA to hold the main and bring the rest.

Yeah, this doesn't make any sense at all. They wouldn't give you the tray with the salad (probably veg), soup (probably veg) and appetizer (probably non-veg)?!? Isn't there also usually one veg entree on the regular menu?

I would have also just ordered whatever entree, and then dropped it on the floor in the aisle. Oops, I guess I'll just have to eat the non-entree items! :D

But really just sounds like an idiotic flight attendant.

Where are the quotes from? A reply in an email from DL CS?

I've never had a DL FA charge me for a snack box from coach. Ever ever. Not sure the actual policy but they have tons of discretion, in practice.

One issue is that it states most special meals can be ordered up to 6 hours before departure on the app. This is false. It's 24 hours for every flight and every meal. They have not updated this and I've called them on it before many times already

Of course there would be non-entree items available as you were a F pax. I don't understand that, I think you just had a confused FA. Perhaps the FA thought that you wanted extra items in addition to the non-entree items that would have come with your meal, to make up for not getting an entree? Like, sometimes there is extra bread or an extra dessert etc.

That is just poor customer service. It might be right in the letter of the rule, but certainly not when you are trying to provide a service to someone you want to be a repeat customer. Oh wait, that's building loyalty.

However, my wife flew transcon a few days ago and did not order a meal in first, and she totally understood that meant they did not load a vegetarian meal for her, but the FA in F got her a tapas box from the cart and delivered it gratis. It made her happy, which made me happy, which means we fly DL some more!

Yeah this seems really silly on DL's part - especially the non entree bit.

One question for OP - a long haul flight is mentioned, so there would be meals in Y also. Did you have VGML requested for your coach seat already?

In theory, that request should transfer with you when you get the UG (though perhaps DL IT isn't up to the task). And if truly past the catering cutoff, then they would have loaded a Y VGML that you could still receive while seated in J. But all of this would probably make too much sense...

Yes, the quotes are from an email reply from DL CS.

Great question.
Long haul was to HNL, which means meal service in FC but not Y.
So there was never an opportunity to request VGML for the coach booking.

No, the head FA didn't want to serve me at all. The appetizer was a simple salad and indeed was vegetarian.

Long-haul to HNL gets meals in Y. The short/medium haul west coast flights dont.

I didn't know these existed these days......