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Is there really dinner on my flight?

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Old Jul 24, 2019, 9:28 am
  #1  
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Is there really dinner on my flight?

I'm booked tomorrow in F on DL 3041, DTW-PDX. The itinerary shows dinner, but the departure time is 8:30 p.m. Should I expect dinner or not?


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Old Jul 24, 2019, 9:47 am
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I believe that a meal is always served in First Class on all flights over 1500 miles. DTW-PDX at 1953 miles would qualify.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 9:51 am
  #3  
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Originally Posted by third_wave
I believe that a meal is always served in First Class on all flights over 1500 miles. DTW-PDX at 1953 miles would qualify.
Actually, I think 1400 miles is the threshold for long flights (the 8:00PM cutoff is listed for medium distance flights between 900 - 1399 miles). Although I do see the 1500 listed for long flights -- so the website seems inconsistent. Although I don't recall ever getting dinner service in FC on eastbound redeyes from west coast.

Last edited by xliioper; Jul 24, 2019 at 10:18 am
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 9:52 am
  #4  
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It wont be a full dinner instead it'll be a "snack." Ie more than just the snack basket, but not a full dinner. Dinner ends at 8pm, but for flights over 1400 miles you get a "snack" between 8pm and 9pm. DL lists it as Dinner even though it's the snack.

Last edited by flyerCO; Jul 24, 2019 at 10:24 am
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 10:13 am
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Originally Posted by third_wave
I believe that a meal is always served in First Class on all flights over 1500 miles. DTW-PDX at 1953 miles would qualify.
This is what the website says. But I have an upcoming SAN-ATL redeye over 1,500 miles in F and it doesn't show anything besides snacks and drinks. Yet their marketing states "For flights over 1,500 miles, you’ll find a fresh, full meal service — featuring a variety of healthy and local options as part of your meal. You’ll have several meal selections to choose from."
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 10:19 am
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Originally Posted by btonkid12345
This is what the website says. But I have an upcoming SAN-ATL redeye over 1,500 miles in F and it doesn't show anything besides snacks and drinks. Yet their marketing states "For flights over 1,500 miles, you’ll find a fresh, full meal service — featuring a variety of healthy and local options as part of your meal. You’ll have several meal selections to choose from."

This particular issue has been discussed a few times before. The west coast redeye flights don't get meals, but long flights that depart in the evening after 8 seem to get meals. The rule used to be, as Flyerco stated, that flights departing between 8 and 9 got a "snack" instead of a meal, which usually meant a hot sandwich, chips and a cookie. But more recently I believe that these meals are now a full dinner, though I'm not sure.

I've always though that the redeye flights should offer a light pre-arrival breakfast (something quick like yogurt and fruit).

Delta's domestic first class meal details on the website have been totally confusing for a long time, and regularly don't match what actually happens. I've even written them about this.

The good news, however, is that when a flight says it will have a meal on the booking page or in the reservation, this is almost always accurate.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 11:16 am
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Originally Posted by jdrtravel
The good news, however, is that when a flight says it will have a meal on the booking page or in the reservation, this is almost always accurate.
Very true. I had a redeye SEA-BOS that left after 10 p.m. have dinner served, though. Weird that Cali gets no love (but not really)
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 1:47 pm
  #8  
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I'd be suspicious that it's not dinner if you can't preorder your first choice main course.

It's still more than 24 hours before departure, so OP should call DL and ask to preorder the meal. Even if you don't receive the email with website link (normally sent out at just after T-70 for those who have already purchased tickets or been upgraded to FC), DL agents can read descriptions of the choices to you and register your selection.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 2:51 pm
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
I'd be suspicious that it's not dinner if you can't preorder your first choice main course.
It's not receiving the email that led me to wonder about this.

Waiting for a callback.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 3:20 pm
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Delta called back within the promised 33 minutes, but only just.

I was told that "on this flight, pre-ordering is only available for Delta One passengers, not first-class."

It is not, of course, a Delta One flight.

The call was disconcerting in another way. It is the first time I have had to use very simple English when speaking with a Delta agent.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 3:21 pm
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Originally Posted by kochleffel
Delta called back within the promised 33 minutes, but only just.

I was told that "on this flight, pre-ordering is only available for Delta One passengers, not first-class."

It is not, of course, a Delta One flight.

The call was disconcerting in another way. It is the first time I have had to use very simple English when speaking with a Delta agent.
Call back if possible. The D1 comment suggests an incompetent agent.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 3:53 pm
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You clearly got an incompetent agent. Just call back. Or, at this point, the value of your time -- even at minimum wage -- is exceeding the cost of something you really want to eat from DTW.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 4:21 pm
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Tried Twitter. It is taking @Delta more than 20 minutes to respond to each entry.

And I don't care about pre-ordering. It's only that if there is a pre-order menu, it would confirm that they're actually going to serve something and that is what I want to know.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 4:31 pm
  #14  
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A meal should be standard in F in flights over a certain distance no matter the time of day. You don't don't know where those passengers may have connected from or what time their body is on.
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Old Jul 24, 2019, 4:39 pm
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Latest via Twitter:

" Than you. What type of meal are you looking to request?"

I would continue with this, but by the time @Delta replies again it will probably be too late to do anything anyway.

My interpretation: either (a) Delta does not allow meal pre-orders in first class, no matter what anyone says, or (b) there is no dinner on this flight - maybe a sandwich, maybe only pretzels.

Last edited by kochleffel; Jul 24, 2019 at 4:44 pm
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