xliioper

Do you mean meal box? They have switched from snack box to boxed meals on flights over 900 miles, but I do not think they are serving the meal box on any exception flights under 900 miles (where they used to serve meals) at this point and you will almost certainly just get selections from a common snack basket. The flight listing for this route just shows Snacks, Drinks under Meal Services. Flights which get the meal box will show Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner under Meal Services. I do not believe they are serving the Market/Bistro snack boxes in FC any more. KTN-SEA flight mentioned a few posts above is almost exactly the same distance (roughly 680 miles) and got snack basket.

findark

I don't have the whole set here, but it is sounding like there are three choices for each meal, and the same across all divisions and directions:

Breakfast: charcuterie box, quinoa bowl, (banana bread?)
Lunch: Italian Ham Sandwich, Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich (caprese? I think it should have tomato), Strawberry Chicken Salad
Dinner: Prosciutto Sandwich, Ancient Grain Bowl, (different chicken salad?)

Given the level of investment in the boxes, I would be surprised to see a real meal service return before 1Q22, and possibly later than that.

avgeek92

choices from the snack basket

unitedbusiness

Wow that sounds like a pretty solid and satisfying meal on UA!

xliioper

The banana bread breakfast option is shown in this post -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33545510-post812.html
From the looks of it, there's also some sort of Coconut granola in the box (looks like it's Wildway Coconut Cashew grain-free granola). The other breakfast options (shown on list) are the charcuterie box and cold Coconut Chia (not Quinoa) oatmeal. On a recent flight, they didn't have oatmeal option catered for breakfast (I suspect it's not one of the popular choices).

NotHamSarnie

I don't disagree with your argument but the sound of people scratching at boxes and picking apart wrapped things and plastic packages is so low-rent that considering this in any way first-class is beyond belief and I personally will opt for any airline that doesn't do it.

I won't be buying into it anyway, nor I imagine would many of us who pay for F. As soon as F is filled only with people who are quite happy because they're getting it for free via upgrades, then we'll see a return to proper service.

MilesTalk

Anyone know if a hot meal is being served JFK-PDX in Delta One? The booking says "Dinner" but I have no idea if that means "cold sandwich" or "snack box"

xliioper

This is not a Delta One route. You will see that it is marketed as First Class even if there is D1 equipment involved. It won't be the "snack box" with pre-packaged, shelf-stable products (the Market/Bistro boxes) as DL is no longer serving these in FC on routes over 900 miles. So it will almost certainly be the cold meal box with cold sandwiches/salads for lunch/dinner. DL is currently serving hot meals on a handful of transcon routes, namely, JFK/BOS - SEA/SFO/LAX and DCA-LAX (which are mostly D1, but there are some FC flights on these), but not JFK-PDX.

lonelygod

JFK-LAX breakfast. Five choices but not inspiring. Will hit centurion and skyclub to maximize my sleep in the air…

MilesTalk

Thanks for the info!

A bit baffling to me how they decide a route 33 miles longer than JFK-SEA (ie the same) doesn’t get a hot meal but at least I know now to bring a meal aboard. Had the sandwiches ATL-ANC (another baffling no-hot meal route) and definitely don’t need that again

And yes, I do see that you are correct - it’s marketed as First, not D1.

WillBarrett_68

Are you really "baffled" by the fact that the flight with the lower class of service gets a cheaper meal? Really?

MilesTalk

It’s the same seat at the same price and the same length route. Marketing speak aside, yes I am.

That and when I pinged chat they responded:

”Thank you for patiently waiting. You can enjoy a full chef curated meal. A variety of snacks to choose from. I'll put some note or request for your meal preference.”

and

“It is a hot meal. Is there anything else that I can assist you with?”

So it’s definitely clear as mud. Appreciate your kind and helpful reply!

xliioper

Agents are frequently mis-informed, so this is pretty much par for the course (FT is almost always a better source for info as people here have actual experience on the flights). The reason for the hot meals on the other flights is quite simple in that they are competitive routes were DL is duking it out with the likes of B6, AS, AA, and UA and where DL is competing for business flyers (who often book expensive, last minute fares -- you realize not everyone pays the same fares on these flights??). The routes you flew are not really that competitive and are more leisure centric (or they are DL hub captive routes) and DL puts much less priority on them. Corporate contracts may be another significant factor in these decisions (where the revenue potential goes far beyond these routes themselves). Witness UA admitting that pulling out of JFK was a mistake and the losses from pulling out of the airport ended up being far more substantial (due to corporate contracts) than the losses on the flights themselves. Stage length simply comes down further in the list in these decisions.

MilesTalk

That makes a ton of sense. Thanks for the detailed reply and explanation!!

demkr

Is FEBO still a thing on domestic F for when they serve the boxed meals?