United Airlines has expanded its meal preorder program to Economy passengers, allowing travelers on longer flights to select fresh meals before departure through the airline’s website and mobile app.
The carrier said Economy passengers flying on routes longer than 1,190 miles within the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean can now preorder items such as burgers, sandwiches, and snack boxes beginning five days and up to 24 hours before departure. The change marks a significant shift in how United handles onboard food service in the cabin.
Starting March 1, 2026, preordering will become the only way for United Economy passengers to purchase fresh entrees. United will continue to sell snack boxes, packaged snacks, and beverages onboard, but traditional in-flight ordering for freshly prepared meals will be eliminated.
United said the move is designed to give customers more certainty about meal availability while improving catering efficiency and reducing food waste. The airline estimates the change will keep more than 100,000 pounds of unused food out of landfills each year by allowing caterers to better match supply with demand.
“Preordering is a win for everyone,” Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, said. “Customers board the plane knowing they’ll get the meal they want, our catering partners know exactly how much food to prepare for each flight, and it helps our operation run more smoothly.”
While the program is new for Economy passengers, United is not starting from scratch. The airline first introduced meal preordering in its mobile app for premium cabins in 2021, including United First and United Polaris on eligible routes. United has said that rollout led to a nearly 40% increase in customer satisfaction scores on domestic flights.
The latest expansion applies that same concept to Economy, but with a more fundamental change to the service model. By making preorders mandatory for fresh meals, United is shifting away from the traditional cart-based approach in Economy and toward a more predictable, reservation-style system.
United said it plans to expand the preorder menu later this year, adding options such as salads, gourmet sandwiches, and wraps. The airline also expects to introduce preorder-only premium beverage options in the coming months.
Passengers can place orders through the Trips section of united.com or the United mobile app, and app users will receive a notification when preordering opens for their flight. United noted that preordered meals may not be available in certain circumstances, such as last-minute aircraft swaps.
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