Which airlines publish their full inflight menus and/or drink lists for a particular flight in advance? I imagine I’m not the only person who likes to look this up prior to traveling, so let me first discuss why it might matter, and then I’ll share my list of airlines offering this.
Admittedly there’s huge variance in terms of the quality of inflight food. In economy, you’re lucky if food is better than something in the freezer section of your local supermarket, while in premium cabins, some airlines actually serve decent food that one would be happy to pay for in a restaurant.
For those of us who look forward to flying, particularly in premium cabins, it can be fun to know in advance what food and drinks will be served on your flight:
- It can be nice to get a sense of the general service flow on the flight, how many meal options there are, etc., so that you can plan if you should eat before the flight or not
- If you’re flying in a premium cabin on an airline with a great alcohol selection, maybe you want to research some of the wine or liquor options in advance, so that you can make a game plan
- If you have dietary restrictions, it can be useful to see if the standard menu contains any options that work for you, or if you should in fact order a special meal
I know I always enjoy previewing a menu before a flight if it’s something an airline makes available, so I’m curious if I’m the only one…
With the above out of the way, which airlines publish their inflight menus in advance? I’ll share the airlines that I know of, and then please share other airlines that I’m missing, because I’m sure I didn’t get them all.
Before I share the list, a few things to note:
- I’m talking specifically about airlines that publish menus and/or drink lists in advance, and this is separate from airlines that let you pre-order specific parts of meals; for example, American, Delta, and United, all let you pre-order main courses when traveling in premium cabins, but they don’t publish their entire menu in advance, so wouldn’t make the list
- I’m talking about airlines publishing the standard menus of meals that are included, so that excludes airlines publishing their food and drinks for purchase menu; it also excludes airlines that just publish sample menus, or airlines that just publish what main courses will be available
- I’m going to include airlines that make these menus available to the public, though I know there are some airlines that let you view menus exclusively when you’re managing your own reservation (I know that’s the case for EVA Air, and maybe some other airlines?)
Below are the airlines I know of that publish full menus in advance, along with the cabins for which it’s offered, how far in advance you can view menus, etc. Please let me know which airlines I’m missing.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus publishes the menu for long haul business class flights in advance at this link:
- Technically this is a sample menu, though it seems to reflect what’s being served as of the current rotation
- There’s no way to know exactly when menus will change, so I’d view this more as a general guide than a guarantee of what you can expect, especially if travel isn’t imminent
Air Canada
Air Canada lets you see the menus for all flights in advance:
- You can see the menu for all flights for the next seven days
- Menus are available for business class, premium economy, and economy, assuming there’s a complimentary meal service on the flight; however, you can’t see the drink list
- You can view business class menus at this link, view premium economy menus at this link, and view economy menus at this link
Air India
Air India lets you see the menus for all international flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the following calendar month, by entering your flight number or route
- Menus are available for first class, business class, and economy
- Air India only shows the menu, and not the drink list
All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA) lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- Menus rotate every three months, so you can see what’s part of the current rotation
- Menus are available for first class, business class, premium economy, and economy
- ANA shows a PDF with both the full menu and drink list
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines lets you see the menus for all long haul flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the following calendar month, by entering your flight number or route
- Menus are available for business class, premium economy, and economy
- Austrian only shows the menu, and not the drink list
Delta Air Lines
Delta lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link, with some restrictions:
- The menu shown is only the current menu, which may only be valid for a few more days
- Menus are available for first class, business class, and premium economy, but not for economy
- While the drink list will be shown, it typically won’t include a detailed listing of the wine options
Emirates
Emirates lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for as far out as the schedule goes, so for roughly 11 months, though of course menu items (and especially the drink list) are subject to change
- Menus are available for first class, business class, premium economy, and economy
- When you enter your flight number and select the cabin class, you’ll see a section for both dining and drinks
Finnair
Finnair lets you see the menus for flights in advance at this link:
- Menus are published for the current cycle, which is typically for travel within a month or so
- Only menus for long haul business class are published, and not short haul business class or economy
- Only menus for flights departing Nordic countries are published, so the menus aren’t published for flights to those countries
- You can see a full PDF of both the menu and drink list
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- Menus rotate every six months, so you can see what’s part of the current rotation
- Menus are available for all cabins, including first class and economy
- You can also see the drink list, including the wine selection
Iberia
Iberia lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for roughly the next two weeks
- Menus are available for business class, premium economy, and economy
- You can see not only the food selection, but also the full drink list
ITA Airways
ITA Airways lets you see the menus for long haul business class flights in advance at this link:
- This is only available for the current menu rotation, so if you’re flying in the future, it’s possible the menu selection will change
- Menus are only available for long haul business class, and not other cabins, and not shorter flights
- ITA Airways shows a PDF with the full menu and non-alcoholic drink list
Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the next three months
- Menus are available for first class, business class, premium economy, and economy
- JAL shows a PDF with both the full menu and drink list
JetBlue
JetBlue lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- There’s no need to even enter your flight info, as you can view the menus and drink lists for all flights that have meal services
- Menus are available for both Mint business class and economy on transatlantic flights
- Menus are available for whatever the current meal “cycle” is
Korean Air
Korean Air lets you see the menu for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the following calendar month, by entering your flight number or route
- Menus are available for first class, business class, and economy
- Korean Air only shows the menu, and not the drink list
Lufthansa
Lufthansa lets you see the menus for all long haul flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the next three months, by entering the flight number and selecting the cabin class
- Menus are available for first class, business class, premium economy, and economy, but only for long haul flights
- Lufthansa shows both the full menu and drink list
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the next month, by selecting the origin and destination and cabin class
- Menus are available for business class and economy
- Malaysia Airlines shows both the menu and drink list, though the alcoholic selection isn’t fully listed
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the next two months, by entering the flight number and selecting the cabin class
- Menus are available for business class, premium economy, and economy
- Philippine Airlines shows just the menu, and not the drink list
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for flights for roughly the next week by entering the flight number and date
- Menus are available for Suites Class, first class, business class, premium economy, and economy
- Singapore Airlines shows both the menu and drink list
- Singapore Airlines also offers the Book the Cook program, where you can order from a larger selection of meals in advance
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines lets you see the menus for all flights in advance at this link:
- You can see the menu for the current month, plus the following calendar month, by entering your flight number or route
- Menus are available for business class, premium economy, and economy
- Vietnam Airlines shows both the menu and drink list
Bottom line
It’s nice how some airlines publish their full menus in advance, so that you can know what you can expect once onboard. While not that many airlines offer this, it’s more than in the past, and it’s a trend that I hope we continue to see.
Anyone else appreciate when airlines publish menus and drink lists in advance? Any airlines I missed?
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