United Airlines To Offer Food & Beverage Pre-Order Option

United Airlines became the first airline to offer the ability for passengers to pre-order snacks, meals and drinks up to five days prior to their flights using United’s mobile app starting July 28, 2021 for flights departing on or after August 2.

The airline is the first to offer this option for select flights for all passengers regardless of seat category. The ability to pre-order food on flights is an extension of United’s contactless payment platform, which acts as a digital wallet to easily purchase meals, snacks and beverages in a contactless format.

The select flights that this will currently be an option for will be on flights from Chicago O’Hare to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, Sacramento International Airport and San Diego International Airport. Later this fall, the service will expand to all flights over 1,500 miles.

Passengers will be able to pre-order their food and beverages beginning five days before departure through the Reservation Details section of United’s website or app. They will also receive an email notifying them that this option is available.

Passengers can then reserve which snacks, meals and beverages they’d like to receive and input their credit card information. Their cards will not be charged until they receive their food in-flight.

“Our new pre-order option reflects the customer experience transformation taking place at United – customers in our economy cabins will have an easy, convenient way to choose their snack or drink, and our flight attendants can move through the cabin faster, delivering more personalized service,” said Toby Enqvist, chief customer officer for United. “This new feature also builds on our existing contactless payment technology, which has enabled us to safely resume our inflight food and beverage program on select flights.”

For more information about United’s newest food and beverage enhancements, please click here.