You can now pre-order your inflight meal on select United flights
The days of United flight attendants running out of your preferred meal selection are coming to a close.
United now lets you choose your inflight meal on select routes within a window of five days to one day before departure. If you happen to be flying an eligible flight, the carrier will email you five days before departure to invite you to pre-order your meal. If you don't receive an email, you can try choosing your meal on UA's dedicated website using your confirmation number and last name.
United tested a similar service on a single route earlier this year, and I'm really glad to see that it's being expanded. For now, only certain premium-cabin itineraries departing from the carrier's hubs in Los Angeles (LAX) and Washington, DC (IAD) are eligible for this service. If you're flying from elsewhere or to LAX or IAD, you won't yet receive the option to pre-order your meal.
RELATED: Sign up for TPG's daily email newsletter for more travel tips delivered to your inbox each morning
Once you've entered your information, you'll be brought to a page where you can choose an entree for your upcoming flight. If you're not happy with any of the entree choices, this could be a great time to order one of United's special meals.
In order to test the service, we tried accessing the meal-selection portal with a number of flights the TPG team had booked from IAD and LAX, but weren't able to pre-order meals on any.
According to a United spokesperson, the airline is incrementally expanding the flights that have access to this new service. United will be adding markets in January and February of next year, with the goal of having the entire network covered soon after that. We'll be sure to share more details once we learn more the carrier's rollout plans.
Note that you'll want to be very careful when choosing your preferred meal. Once you make your choice, you won't be able to change your meal preference until you get on the plane. Once onboard, you may have luck asking a flight attendant for another meal option.
Although you can't make changes to your preselected meal, your meal order will be canceled if your itinerary changes. So if you end up changing your flight, make sure to go back into the portal to select your meal again.
This development won't be helpful for users of UA's same-day change policy or for those whose upgrades clear on the day of departure. Since you cannot make meal choices within 24 hours of departure, you'll need to wait until you get onboard to order your meal if you make a same-day change or confirm a last-minute upgrade.
Overall, this is great news for United fliers. I can't wait for this service to be expanded, especially as Delta and American passengers have enjoyed this benefit for a while. In the meantime, if you're booked on an eligible flight, check your email and login to the web portal to make your pick. Your taste buds will thank you later.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.