Key Takeaways
- United expands meal preordering to Economy passengers.
- Economy passengers can preorder meals up to 24 hours before departure.
- Preordering reduces food waste and improves catering efficiency.
United Airlines has expanded its meal preorder program to Economy passengers, allowing them to select from a range of options up to 24 hours before departure. The airline said the move is designed to reduce food waste and improve catering efficiency, while also giving customers more certainty about meal availability. United will continue to sell snack boxes, packaged snacks, and beverages onboard, but traditional in-flight ordering for freshly prepared meals will be eliminated. According to AeroTime, the expansion applies to routes longer than 1,190 miles within the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, starting March 1, 2026.