United Expands Meal Preorder to Shorter Flights, Giving Up to 65,000 More Customers Per Day Access to Time-Saving Benefit

United lowers the threshold for fresh food preorder in United Economy^® from over 1,190 miles to over 900 miles on flights across North America and the Caribbean – that's 420 more flights per day

Fresh sandwiches, burritos, burgers, pasta and breakfast options are available on the airline's website and mobile app

This expansion is another example of nose-to-tail investments that deliver value, regardless of where you sit on the plane, like Starlink Wi-Fi, seatback screens with Bluetooth connectivity and larger overhead bins

CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- United today expanded the United Economy^® meal preorder program to customers traveling on shorter flights, giving up to 65,000 more customers per day access to this time-saving benefit.*

United lowered the threshold for Economy fresh food preorder from over 1,190 miles to over 900 miles on flights across North America and the Caribbean, opening this option to 420 additional flights per day, including hub-to-hub flights between Chicago and Houston, Denver and San Francisco and Houston and Washington, D.C.

"We want our customers to have more of what they value when they fly – more choice, more convenience and a better experience onboard," said United's Chief Customer Officer, David Kinzelman. "Expanding Economy meal preorder to millions more customers is one way we're delivering on that, alongside the investments that make it easier to stay connected with fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus^® members, enjoy great entertainment and get more out of their time onboard."

Customers can visit the airline's website or mobile app and choose from a variety of fresh sandwiches, burgers, pasta and breakfast options that rotate monthly; current selections include a pork mojo burrito, Chicago patty melt by Jeff Mauro of Mauro Provisions, hot honey chicken and waffle sandwich and a cinnamon apple waffle, along with United's lineup of signature snackboxes and snacks.

Customers can preorder both fresh Bistro on Board selections and other eligible retail items in advance through the United mobile app or on united.com beginning five days and up to 24 hours before departure. Customers can browse the available options on united.com in the "Trips" section, and United mobile app users will receive a notification when preordering opens for their flight.

The expanded meal preorder program is the latest in a series of investments United is making across its fleet to deliver more choice, convenience and value throughout the customer journey:

• Fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi: MileagePlus members in every class of service can stream, game, shop and stay connected from gate to gate with fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi on equipped aircraft. Starlink is now available across United's entire two-cabin regional fleet and more than 280 mainline aircraft, with installations across the fleet expected to be completed in 2027.
• More live sports: United recently added TBS to its live streaming lineup in partnership with DISH on Starlink-enabled seatback screens, giving customers access to playoff baseball this fall. Available on more than 200 aircraft – about 900 flights per day – the lineup also includes live programming from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network and TNF on Prime Video. 
• Thousands of hours of entertainment: Customers can choose from more than 2,500 hours of premium entertainment onboard, including content from Apple TV, HBO Max, A24 and Spotify. The airline continues to install seatback screens across its fleet – up to 1,000 aircraft are expected before the end of 2027 – and is rolling out new airplanes with 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screens, the largest among U.S. carriers.
• More food and beverage options: Beginning November 1, United is refreshing its fan-favorite snackboxes – Tapas, Takeoff and Recline – with new selections inside. The airline also continues to introduce new seasonal food and beverage offerings across its onboard menu, including the limited-edition Wishes snackbox, created in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help support its mission of granting life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses.

For more information, visit united.com. Visual assets linked here.

*Preordered meals may not be available under certain circumstances

About United

At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines