United Airlines has announced that passengers can now order United Economy meals such as burgers and sandwiches before their flight through the airline's website and mobile app.
The new meal preorders are available on flights over 1,190 miles within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean and can be accessed beginning five days and up to 24 hours before departure.
Starting March 1, preorders will be the only way for economy customers to purchase fresh entrees. However, economy passengers will still have access to United's signature snack boxes, packaged snacks and beverages for purchase onboard.
The new preorder option is expected to improve United's catering efficiency and help the carrier's food-waste reduction efforts by minimizing unconsumed fresh retail items. United said the change will keep as much as 100,000 pounds of unused food out of landfills each year.
"We're continuing to invest in meaningful improvements to our onboard food and beverage program, with a focus on quality, consistency and customer choice," Aaron McMillan, Managing Director of Hospitality Programs at United, said in a statement.
"Preordering is a win for everyone—customers board the plane knowing they'll get the meal they want, our catering partners know exactly how much food to prepare for each flight and it helps our operation run even more smoothly and reduce food waste."
United plans to add additional fresh meal choices to the preorder menu this summer, including elevated salads, gourmet sandwiches and wraps. Meanwhile, expanded preorder exclusive premium beverage options are planned for later this year.
The airline first introduced preorder in the United app for premium cabins in 2021.
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