Fine Dining in the Air With United Airlines

Looking for better food options when flying? United Airlines is rolling out new premium cabin and economy menu options this season. Flavor and presentation are getting an upgrade with chef-inspired options, such as peppered goat cheese with pumpernickel bread and seafood cioppino.

The new menus are available on flights in North and Latin America.

United collaborated with the Trotter Project, a nonprofit focused on mentoring new chefs, in order to create the new menu items. The airline is the organization’s official carrier.

A Meal to Die For

Brand spanking new premium cabin lunch and dinner selections are available now on flights from Newark to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The meals start with the appetizers, which include roasted duck with stone-ground mustard and fig, and peppered goat cheese with pumpernickel bread. For the more health conscious, there are new salads, too. They feature fresh ingredients, such as butternut squash with haricots verts, cranberries, pickled onions, pumpkin seeds, bleu cheese, granny smith apples and shaved fennel and beets.

The entrees have been revamped, so passengers can order a variety of tasty dishes, including duck confit ravioli with mushroom ragout, semi-dried tomatoes and sauteed asparagus, and lamb shoulder with sauteed gnocchi, eggplant confit and lamb jus.

Dessert anyone? You can get a sundae designed by you, and cookies baked fresh during the flight.

Premium Cabin Offerings

United is offering United First and United Business travelers fresher options, too. Premium cabin passengers can order specialties, such as Spanish paella and seafood cioppino, on short dinner time flights.

Flight attendants will also be dishing up seasonal entree salads, including a goat cheese, fig and an arugula salad with Milanese-style chicken, and Napa salad with grilled salmon.

If you’re flying late at night between Hawaii and Houston, Chicago, New York or Washington, you can take advantage of a full dinner service, with some new entrees, like hoisin short ribs with wasabi grits and stir-fried vegetables.

Some transcontinental flights departing from Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, are serving hearty sandwiches, such as a pretzel burger with blue cheese dressing, arugula and pickled onions. And there are warm pastries for dessert.

Fine Dining Economy in Economy?

Economy passengers are not left out in the cold, since they have new options, too. The upgraded Choice Menu will include breakfast options, like a Southwestern bistro scramble. Lunch and dinner fare includes a rustic Italian sandwich and a French country-style bowl with slow-cooked beef, roasted carrots, onions, parsnips and steamed white rice.