Continental Airlines in-flight meal, 2010. They were the last US airline to give out free meals in economy class.
Posted by Lane-Kiffin@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 209 comments
ArtemThePlenLover@reddit
Really? We get a sandwich with chicken which is yummy out here in Russia on S7. It’s a private airline. On aeroflot(government) we get a sandwich under 3 hrs and a full meal over 3
uagotapo@reddit
Pretty sure you'll find that all of the major airlines still give out free meals in economy on long haul flights lol
LDRispurehell@reddit
*barely edible free meals in economy on long haul flights. I wish US carriers can take a lesson or two from their Asian -alliance members and cooking lessons than serving us reheated Costco meals.
hey_hey_hey_nike@reddit
Or they could take a lesson from European carriers and get so much worse.
UglyInThMorning@reddit
I had a meal on ITA Airways that made me stare into the middle distance and think about man’s inhumanity to man.
viktor72@reddit
How disappointing for an Italian airline.
UglyInThMorning@reddit
Kind of tracked with the experience of an Italian airline tbh.
Ok-Range-3306@reddit
its better this way - youre flying to a dream destination like japan so they give you shitty food on the way there which makes your first vacation meal even better
or i just dont eat on a 12 hour flight, no biggie
testthrowawayzz@reddit
It’s a mistake to pick US carriers for flights to Asia in the first place
LDRispurehell@reddit
Ah the Scott Kirby method
Street_Narwhal_3361@reddit
Hell, I’d take a portion of Kirkland lasagne over some of the meals I’ve had in that past.
UglyInThMorning@reddit
Italy’s national airline served me a lasagna so bad I was worried I didn’t like lasagna anymore. I would have take Kirkland lasagna over that stuff eleven times out of ten.
Louie_G_Lon@reddit
A lot of the Asian carriers I’ve flown with (mostly Chinese ones) will still give you a hot meal even on short domestic flights. And it’s usually pretty damn good too.
rividz@reddit
I'm sorry, but I have only seen this on international flights, and I fly both domestically and internationally quarterly. You only get fed meals on international flights. I fly from California to New York and have never had a free meal.
viktor72@reddit
Do they serve meals on flights to Canada or Mexico? I don’t recall getting one on United to Peru from Miami.
workinkindofhard@reddit
I’ve flown both Alaska and Delta to Mexico from Seattle and neither counted as international for food service
fumar@reddit
They still give you a free drink too
on3day@reddit
Well, free.....
csbsju_guyyy@reddit
"THANK YOU FLIGHT ATTENDANT MAY I HAVE ANOTHER" - Me on international flights trying to get my money's worth
theamericaninfrance@reddit
I’ve literally had like 15 beers on a 13 hour international flight… Boss Hoggs baby!
that FA was hilarious. She’d come through the isle and just drop like 3 more beers in my lap every hour. She was my spirit guide for that trip. Too bad she wasn’t there to help me through customs cus god damn I was a on another planet when we landed. Slept like a baby though when I finally made it to the hotel and no jet lag the next day. I think I discovered the trick… just get obliterated on the plane and pass out for 16 hours. Wake up at 8am and go about your business as normal lololol
G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit
OMG I went overboard on my trans-Pacific flight. That flight was so long I had enough time to get ripped, sleep it off, and wake up with a hangover before we landed.
financegardener@reddit
This is the way I do it going to Thailand 😅
morelsupporter@reddit
BA from lhr to yyz the flight attendants were letting me make my own cocktails.
og_murderhornet@reddit
On a mostly empty Emirates 380 from New Zealand to Australia my girlfriend I took over the upper deck bar and were making drinks for the other passengers. Top shelf mile high experience.
marenicolor@reddit
New goal unlocked! Sounds like a blast
bojackmac@reddit
RIP BOSS HOGGS
SteveMcgooch@reddit
Wade Boggs is very much alive
theamericaninfrance@reddit
https://sunnygifs.com/could-i-have-a-rum-and-coke-video/
Lumpy-Return@reddit
I dont know if you’ve flown Untied lately, but you get your drink, a drink with the first meal and then it’s shutoff and the rest they’ll charge you. I tried to get a bloody with breakfast after 12 hours in the air, it was $10. On a $1500 ticket. Lol. Fine you fucking cheapskates.
csbsju_guyyy@reddit
Damn, fuck United in that regard. Delta, Lufthansa, Air Canada off the top of recent memory all let me have unlimited brewskis.
Was BC on Lufthansa and they were weirded out that I wanted the Paulaner Helles rather than wine but hey I'm a beer rather than wine guy
Lumpy-Return@reddit
AC was ok, you’re right, we fly BOS->TYO a lot. Just United.
RetPrda@reddit
I once got a free upgrade to first class when flying somewhere on vacation and since the airline I was on gave free alcohol to first class, I was trying to take full advantage since i was going on vacation anyway.
I was ordering double whiskey and cokes. First one I got no problem. Second one I got as well. Third one the flight attendant got mad and asked if I was driving myself from the airport. Even the guy sitting next to me laughed at this and the attendant gave it to me anyway but I didn't ask for more lol.
Granted sure 6 drinks worth of alcohol over 3 hours is quite a bit but I had a pretty high tolerance at the time.
csbsju_guyyy@reddit
I mean tbf as long as you aren't a mean, asshole drunk I think it's totally fine to get toasted as long as you can reasonably function and be nice to people! Party on, Garth ;)
RetPrda@reddit
Legit I was just sitting there watching my movie minding my own business I didn't even leave the seat to use the bathroom yet. Not even like I was calling the attendant I was just asking for drinks when she was passing by so not sure why she got so mad lol
No_Obligation4496@reddit
Yeah complimentary might be the more correct word here.
-Badger3-@reddit
I bought a car and they threw in a free steering wheel!
Wikadood@reddit
Just dont drink the coffee or tap water. Airplane water is nasty af.
CannonAFB_unofficial@reddit
I prefer the blue juice that has occasionally flowed both up and down the aisle for me.
mfknbeerdrinkr@reddit
lol I woke up hungover on a military charter to Korea, I asked for water and was given one small cup. I went to the bathroom and drank half a gallon of water out of the “non potable water” sink on an old 747-200. I was fine. Oh to be 21 again.
TheAgedProfessor@reddit
There's a difference between "meals" and "here's three slices of salami and two crackers... uh... that'll be $12 please... cards only".
peterpanic32@reddit
No, they give out full meals for free on long haul. Same as any other airline in long haul.
TheAgedProfessor@reddit
Define "long haul". We fly the entire distance across the continental US - from PDX to Newark - on Alaska and United, and PDX to JFK on various airlines... and none of our flights had free meals.
KAMEKAZE_VIKINGS@reddit
Also would there not be meal services on some of the really long range domestic flights like ones to Hawaii or Guam? Even something like maybe Florida to Seattle?
heyihavepotatoes@reddit
Continental was serving meals on flights like Newark-Minneapolis as late as 2009. Good luck getting that today.
PicklesPlox@reddit
Shiiiit I’m literally sitting in first class right now on that route and delta didn’t even give us a meal.
Excellent-Gur-8547@reddit
Whack, I got one on that exact route on a United Express E175 3 days ago lol
AviatorYogurt@reddit
you on a A220? they usually have first class meals. I work on that fleet a lot and always raid the desserts 😂
PicklesPlox@reddit
Nah CRJ900
Yuukiko_@reddit
not even something like LA to NY? When I flew HKG to TPE (just under 2h) we still had breakfast/lunch lol
DatSexyDude@reddit
Nah Hawaiian still does meals on domestics.
Tjaeng@reddit
Hm… technically correct = best kind of correct.
Also, KLM has lie-flat business on domestic flights… to Sint Maarten.
Far-Fill-4717@reddit
To be fair I don't know anyone who's taking a flight at all in the netherlands, let alone business class.
Effective_Theme_5739@reddit
There are no scheduled domestic flights in the Netherlands
shikkonin@reddit
Amsterdam - Sint Maarten exists.
sofixa11@reddit
Sint Maarten?
gefahr@reddit
Can't just drop that fact without telling people why.
It's the windmills.
No-Bug-3836@reddit
How is it just technically correct? Hawaiian is a US carrier in every sense and every meaning, and Hawaiian gives out free meals (on domestic flights, which they didn’t even specify but I’m giving them credit for meaning, otherwise many US carriers do)…
caverunner17@reddit
There’s plenty of lie flat domestic routes in the US.
Either heavy routes where they use widebodies or coast to coast usually have lie flats on AA,DL,UA and I think JetBlue.
senorpoop@reddit
American flies a 777 MIA-CLT, not sure if it has lie flat but I'm pretty sure that airplane continues on to Europe.
Joey23art@reddit
UA still flies the old Continental 757-200's with lie flats domestically.
I've flown them as short a DEN-LAX but they seem to rotate around a bit.
DavidBrooker@reddit
Air Canada occasionally has lie flat business class in Toronto-Vancouver. It's because their 777 maintenance is done in Toronto and they use the repositioning flight of international-configutation 777s to Vancouver as revenue.
Ok-Rooster4713@reddit
Had me in the first half.
HNL2BOS@reddit
I'm sure Alaska will ruin that eventually.
gefahr@reddit
First, they came for the purple interiors of Virgin America, and I said nothing..
buerglermeister@reddit
Depends on the definition of long haul. Only if it‘s international. I flew with united from honolulu to chicago. 8 hours and I had to pay for a pack of m&ms
RelevantShock@reddit
Must have been awhile ago. United added meals back to that route years ago.
AsherGray@reddit
The M&Ms are a giveaway for me. That was like 2019. Once Kirby became CEO he started changing service for flights, so long haul Hawaii started getting meals in economy. It was a not so great cold meal for a few years, and now finally a hot meal that's actually pretty good (unless you have the misfortune of the morning flight of Houston to Honolulu, because the breakfast is no bueno). I asked my friend at American what their service was like from DFW to Maui, and they said no complimentary meal.
Also, if you're flying out of the west coast(Los Angeles or San Francisco) to Hawaii on United, there's no complimentary meal as it's considered "short haul."
ltmp@reddit
Delta ATL to HNL has free meals (it’s meh, but free)
xtheredberetx@reddit
Idk if they still do it but Delta had a few “specialty routes” in the continental US that got meals. Iirc JFK-LAX and JFK-SEA were two of them. Idk if that changed post Covid bc a lot of service standards changed up post 2021.
gefahr@reddit
Can confirm that at least SAN-JFK hasn't gotten anything on delta since I started frequenting the route in 2022.
divemasterff@reddit
I definitely remember getting meals on Delta LAX-JFK. Think it stopped after COVID.
ac5450@reddit
Interesting. Every time I’ve flown United from Chicago to Maui nonstop they have served some sort of meal both ways.
chunkymonk3y@reddit
I flew the ORD-HON route during all of the covid restrictions and even then we got a “meal” beyond the typical biscoff cookie and pretzels you’d get on a normal domestic flight
AccomplishedBrain927@reddit
Not Iceland air!
dvdmaven@reddit
In 2017, we flew to Hawai'i on Hawaiian Air and it was easily the best airline meal I've had in 40 years of flying.
Jzerious@reddit
“Free”
scoobynoodles@reddit
Really? JFK to LAX we got snacks. Delta. Never seen a full meal in economy in years
OldDirtyLunchbox@reddit
And now they don’t exist
TEG24601@reddit
Hawaiian is the last US Domestic carrier to provide meals to all passengers, on non-interisland routes.
ProfessionalGift621@reddit
it’s actually ridiculous to make passengers raw dog a 6 hr + jfk to sfo flight with a cookie and 3 cups of coke
Sea-Collection8292@reddit
Especially when a 5 hour flight to Dublin from JFK gets a meal
wloff@reddit
JFK to SFO on Delta is about $500.
JFK to DUB on Delta is about $730.
I'm pretty sure that difference is enough to get you an in-flight meal on your domestic flight too, if you want one.
MidgetQB@reddit
Transatlantic routes are cartelized. So prices are going to be higher.
jmlinden7@reddit
That's not technically true for that specific route since JetBlue runs that route outside of the big 3 JV's
iBaires@reddit
One ticket includes fees for international travel
GARlactic@reddit
Ah, yes, a $230 in flight meal.
Sea-Collection8292@reddit
Pricing has been wild. I’m actually flying to Dublin in a few weeks, it was $440 round trip. Last work trip to San Diego was $825
34786t234890@reddit
Is it not normal to go 6 hours between major meals?
Content_Valuable_428@reddit
People will sleep for 8 hours, have dinner 3 hours before bed and breakfast 2 hours after they wake up - but can’t fathom sitting on a plane for 6 hours without eating.
gefahr@reddit
Coast to coast is sometimes over 7 hours flight time. Plus the time you're boarded before and after. Plus the time lining up for people in economy.
It's more like 9-10 hours, if we're being honest.
peterpanic32@reddit
In practice it's usually 5-6 hours. I fly this a dozen+ times a year.
gefahr@reddit
Depends on the winds.
goro-n@reddit
What about second breakfast?
UrABigGuy4U@reddit
For Americans no
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Just buy a sandwich before leaving. Going 5 or 6 hours without a meal won't kill you.
yourlocalFSDO@reddit
You can bring food or buy a meal. No one is prohibiting you from eating lol
ZeBridgeIsOut5@reddit
Nobody said they were prohibiting people from eating. lol.
m0viestar@reddit
OP acting like carriers are forbidding you from eating.
Just bring your own food regardless, don't rely on meal service. Even international flights with food service I bring my own food.
gefahr@reddit
Ok but I eat a meal in the airport. Often about an hour before boarding. So you're suggesting I grab something else cooked, and just let it air cool under my feet for another 6 hours or so until I'm hungry, right?
You can see how these are hardly comparable options for adults, I hope?
34786t234890@reddit
There's no way you're an adult.
gefahr@reddit
I think it's actually that I misread the room. I thought I was communicating with other people who valued a hot meal while traveling for work, then remembered that I'm wasting my energy replying to people who are bringing PB&Js through security like they're going on a picnic.
ZeBridgeIsOut5@reddit
Some of us at least get what you're saying.
The room is obsessed with virtue signaling that they are big boys and girls. But it's less about CAN YOU bring food because of course we all CAN.
It just used to be easier. You don't have to remember your meal in the fridge while rushing the family out the door. You don't have to stop at a grocery store while on your trip that may not have one conveniently. You don't have to risk leaking Caesar dressing all over your laptop or Nutella on your backup work slacks that are carried on in case they lose your checked bag. You could have a fruit cup in syrup instead of packaged dried apricots, because TSA regs...
And last but not least, a shitty but included free meal on a flight over a certain time limit (say 5-6 hours) used to be there for ya just in case, and now it's not, just one more symbol of the unbundling of every single piece of the experience to 'deliver you as customers exactly what you want' or whatever company line they use each time.
gefahr@reddit
I think I'm just increasingly no longer part of Reddit's core demographic. I've been here for like 17 years, am getting old. Core demo now is angrier, younger, poorer. Not a great combo for discourse. Alas.
ZeBridgeIsOut5@reddit
Yeah exactly. The return half for most trips, business or leisure, probably starts at a hotel or airbnb. Not exactly a good food storage situation. And some people are allergic to peanuts!
I don't know if it's as serious as an age or a core demographic thing, it just seems like the all too common, internet-induced, lack of empathy.
yourlocalFSDO@reddit
Or you bring something packaged that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.. Jesus have you people have never learned to take care of yourselves?
UglyInThMorning@reddit
Sandwiches are a lost technology
m0viestar@reddit
PBJ at home costs like 1.50 using the fancy stuff. Blows my mind these people who can't figure out basic life skills.
Make at home. Smash it in backpack.
ZeBridgeIsOut5@reddit
What they mean is making you do a mini-Sophie's Choice between:
1) Planning and bringing TSA approved food (which could be difficult or impossible with kids/grocery options at end of your trip/connections/wild timetable etc). 2) Paying (restaurant prices in some cases) for their shit food, or, 3) Raw dogging half a day, at least 1 skipped meal, approximately maybe 2.
Pretty obvious what OP meant, you don't really need to be pedantic.
44problems@reddit
Economy airline food was notoriously bad in the 90s/00s! Like it was the hacky comedian joke. I don't get being nostalgic for it.
omegajourney@reddit
Yeah that's the funny thing. You bet if they brought it back it would be as barebones as possible, and then we'd just have people complaining about the food instead of the lack of food. I honestly just pack something light to keep my stomach somewhat busy, but honestly how many calories do you really need sitting around doing zero physical activity for 6 hours?
44problems@reddit
Yeah I agree. Honestly those premade expensive sandwiches at the airport convenience stores are probably better than what coach would have, and airports keep getting better food options. Yeah it's expensive surprise. But I remember when a time when airports were full of terrible microwaved food that a subpar Burger King felt like the best option.
Ragnarotico@reddit
"Fuck you" - US Airlines to domestic customers
Doctor_Juris@reddit
Most airlines have food available for purchase on transcon flights. This is one area where I don’t really mind the shift to à la carte pricing. I usually don’t eat a meal on a plane, but on the rare occasion I do I don’t mind paying $10-15. Especially since the for-purchase food is usually better than the “included” economy meals in the 90s.
UglyInThMorning@reddit
A lot of stuff that people say was “free” on older flights was just baked into the price. The cost of an actual ticket has dropped tremendously (often to the point an economy seat is the break even for the math of (route time x block hour cost)/number of seats). Yes, you pay for a checked bag now… if you check a bag. You were paying for it whether you checked a bag or not in the past. Same with the meals.
Airlines realized the number one thing that people will decide between two flights on is ticket price and have moved to a strongly à la carte pricing model and I actually like it quite a bit. If I’m going somewhere for three days, I don’t want the price of a checked bag I’m not taking built into my ticket.
Doctor_Juris@reddit
Absolutely. I always laugh when people post nostalgia bait about how great flying was in the 60s-80s. A coach seat then was the same cost as a first class seat now when you adjust for inflation. You were also much more likely to crash and half the plane was smoking cigarettes.
gefahr@reddit
Yeah if it's available for purchase I'm not sympathetic to any of this. My comments in this thread are about flights that don't even bring anything besides that weird cheese and nut combo platter they've usually run out of.
jakerose_2@reddit
Delta had meals on my DTW to HNL flight back in December but that also was 9-10 hours lol
gefahr@reddit
Apparently we found delta's threshold then. Because a 7.5 hour JFK-SAN doesn't, haha.
ElderBerry2020@reddit
Spent 5 hours on an AA flight from NY to Barbados and received one pack of biscoff cookies.
gefahr@reddit
Plus two half cups of soda, surely?!
readmond@reddit
We need kitkats! Airlines can keep their salad and whatever that living thing in the plastic is.
gefahr@reddit
dying (and not because I ate whatever that is)
intensenerd@reddit
I might know where you can get like 11 or so tons of em….
NoPointRacing@reddit
AA does offer complimentary cold meals on their premium transcon (between JFK and LAX/SFO) I believe).
TheNimbleNavigator45@reddit
Not true
mwbbrown@reddit
As of last week they didn't on Pilidelphia to SFO. Pretty disappointing really
PwnerifficOne@reddit
I was pleasantly surprised that JetBlue had a free for all “snack bar” where you could just walk up and get another drink or snacks on my flight to JFK. I didn’t know they should have fed us for real… I’ve only ever flown internationally or for 1-2hours and that was my first cross country flight.
CardinalOfNYC@reddit
Stuff like this is a very low lift way to improve the customer experience. Most people won't get up and go to get more snacks. But just knowing they can gives them a feeling of control in a place where everything feels out of control.
Its like giving you the whole can if you ask for it. I might not even have the whole thing but my god I'm a human being let me just have the can and decide how much I want.
ninjameams@reddit
United is copying the snackbar design with their new A321 "Coastliner" planes that come out in a few months.
CardinalOfNYC@reddit
Physiologically it's fine. More people probably should go 6 hours with only a cookie. And they should probably sub the coke for water.
But psychologically it is ridiculous and I agree with you. A flight isn't the time for a health regiment, I think 3 hours should be when you get some sort of upgrade to more free food and a free meal at 6 and above, domestic or otherwise
Abadabadon@reddit
Why?
seeasea@reddit
They let you bring your own food, you know?
johnlewisdesign@reddit
Flew to Philly on Air India in 2001 from LHR. They had free BOOZE in economy. Was superb
TBoopSquiggShorterly@reddit
Meals are never free and have never been free. It’s worked into the price of your airfare, whether officially or not. They’re accounting for the expense somewhere.
reddituserperson1122@reddit
Are you telling me there’s no such thing as a free lunch!? I’ve never heard such an absurd statement!
Robert-Berman@reddit
The best meal I ever had on a flight was my first time flying to Korea in 2008 as I was and still am in the military. The longest flight I had experienced and the unexpected smell of what I now call my absolute favorite food (kimchi). That flight, it seemed like every hour I was being served food. I went from Atlanta into Incheon. I miss those days!
TheCopenhagenCowboy@reddit
Hawaiian airlines still offers a free meal service
ProXTech_real@reddit
Damn Air India still offers free complementary meal in economy
AccountNumber0004@reddit
salmonella in a box lol
SkippytheBanana@reddit
Such a change for the golden age of flying. My grandmother remembers being served a full steak dinner on a 100 mile route back in the late 50s/early 60s.
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Serving a steak dinner on a 100 mile flight (not that I believe that actually happened) is idiotic. I'd rather have an affordable flight and just buy my own steak when I get where I'm going.
SkippytheBanana@reddit
Oh yeah. Just get me there safely and I’ll be fine!
Just crazy how much everything has changed. She often flew private as her older sister was a RNC state chair and delegate. So her stories of both the airlines and private flying in the 50s and 60s are epic.
PiccadillySquares@reddit
I loved Continental ✈️
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
They were a pretty good airline but people here are way over-romanticizing the "food" that they served. I flew CO a good deal in the early 2000s, trust me, the in-flight meals were mostly inedible slop.
PiccadillySquares@reddit
I think we're romanticizing travel in the early 2000s and 2010s in general. For me, my regional airport had three flights a day to a hub city where my corporate HQ was located, and my company had an agreement with Continental that gave us all automatic status. It was just so easy. Now my regional airport doesn't fly direct to anywhere I have to go. It was consistently 45 minutes from my house, easy garage parking, only 10 or 11 gates so no security lines, and Continental was just great anyway. Le sigh. I miss those days.
clarinetJWD@reddit
I miss them a lot. I used to fly with my clarinets a lot, and the case was a bit awkwardly sized for overhead bins. Continental is the only airline that never gave me trouble when I explained why I couldn't gate check my instruments.
One attendant even offered to put it in the attendant's storage area since the bins were full.
HuffyPandapants@reddit
Yeah, I really miss Continental.
Ignorance_Is_Boring@reddit
The best 🙌
agha0013@reddit
I went to work for AC Ground handling sevices back in around 2005 I think, working at YOW.
They still had full meals on the flights from YYZ, 99% of which were tossed because you could barely even pull off a drinks service on that flight.
We would always pocket vast amounts of food on an end of the night shift.
Then they started locking it up so that it had to be taken away and disposed of by the catering companies rather than let us eat any of it.
then they finally just got rid of them.
For a while they had warm pretzels with a really good honey mustard sauce. I think I ate those for an entire week once. Only way to save a buck working there.
miianwilson@reddit
Asian carriers still give full service for every flight. I flew Guangzhou to Hong Kong recently, 45 minute flight on an A330 and everyone got a meal.
peterpanic32@reddit
*A couple of very high end Asian carriers give this level of service for every flight.
Most do not.
sourcefourmini@reddit
Hell, I flew a fair bit on Jetstar, Qantas’s low-cost subsidiary, and for their equivalent of the one-above-basic-economy price tier, you get a checked bag and a $15 voucher that covers anything from the menu, including hot food (which I’d rate at decent gas station quality, so certainly better than nothing!)
a_generic_meme@reddit
Guangzhou to Hong Kong is only like, 30 minutes to an hour by plane, that's crazy lmao
FalconX88@reddit
Bullshit. I flew Delta in 2022 and they had free meals in economy.
AshleyAshes1984@reddit
stares in Air Canada passenger
You guys don't get meals in economy?
peterpanic32@reddit
What are you talking about? Air Canada doesn't offer meals in economy on domestic routes.
Air Canada is also a terrible airline.
ExocetC3I@reddit
Could be worse, WestJet initially didn't serve complementary meals in economy on its long haul widebody routes. YVR-LHR can be 10+ hours depending on the wind westbound, and that's a long time to go on just two little snacks. They did have buy on board of course, but it just felt so cheap.
viktor72@reddit
Well if you’re flying on WestJet, you’re lucky to even be sitting inside the plane.
bolt_in_blue@reddit
I flew IAD to YVR on Air Canada and didn’t even get a snack on a 5+ hour flight. Just drink service!
AshleyAshes1984@reddit
That's a Jazz route, Jazz doesn't count. :p
N420BZ@reddit
IAD to YVR is not operated by Jazz. It’s a seasonal United route.
And it’s a transcon. An Embraer, Crj, or q400 is going to really struggle to make that 2300 mile flight.
bolt_in_blue@reddit
It was a MAX8 and had no indications of being operated by Jazz.
gefahr@reddit
Canadian smug superiority in shambles.
theflawlessmech@reddit
Wait a second. Are you saying legacy carriers in the US don't include meals for economy class?
seriouslyjan@reddit
Hawaiian gave out nice hot chicken terriyaki meals in economy in 2015. That meal was much better than the crappy pork wrap I got in business class last year.
KAMEKAZE_VIKINGS@reddit
The free pog nectar is a nice treat for inter-island hops. I've heard people genuinely say it's their favorite drink.
Sacharon123@reddit
I think calling this a "meal" was a stretch even in 2010.
sk6895@reddit
There will be a whole generation of people looking at this who never knew airlines used to provide a free meal even on short domestic hops
Austerlitz2310@reddit
Is this domestic only? Wtf.
EricLandy29@reddit
I remember eating a big sub sandwich on Continental sometime in the mid-90s. Still the best airplane meal I've had.
flygirlsworld@reddit
And what happened to them? lol
NitinTheAviator@reddit
A kitkat bar with a free meal on a domestic? I wished I was old enough to experience that
Illustrious_Bet_9963@reddit
Thanks to Chelsea!
Particular_Reality19@reddit
They no longer exist. Went bankrupt from giving away free meals or something.
Beechnut400@reddit
“Free”
Guam671Bay@reddit
Cold Chicken sandwich with painted on grill lines. I ate a lot of them in my early 20’s unfort…
JT8D-80@reddit
Fun fact: the meals never were free, you always paid them
UglyInThMorning@reddit
See also- checked bags.
Classic_Crow5035@reddit
The good ole' days!
triple7freak1@reddit
2026 meal be like
rividz@reddit
Pretty sure they'd treat you like the shoe bomber if you ripped one of these open on a plane in 2026 lol
DynamiteWitLaserBeam@reddit
Sorry, too many peanut allergies these days. No planters for you!
gefahr@reddit
Just unseasoned almonds that taste of dirt, now.
hanlong@reddit
Not 2026, cuz of peanut allergies
katyvo@reddit
You get one (1) chocolate quinoa crisp. If you want a second, you have to fight the guy next to you for it while we watch.
kevin_from_illinois@reddit
Those quinoa crisps get me every time.
A couple years ago, I was on a United flight that ended up sitting on the tarmac for eight hours. We were told we could leave but eventually after about 5 hours we were told that if we left we wouldn't be let back on. After 8 hours we did get airborne at which time I got hungry and planned to buy some food. Sitting near the back of the plane, this clearly wasn't going to be an option; by the time the food cart came by, it was out of literally everything except water and single-serve chocolate quinoa crisps.
I was given 1 chocolate quinoa crisp and a $15 voucher that expired at midnight, which incidentally was about 10 minutes before we landed at our destination.
I think about this every time I hear about chocolate quinoa crisps.
vegas84@reddit
Continental was my international airline until United bought them or whatever. United ruined them. I remember it happening quite quickly.
wrongwayup@reddit
That looks... gross?
Thankfully in 2026 the in-terminal food options have more than made up for the decline in onboard food.
deepbluearmadillo@reddit
My Dad worked for Continental Airlines for 37 years. I didn’t fly on another airline until I was 26 and went on a work trip. They were a great airline. Thank you for the nostalgia and for reminding me of my Papa I sure miss him.
Examinator2@reddit
Seems to be some AI bullshit.
ArcturusFlyer@reddit
Hawaiian Airlines says what?
Lane-Kiffin@reddit (OP)
Photo source: Cathy Chaplin, “Gastronomy” blog.
I’m uncertain if posting a link to the blog would violate promotion rules, but I’ll share an excerpt of the “food review”:
A fascinating, albeit sad, holdout of a bygone era. Continental, and the in-flight coach class meal, were casualties of the merger with United.
RimRunningRagged@reddit
Doesn't Delta serve something like a Hot Pocket or Pizza Pocket to passengers in the main cabin?
mine248@reddit
For breakfast yeah
D-pod@reddit
I clearly remember eating this meal on a Continental flight in 2007 (LAX - EWR), and this review is spot on.
NoHankyNoPanky@reddit
“Free”
YMMV25@reddit
They had a burger around that time that was mildly edible. Certainly better than anything you’re seeing in domestic Y today.
nautilus2000@reddit
I totally remember that burger. It was better than nothing, but not by a large amount. The burgers they sell now on United, while not amazing, are much better than that one.
Content_Valuable_428@reddit
Used to call them Murder Burgers. Didn’t realize at the time things would end up this way or I would have appreciated it more.
therago1456@reddit
Lane would this meal allign with your diet?
2020fakenews@reddit
I miss Continental. United sucks so bad.
setecastronomy01@reddit
Not true, in 2018 and 2019 I flew between Seattle and jfk on Delta and everyone got a meal
Content_Valuable_428@reddit
They’re talking about Continental being the last airline to serve meals on most domestic flights, not just transcontinental flights. They would serve meals on EWR-ATL.
flyingforfun3@reddit
I got a sad ham and cheese sandwich and chips on American between MROC and KIAH back in 2020.
I try to eat before or bring a snack.
NoIdeaHalp@reddit
I remember
peligroso@reddit
Let's be real.
probably 70% of it was thrown out despite being an itemized cost that went into your ticket.
Lane-Kiffin@reddit (OP)
This was the sentiment on online message boards and news stories when they did eliminate them. They were fairly certain that passengers on domestic flights didn’t care for the meals anyway.
CynGuy@reddit
Not sure where that meal was served, but from my times flying Continental domesticity, their “meal” was some sort of warmed up beef sandwich. That was it. Plus a drink. Nothing green ever was served in economy that I ever saw……
skydivinghuman@reddit
Ah yes, "meals at mealtimes."