In this post wanted to write about how to pre-order meals in Delta Air Lines first class. While Delta allows you to select your meal in advance when traveling in a premium cabin, the process isn’t quite as straightforward as with American, so I wanted to take a look at how that works (based on a recent flight experience). In separate posts I’ve written about how to pre-order meals with American Airlines and how to pre-order meals with United Airlines.
In this post:
Reserve your meal before you fly Delta
While I wouldn’t say it’s an area where Delta leads the industry, the airline does let you pre-select your meal in advance when traveling in a premium cabin. However, some people are confused about how to do this. It’s not like American, where you can start selecting a meal 30 days before departure just by logging into your reservation, so let’s take a look at how it works.
For which flights can you pre-select your meal?
Delta lets you pre-select your main course when traveling in first class or business class. This includes domestic first class flights, short haul international business class flights, and Delta One flights (which is what long haul business class is marketed as).
Note that you can only pre-select meals on flights that have full meal services, so this wouldn’t be available on a flight where just a light snack is served. Furthermore, there’s a quirk whereby flights operated by the carrier’s new Airbus A321neos don’t allow meal pre-orders. This is allegedly due to the plane having smaller ovens, meaning that they can’t load as many hot meals as on other planes.
When can you pre-select your meal?
Delta has a fairly short window where you can pre-select your meal. Specifically, you can select your meal between 24 hours and seven days of departure. So if you’re booking further out than that, don’t expect you’ll be able to select your meal until a week out.
How do you pre-select your meal?
There are a couple of ways that you can pre-select your Delta main course. For one, Delta will often send customers an email in advance encouraging them to select their main course, though those emails don’t seem to come consistently.
The easiest way to reliably select your meal is to log into the Delta app within a week of departure, and then access your upcoming itinerary in the “My Trips” section. There you should see an option to select your main course. When you click the button, you’ll see what the options will be on your flight (there are typically three options in domestic first class, and four options in long haul business class).
What are the pre-select meal options?
For domestic first class, Delta’s meal pre-select options are generally the same thing that you’ll be offered onboard, as there’s not usually an expanded selection online. However, for Delta One (long haul business class), there are usually a couple of extra options that are exclusively available as a pre-order. Regardless, don’t expect this to be like Singapore Airlines’ Book the Cook program.
The main benefit to pre-selecting your meal is to make sure you get your first choice. Typically extra meals aren’t loaded in domestic first class, so if you don’t select your meal in advance, you may not end up with your first choice.
How can you see the menu for your Delta flight?
While Delta doesn’t publish its menus online in advance, there is a cool feature onboard whereby you can see the menu for your flight before flight attendants come by to take your order. Delta has seat back televisions throughout most of its mainline fleet.
To see what’s being served on your flight, access the entertainment system, click on “More,” and then click on “Food & Drink.” You’ll see a QR code there, and if you scan it, you’ll see what’s on offer for your flight.
For those curious, on narrow body flights, Delta crews are supposed to take meal orders using the “FEBO” system, meaning they start taking orders from the front of the cabin on even numbered flights, and from the back of the cabin on odd numbered flights. However, not all crews seem to observe this system. For wide body flights (including Delta One flights), orders are just taken front to back.
Bottom line
Delta has a handy feature whereby you can select your main course in advance when traveling in a premium cabin. This is a great way to ensure that you get your first choice, since onboard you’ll otherwise be left with what’s still available.
If you’ve pre-ordered your meal on Delta, what was your experience like?
The first class food is mediocre at best, and generally about 1/2 of what I normally eat. But I don’t fly first class for the food - or the “free” drinks that are part of the airfare. I fly for the comfort, and I’m happy with that.
Thanks for this info!
Delta One international, at least on the old 320's, has been just fine by me and my other half ... not breathtakingly great, not awful, and have been consistently fine including the 7 day window to order, the app and the end result. Have appreciated the option.
I flew first class absolutely hungry, it was terrible and humiliating, they gave me a bowl of yogurt, but I don’t eat dairy, I asked to buy food from them in first class, the flight attendants just laughed, now 6 days before my return I’m trying to order food from them but nothing there are no options, it's terrible and humiliating
Does Delta first class on a321neo provide a meal for breakfast flights that are 4 hours or just a snack?
It's interesting; I got an email to select a meal for a flight I'm taking next week, but whenever I click the link I get an error from Delta's website (and yes, tried incognito, multiple browsers). When I go into the app it too errors out when I try to pull up the meals. Typical Delta.
Same. Got email request but the link did not work.
I’ve just been told by Delta chat support that you will no longer be able to pre-select meals on domestic flights which is really dissapointing.
I just did this morning for a flight next week
No you didnt
We preselecting our breakfast order for a flight last Thursday. However, it is not letting us preorder for our dinner type return flight a week later.
It seems to be hit or miss. My wife flew Delta One a few weeks back and they did know her meal selection. However, when my daughter and I flew on Delta One, on the exact same route/flight, they didn't know about our pre-selected meal, despite us both selecting it.
That being said, Delta need to step up it's game with the meals in first class and Delta One. While not bad, they are not great compared to the meals you get on other airlines.
Thank you, the first time we flew delta I received an email but my husband did not. I was able to return preorder a meal he would like and I selected my meal in flight. We are flying delta to NYC in September, so this information will be very helpful.
I travel at least once/month on Delta. Many of Delta’s new policies since Covid are highly frustrating but the food is it’s very worst. I don’t know who Delta is trying to please with the exotic choices which are always terrible. Moreover, first class used to be an experience you look forward to. No more you can barely get a drink much less hors d’oeuvres appetizers or even a roll with dinner and now they’re...
I travel at least once/month on Delta. Many of Delta’s new policies since Covid are highly frustrating but the food is it’s very worst. I don’t know who Delta is trying to please with the exotic choices which are always terrible. Moreover, first class used to be an experience you look forward to. No more you can barely get a drink much less hors d’oeuvres appetizers or even a roll with dinner and now they’re serving ungodly desserts since what used to cost me 150,000 miles round-trip to Europe first class and back is now 750,000 miles you would think Delta would attempt to please. It’s frequent travelers. For me I’m starting all over again on another airline.
"exotic choices" .... lol!
On international flights they take
Orders front to back it doesn’t depend on the flight number like on domestic flights.
The FEBO rule does not apply on widebodies (even if flying domestic).
I fly Delta first class a lot, and there is a new exception to what's described in this article. Namely, on the new Airbus A321neo planes that Delta has, they cannot take specific meal requests in advance. As the crew on 2 different flights told me, the first class kitchen has only half the number of ovens that would be needed to ensure they could provide all the advance meal requests. This forces them to...
I fly Delta first class a lot, and there is a new exception to what's described in this article. Namely, on the new Airbus A321neo planes that Delta has, they cannot take specific meal requests in advance. As the crew on 2 different flights told me, the first class kitchen has only half the number of ovens that would be needed to ensure they could provide all the advance meal requests. This forces them to carry meals that don't require heating (eg, salads). There are 20 first class seats (which are wonderfully comfortable and roomy) on these planes, which is more than on other planes of Delta, so this is probably why can't have all the ovens they would need. You can, however, select in advance a Vegetarian or Asian Vegetarian meal, either by calling a Delta agent or including it in your profile. You don't know what that meal specifically will be, you can only choose that category for your meal. If once you are on the plane and they tell you what that meal is, and you don't want it, you may not be able to be served another. That would depend on any being left over once all the other passengers are served, and having a helpful steward.
The 737-900 have 20 first class seats as well, but it sounds like this issue is limited to just the A321neo. This would certainly be a reason to prefer the Boeing. :)
You could have flown SFO JFK or LGA and then ubered to HPN. You could’ve stopped at McDonald’s.
Delta also does make the choices known beforehand online... it's not 'published' but a well-known feature (see Flyertalk thread for links)
What on earth is the third picture? That looks raw and disgusting.
That's the Cheeseburger, and yes, it is disgusting. I don't suggest one orders this meal.
If that looks raw, you seriously need to visit your optometrist. Disgusting... no comment.
That burger looks atrocious. The other food looks cheap, too. Not worth the upgrade. I will bring my own and happily sit in Y.
Thanks for adding so much to the conversation, because everyone was wondering “What does Chris think? Will he happily sit in Y?”
And there you were, reading everyone’s mind!
Thank you, Chris!
Sincerely,
Everyone
Well, your lack of education and bitter comment for free wasnt either the highlight of my reading today...i prefer Chris one...
Nice try Antonio - play again. Spell better .
Chris - GO AHEAD SIT IN COACH . With the same fast food microwaved processed burger .
I find it especially useful for our family since everyone but me is vegetarian. It's nice to ensure there is a veg option available for all of them. Food is pretty good too. Flew ATL-PVR and the vegetarian ravioli option was enjoyed by all.
What percentage of their flights even offer a meal? The policy of meals on airlines in the US seems incredibly restrictive. (Flight must be minimum distance and take off between a few select hours that they have determined to be meal hours)
What’s that vile slop in the final picture ? You eat with your eyes. First class lol
It may take a second glance. That is a hamburger bun.
I flew FC SFO-DTW-HPN-DTW-SEA-SJC with a grand total of one (1) meal. "Pre-order" is hardly worth an entire blog post.
Don’t read it then.
Other readers find article like this very useful.
For Delta One incorrect to say that "pre-select options are the same thing that you’ll be offered onboard" – there are usually two additional options compared to the in-flight menu.
@ Neil -- Thanks for the correction, I'll update the post to reflect that!
This has worked splendidly for me, and I find DL’s food to be pretty good.