It’s the end of an era when it comes to dining in economy on domestic flights in the United States. That’s sort of sad, but also logical…
Hawaiian “elevates” onboard dining, by cutting free meals
Historically, Hawaiian Airlines has offered free meals on flights between Hawaii and the United States mainland. That’s an amenity that’s quite rare nowadays, especially outside of the “long haul” Hawaii flights from the East Coast, Midwest, etc., so it was a real point of differentiation.
Well, major changes are coming to Hawaiian’s inflight service, and the airline is certainly burying the lede. The announcement about the change notes how the airline is “elevating onboard service with pre-order dining by celebrated Hawai‘i chefs.” But really that’s just a positive spin on announcing that free meals are being cut in economy.
The changes will be implemented as of July 1, 2026, and entail “a new onboard service program that delivers greater choice, improved quality and a deeper connection to the flavors of Hawai‘i.” The new menu is being developed in partnership with Maui-based, James Beard Award finalist Chef Sheldon Simeon.
The menu will vary throughout the day, with dishes ranging in cost from $10.99 to $16.99.
Breakfast options will include corned beef hash and eggs, an Island-style French toast breakfast, banana pancakes, coconut overnight oats, or a cheese omelet. Meanwhile lunch and dinner options will include crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, barbecue teriyaki chicken bento, teriyaki cheeseburger, grilled chicken bánh mì sandwich, sweet and tangy tender greens, cheeseburger mac and cheese, and more.
Pre-order will be available between two weeks and 20 hours prior to the flight. The only exception to this is that for flights to and from New York (JFK), complimentary meals will continue to be available.
If you don’t pre-order a meal, you’ll still have a limited selection of food you can purchase onboard, including snack boxes and items from the snack cart. However, the above meals will primarily be available via pre-order. On top of that, every guest will continue to receive a complimentary local snack.
This was inevitable and fair, but I don’t like the narrative
Hawaiian Airlines eliminating free meals in economy is objectively a negative change. Now, in fairness:
- I don’t blame the airline, since it has been losing a massive amount of money in recent years, and while free food is “nice,” there’s no indication that this was delivering a revenue premium for the airline
- While people like free meals in economy, they also love to complain about the poor quality, so I imagine it wasn’t even helping net promoter scores that much
- With Alaska and Hawaiian belonging to the same airline group, it makes sense that the two airlines would align policies, to create a semi-consistent experience
- The way consumers choose airlines over the years has evolved; nowadays people choose based on value, schedule, loyalty, and perhaps then passenger experience
Honestly, what I detest most about this change is how it’s being announced. This is the kind of gaslighting I’d expect from Lufthansa Group, and not from Alaska Air Group. The press release actually only mentions that free meals are being cut in the FAQs, and otherwise fails to actually acknowledge that.
For that matter, the only Hawaiian employee who is quoted is the company’s Managing Director of Marketing. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel like passenger experience announcements should quote the head of marketing, but instead, they should quote the person in charge of product. Nothing against marketing folks — they’re very important to organizations — but when they’re the ones being quoted in an announcement, you know there’s a lot of spin.
And of course the person in charge of marketing has a quote about how “we’re expanding beyond a single standard meal to offer a broader menu that reflects how our guests want to dine today,” which sounds great, but ignores that free meals are being eliminated. It reminds me of when Lufthansa cut free drinks and snacks in short haul economy, and claimed it was due to “customer feedback.”
Also, can I just ask… if this is such a great change that customers are excited about, why isn’t it being rolled out on the carrier’s longest domestic flight? You’d think those customers would most appreciate the service being “elevated,” no?
Bottom line
As of July 1, 2026, Hawaiian Airlines will stop serving free economy meals on all domestic flights, except those to New York. The airline will instead introduce a pre-order program, with meals available for purchase, ranging in cost from $10.99 to $16.99.
This will certainly represent an improvement in terms of quality and variety, though having an amenity taken away also isn’t something that customers will like. That’s not stopping Hawaiian from marketing this as a positive, and buying the important detail of free meals being eliminated.
What do you make of this change to Hawaiian’s inflight service?
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