United Airlines Takes Restaurant-Quality Dining Higher - In the Air and on the Ground

CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines is unveiling new premium-cabin and United Economy meal and snack options this fall, offering more customers delicious new chef-inspired dishes on flights throughout North and Latin America.

In collaboration with chefs affiliated with The Trotter Project, United will:

• Add savory new choices to its United BusinessFirst menu on the airline's p.s. Premium Service, including roasted duck and flat-iron steak;
• Offer a variety of new premium-cabin selections, including a salad with grilled salmon for lunch, on flights in other North America markets; and
• Introduce new fresh selections in United Economy, including a bistro bowl with braised beef, vegetables and steamed rice on the airline's Choice Menu Bistro on Board for United Economy customers on flights departing North America.

New York/Newark-San Francisco and Los Angeles

On Oct. 25, with the beginning of p.s. premium transcontinental service to Newark Liberty International Airport, p.s. flights will begin offering new premium-cabin lunch and dinner selections.

After starting with new appetizers like roasted duck with stone-ground mustard and fig, peppered goat cheese with pumpernickel bread, customers may dine on new salads, such as butternut squash with haricots verts, pumpkin seeds, bleu cheese, cranberries and pickled onions or granny smith apple with shaved fennel and beets.  

New entrees will include a flat-iron steak with grilled broccolini, gigande beans and red chimichurri; duck confit ravioli, mushroom ragout, semi-dried tomatoes and sauteed asparagus; and lamb shoulder with sauteed gnocchi, eggplant confit and lamb jus.

United will continue to offer its p.s. made-to-order sundaes for dessert, followed by bake-on-board cookies prior to arrival.

North America Premium-Cabin

Beginning Nov. 1, the airline will refresh lunch and dinner choices for United First and United Business customers on flights throughout the U.S. and Canada, and to Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America leisure markets.

United-operated flights that currently offer meal service will add new dishes, like Spanish paella, mushroom risotto and seafood cioppino on shorter dinner flights.

The carrier will also expand meals to:

• Lunch flights longer than three hours, departing between 1:30 and 3:59 p.m., which will offer options that include seasonal entree salads like a Napa salad with grilled salmon, goat cheese and fig and an arugula salad with Milanese-style chicken; and
• Late-night flights between Hawaii and Houston, Chicago, New York/Newark and Washington, which will offer full dinner service with new entrees, such as hoisin short ribs with wasabi grits and stir-fried vegetables.

Late-night non-p.s. transcontinental flights and service between Hawaii and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver, as well as other late-departing flights of at least five hours and 20 minutes, will offer hearty sandwiches after takeoff, such as a pretzel burger with bleu cheese dressing, arugula and pickled onions, followed by warmed pastries before arrival.

United will continue to provide premium-cabin customers prosecco sparkling wine and –  on lunch and dinner flights – the airline's signature warm nuts and a variety of desserts, including ice cream, sorbet and bake-on-board cookies.  

United Express two-cabin regional jet service will also offer new premium-cabin lunch, dinner and snacks and expanded lunch meal service to flights longer than three hours. 

United Economy Dining

In addition, United Economy customers can savor new items beginning Nov. 1, when the airline refreshes its Choice Menu Bistro on Board fresh food for purchase in United Economy on most flights within North America, to Central America and northern South America and between Honolulu and Guam, departing before 8 p.m. and scheduled longer than three-and-a-half hours.

Menu selections will include a Southwestern bistro scramble for breakfast and, for lunch and dinner, a rustic Italian sandwich and a French country-style bowl with slow-cooked beef, roasted carrots, onions, parsnips and steamed white rice.

"Our new dishes and expanded service are the latest steps in our drive to offer restaurant-quality choices to more of our customers," said Jimmy Samartzis, United's vice president of food services and United Clubs. "We continue to upgrade our meals with new bold flavors and seasonal ingredients to create a more enjoyable experience for travelers in flight and in airports we serve worldwide."

For photos of new menu options, visit http://newsroom.united.com/Fall_Food_Changes.

Additional Dining Investments

United's coming in-flight dining upgrades are part of the airline's ongoing investment in its customers' travel experience. This fall, the airline will also:

• Refresh beginning Nov. 1 its Bistro on Board menu available on most flights departing before 8 p.m. from the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Colombia or Ecuador; and
• Introduce new dishes in December for United Business customers on flights from more than a dozen Latin America and Caribbean business markets.

Meanwhile, this month the airline launched an all-new, seasonal menu at United Club locations at the carrier's mainland U.S. hubs. The complimentary menu includes fresh zucchini, yellow squash and cherry tomatoes as well as hearty corn chowder and Tuscan-style white bean and chicken soup. Guests will also be able to select from a variety of salads, including a Texas caviar bean salad and kale and spinach salads.

United will complete the roll out of new fresh and healthy menus at United Club locations worldwide and plans to rotate club menu selections seasonally to consistently offer customers new options.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 362 airports across six continents. In 2014, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 138 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 34 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 and the 737-900ER. United is also welcoming 49 new Embraer E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. More than 84,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines