Hi there!
In August 2023, I was on an international flight on United Airlines in economy aka the main cabin.
This was an international flight to Europe from the US.
Does United Airlines serve food on international flights?
Yes, you will get free food on long haul international flights when you fly on United Airlines.
If you’re on an international flight on United that flies across an ocean, then you can expect to get food on your international flight.
This includes United flights to Europe and United flights to Asia.
How many meals does United serve on international flights?
If you are on a flight that serves meals, then you get 2 complimentary meals on a United Airlines international flight.
The second “meal” is more like a snack, though!
I will show you below what food was served on my flight, and what time the meals were served.
According to United Airlines:
If you’re flying in United Economy on an international flight that is 800 miles or more, you’ll receive an entree, a salad and salad dressing, a snack, and (on select flights) ice cream and a hot pre-arrival meal.
You may also receive mid-flight and pre-arrival items on select flights.
For flights under 800 miles long, we won’t have complimentary snacks available, but you’re always welcome to bring your own snacks on board.
Flights over 500 miles will also have additional products like snack boxes, and flights 1500 miles and over have Bistro on Board items available for purchase.
👆 You’ll get snacks served to you on United Airlines flights.
Are drinks free on United Airlines international flights?
Drinks are free on long haul United Airlines international flights.
There will be a drink cart that comes around with complimentary drinks several times throughout the flight, and that includes at meal times.
The complimentary drinks include alcohol.
👆 You get free water on a United Airlines flight. Water is a good choice on a long international flight! Request water every chance you get to stay hydrated on the plane and to fight off jet lag! (They say to avoid caffeine and alcohol on long flights. Staying well-hydrated when you’re in the air is said to help fight jet lag.)
Download the United app before you go! Among other things, there a baggage tracker on the United app if you will be checking in your bags!
What food is served on a United Airlines international flight?
Meal offerings can change!
Here is the food I got on my international flight on United in economy. Everything was free.
This can give you an idea of what plane food on United Airlines is like!
I was flying from DC, so “US time” here is eastern time.
I was flying to Spain, so “Europe time” here is Spain time.
👆 Scheduled departure time: 6:25pm US time / 12:45am Europe time. I think the flight departed around this time.
👆 I was in economy at the back of the plane. Actually, I chose an aisle seat in the middle section (group of 4 seats) at the back of the plane in hopes that the seats next to me would be less likely to be taken up due to the “undesirable” location of the back of the plane. 🤪 And well… there ended up being no one sitting next to me, so it worked!
👆 What happens on a United Airlines international flight? The plane will depart, then there will be meal service, then it’s lights out for some time, then it’s lights back on, and then there’s a snack, and then it’s arrival to your international destination!
Not too long after departure, drinks started being served, and shortly thereafter, the first snack was served.
👆 7:13pm US time / 1:13am Europe time: Around 45 minutes after departure, the first drinks start to get served. Being at the back of the plane, it usually means it takes longer to be served. Although sometimes there was a flight attendant with a drink cart who was serving the very back rows too, so that was nice!
👆 7:22pm US time / 1:22am Europe time: Snacks and drinks are served!
👆 There was a coffee and tea cart that also came around so I requested hot water as well so I could make tea. (I brought my own tea bags.)
👆 You can request hot water on your United Airlines international flight.
👆 7:36pm US time / 1:36am Europe time: The drink cart came by a couple of times.
👆 7:43pm US time / 1:36am Europe time: A United Airlines flight attendant is walking the aisle to serve drinks.
👆 7:50pm US time / 1:50am Europe time: Flight attendants are serving drinks before the first meal.
👆 7:56pm US time / 1:56am Europe time: Around 1.5 hours after departure, the first meal is served!
Compared to plane food meals that I have had over the years, it did seem like United was trying to add in some more “sophisticated” healthy food.
It’s a nice thought.
But, I can’t say that I liked it.
But, since it was healthy, I did eat it all.
👆 8:21pm US time / 2:21am Europe time: You have another chance to get drinks. Actually I was surprised how often the drink cart came around. You can get drinks throughout the flight even if there is no official service. You can locate a flight attendant by going to the back of the plane and ask for a drink… Or you can call for an attendant using the call button. But better to get up and walk around on a long flight and get the drink yourself! 🤪
👆 8:24pm US time / 2:24am Europe time: You can find the flight tracker map on the screen at your seat. Time to destination: 5 hours 20 minutes!
👆 Destination: BCN, Barcelona, Spain!
👆 8:29pm US time / 2:29am Europe time: Flight attendants start coming around with bottles of water.
👆 8:50pm US time / 2:50am Europe time: The plane gets dark around 2.5 hours after departure!
👆 10:33pm US time / 4:24am Europe time: You can find the flight tracker map on the screen at your seat. Time to destination: 5 hours 20 minutes!
👆 12:12am US time / 6:12am Europe time: Flight attendants start serving the second “meal” with drinks.
👆 12:25am US time / 6:25am Europe time: The breakfast meal is served! This is more like a snack.
👆 12:35am US time / 6:35am Europe time: United Airlines flight attendant with a drink cart.
👆 12:43am US time / 6:43am Europe time: 59 minutes to go until the flight is over!
👆 Destination: BCN, Barcelona, Spain!
👆 1:03am US time / 7:03am Europe time
👆 1:55am US time / 7:55am Europe time: Getting off the plane!
Menu subject to change!
HAPPY EATING PLANE FOOD ON AN INTERNATIONAL UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT!
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