Feb. 25--United Airlines on Wednesday said it is upgrading the food offerings on its regional jets for premium-cabin passengers.
Chicago-based United said the new offerings, freshly prepared and served on chinaware, will begin next week for first- and business-class passengers flying on United Express jets, which typically ferry customers to and from United hub airports and are operated by third-party airlines.
United said the dining improvements, meant to "elevate United Express services to mainline standards," are part of its previously announced multimillion-dollar investment in in-flight food service.
"These freshly prepared restaurant-quality meals and expanded meal and snack services more closely align the United Express in-flight experience with our new mainline service, which is proving very popular with our customers," Lynda Coffman, United's vice president of food services, said in a statement.
Breakfast flights may include a fresh fruit plate served with cereal, Greek yogurt and breakfast bread, United said.
Lunch and dinner will feature two choices, barbecued chicken on a pretzel roll with quinoa salad or marinated beef with pickled vegetables.
Dessert is a triple chocolate chunk cookie.
The airline said the new meal service, available for flights of more than two hours and 20 minutes, will be introduced in phases by aircraft type. The new menus will be available March 1 on United Express flights in North America operated with Embraer E170 and E175 aircraft. Bombardier CRJ700 and Q400 aircraft get the new menus in April.
Shorter flights have different offerings. For example, on flights of less than one hour, United Express will serve biscotti for early morning flights and a fruit-and-nut snack mix on later flights.
gkarp@tribpub.com
