United Airlines is launching several upgrades to onboard food and beverage offerings, including revamped cocktails, a new premium nut mix, and an upgraded meal service on flights to and from Hawaii. These changes roll out in February.
United will be offering Crafthouse Cocktails, a brand founded by Chicago bar entrepreneur Matt Lindner and global bartending champion Charles Joly. These pre-mixed beverages rely on small-batch craft spirits and natural ingredients, avoiding neon colorings and excess sweeteners.
Hawaii flights will see a Mai Tai and a Pineapple Daiquiri offering complimentary in premium economy and business class, and for sale in coach for $12 or 1,420 miles (the latter not being a good deal).
On domestic routes, passengers can enjoy a ready-to-drink Espresso Martini, as well as a United-exclusive Moonlighter, which combines lavender and chamomile in a vodka spritz, also complimentary in premium cabins, or $12/1,420 miles in back.
United’s premium cabin nut mix has remained mostly constant, except for disgraced former CEO Jeff Smisek’s cost-cutting where whole cashews were replaced with cashew pieces. Starting next month, customers in domestic first and in business class will be served a new mix of (40%) roasted almonds, (40%) cashews, and (10%) pecans, with Italian seasoning. Gluten-free pretzels (10%) will be included as well.
Long-time United nut mix
Hawaii flights are getting new menus. In premium cabins,
- Outbbound entrées to Hawaii include seared beef with chive-infused mashed potatoes, chicken breast with harissa-spiced vegetables, seafood selections like scallion butter shrimp, and a vegetarian wild mushroom ragout.
- Full sundae cart returns for flights departing after 10:00 a.m., featuring toppings such as pineapple compote. Wine offerings are also being expanded.
- Inbound flights from Hawaii will feature braised calamansi pork belly, seared salmon with a coconut curry sauce, and a macadamia-topped dessert. A pre-arrival meal may offer soufflé pancakes with honey and toasted macadamias, or a macadamia-infused fruit and yogurt bowl.
Original Polaris Sundae
Original Polaris Dessert Cart
Premium economy gets a pared-down selection of entrées and coach will see hot meal choices like huli huli chicken and sticky rice, replacing cold salads.
This follows a big new investment in premium wines for long haul business class at the airline. Ultimately, United has realized that a high cost airline needs significant revenues and pursuing a premium strategy has allowed it to perform well financially against the industry.
On-time reliability is a baseline for any carrier. But much remains outside their control, from weather to air traffic control. The elements of customers experience they can control are their hard and soft products, including food and beverage and service. So the airline is in the process of remaking itself as a well-connected, premium global carrier. We’ll see how these investments look in practice.
Nut mix? Count me in!
(seriously, we could all use a good laugh today)
Delta can’t even serve nuts domestically anymore, or bread …
Mai Tais have been long gone too.
A big sign for them that it’s time to step it up.
Why don’t they ever offer these new things on international flights? I would absolutely love the espresso martini drink in Polaris! But somehow these, along with drinks like the pre-mixed Old Fashioned are only available on domestic. Why?!?!?!?! 🙁
My most recent Delta One experience was DTW-AMS-DTW this December. Cold bread both directions. FA got feisty when I asked her to warm it up. I was the first passenger served. It was never heated. No ice cream service on the outbound leg. After complaining they gave me a $150 voucher. I guess I can get a lot of hot bread and ice cream with that money. Almost 2mm with DL and I refuse to fly them. UA has stepped it up recently and is earning my money. I have top status on all 3 but mostly fly UA due to their recent improvements.
@HGA
Fascinating. I’ve also been Diamond, 1K, and EP, and like ice cream, too, but usually skip bread. If you travel AMS often, have you considered trying KLM? They give business class passengers those little Delft Blue ‘houses’ filled with liquor as a gift on the long-haul flights. Since you enjoy the finer things, like ‘warm bread,’ maybe that would interest you. Safe travels!
I just flew AA DFW-OGG rt in J. Great meals, better than in the past, warm mixed nuts with the cocktail service, warm bread and of course the signature sundae.
Wow, how very Alaska Airlines of them. This is everything AS did in2024. Great that they are trying to improve, but don’t just copy.
I was pleased to see during my last domestic flight with United hot buy-onboard items in Coach, including a burger and a lasagna.
More alcohol for people to get loaded and act dangerously? Yikes. The trend is for NON-alcoholic drinks, when will the industry wake up? Overly sweet Seagram’s Ginger Ale doesn’t cut it anymore.
Why is there so much consternation and focus on mixed nuts? Is having that one pecan in a 2oz cup an orgasmic experience of some kind?
I’ve always felt that United’s service from ORD to HNL was always subpar. The food choices being the least of the problems. They always fly older planes with recliner seats in First and no seat back screens in all cabins.
@Rob What are you talking about?
UA 219, 787-10, that’s a newer plane, sir, including Polaris lie-flat in ‘First,’ operating nearly daily ORD-HNL, 9,5 hour duration, 9:30AM-3PM.
Perhaps, it was the time of year for you—peak season right now. UA better have something nicer than a recliner 757/737 for that long of a route.
I flew IAH-HNL two years ago and swore never again. I am 6’5″ and the Polaris seat was very uncomfortable. Food was meh.
Return was worse, and surprisingly so as they were a HNL based cabin crew. F/A insisted I had ordered this god awful Portuguese sausage and egg entree for breakfast (I would never eat that). It was not worth the argument so I just shut my mouth and said never again. I have never set foot on UA since.
I travel to Hawaii at a minimum of once a year to see family – AA has been my choice lately due to status but still better than UA.
I will never forget flying to HNL as a kid on a UA 747 with Trader Vic service in First Class on a B747. Those were the days!
@WestCoastFlyer
UA253, their typical IAH-HNL flight, even today, appears to be operated by 777, which may be the older business class, 2-4-2, with some seats facing rear. If you had that variety, I totally agree—while that business class is still better than Economy, it is not their newest Polaris suites (those are actually worth a try). AA Flagship business and first are good, and their new product will be even better once it is eventually released. Still, at 6’5” you’re likely going to struggle to find ‘comfort’ on anything, so it may be best for you to set low expectations. As for the 747, wow; yes, those were good times—you can still find a few these days, like LH, KA, and Air China (if you dare). I still remember Delta operating theirs (technically, NW’s) to Tokyo—those were the days.