A traveler was baffled after noticing a decline in meal quality while flying with United Airlines.

The flier, known as Lalulilelo99 on Reddit, shared her disgust over a meal she received during a flight from Seattle, Washington, to Denver, Colorado, in a January 20 post.

The traveler was shocked with the recent meal, calling it a departure from the quality of food during her first United flight on January 13.

‘New to this airline so not sure how reliable the meal service, but with an airline as big and fancy as United i’m surprised the downgrade in quality from one week to the next,’ the traveler wrote.

I’d proudly give up my roll this week for the pasta of last week.’

Lalulilelo99’s first meal consisted of pasta with sauce and cheese, a side salad, and a cup of Magnolia Bakery-brand Banana Pudding.

The next meal, served  on her January 20 flight, came with the same food products, along with a small bread roll.

Unlike her first meal, the pasta dish was drenched in sauce, the shredded cheese was nearly unnoticeable, and it was compared to a pile of ‘slop.’

A United Airlines flier known as Lalulilelo99 on Reddit praised a meal she received while on a flight from Washington to Colorado on January 13

A United Airlines flier known as Lalulilelo99 on Reddit praised a meal she received while on a flight from Washington to Colorado on January 13

Lalulilelo99 received the same meal on another United flight on January 20, which Reddit users compared to 'slop'

Lalulilelo99 received the same meal on another United flight on January 20, which Reddit users compared to ‘slop’

‘I think it went through a blender the second time. Maybe a special meal for the toothless,’ a commenter joked.

‘Someone must have said it needed more sauce and no pasta haha. I wonder if the FAs look at that final product and think, “They’re going to love this one,”‘ a traveler wrote.

A few flyers shared their own negative experiences with the food on United flights.

‘Those rolls. I’ve been calling out those awful rolls forever. They are inevitably stale and cold. I’m on a personal vendetta against them at this point,’ a United flier wrote.

‘Ngl the pasta is so bland. I try to dump salt on it,’ a commenter added to the post.

Multiple commenters claiming to be past and present flight attendants were disturbed by the food difference and insisted serving the ‘slop’ would be ‘humiliating.’

‘Any FA who’s been here more than 5 minutes is incredibly embarrassed by catering the last few years,’ a former flight attendant wrote.

‘I remember the days when inflight food presentation mattered.. it is so sad what it has become.’

Lalulilelo99 claimed these were the first flights she ever flew with United in her Reddit post

Lalulilelo99 claimed these were the first flights she ever flew with United in her Reddit post

Reddit users were disgusted with the January 20 flight meal, and trashed United's food offerings

Reddit users were disgusted with the January 20 flight meal, and trashed United’s food offerings

United offers a variety of inflight dining on most of its trips.

The airline offers free snacks and soft drinks to its United Economy travelers on flights that are more than 300 miles, according to United’s website.

They can also purchase snacks like Pringles or Crispy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies all day on flights over 500 miles within and outside the US.

Bistro on Board meals are available on longer flights in the US, primarily those that are over 1,190 miles.

United has a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, and fliers can either pay for the meals with money or flight miles.

Lalulilelo99 did not reveal how much money she spent on her meal, but items on United’s online US inflight dining menu indicate that costly food and drinks are worth $5 to $12 or 590 to 1,420 miles.

United's US inflight dining menu online indicates that special snacks, meals, and beverages cost between $5 to $12

United’s US inflight dining menu online indicates that special snacks, meals, and beverages cost between $5 to $12

Other airlines like Delta and American offer fine dining to its fliers depending on the length of the flight.

Alaska Airlines received high praise for their food, and a Reddit user even insisted Lalulilelo99 ‘stick with Alaska.’

Alaska was awarded a Business Traveler North America Award for Best Inflight Food & Beverage in 2024.

‘We are incredibly honored to receive this award, which reflects our team’s passion for delivering a remarkable travel experience and dedication to offering curated food and beverage products that represent the best of the West Coast,’ Todd Traynor-Corey, Vice President of Guest Products at Alaska Airlines, said in November 2024.

‘This recognition inspires us to continue creating memorable inflight moments with our menus that combine quality, creativity and sustainability.’

Daily Mail has reached out to United for comment. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *