Premium Travel Insider is introducing a new feature: Airline Face-offs. In this feature, we will be comparing how a regional set of carriers fares against each other in a specific category. To kick things off, we will be taking a look at the U.S.-based carriers and who has the best business class food: American, Delta, or United?
As a reminder, Premium Travel Insider aggregates reviews from around the web and scores them on a 1-3 scale. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate a variety of categories, the most important of which we call the “Big 5” that are most important to a premium travel experience: seat, food, drink, service, and in flight entertainment. You can learn more about our methodology here.
Top Line Scoring of the Best Business Class Food
| Airline | Number of Reviews | Aggregated Food Score |
| Delta | 11 | 2.30/3 (Good) |
| United | 14 | 2.21/3 (Good) |
| American | 13 | 2.08/3 (Acceptable) |
Looking at the numbers on their own, Delta comes across as the winner, beating out United and American by a strong margin. American trails both the other two by a sizable amount, coming in at a 2.08/3, which we consider acceptable food. But the numbers aren’t the whole story – let’s see what the best – and worst – reviews found for each.
Delta Airlines Business Class Food – Best and Worst
Delta – The Best
Several bloggers had excellent meals on Delta. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so let’s get to it!
In his Delta review, blogger Jay Singh of Simple Flying said the following of his appetizers: “The salmon and soup were fantastic,” and of the beef tenderloin: “The beef was slightly overcooked, but not so much to detract from the entire meal. The sauce and potatoes paired well. This was by far a fantastic meal for international business class.”
Blogger Sam Chui said in his review of Delta from Beijing to Detroit: “I must say I was really impressed by the dining quality Delta offers on their Delta One product; the food was delicious!”
Delta – The Worst
We always want to bring you the truth and no fluff… but none of our aggregated Delta reviews scored their food below par! This is impressive considering Delta has 11 aggregated reviews with us. Every flight is different, but this is a good sign for consistency.
United Airlines Business Class Food – Best and Worst
United – The Best
While beaten out by Delta for the crown, United scored a “good” rating as well, and not undeserved. Let’s see what people liked!
Ben at One Mile at a Time flew from Houston to Frankfurt and had this review of this beef short rib and grits dish: “The beef was perfectly done, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. And the grits. Oh my gosh. I don’t know if they put an entire stick of butter in them or what, but they were unlike any grits I’ve ever had in my life.”
JT Genter of The Points Guy, flying from DC to Frankfurt, had this to say about his dish: “It was an Asian fusion chicken and noodle soup in a coconut milk sauce, and it was spectacular. I strongly considered licking the bowl clean.” (Author’s note: I’ve had that dish too, and it was great!)
United – The Worst
Not every meal is the best, unfortunately. A few reviewers had some not-so-great experiences with United’s food. Let’s take a look at them.
The Points Guy’s Ravi Ghelani, flying from Sydney to Los Angeles, found this dish largely inedible: “Next came the main course, which was … pretty awful. Neither the fish nor the risotto were seasoned at all, and both were lukewarm. The fish felt rubbery, but at least it didn’t taste too fishy. The risotto had absolutely no flavor at all. The only good thing I could say about this main course was that it was a large portion and the side veggies were edible.”
American Airlines Business Class Food – Best and Worst
American – The Best
Although American Airlines came in last in this face-off, that doesn’t mean they have bad food. Let’s take a look at their best and worst to round off this post!
Katie Genter of The Points Guy, flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Kona, had this to say about her business class meal: “The vegetarian meatballs were excellent — they featured crisp breading and were tasty on the inside. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, and the pesto added the perfect flavor. Despite not looking like much, this is likely the best AA business class entrée I’ve eaten.”
Katie wasn’t the only one to enjoy her American meal. The Airline Guru of Travel Codex, flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to London Heathrow, praised his meal: “The beef was phenomenal. By far, this was one of the best in-flight dishes I’ve ever had on American. The meat was cooked almost perfectly, with a tender, succulent finish. The bok choy was just the right amount of crisp, and the kimchi cabbage paired perfectly with the brown rice. I was super impressed! Kudos to American for hiring Chef Chauhan.”
American – The Worst
Not everyone had positive experiences with American’s catering. Let’s see which meals missed the mark.
Alison Millington of Business Insider, flying business class for the first time from London to New York, did not enjoy her entree: “The lamb — which came with a potato gratin, tomatoes, and a container of pesto — was tough and chewy, and the rest of the dish didn’t have a ton of flavor, though it was piping hot. I didn’t eat much of it, but it was nice to be eating off a real plate.”
Ziggy from Traveling for Miles had a similarly poor experience with his filet on his flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow, stating: “Grilled filet mignon with twice baked potato, haricots verts and herbed butter. This was disappointing. The steak was barely pink, it wasn’t particularly flavorful and everything around it was incredibly oily. I should have ordered the grilled herbed chicken”
Conclusion
Everyone’s palette is a bit different, but we can all agree that properly prepared, quality food is what makes a good meal. If you’re looking for the best business class food between American, Delta, or United, your best bet is Delta, although United isn’t too far behind. However, your mileage may vary, so be sure to look at our detailed business class reviews for each – found here:
Not happy with those carriers? Check out our overall business class reviews to find a carrier more to your liking. Or perhaps you’d like to upgrade to first class? No matter how you fly, Premium Travel Insider has you covered.