United Airlines has launched a new partnership with plant-based food brand Impossible Foods, to offer dishes to premium guests both inflight and in the carrier’s Polaris lounges.
First class passengers on domestic US flights over 800 miles in length will be offered the Impossible Meatball Bowl, which consists of three plant-based “meatballs” served with couscous and a herb-infused tomato sauce.
Eligible customers can pre-order the Impossible Meatball Bowl through United’s website or mobile app.
Meanwhile guests visiting United’s Polaris lounges at Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, Newark and San Francisco can opt for Impossible Sausage breakfast patties at the buffet, or ground Impossible Sausage as an optional omelette ingredient.
The introduction of plant-based options follows a similar move by fellow US carrier Delta, which has partnered with Impossible Foods and Black Sheep Foods to offer Delta One and first class passengers a range of plant-based dishes on selected routes over 900 miles in length.
Meanwhile British Airways introduced plant-based menus at its Heathrow lounges earlier this year, with plans to roll out the initiative to its US facilities.
Commenting on the news Aaron McMillan, United managing director of hospitality and planning, said:
“We want our food offerings to evolve and change along with people’s preferences – we’re proud to work with Impossible Foods and think our customers are really going to love these new options.
“To many travellers, the quality of food choices at the airport and in the sky are a really important part of the customer experience, so we’re invested in making sure our menu items exceed their expectations. This is the first of many updates we look forward to sharing in the months ahead.”
