The best (and worst) airline food and drinks, according to frequent fliers
The Best (and Worst) Airline Food and Drinks, According to Frequent Fliers
Airline food's infamous reputation may be on its way into the past. These days, many airlines give their food and beverage program a lot of extra attention, which can make the difference for choosy fliers. If you're going to be stuck on a long flight, you might as well be stuck with something tasty.
point.me, a credit card points-based travel concierge, surveyed their users about the best food and drink across the major airlines. According to point.me, over half of their users fly five or more times a year, and 66% hold 200,000 or more points. For each airline listed, you'll also see the percentage of point.me users who thought that airline was the best in its category.
Interested in seeing where your favorite airline landed in their ranking? From coffee and wine to business-class hot meals, here are the best airlines for food and beverage in 2026.
The Best Airline Coffee
- Starbucks on Delta Airlines (24.8%)
- Lavazza on American Airlines (18.9%)
- Stumptown on Alaska Airlines (16.5%)
- illy on United Airlines (16%)
- Dunkin on JetBlue (11.2%)
- Peet's Coffee on Southwest (8.7%)
It's no surprise that the top slot belongs to the most popular coffee chain on the planet, served on one of the most popular airlines on the planet. The battle for second place was semi-close, with a spread of about three points, but Peet's on Southwest is buried way at the bottom. If that's a judgment on Southwest or on Peet's, we don't know.
The Best Airline Wine Selection
- Air France (36.2%)
- Emirates (21.4%)
- Singapore Airlines (15.1%)
- British Airways (6.3%)
- Qatar Airways (6.1%)
Air France dominates both wine categories, as it probably should; next to Italy, France produces the most wine in the world every year. The spread here isn't even that close, with Emirates a full 15% down in second place. If you want to kick off your French wine trip on the plane, Air France is probably the one you should do it in.
The Heaviest Airline Wine Pour
- Air France (34.5%)
- Emirates (14.9%)
- Singapore Airlines (13.3%)
- British Airways (12.6%)
- Qatar Airways (6.1%)
A good wine list is nice, but it's the depth of the pour that will keep people coming back. These airlines scored the same way in both selection and the heavy pour categories, with Air France still completely dominating the competition. Qatar Airways takes up the rear on both occasions, almost a full 30% less popular.
The Most Hated Airline Food
- Tuna sandwich (40.6%)
- Hard-boiled eggs (22.3%)
- Soup / messy liquids (18.3%)
- Fried food (6.7%)
- Fast food (6.1%)
- Beans (2%)
Tuna sandwiches were cited as the most horrendous thing a fellow passenger could bring on the plane. That's an easy one to agree with, and same for the other wildly smelly foods listed, like hard-boiled eggs, beans, and the chillingly vague, "messy liquids."
The Best GLP-1-Friendly Airline Snacks
- Delta Airlines (31.6%)
- Alaska Airlines (17.4%)
- United Airlines (15.3%)
- American Airlines (13.7%)
- JetBlue (9.5%)
- Southwest Airlines(3.7%)
We are in the era of Ozempic in a big way. For people on a GLP-1, a high-protein diet is usually important. The protein craze of the last few years has been explosive (a survey from Chobani mentioned that 85% of Americans were looking to increase their protein intake). Delta's protein-heavy bites and snack boxes are exactly what protein-seekers seem to want.
The Best Airline Economy Snacks
- Delta Airlines (30%)
- Southwest Airlines (17.7%)
- JetBlue (17.7%)
- United Airlines (11.4%)
- American Airlines (10%)
- Alaska Airlines (10%)
Delta tops the snack charts again here, with Southwest and JetBlue tied for second. JetBlue's snack bar system is highly popular, so to see it tie with Southwest is interesting. American and Alaska are tied with a meager 10%, both serving only pretzels and Biscoff cookies.
The Best Airport Lounge Bars
- Amex Centurion Lounge (35.4%)
- Chase Sapphire Lounge (24.3%)
- Delta Sky Club (12.6%)
- Capital One Lounge (10.6%)
- United Club (10.6%)
The Amex Centurion Lounge was far and away the most popular airport lounge for point.me users, and that makes sense based on some of those perks. In addition to hot meals, premium drinks, and workstations, lounges vary by location (DFW has day beds, SFO has local wines, and more). United Club members may want to reconsider.
The Best Airline Business Class Meals
- Emirates (26.3%)
- Singapore Airlines (19.4%)
- Air France (16.5%)
- Qatar Airways (14.9%)
- British Airways (7.7%)
There is only such a ceiling that airline food can reach, but when it comes to business class hot meals, Emirates and Singapore Airlines rose to the top. With Emirates offering things like beef tenderloin, kale frittatas, and chocolate mango tarts, and a notably impressive cocktail program, that top slot feels deserved. For access to the airline's premium lounge and bar areas, you'll want to fly on one of the A380s.
