Hot menu items return to Alaska Airlines’ main cabin — here’s the menu - The Points Guy (2024)

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Seattle-based Alaska Airlines serves complimentary hot meals to first-class cabin passengers on most flights more than 670 miles.

But since 2017, passengers in main cabin and premium class have had to make do with a limited menu of prepaid cold meals and snack boxes. Otherwise, they would have to take a chance on being able to purchase a boxed picnic pack on board.

The lack of a hot menu in the main cabin dates back to Alaska Airlines' acquisition of Virgin America in 2016. With that deal, Alaska Airlines received Virgin America's 61 Airbus aircraft, and those planes didn't have ovens in the main cabin.

Alaska Airlines retired the Virgin America brand in 2018, and it retired the last of the Virgin America Airbus fleet in early 2023. Now, as part of Alaska's current fleet standardization, it is installing ovens in the main cabin galleys.

"With this change, we began work behind the scenes to develop an expanded menu with hot food options," Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products at Alaska Airlines, said. "After extensive testing we're expanding our menu by offering a variety of delicious hot sandwiches and entrees in addition to a variety of fresh food options available via pre-order."

What's new on the menu?

Along with the existing cold menu options — which include the extremely popular fruit and cheese platter with slices of cheese from Beecher's and Tillamook, as well as the Charge Up Protein Platter — there are four new hot menu items now available.

These new offerings are available for preorder only in the main and premium cabins; they are also only available on medium- and long-haul flights 1,100 miles or more. The availability of each new menu item varies by destination and day part. Vegetarians should know each new menu item contains meat.

The hot items

Carnitas breakfast bowl

This hot dish has slow-roasted pull pork and salsa verde with a side of breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs. It's available on eastbound flights and to Hawaii on breakfast (5 to 10 a.m.) departures.

Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich

Served on a square croissant bun, this sandwich is made with smoked turkey breast, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, cream cheese and raspberry jam. It's available on westbound flights and from Hawaii on breakfast departures.

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Panang curry chicken

This red coconut curry is served with grilled chicken breast and jasmine rice; it's topped with edamame beans, sweet red peppers and onion. It's available on eastbound flights and to Hawaii on lunch and dinner departures (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

Pretzel roll sliders

Available on westbound flights and from Hawaii during lunch and dinner departures, these sliders arrive on pretzel buns filled with two Angus beef patties, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese, plus a bag of kettle-style potato chips.

Food prices

The new main cabin hot menu prices range from $10.50 for the Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich to $11.50 for the carnitas breakfast bowl, the panang curry chicken and the pretzel roll sliders. In comparison, the cold menu options range from $8 for the Northwest deli, Mediterranean tapas and kid's choice Picnic Packs to $11.50 for options that include a chicken curry wrap, Caul Me Maybe salad and several other choices.

The hot menu items are only available to passengers who preorder on the Alaska mobile app or the website from two weeks to 20 hours before their flight. Most of the cold menu options also require advance orders. You can pay with your Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card and get 20% back in the form of a statement credit.