A small but important restoration, you can once again expect lemon and lime garnishes on your United Airlines flight starting next month.
Lemon And Lime Wedges Finally Return To United Airlines In All Cabins
Effective July 1, 2022, United Airlines will restore lemon and lime wedges in all cabins and all markets on flights that offer beverage service.
While the weather or other factors can impact whether a beverage service takes places, it is traditionally offered on flights 300 miles or longer. On shorter flights, beverages are only available by request. Furthermore, alcoholic beverage sales are limited to flights of 300 miles or longer in the economy class cabin cabin, regardless of special request.
To support the return of lemons and limes, bamboo cocktail skewers will also be reinstated. These represent United’s compromise to plastic cocktail stirrers that were eliminated prior to the pandemic due to environmental concerns.
During the pandemic, United Airlines eliminated these garnishes. While Alaska, American, and Delta brought them back (in some cases over a year ago), United held back, ostensibly for health reasons but more likely over cost concerns.
United’s restoration of lemon and wedges is great news to me. I’ve resorted to bringing my own lemon and wedges when I fly and it will be nice not to have to do this any longer.
Other July 2022 Catering Updates
In addition to the return of lemon wedges, United will make the following changes:
- Pre-meal beverage service in the forward cabin (marketed as first class in some markets and business class in others) will return to all flights over 801 miles. Flight attendants will take beverage orders while taking meal orders, then serve beverages prior to the delivery of meals. There is still no word on when warm mixed nuts will return to all lunch/dinner meal service flights. Currently, mixed nuts are only served on premium transcontinental, Hawaii, and international Polaris flights.
- A new disposable wine glass will be used in premium cabins for pre-departure beverages (as opposed to the standard blue plastic up)
- The BBQ burger will return, replacing the Bistro Burger on United’s buy on board menu in economy class (available on flights over 3.5 hours departing from the USA between 9:45AM and 8:00PM)
CONCLUSION
It’s such a small thing, but so important (in my mind) to have a lemon or lime wedge in order to enjoy a glass of water. There’s nothing like a refreshing glass of sparkling water not infused with a lemon or lime sweetener, but an actual wedge.
Do you care that United is bringing back lemon and lime garnishes?
Excellent. I too have brought my own limes for my G&Ts.
Also on British Airways because their tradition is lemons with G&T.
Domestically without lounge access I bring from home. With lounge access, I take from the lounge supply
Must stay properly hydrated
“then serve beverages prior to the delivery of miles.”
Be nice if they delivered us MILES along with our meals, lol
Lol. Yes indeed.
Do you remember the sublime international shortage of limes in 2014, Matthew? United Airlimes had e-lime-inated the citrus fruit from its flights back then, too.
It’s not easy being green — but lemon see what happens next.
Orange you glad I commented?
ROTFL. Thank you for making me chuckle Brian!
I love this lol.
Damn those limes!!! Such a huge Covid spreader. So glad United eliminated them during the pandemic.
I would say that my wife would be thrilled, but she has no idea that this was an issue. So, let’s just say that she won’t be horribly disappointed by a lack of limes. 😉
“I’ve resorted to bringing my own lemon and wedges when I fly and it will be nice not to have to do this any longer.”
You do you.
Baby steps… curious to see the new disposable wine glass for PDB. Anecdotally I am getting PDB on less than 1/3 of my flights, which is unfortunate because it used to be a pretty reliable service (>80% of the time) on United prior to the pandemic, and of course the full bar was on offer.
First world problems, I know, but it continues to aggravate me to see how long it is taking, and in some instances never will, to get back to where we were prior to the COVID-19 panic. In so many cases the “measures” undertaken were utterly useless in effectuating any positive besides a reduced workload for cabin crew.
This makes me happy… hope UA will do hot towels next. It just doesn’t feel quite like first without hot towel service lol. I actually didn’t mind the PFB in the blue plastic cups but think the new disposable wine glass is a nice touch.
Damn, I’m flying business from Hawaii to Denver tonight, not in time for the limes. On recent Hawaii flights (I live here and travel to the mainland a lot), there have been limes in the pineapple fruit dessert, which I have repurposed for G&T garnish.
I’ll never be happy until airlines provide Tabasco. I still carry a bottle with me everywhere. Tabasco is the godsend as it can mask and flavor anything.
I do enjoy a G&T with lime, but I wish they’d bring back both PDB and pretzels or something on every flight. I flew a west coast mainline flight of around 450 miles. The only PDB was water, no offer of anything else (despite being completely on time with no catering delays), and once in flight, there were no snacks, not even pretzels.
I’m as hardcore pro-COVID protection as they come, but even I think that’s out-of-market and cheap.
You left out the best part of the catering update. They removed the disgusting Italian ragu and chicken from short haul domestic first class and replaced them with a new chicken and impossible meatball options. Much better.
Additionally, if you pre order your meal on the app before 24 hours, you will have 5 options instead of the 2 offered onboard.
@Stuart, I was thinking the exact same thing on my last flight, IAD-LAX!!! I meant to put it in the post-flight survey, which I forgot to take … :-/
Gotta love how airlines in the usa have trained their customers to accept nothing so that when something improves it’s cause for cheer.