Why soon you won't be asked 'chicken or beef?' on Emirates flights

You'll never be disappointed by your choice not being available again, as the airline is introducing pre-booked meals

Passengers flying with Emirates will be able to pre-order meals ahead of travel. Courtesy Emirates 

The days of being asked "chicken or beef" on flights could soon be a thing of the past as airlines prepare to introduce pre-booked meal options.

Emirates will introduce a service that will allow passengers to book their in-flight meal before travelling.

This means that even travellers seated at the rear of the cabin will get their preferred option. Meals will be loaded on to planes according to the volume of pre-booked orders.

In the US, United Airlines is also trialling the service. The airline said some first-class passengers on a flight from Los Angeles to Washington on July 31 were able to reserve their meal.

Customers could select their preferred dish from five days to 24 hours before departure time. Passengers who did not book a meal could request a choice from the flight attendants.

Many low-cost airlines already allow passengers to book selected meals for a fee. Introducing bookable meals could allow airlines to offer more choice when it comes to in-flight dining.

Speaking on The Business Breakfast on Dubai Eye 103.8, Joost Heymeijer from Emirates in-flight catering said that the Dubai airline was working towards introducing the new service.

Emirates said it was a work in progress, and no timetable exists for its introduction.

Heymeijer also said that passengers travelling in the soon-to-launch Premium Economy class may be able to order their meals from the Business Class menu, rather than having the same food as economy passengers.