Intro
Alaska Airlines doesn’t include meals in economy – even premium economy passengers pay extra.
At $9.50 per pre-order option, I was curious whether they’d deliver something worth the money.
Inflight
Alaska’s app lets you browse meal options from three weeks out until 20 hours before departure.
Four choices were available: Charge Up Protein Platter, Fall Harvest Salad, Signature Fruit and Cheese Platter, or a Smoky BBQ sandwich.
I ordered both the protein platter and the harvest salad, each at $9.50.
You don’t pay upfront – the crew processes your credit card when they deliver the meals inflight.
Premium Economy
I’d paid an extra $99 for premium economy, which gets you free drinks, extra legroom, and what Alaska calls “enhanced snacks.”
The reality was less impressive, a choice between Peatos chips or a Kind bar.
Meanwhile, regular economy passengers received Biscoff cookies.
Neither cabin class includes free meals, so everyone’s in the same boat if you wanted food.
The Meals
Both pre-order meals were way better than expected.
The protein platter was seriously filling – so much so that I struggled to finish the salad afterwards.
The protein platter came with red pepper hummus and pita bread, cheese, carrot sticks, a hard-boiled egg, and almonds.
The hummus was good, and the portions were generous enough to work as a proper meal.
The harvest salad had feta scattered throughout, plus roasted butternut squash, quinoa, turkey, spinach, kale, pecans, and rosemary vinaigrette.
The feta made it – gave the whole thing some proper flavour.
My seatmate ordered the cheese platter, which looked decent and ranks as one of Alaska’s most popular options.
The Crew
The cabin crew were brilliant on this flight. They seemed genuinely happy to be there, delivered everything professionally, and it was clear they took pride in what they were serving.
Makes a huge difference when the crew actually care about the product.
At $9.50 per meal, you’re paying less than most airport food for something that’s actually filling and tastes decent.
Compare that to buying a sad sandwich at the gate for $12-15, and Alaska’s pre-order option starts looking pretty smart.
Conclusion
If you’re flying Alaska transcontinental, the pre-order meals are worth it.
The protein platter is especially filling and tasty, and better value than airport alternatives.
The harvest salad works if you want something lighter but still substantial.
Just don’t expect the “enhanced snacks” in premium economy to blow you away. Save your money there and put it towards a pre-order meal instead.
For $9.50, Alaska’s got this sorted. Pre-order something – you won’t regret it.
