Hawaiian Airlines is introducing a new pre-order inflight dining programme across most flights between Hawai‘i and the U.S. mainland from 1 July, expanding meal choice in both First Class and Main Cabin while incorporating menus developed with Hawai‘i-based chefs and locally sourced snack partners.
The updated onboard service programme is designed to enhance passenger choice and improve meal quality through advance ordering, while also supporting the airline’s broader passenger experience and sustainability initiatives.
Passengers travelling in Main Cabin will be able to pre-order meals through the airline’s mobile app or website up to two weeks before departure and as late as 20 hours prior to the flight. The programme includes plant-based and gluten-free options alongside locally inspired dishes.
The Main Cabin menu has been developed in collaboration with Maui-based Chef Sheldon Simeon, a James Beard Award finalist known for his restaurants Tin Roof and Tiffany’s. The onboard menu includes items such as crispy mochiko chicken with garlic noodles, barbecue teriyaki chicken bento, corned beef hash with eggs and island-style French toast breakfast.
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According to the airline, meals are prepared with locally sourced ingredients and produced within 12 hours of departure.
“At Hawaiian Airlines, food has always been a core expression of our Hawaiian hospitality — our special way of welcoming guests onboard and inviting them into our island home,” said Alisa Onishi, Managing Director of Hawai‘i Marketing at Hawaiian Airlines.
“We designed our new Main Cabin meal program based on guest preference for more control and choice, while allowing us to deliver food that better reflects the richness of Hawaiʻi’s culinary traditions.”
Simeon said the onboard menu was designed to reflect familiar local flavours and comfort foods associated with Hawai‘i.
“For me, food is about sharing where you’re from and the people who shaped you. This menu is inspired by the flavors I grew up with in Hawai‘i — comforting, familiar and full of heart,” said Simeon.
The airline has also expanded its onboard culinary leadership with the appointment of Hawai‘i-born chef Dell Valdez as Executive Chef earlier this year. Valdez oversees menus for international Business Class and domestic First Class services.
As part of the updated passenger experience, Hawaiian Airlines is introducing new complimentary snack offerings from local suppliers including Anahola Granola, Diamond Bakery, Hawaiian Host Chocolates and Honolulu Cookie Company.
The airline stated that the revised dining model is also intended to reduce food and packaging waste by aligning catering volumes more closely with passenger demand. Most packaging used in the programme will be recyclable or compostable fibre-based materials.
The new meal programme forms part of wider passenger experience upgrades underway at Hawaiian Airlines, including refreshed Airbus A330 cabin interiors, technology upgrades and onboard service enhancements.
