--- title: 'point.me Report: The Best Airline Food and Drinks of 2026' description: >- We asked travelers to rank the best airline food and drinks — everything from wine and coffee to snacks and lounges. See who wins and who crashes out. date: '2026-07-06' author: Andrea M. Rotondo category: Insights - Blog Articles Home tags: - Airlines - Reports - Featured tag canonical_url: https://www.point.me/insights/best-airline-food-drinks-survey/ source: point.me license: © 2026 point.me. All rights reserved. slug: best-airline-food-drinks-survey id: 5sh7zUZSGi1VaXQigmjkxD contentType: article --- # point.me Report: The Best Airline Food and Drinks of 2026 **Insights - Blog Articles Home** ![point.me survey of the best airline and lounge food and drinks](https://images.ctfassets.net/alwdzgjlz5qv/2bGiGNujEUDjoRIf1dPpCC/346f534f47bd405283ca999818aae97b/best-airline-coffee-survey-hero.jpg) Meals, snacks and drink options at 30,000 feet have always inspired strong opinions. Stronger than you'd expect, honestly. From the coffee you'll nurse through a transcon flight to the wine list in business class, in-flight (and airport lounge) food is a topic that many travelers have very specific thoughts about. That’s why we asked point.me users for their hot takes on all the most pressing in-flight food and beverage topics – including the best and worst coffee and the best airline snacks in  economy. Also on the agenda – which lounge pours the best cocktail, which business class wine list is worth booking around, and what the most seasoned travelers actually want from their morning cup. Finally, there’s the topic everyone wants to talk about – the one thing you should never pull out of your carry-on. **And point.me members aren't exactly newbies:** more than half fly five or more times a year, and two-thirds are sitting on 200,000-plus credit card / airline points. These are people with feelings about the best airline food, and the butt-in-seat miles to back them up. Some of the findings confirmed what seasoned travelers already know, while some genuinely shocked us.  Here’s the rundown of what frequent fliers love — and love to hate — about airline and airport lounge food. ## Delta wins the airline coffee wars, but aficionados opt for Alaska and Stumptown When you fly 5 or more times a year — and more than half our respondents do — what you want from a cup of coffee evolves. Overall, Delta–Starbucks topped the survey at 24.8% — but frequent travelers broke ranks.  A decisive 35% chose Alaska Airlines' Stumptown Holler Mountain over Starbucks. There's a reason it works up there: Stumptown developed the blend specifically for high-altitude drinking, accounting for how taste buds function differently at 30,000 feet — and seasoned travelers noticed. “This result also seems to reflect a growing coffee culture, where people are considering other brands outside of Starbucks,” says Jimmy Yoon, Head of Points Intelligence at point.me.   Millennials (37%) and high-earners (27%) also skipped Starbucks for Stumptown – but Gen X and Boomers chose Delta/Starbucks. Interestingly, fliers apparently don’t run on** **Dunkin (JetBlue’s official in-flight coffee). It was voted the worst coffee in the skies overall. ## The French, and Air France, do wine better Are people really moved to book an award flight — or pony up cold hard cash for a business class seat — just because of an airline's wine list? Short answer: Yes. Especially when Air France is the airline. More than 36% of respondents named Air France the best business class wine selection in the sky, and with good reason. Head sommelier Xavier Thuizat — Best Sommelier of France 2022, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2023, Michelin Guide sommelier award winner 2024 — curates a list that runs from premium Champagnes to white Burgundies and Bordeaux reds, finished with French digestifs like Cognac, Calvados and Armagnac. It's a serious wine program. But there’s more good news for oenophiles – Air France didn't just win the best wine list. It also won for the heaviest pour. At 34.5%, it more than doubled runner-up Emirates’ results at 14.9%. Better wine, and more of it. How very French. ## Southwest and American are losing the airline snack wars Oof! 2026 has been a rough year for Southwest. The airline took it on the chin when flyers pushed back on two big changes: the end of open seating and the arrival of checked bag fees. And now there’s another problem: nobody likes Southwest Airlines’ snacks. More than 32% of point.me members said Southwest has the worst airline snacks, with its lineup of Stellar Pretzel Braids, Remy's Grahams, and OREO cookies.  Nearly 24% said the same about American's meager options: Biscoff cookies or mini pretzels. But their less-than-stellar snack reputation could be temporary, says Yoon. “We could see a turnaround with American Airlines’ snacks. They've recently mentioned that they want to invest in a more premium experience.” We could see a turnaround with American Airlines’ snacks. They've recently mentioned that they want to invest in a more premium experience. **-Jimmy Yoon, Head of Points Intelligence, point.me** ## Everyone hates a tuna sandwich We get it. Travel days are stressful, so most people try to give others grace. Even so, the point.me community made one thing abundantly clear: Don't be that person who stashes a stinky meal in their carry-on. Forty percent of respondents agreed — you will be persona non grata the moment you pull out a tuna sandwich. One reader put it best: "Sat next to a guy eating a tuna sandwich — with onion — on the way to Iceland. Nightmare." Other no-no’s: hard-boiled eggs, soups and messy liquids, anything fried or fast food and — wait for it — beans. ## Delta is ready for the Ozempic era Which airline serves the best meals for GLP-1 users? One point.me reader called the question "absurd" — but with 1 in 8 Americans taking GLP-1 medication to manage their weight or diabetes, it's a real concern for a growing number of travelers. Delta won decisively at 31.6%, nearly doubling second-place Alaska at 17.4%, and the menu tells you why. Standard options include fish, chicken breast, lentils, edamame, and chickpeas. Think chilled salmon salad, BBQ chicken thigh, and citrus lime shrimp. There's also a special-order Balanced Meal built around lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Delta’s got you. ## Amex Centurion Lounge is an undisputed winner Airport lounges are a refuge from chaos — gate-area scrambles, $18 sandwiches, nowhere to sit. And point.me members know which ones get it right. Nearly 36% of survey respondents ranked American Express Centurion Lounges as the best in the business. Consider this: DFW offers day beds, private showers and craft cocktails; SFO has locally curated wines with tarmac views; Atlanta's got "The Reserve," the first dedicated American whiskey bar in any Centurion location. “Centurion Lounges were the first airport lounges started by a bank, and they remain the best. They're known for having a great food selection and bar program. It’s hard to beat,” says Yoon.  But that’s not the end of the lounge story. Men leaned toward Centurion (40%), while women split more evenly between Centurion (30%) and Chase Sapphire (29%). Affluent travelers — those earning $150,000 or more — named Amex their top pick at 37% versus 26% for Chase Sapphire. “Having the largest network of lounges within the US, compared to Chase and Capital One, helps with this ranking, too,” says Yoon. Centurion Lounges were the first airport lounges started by a bank, and they remain the best. They're known for having a great food selection and bar program. It’s hard to beat. **-Jimmy Yoon, Head of Points Intelligence, point.me** ## Emirates is tops in elevated dining If there's a single dominant force in in-flight dining, it’s Emirates. The airline won best business class meal at 26.3%, and for good reason. It offers a true restaurant-in-the-sky approach: regional menus developed with celebrated chefs, dine-on-demand service, and finishing details like Royal Doulton china. Singapore came in second at 19.4%.  “Emirates is known for having a premium product across the world,” says Yoon. “Their win in the best in-flight dining category isn't a surprise.”  Emirates also swept best business class breakfast at 25.2% and best economy meal at 23%. In the latter category, they were neck-and-neck with Singapore, which came in a close second at 22.7%.  By this point, it wasn’t exactly a surprise that Emirates also took the prize for best cocktail program at 24.1%. “To experience Emirates’ wonderful cocktail program, consider booking a flight on one of their A380s, which has a dedicated bar and lounge for premium cabin passengers,” says Yoon. There was one interesting caveat in this category, however. More experienced fliers – the true road warriors – preferred the Virgin Atlantic bar program over Emirates. To experience Emirates’ wonderful cocktail program, consider booking a flight on one of their A380s, which has a dedicated bar and lounge for premium cabin passengers. **-Jimmy Yoon, Head of Points Intelligence, point.me** ## Delta dominates domestic airlines Delta should be feeling pretty good about itself right about now. The airline swept three main survey categories — leaving the competition in its contrails. In addition to having the best overall in-flight coffee (Starbucks) and the best GLP-1 friendly snacks, Delta also won for overall best economy snack choices – pulling 30% overall while Southwest and JetBlue tied for a distant second at 18% each. Cheez-Its, Biscoff cookies, Sun Chips Minis, and gluten-free MadeGood Granola Bars apparently have universal appeal. In the economy snacks category, Delta won every single age group without exception.  “No surprise here,” says Yoon. “Delta has a pretty underwhelming program that won't rank high when it comes to redemptions, but people love the in-flight experience.” ### The most seasoned fliers have spoken Experienced travelers — the kind who fly more than five times a year, carry six-figure point balances, and have strong feelings about wine pours — know what they want in the air. This survey makes it official. Delta owns the domestic experience. Air France pours better wine, and more of it. And Emirates is simply in another class. And everyone agrees on one thing: Leave the tuna sandwich at home. ### How point.me can help Every airline in this survey releases award seats — the trick is finding them. point.me searches availability across 150+ travel credit cards and airline loyalty programs, including partner airlines, to find the best award flight deals for your points. Members routinely book the same seats for up to 90% fewer points than through a credit card travel portal. ### About this survey In May 2026, point.me surveyed 556 members on food and beverage experiences across airlines and airport lounges. Fieldwork ran May 28–29. Respondents skew experienced: 51.6% fly five or more times a year, 66% hold 200,000 or more points, and 58% report household incomes of $150,000+.