American Airlines will let Main Cabin travelers preorder food before they fly, starting with a test on flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles. Reservations open October 13, 2026, for flights departing October 20, and American plans to add more markets about a month after the test begins.
The program is called reserved buy on board. It covers select items from the paid food menu, and it's aimed at a familiar problem: not enough of the food you want is on board by the time the cart reaches you. If you've watched the cart run dry on an American flight, this is the change to know about.
How Reserved Buy on Board Works
Travelers on eligible flights get an email from American inviting them to reserve. You place the order in the American Airlines app or on aa.com.
- Ordering window: from seven days to 20 hours before departure.
- Loading: your item is loaded for your specific flight.
- Payment: charged automatically when the item reaches you onboard, not when you order.
- Elite members: eligible elites who already get a complimentary food item can reserve that item too, so their choice is on the plane.
What's on the Test Menu
The test menu is the fruit and cheese plate; the chicken, turkey bacon and ranch wrap; the Inflight Bites snack box; Doritos Minis Cool Ranch; Nuts on Clark roasted salted mixed nuts; and BoomChickaPop sweet and salty kettle corn.
When American refreshed its Main Cabin menu on May 1, it priced the Inflight Bites box at $10, the fruit and cheese tray at $13, the Nuts on Clark mixed nuts at $11 and the BoomChickaPop kettle corn at $5, with a miles price for each. We covered that menu, and the free snacks American added this fall, in our look at what American serves in Main Cabin.
Why Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles
Raphael Girardoni, American's vice president of culinary strategy and operations, has said the airline worked on the program for about a year. On the starting route, he said Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles is a big market that will produce feedback quickly, and both airports are catered by Sky Chefs.
The plan is to grow from there. Girardoni has said American expects to add markets about a month after the test starts. The goal is to reach the domestic network by the end of the first quarter of 2027, and eventually to offer reservations wherever American sells food. That's a goal, not a schedule.
American Has Done This Before
This is a return, not a first. American offered Main Cabin meal reservations in 2018, after testing them that year on select routes. The new version keeps the same basic idea: you reserve ahead, and you pay onboard.
What You Should Do
If you're flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles once the test starts on October 20, check your email in the days before the trip. The invitation is how you'll know your flight is in the test, and the window closes 20 hours before departure.
On other routes, nothing changes yet. Buy onboard as usual, and expect the email once American adds your market. If you hold AAdvantage elite status with a complimentary Main Cabin food item and your flight is in the test, reserving it is the way to make sure your first choice is on board. Our AAdvantage program guide covers how status is earned.
