Delta Air Lines has made significant changes to its snack policy. While hundreds of flights that previously offered snacks no longer do, the service has been expanded to thousands of other Delta flights. The beverage cart is going to disappear for good from all the short-haul flights of the airline, so passengers should no longer expect snacks from the airline on their flight.
Delta Air Lines used to provide snacks and beverages on board for flights longer than 250 miles. Effective May 19, 2026, the policy will change to provide snack facilities on flights of 350 miles or more. The change affects roughly 9% of Delta's 5,500 daily flights. These are typically one-hour flights, and thus various routes, including Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS), Atlanta (ATL) to Charlotte (CLT), and New York (JFK) to Boston (BOS), no longer offer the snack service.
According to a spokesperson of Delta, "Delta is adjusting onboard beverage service to create a more consistent experience across our network. Customers traveling in Delta Comfort and Delta Main on flights 350 miles and above will now receive full beverage and snack service, while shorter flights will no longer offer food and beverage service."
The decision took effect mainly because of the difficulty of meeting the expectations for those short-haul flights. Flights of up to 350 miles can take 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the route and distance to the runway. When turbulence and safety procedures are factored in, there is limited time left for beverage service. This often forced crew members to rush services while offering in-flight snacks and beverages, making it difficult to maintain all other essential tasks at the same time.
"Even on the smallest number of flights without beverage service, our crew will continue to be visible, available, and focused on caring for our customers, as they do on every flight," assured Delta in one of its statements.
Does Delta offer free in-flight snacks?
Even though snack and beverage services are banned on flights of up to 349 miles, they are still provided to First Class passengers, regardless of the distance flown.
Moreover, where earlier snacks were offered only to First Class passengers on various flights, they are now offered to all passengers on flights of 350 miles or more, expanding its service on approximately 14% of its daily flights.
According to One Mile at a Time, Delta gains full beverage service on its 600 daily flights, whereas 450 daily flights lose in-flight service altogether.
Are you allowed to bring snacks on Delta flights?
Even though the Delta doesn't offer in-flight snacks on flights of up to 349 miles, passengers are allowed to bring their own. Whether you want to carry small snacks or beverages on your flight, you are free to do so, provided you follow the airline's liquid carry-on rules.
How long does a Delta flight have to be to get a snack?
Previously, only First Class passengers were offered full beverage service on flights of 250 to 500 miles, while Delta and Delta+ passengers were offered only limited beverage options. Whereas, passengers flying on flights above 500 miles are provided with full services irrespective of their fare class.
However, at present, any passenger flying on Delta Air Lines on a flight of 350 miles or more receives full beverage service, regardless of travel class.
Hence, the new policy, which has become a limitation for basic fare travelers flying between 250 and 350 miles, expands the scope for those flying between 350 and 500 miles. On the other hand, First Class passengers remain unaffected by Delta's new policy.
