NEW YORK, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With peak summer travel season underway, it’s the perfect time to settle the biggest in-flight and airport lounge food and drink debates. point.me, the leading award flight search and loyalty platform, asked its members, some of America’s most experienced travelers, to weigh in on everything from which airlines have the best economy snacks and coffee, to which carrier has the heaviest wine pour and business-class meals. The 2026 Best Airline Food and Drinks Survey identified clear winners and a nearly universal opinion about tuna sandwiches.
The survey respondents, 66.0% of whom hold more than 200,000 points and 51.6% of whom fly five or more times per year, named international carriers Emirates No. 1 for business-class dining, and Air France the winner for wine, earning the most votes for best wine selection and the heaviest pour.
Delta ranked best for economy snacks (Cheez-Its, Biscoff cookies, Sun Chips Minis and MadeGood Granola Bars) and for best high-protein meal options for GLP-1 travelers. With 1 in 8 Americans taking GLP-1 medications to manage their weight, the findings highlight a growing demand for high-protein meal options.
Delta’s Starbucks partnership earned the top spot for in-flight coffee, while JetBlue’s Dunkin’ coffee was voted the worst overall.
When asked about the worst food to bring on the plane, respondents overwhelmingly agreed: leave the tuna sandwich at home.
“point.me members aren’t your average traveler,” said point.me CEO Adam Morvitz. “They’re passionate about making the most of every trip, whether it’s accumulating points, booking award flights, or seeking travel experiences most people don’t know are possible. When they tell you Air France pours the best wine at 35,000 feet, you believe them.”
Survey Findings:
Emirates leads premium dining. Emirates earned the highest marks for business-class meals (26.3%), business-class breakfast (25.2%), economy meals (23%) and cocktail program (24%), while Singapore Airlines finished a close second for business-class meals. However, Singapore Airlines was the favorite for business-class meals among travelers who fly 10 or more times per year.
Air France is for wine lovers. More than one-third of respondents named Air France the airline with the best business-class wine selection, while 34.5% said it offers the most generous wine pours, more than double second-place Emirates (14.9%).
Delta ranks highest for GLP-1-friendly meals. In addition to leading for economy snacks (30%), Delta was the top choice for best high-protein, GLP-1-friendly meal options (31.6%), nearly doubling second-place Alaska Airlines (17.4%).
Delta wins in-flight coffee. While Delta’s Starbucks coffee was the overall favorite (24.8%), those flying 10 or more times per year overwhelmingly preferred Alaska Airlines’ Stumptown Coffee (35%). JetBlue’s Dunkin’ coffee ranked as the least favorite.
Amex Centurion Lounge bars rank first. Nearly 36% of respondents ranked American Express Centurion Lounges as the best airport lounge bar. Men favored Centurion Lounges (40%), while women were more evenly split between Centurion (30%) and Chase Sapphire Lounges (29%). Travelers with household incomes of $150,000 or more preferred Amex Centurion (37%), compared to Chase Sapphire (26%).
Frequent flyers prefer Virgin Atlantic cocktails. While Emirates topped the cocktail rankings (24.1%), Virgin Atlantic’s onboard cocktail program was the first choice among travelers who fly more than 10 times per year.
Tuna is on the no-fly list. Nearly 41% of respondents named tuna sandwiches the worst food a fellow passenger can bring on board, followed by hard-boiled eggs (22.3%) and soup/messy liquids (18.3%).
point.me surveyed its members in May 2026. The complete survey findings, analysis and methodology can be found at www.point.me/insights/best-airline-food-drinks-survey.
About point.me
point.me is the leading award travel search platform powering the future of points. point.me transforms points and miles into more buying power by making it easy to search, compare, and book award flights across 150+ credit cards and loyalty programs.
By unlocking the hidden value of points, point.me helps travelers book the same flights for fewer points. Already trusted by millions, point.me is changing how people think about paying for travel.
Named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2024 and 2025, point.me is backed by investors including Nyca Partners, Citi Ventures, Samsung, the founders of ITA Software (Google Flights), Thayer, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Brian Kelly (The Points Guy), Meta and DoorDash executives, and Bethenny Frankel, alongside other top-tier venture firms.
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SOURCE point.me
