America’s most frequent flyers ranked the best airline food, wine, coffee, and airport lounge bars. Here’s what they actually order; and what to leave at home.
If you’ve logged enough miles to have opinions about airport terminal lighting, you already know that airline food has a reputation problem it only partially deserves. The truth is that some carriers are doing genuinely interesting things in the air and the travelers best positioned to know aren’t food critics. They’re the people who fly five, ten, sometimes fifty times a year and have quietly developed the kind of informed, unsentimental opinions that only come from repetition.
Point.me the award flight search platform whose members hold an average of 200,000-plus loyalty points and fly at least five times annually, surveyed that exact audience in May 2026. The results are less a ranking and more a cheat sheet. Here’s what the most experienced flyers in America are actually ordering, and where.
Tip 1: Fly Delta When You’re Watching What You Eat
The GLP-1 conversation has arrived at cruising altitude. With roughly one in eight Americans currently taking weight-management medications, the demand for high-protein, lower-calorie meal options has moved from a niche request to a mainstream expectation; and Delta is the only major carrier the survey’s frequent flyers think is answering it correctly.
Delta ranked first for best high-protein, GLP-1-friendly meal options at 31.6%, nearly doubling second-place Alaska Airlines at 17.4%. It also led economy snacks — Cheez-Its, Biscoff cookies, Sun Chips Minis, and MadeGood Granola Bars — with 30% of the vote.
If you’re managing your intake on the road and domestic flying is your reality, Delta is currently the most thoughtful carrier in the category. That gap between first and second place is not close enough to be coincidental.
Tip 2: Book Air France When Wine Is Non-Negotiable
This one isn’t subtle. More than one-third of survey respondents named Air France the airline with the best business-class wine selection. More telling: 34.5% said Air France offers the most generous wine pours; more than double second-place Emirates at 14.9%.
If you’re in business class on a transatlantic route and wine is part of why you paid for the upgrade, Air France is not just a preference, it’s the data-backed answer. The pour matters as much as the selection. Point.me’s members, who have tasted the competition extensively, are not hedging on this one.
For the record: Emirates leads overall business-class dining, business-class breakfast, economy meals, and cocktail program. Singapore Airlines edges Emirates among travelers who fly ten or more times per year. There’s a full hierarchy here. Air France simply owns the wine chapter of it.
Tip 3: Go Straight to the Amex Centurion Lounge Bar
Airport lounge strategy is its own discipline among frequent flyers, and the bar is where the real opinions live. Nearly 36% of survey respondents ranked the American Express Centurion Lounge bar as the best airport lounge bar, first place by a meaningful margin.
If you hold Amex Platinum or Centurion and you’re not using the lounge bar before a long flight, you are leaving the best pre-flight drink experience in the terminal. The Chase Sapphire Lounge came in second, preferred by 29% of women respondents versus 30% who chose Centurion, suggesting the gap narrows depending on who you ask. But overall, Centurion leads, and among travelers earning $150,000 or more annually, it leads by eleven points over Chase Sapphire.
Know your lounge. Use the bar. Board relaxed.
Tip 4: Order the Cocktail on Virgin Atlantic
Emirates topped the overall cocktail program rankings at 24.1%, which is the expected answer. But among travelers who fly more than ten times per year, the people whose opinions are most seasoned, Virgin Atlantic’s onboard cocktail program was the first choice.
This is the kind of finding that only emerges from a survey of genuinely experienced flyers. Casual travelers pick what they recognize. Hyper-frequent flyers pick what’s actually good. If you’re on a Virgin Atlantic route and you drink cocktails, order one. The people who’ve compared it most extensively think it wins.
This one requires no data interpretation. Nearly 41% of respondents named tuna sandwiches the single worst food a fellow passenger can bring on board. Hard-boiled eggs came in second at 22.3%. Soup and messy liquids rounded out the top three at 18.3%.
You already knew this. So did the person who packed the tuna anyway. Don’t be that person. The recycled cabin air has nowhere to go and neither does the smell. Pack something that doesn’t announce itself three rows in every direction. Your fellow frequent flyers — who have filed this under unforgivable, will thank you silently and remember.
Mini FAQ
Which airline has the best food in business class according to frequent flyers?
Emirates ranked first for business-class meals, breakfast, economy meals, and cocktail program among the overall survey group. Singapore Airlines edged ahead for business-class meals among travelers who fly ten or more times per year, per point.me’s 2026 Best Airline Food and Drinks Survey.
Which airline has the best wine in the air?
Air France dominated the wine category — over one-third of respondents named it best for business-class wine selection, and 34.5% said it offers the most generous pours, more than double second-place Emirates at 14.9%.
What’s the best airport lounge bar for frequent flyers?
The American Express Centurion Lounge ranked first overall at nearly 36%, with Chase Sapphire Lounge second. Preference varied by gender and income level, per point.me’s survey of high-frequency travelers.
Frequent flying is a skill set
Frequent flying is a skill set, and eating and drinking well in transit is part of it. The travelers who’ve logged the most miles have already done the comparison work; and their consensus is specific enough to be useful. Delta for the health-conscious domestic flyer. Air France when wine is the point. Centurion Lounge before a long haul. Virgin Atlantic’s cocktail if you’re crossing the Atlantic and paying attention. And for everyone’s sake, something other than tuna in your carry-on.
The full survey findings are available at point.me/insights/best-airline-food-drinks-survey.
