Boarding Archives - Com Namibia

United Tests Meal Delivery Directly to the Boarding Gate

September 6, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

United Airlines expérimente un nouveau service à l’aéroport international Newark Liberty - Depositphotos.com @filedimage

TAP Air Portugal

United Airlines is testing a new service at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, designed to help travelers complete last‑minute purchases more easily.

As part of this pilot program, passengers can pre‑order, via the United app, a selection of meals, beverages and travel essentials. The order is then prepared and made available near their boarding gate.

The service is currently offered on certain flights departing or connecting at the Terminal C, at up to nine departure gates, located between C125 and C138.

These gates serve both domestic and international United flights, with aircraft ranging from narrow‑body jets to wide‑body planes.

An order at the gate

Passengers targeted by this feature receive a push notification in the United app or an email inviting them to place an order before departure.

The offering includes notably sandwiches, salads, beverages, kids’ meals, chips and sweets. The system is not limited to food: some travel aids are also offered, including over‑the‑counter medications, travel pillows and charging cables.

Once the order is ready, the items are placed on a dedicated shelf near the gate. The passenger can pick them up before boarding, enjoy them at the gate, or bring them on board.

“The moment right before boarding” is, according to United, one of the steps where the travel experience can be streamlined.

The company explains that Newark was chosen for this test because of its role as a transfer hub, where connection times can be particularly tight.

A system operated with OTG

For this pilot, United has partnered with OTG, an airport dining and service specialist. Orders are prepared from participating Terminal C restaurants, including Nonna’s Kitchen and Victory Grill.

The aim for the airline is to measure passenger interest in this kind of service and to collect feedback throughout the experiment.

United already plans to expand the test to Houston by the end of 2026. The system would then incorporate national dining brands and offer more options to travelers, notably the choice between picking up the order or having it delivered directly to the boarding gate.

If the experiment is rolled out more broadly, United also envisions integrating the feature into its rear-seat entertainment screens to allow passengers to order more easily during their journey.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Writer
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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Denied Boarding: Overbooking and Gate Delays — Who Has to Prove What? [ABO]

August 25, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Refus d'embarquement : surbooking, retard à la porte... qui doit prouver quoi ? - DepositPhotos.com Auteur Nataliia2910@gmail.com

Costa Rica

Four passengers were denied boarding on their Paris – Porto flight in July 2025. They sought reimbursement of their tickets as well as coverage for several expenses incurred following the incident.

The travelers had a confirmed booking on a flight to Portugal. They stated they arrived at the boarding gate at 20:10, citing an unusually long queue to access it.

According to them, boarding was refused due to an overbooking situation. They also indicated that a replacement flight had been proposed for the next day, at an additional charge of more than €1,200, an offer they declined.

The passengers also claimed reimbursement for ancillary expenses, notably a car rental they could not use at the destination, as well as parking, fuel and toll costs incurred for their rerouting.

On its side, the airline contested any overbooking and argued that the passengers had not presented themselves at the boarding gate in time.

What the texts say:

Legally, European Regulation No. 261/2004 provides for compensation when a passenger is denied boarding against their will.

Yet this denial must be established. Indeed, under Article 9 of the Code of Civil Procedure, it is up to each party to provide the necessary evidence to support their claims.

In this case, no element of the file could establish the existence of an overbooking. Furthermore, the boarding passes indicated that the doors closed at precisely 20:10.

What the Tourism and Travel Mediation recommends:

The Mediation concluded that by arriving at that exact time, the passengers had not presented themselves within a window enabling actual boarding.

The airline’s general terms of carriage also specify that a passenger who does not present themselves at the gate in time may be refused carriage.

Finally, regarding car rental, parking or toll costs, the Mediation notes that Article 1231-3 of the Civil Code limits compensation to damages foreseeable at the time the contract was formed. These ancillary expenses could not be regarded as foreseeable by the carrier.

No legal basis was therefore found to require the airline to reimburse the tickets or the claimed fees.

Find all practical cases from the Tourism and Travel Mediation by clicking HERE.

Passport Without a Given Name: Why This Passenger Was Denied Boarding [ABO]

June 28, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Passeport sans prénom : pourquoi ce passager a été refusé à l’embarquement - Depositphotos.com Auteur LP2tudio

CroisiEurope

A passenger filed a complaint with Mediation following a boarding denial on a flight from Paris to the United Arab Emirates, the first leg of a journey aimed at reaching Chennai. He sought reimbursement for the costs incurred to modify his trip, as well as compensation for a service he lost at the destination.

The travelers held a confirmed booking for two successive flights operated by the same airline. They planned to spend four days in the Emirates to celebrate a family event and had even booked a table at a restaurant.

On the day of departure, the passenger’s boarding was refused because the prenom on his passport was “ Xxx ” and his passport contained no other given names, but only a surname.

Forced to adjust his itinerary, the passenger incurred costs to reserve a direct new flight to his final destination. He also had to pay cancellation fees related to the booking made in the Emirates.

What the texts say:

Legally, the airline’s General Conditions of Carriage remind that it is the passenger’s responsibility to verify entry requirements for the countries visited and to ensure the compliance of their travel documents.

Moreover, information published by French authorities indicates that since December 2023, the United Arab Emirates have been denying entry to travelers whose passports contain incomplete or atypical information, notably when entries such as “X” replace a name, a given name, or a date of birth.

UAE authorities’ guidance also confirms that travelers whose passport contains only a surname, with no given name, are not allowed to enter the territory.

What the Tourism and Travel Mediation recommends:

In this context, the boarding denial appears justified, as the passenger did not possess documents that conform to the local authorities’ requirements.

Consequently, the costs incurred to modify the ticket cannot be reimbursed. Similarly, the loss of the restaurant reservation does not constitute compensable harm, as it did not correspond to a damage foreseeable at the time the contract was formed, in accordance with Article 1231-3 of the Civil Code.

In light of these elements, the Tourism and Travel Mediation concluded that there was no legal basis to require the airline to reimburse the claimed sums.

Find all the practical cases of the Tourism and Travel Mediation by clicking HERE.