United Airlines is testing a new delivery service at Newark Liberty International's Terminal C, allowing passengers to order food, medicine, and travel essentials via its app for gate delivery. Currently running as a pilot for select flights departing from or connecting through nine designated gates, the service offers salads, sandwiches, chips, candies, kids' meals, drinks, over-the-counter medicine, pillows, and charging cords. United is partnering with OTG, which manages Terminal C's dining and shopping, for this preliminary testing.

Passengers will receive pre-departure push notifications or emails with ordering options. The initiative aims to enhance the passenger experience by providing convenience without leaving the gate area. Following the Newark pilot, United plans to expand the service to Houston later this year, contingent on positive feedback.

Additionally, United recently launched a feature allowing passengers to join standby lists through its app for up to three earlier flights in case of disruptions and rebook quickly if seats become available. The delivery pilot represents a step toward integrating e-commerce directly into the travel experience, with future plans to incorporate the service into in-flight entertainment systems for transit passengers.