I had a chance to try out the Delta Shake Shack burger on a flight out of Atlanta and came away impressed by the execution.

The Delta Shake Shack burger collaboration

Eating a burger on a plane feels like a very American thing to do. There’s a history of burgers served on planes going back to the 1970s, but they’ve come and gone. When I grew up in the 1990’s, I remember hearing about McDonald’s burgers and Happy Meals on United Airlines flights.

The latest collaboration is between Shake Shack and Delta Airlines, which started at the end of 2024 on select flights out of Boston. Then, in 2025, the burger option expanded to most other hubs (sorry, Salt Lake City). That gives a much greater chance of being able to try out the burger if that’s your intent.

It almost seems silly to make a big deal out of a fast food chain burger, but airplane food hasn’t historically been thought of as high culinary value. While we’ve had some good meals on airlines, those typically weren’t on domestic first class on US-based airlines. Taste buds are different when up in the air, making creating a great-tasting meal more difficult. On top of that, burgers can be difficult to execute on a plane given the limitations of how to cook it.

How to order the Delta Shake Shack burger

There are some implicit rules on ordering the burger to be aware of:

• Flights must depart out of Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, or Seattle.
• The flight must be at least 900 miles in length.
• Eligible passengers must be flying first class.
• The flight cannot be a domestic redeye flight since there is no catering for those flights. It also cannot be one that departs during breakfast service (until 9:45AM).
• The Delta Shake Shack burger must be selected at least 24 hours prior to flying. No extra burgers are brought onboard.
• Those who have been upgraded to first class for free are eligible, but it will require getting upgraded days early enough to make the selection in advance. That means likely only Diamond or Platinum members could benefit from it. Those upgrading same-day will not be able to select the burger.
  • The best way for a Diamond or Platinum member to ensure they are flying in Delta first class for free with enough time to place a meal order is to use their RUCs or GUCs.

Let’s say you meet all those rules. One week before your flight, you’ll get an email asking you to place your order.

You could make your selection in the Fly Delta app or on their website. Items listed with “limited” are those not available to select on the day of the flight. These dishes must be ordered in advance. On this flight, the following meals were possible:

• Marinara Braised Meatballs
• Little Gem Wedge Salad
• Mushroom Herb Ravioli
• Mashama Bailey’s Shrimp and Grits (limited)
• Shake Shack burger (limited)

Eating the burger

Shortly after takeoff on this flight out of Atlanta, the Delta Shake Shack burger I ordered appeared in front of me. In addition to the burger, it came with the following:

• Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles on the side
• Ketchup, mustard, and Shacksauce on the side
• Crinkle cut potato chips
• Dark chocolate brownie

I’m glad the sauces came on the side. For burgers, I’ve never been one to care for sauces that obscure the taste. Yes, doing that runs the risk of burgers ending up dry, but if a burger is dry on its own, it’s not going to be good regardless of how much spread you put on it.

How was the burger? Remarkably similar to how it tastes on land. Somehow they seemed to perfectly account for the changing taste buds in flight. Plus, the bun wasn’t soggy at all. It very much seemed like I went to a Shake Shack to order a meal (well, except for missing the fries and the shake). The brownie was a perfect end to the meal.

The alternative

What if you don’t have interest in the cheeseburger? You could order the Mashama Bailey’s Shrimp and Grits, which is also a limited item. That’s what Jenn did on this flight. She thought it was good–but I saw her eying my burger a few times.

There’s also a new Delta collaboration coming out soon to Delta first class: José Andrés. I’m not going to go into the pure hubris Delta uses in its press release to promote the collab. Rather, I look at this and think it looks fine, but I’d honestly rather have the cheeseburger.

Have you had a chance to try out the Delta Shake Shack burger?

Suggested reading:

• Review: Delta One 767-300ER LAX-JFK
• Volunteering for Delta Flight Bumps
• Review: Delta Domestic A350 First Class LAX-ATL