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Air Travel:
How to get what you want to eat
Most airlines - such as American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and Continental Airlines - offer a wide variety of special request meals for long distance flights included in the airfare price (see list below). These meals may range from Western Vegetarian which may contain eggs and/or dairy, though usually means vegan, Vegan, Asian Vegetarian, to a Fruit Plate meal. However, due to budget cutbacks, some air carriers have discontinued their special in-flight food service.
When planning to travel by plane, be sure to ask your travel agent or airline representative upon booking your flight ticket what your options are! Also note that you will likely need to request a special meal at least 72 hours before your flight, and then confirm that again when you check in at the airport.
Once aboard the airplane, a flight attendant will come to you to confirm your special request. If no one comes to you, do ask an attendant to check on it for you. If your request was not entered into the computer system and was forgotten, an attendant will offer you something else, but the selection will be limited.
It is recommended that you bring a small veggie snack when traveling by plane, just in case.
Here are some of the larger carrier's choices, updated April 2008
Aer Lingus: (1-800-474-7424) - (Long haul only) Vegan Vegetarian Meal, Non-Lactose Vegetarian, Lacto/Ovo Vegetarian Meal, Hindu Vegetarian Non-dairy, Asian Vegetarian (may contain dairy)
Air Canada: (1-888-247-2262) - Asian Vegetarian Meal, Fruit Platter Meal, Hindu Meal, Vegetarian Meal (non-dairy), Vegetarian meal (lacto-ovo)
Air France: (1-800-237-2747) - (International flights) Vegetarian Non-Dairy, Lacto Vegetarian, Asian Vegetarian
Air New Zealand: (1-800-262-1234) - (Long haul only) Lacto Ovo Vegetarian, Asian Vegetarian (Indian style vegetarian meal which may contain eggs and dairy products), Vegan, Fruit Platter, Raw Vegetarian
Alaska Airlines: (1-800-252-7522) - No options offered.
Alitalia: (1-800-223-5730) - (International flights) Vegetarian, Asian Vegetarian Meals
Aloha Airlines: (1-800-367-5250) - No options
American Airlines: (1-800-433-7300) - (International flights) Vegetarian (Non dairy) / Vegan
Austrian Airlines: (1-800-843-0002) - Raw Vegetarian Meal – RVML (fresh, raw vegetables), Non Dairy Vegetarian Meal - VGML (purely vegetarian menu, no milk and egg products), Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Meal - VLML (vegetarian menu with milk and egg products), Asian Vegetarian Meal – AVML (without fish, poultry or meat; main milk product is Shahinpaneer“, an Indian soft cheese), Jain Menu – JAIN (very strict vegetarian Asian Meal; products that grow beneath the soil are strictly forbidden), Fruit Platter - FPMO (selection of fresh fruit)
British Airways: (1-800-247-9297) - Asian Vegetarian (may be not vegan), Lacto Ovo Vegetarian, Vegan Vegetarian
Cathay Pacific: (1-800-233-2742) - Western Vegetarian (ovo-lacto vegetarian), Strict Western Vegetarian (vegan), Oriental Vegetarian (Buddhist- probably vegan but may contain honey), Indian Vegetarian (limited dairy products), Strict Indian Vegetarian (maybe vegan but may contain honey)
China Airlines: (1-800-227-5118) - Western Vegetarian with Dairy, Western Vegetarian without Dairy, Fruit Plate, Hindu (may contain dairy), Asian (may contain dairy)
Continental Airlines: (1-800-525-0280) - (Only on some routes) - Vegan, Hindu Vegetarian
Copa Airlines: (1-800-FLY-COPA) - Vegetarian Meals (strict and lacto-ovo), Fruit plate
Delta Air Lines: (1-800-221-12120) - (Some routes) Vegetarian (pure)
Finnair: (1-800-950-5000) - (AVML) Indian-Style, strongly spiced Vegetarian Meal (may contain dairy), (FPML) Fruit Plate (available only in business class), (RVML) Raw Vegetarian Meal, (VGML) (lacto) Vegetable Meal, (VLML) Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Meal
Hawaiian Airlines: (1-800-367-5320) - No special meals offered.
Horizon Air, Inc: (1-800-547-9308) - (Longer flights only) Vegetarian, Fruit Plate
Iberia Airlines: (1-800-772-4642) - Lacto/Ovo Vegetarian Meal, Vegetarian Non-Dairy, Asian Vegetarian (maybe contains dairy), Fruit Plate
Japan Airlines (JAL): (1-800-525-3663) - Vegetarian without Dairy, Vegetarian with Dairy and Eggs, Asian Vegetarian (may contain dairy)
jet Blue Airways: (1-800-538-2583) - No meals served.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: (1-800-225-2525) - (Varies by destination) Vegetarian (maybe contaisn lacto-ovo), Fruit (may contain cheese), Asian Vegetarian (may contain Lacto-ovo), Strict Vegetarian (vegan)
From Liz, April 2008: Depending on which customer service rep you speak to at KLM, they may tell you that their Hindu meal is in fact a Hindu Vegetarian meal. Two different reps on two different days read the ingredients to me over the phone, and it sounded not only vegetarian but completely vegan. They each claimed that KLM had condensed their special meals for convenience and savings, so there were no longer two different Hindu choices: everyone who ordered Hindu gets the vegetarian version. Lo and behold, once you get on the plane, it's not. Chicken AND fish. Don't get caught like we did on a trans-Atlantic flight with no food but about 2 oz of pineapple for 8 hours!
Korean Air: (1-800-438-5000) - Western Vegetarian Meal (lacto-ovo), Strict Vegetarian Meal (vegan), Asian Vegetarian Meal (lacto), Strict Asian Vegetarian Meal (vegan), (from Seoul only) Oriental Vegetarian Meal
Lufthansa: (1-800-645-3880) - Vegetarian Meal (western, vegan), Vegetarian Meal (lacto-ovo), Vegetarian Meal (Indian- lacto) Meal, Fruit Meal
Malaysia Airlines: (1-800-552-9264) - Fruit Platter, Raw Vegetarian Meal, Vegetarian Meals (VGML- vegan), Western Vegetarian (VLML- lacto-ovo), Asian Indian vegetarian (AVML)
Northwest Airlines: (1-800-225-2525) - (Varies by destination - first class or international flights only)
Philippine Airlines: (1-800-435-9725) - Western Vegetarian Meal, Asian Vegetarian Meal, Fruit Platter Meal
Qantas Airways: (1-800-227-4500) - (Other options may be available, call to check) Asian Vegetarian (Indian style- contains eggs and dairy products), Western Style Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian, Vegan Vegetarian
Singapore Airlines: (1-800-742-3333) - Raw Vegetarian Meal, Asian Vegetarian – Oriental (can contain dairy products), Asian Vegetarian - Indian (can contain dairy products), Indian Vegetarian: (strict; suitable for Jain, no meat of any sort; no onion/garlic/ginger/all root vegetables), Western Vegetarian (non-strict; ovo-lacto), Western Vegetarian (strict; no dairy products)
Swiss International: (1-877-359-7947) - (Economy class has one vegetarian option - standard w/o pre-ordering). These choices are offered to business class: Asiatic Vegetarian Meal (non-dairy meal. Asian style, coconut milk or dairy milk may be used), Vegetarian Meal no ingredients containing meat or fish, are used. Dairy produce and eggs are allowed.), Western Vegetarian Meal (same as vegetarian, but milk and eggs are not allowed)
United Airlines: (1-800-241-6522) - Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Meal, Vegan Meal, Asian Vegetarian Meal, Hindu (vegan), Fruit Plate.
US Airways: (1-800-428-4322) - (Longer flights only) Hindu, Vegan, Lacto Ovo, Asian Vegetarian
Virgin Atlantic: (1-800-862-8621) - Lacto Vegetarian, Vegan, Jain Meal (strict vegan meal with no root vegetables), Asian Vegetarian Meal (spicy)
The above information has been collected from airline websites and from calls made to the individual air carriers. There are many conditions that affect meal availability, and the information on this page is provided as a reference only. All information is subject to change. HappyCow is not responsibile for any accurate or out-of-date information. Please see web links or call the airlines yourself for the most updated details. If you find any inaccuracy please email us with your updates - thank you.
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