Special meals on long-haul flights
I am used to flight short-haul flights. Usually they offer chicken or mozzarella sandwiches.
For my next trip I fly long distance and about 8 hours. I am aware that meals will be served and I requested vegetarian meals. My request was confirmed on the website of my company.
Do I need to ask for my special meal in the airplane or may I expect that my vegetarian meal is served without any actions by me to my seat?
Are there any other things I should take care of?
Best Answer
A full list of special meals types is available on wikipedia. Not every one is available on every airline, for example here is Etihad's selection. There are quite a number of meal types that are vegetarian, so you don't have to restrict yourself to just the normal VLML, and might want to try one of the others for a change:
VGML - Vegetarian Meal (usually called Vegetarian Vegan on most airlines)
- Contains all types of fruits and vegetables.
- Does not contain any meat, fish or animal by-products (like animal fat in biscuits).
- Does not contain dairy products.
VJML - Vegetarian Jain meal
- Contains non-root vegetables only.
- Does not contain any root vegetables like onions, ginger, garlic, potatoes, carrots or animal/animal by-products.
- Prepared Asian style.
- Suitable for a section of the Indian community who are strict vegetarians.
AVML - Asian Vegetarian Meal
- Contains all types of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
- Does not contain any type of meat, fish or eggs.
- Prepared according to subcontinent taste (mildly spicy to spicy).
- Can qualify as a Hindu meal.
FPML - Fruit Platter
- Contains seasonal fruits.
- Suitable for guests who are fasting or has dietary needs.
VLML - Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo Meal
- Contains dairy products.
- Does not contain any meat or meat products, fish, poultry or products with lard or gelatine.
- Suitable for guests who do not eat flesh of any kind but can eat milk and cheese products.
RVML - Raw Vegetable Meal
- Contains mainly raw vegetables and salads.
SFML - Seafood Meal - ok, not vegetarian, but some quasi vegetarians (pescetarians) might like it
- Contains all types of fish or shellfish.
- Does not contain meat products.
- Does not apply to breakfast.
- Suitable for guests who prefer seafood.
VOML - Vegetarian Oriental Meal
- Contains fruits and vegetables.
- Does not contain meat, fish, eggs or dairy products.
- Prepared in Chinese style.
- Suitable for oriental vegetarians.
Alternatively:
CLML - Celebration Cake Meal on Turkish Airlines
- We serve Celebration Cake (CLML) only for our TK Miles & Smiles members.
It's possible to order this for a flight within 3 days of your birthday
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Do you get meals on long-haul flights?
Meals and drinks are included on long-haul flights but additional snacks will need to be paid for. You will receive complimentary drinks, snacks and hot meal, followed by a lighter snack or breakfast just before landing.How many meals do you get on a long-haul flight?
In it for the long-haul Full-service airlines, like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines, usually provide at least one hot meal, snacks and drinks, included in the price of your ticket on a long-haul flight.Are meals on international flights free?
On other international and domestic flights, economy-class flyers can purchase items such as snack packs, sandwiches, and other light fare. Passengers in first or business class get free snacks, \u201cLite Bites,\u201d or full meals, depending on the length and time of the flight.What kind of meals do they serve on a plane?
On long-haul international flights in first class and business class, most Asian and European airlines serve gourmet meals, while legacy carriers based in the US tend to serve multicourse meals including a cocktail snack, appetizer, soup, salad, entr\xe9e (chicken, beef, fish, or pasta), cheeses with fruit, and ice cream.Order special meals for your long haul flights
More answers regarding special meals on long-haul flights
Answer 2
It's best to take some extra food with you. There may be problems with the food they serve, or it may not be enough. I always do this because I eat way more than average while on planes they serve minuscule amounts of food. On the plane I'll eat whatever is served first, keeping the food I've brought with me as reserve for later.
Answer 3
I'm a vegetarian and in every int'l flight I've ever been on, they hand out the special-diet meals first. It's an extra perk. On my last flight the woman next to me asked why mine was first then figured she'd do the same next time she flew...just to get her food faster :)
Answer 4
In addition to this post https://travel.stackexchange.com/a/70930/4584 I also recommend you confirming this when collecting your boarding pass.
I once flew with a diabetic mate of mine and despite instructions when booking and confirming again with their customer care, his request for a vegetarian meal was not honored in Delta Airlines. Flying from Dallas to Dubai was a night mare as he was single mindedly occupied with monitoring his glucose levels.
In another flight I experienced a human error. The conversation went : Is this fish ? - Yeah, I see you ordered a vegetarian meal which wasn't really necessary as we are serving fish in the menu today.
So being doubly sure is something you can do in addition.
Answer 5
I request a vegetarian meal for every flight and I highly recommend to make the request by phone. This seems to be the most effective method of ensuring you will actually get a vegetarian meal.
When ordering the meal on the airline website, it has happened to me before that my order got lost and I did not get my meal.
Simply look up the customer service number for the airline online and when you call give them your booking confirmation code and request the vegetarian meal. This must be done at least 48 hours before the flight.
Answer 6
My experience of ordering special meals has been a bit "hit and miss" -- even airlines which serve a diabetic meal have been known to serve snacks which are totally unsuited to diabetics.
It's worth noting, to give credit where it's due, that my frequent flier profile with KLM records the fact that I require a special meal and this information seems to be passed on reliably to other airlines, such as China Southern, with which they have a relationship.
Again, for the sake of completeness, it's worth mentioning that the best "special" meals I've had have been those on China Southern. And yes, in general terms, I'd echo what's been said about "special" meals often being rather better quality than the ordinary meals.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Tim Douglas, Tim Douglas, Rachel Claire, Ella Olsson