Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (2024)

Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (1)Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (2)

Vegan and Vegetarian In-Flight Meal Options

As veganism and vegetarianism grow and become more common, it is important that airlines cater for the growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options. While many short-haul flights offer “buy onboard” options (with very limited vegetarian and vegan options), longer flights offer a wide range of dietary options, known as special menus, which are available to order before flying. Vegan and vegetarian travellers need to ensure before they book that they are able to order vegetarian and vegan-friendly meals, or are able to at leastbring vegetarian or vegan snacks onto the plane with them to eat during the journey. You can carry most meals through security lines, and can also bring sauces and salad dressings as long as they meet TSA liquid guidelines. When travelling to and from Australia, there are restrictions to what you can bring into the country, so make sure to check this information to stay out of trouble.

Want to request a different special meal? Visit ourHalal,Kosher,Low-CalorieorGluten-Freemeal pages. You can also find out how to request a special mealhere.

Airline Meal Descriptive Terms - Vegan and Vegetarian

It is really important to make sure that the correct IATA airline meal code is used. The following are the most commonly used codes for vegan and vegetarian meal options:

VGML - Vegetarian Vegan Meal

Also known as a vegan or strict vegetarian meal, this meal is completely free of animal products or by-products. It does not contain any meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products or by-products.

VLML - Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo Meal

A vegetarian meal that will not contain any type of fish or meat, but may contain eggs and dairy products.

VOML - Vegetarian Oriental Meal

A vegetarian meal (usually also vegan) prepared in a Chinese or Oriental style.

AVML - Asian Vegetarian Meal

A vegetarian meal that will not include any type of meat, fish, or eggs, but may contain dairy products. This plane food option is usually aromatic, spicy and includes flavours from the Indian sub-continent.

VJML - Vegetarian Jain Meal

A vegetarian meal prepared with vegetables and fruit that grow above the ground. The Vegetarian Jain meal is prepared in accordance to the Jain community rules, and will not contain any animal products and by-products, or any root vegetables, including onions, garlic and ginger.

RVML - Raw Vegetable Meal

A vegetarian (and vegan) meal that consists of exclusively raw vegetables and salads.

FML - Fruit Platter

This is a plate of seasonal fresh fruit. It’s usually ordered for dietary reasons or by members of certain communities who eat only fruit while fasting.

Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (3)Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (4)

How to order a vegan meal on a plane

It’s important to ensure that you are flying with an airline that offers vegan options - make sure to check our handy options table below to see which airlines offer which options. Make sure to check how close to departure time you will be able to order your vegan meal - some airlines you will need to order at time of booking, whereas others you will be able to order vegan options up to 24 hours in advance of departure time.

Airlines offering vegan and vegetarian food options:

Here is an overview of the vegan and vegetarian friendly food options offered by airlines. This list will be updated as and when new options are introduced, to ensure that all of our customers needs are met.

Vegetarian meal:

Aegean, Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Italy, Air Serbia, Air Transat, Aircalin, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Avianca, Azul, Caribbean Airlines, China Airlines, China Southern, Condor Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Hawaiian, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, Jet Airways, Jetairfly, KLM, La Compagnie, LEVEL, Lufthansa, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Royal Jordanian, Silk Air, Spicejet, Sri Lankan Airlines, TAP Portugal, Tarom Airlines.

Vegetarian-vegan meal:

Aeromexico, Air Astana, Air Baltic, Air China, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, Croatia Airlines, Delta Airlines, EL AL, Eva Air, Hainan, Hong Kong Airlines, Jet Airways, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Ryanair, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines.

Vegan meal:

Adria, Aer Lingus, Air Baltic, Air France, Air India, Air Tahiti Nui, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Condor Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Gulf Air, Jetstar, KLM, Qantas, Shenzhen Airlines, Swiss International Airlines.

Vegetarian lacto-ovo meal:

Adria, Aegean, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Serbia, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Transat, Aircalin, American Airlines, Asiana, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Airlines, Egyptair, EL AL, Etihad, Eva Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hainan, Jet Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, SAS, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss International Airlines, TAP Portugal, Tarom Airlines.

Vegetarian oriental meal:

Air Astana, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Serbia, Asiana, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Etihad, Eva Air, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Jet Airways, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Tarom Airlines.

Asian vegetarian meal (Hindu):

Adria, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air France, Air India, Air Serbia, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Transat, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), American Airlines, Asiana, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Croatia Airlines, Delta Airlines, EL AL, Emirates, Etihad, Eva Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Jet Airways, Korean Air, LEVEL, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, TAP Portugal, Tarom Airlines.

Vegetarian Jain meal:

Air Astana, Air China, Air New Zealand, Air Serbia, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, EL AL, Emirates, Etihad, Eva Air, Gulf Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Jet Airways, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spicejet, Sri Lankan Airlines, Swiss International Airlines.

Raw vegetable meal:

Adria, Air Astana, Air China, Air India, Air Serbia, Air Tahiti Nui, Asiana, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Croatia Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Eva Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hainan, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Qatar Airways, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Tarom Airlines.

Fruit platter:

Adria, Aegean, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Serbia, Air Tahiti Nui, Asiana, Avianca, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Dragon (Dragonair), Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EL AL, Emirates, Etihad, Eva Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Jet Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Shenzhen Airlines, Silk Air, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Tarom Airlines.

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Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options (2024)

FAQs

Vegan Air Travel | Best Vegan Plane Food Options? ›

Vegan and Vegetarian In-Flight Meal Options

You can carry most meals through security lines, and can also bring sauces and salad dressings as long as they meet TSA liquid guidelines.

Can you bring vegan food on a plane? ›

Vegan and Vegetarian In-Flight Meal Options

You can carry most meals through security lines, and can also bring sauces and salad dressings as long as they meet TSA liquid guidelines.

How to request a vegan meal on a flight? ›

Special Service Requests or call 1-800-221-1212 to make arrangements for your special meal. Upon arrival at the departure gate, customers should advise the gate agent they have pre-ordered a special meal and also confirm with a flight attendant once on board.

How long can vegan food sit out? ›

The Two-Hour Rule

Cooked food can only stay in the temperature danger zone for so long before it becomes unsafe to eat. Havern explains: "The maximum amount of time perishable foods can [spend] in the danger zone is two hours. At two hours, the food must be consumed, stored correctly, or thrown away.

Is it better to be vegan or not fly? ›

Flying is associated with relatively high greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown by a comparison with a vegetarian diet over one year. Only one round trip from Frankfurt to London outweighs the savings from the change in diet. A meat-based diet is associated with high CO2 emissions from livestock and feed production.

Can vegans fly on planes? ›

As we are still a minority, flying as a vegan can be a challenge. But since so many people have special dietary needs nowadays, most airlines offer a broad range of special meals that you can order in advance for flights of a certain minimum flight time. Luckily for us, there is often at least one vegan option.

Is it hard to travel as a vegan? ›

Is it easy to travel as a vegan? For the most, it's very easy. But it all depends on your destination and your preparation. In North America and Western Europe, most people understand what you mean when you say you're vegan or vegetarian.

Do airlines have vegan options? ›

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Air Canada have introduced vegan meals on select flights. For other airlines, don't wing it! Check their websites, as they may have recently added vegan options to their menus.

What is the airline code for vegan meal? ›

VGML or VVML: Vegetarian Vegan Meal – No animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey.

What is a special meal in a flight? ›

Airlines provide in-flight meals to suit various passenger nutritional needs, including food tailored to religious requirements, health issues, individual preferences, and dietary restrictions. There are about 35 special meal options, though not all airlines offer the complete list.

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