Hey guys...I am going to Hawaii in 4 days (YAY!!!!!). I have pre-ordered vegan meals for the plane ride, and am wondering what on earth I will be getting???? What have you guys gotten? Should I bring something myself in case????
I've had varying degrees of success with airplane food. Sometimes I've been given the vegetarian option (a cheese sandwich, THANKS for that), whilst other times I've had a proper cooked meal (luckily that was on a long haul flight).
My advice would be take a backup, flapjack or a sandwich or something, especially if it's a long flight.
Don't forget to show us the photos of you in the grass skirt when you get back.
A cheese sandwich? Thats pretty harsh... It is about a 10 hour flight so I'd probably be best to bring my own sandwich! Can they heat stuff up for you if I brought a TV dinner or something?
hi banana, I've done a fair bit of travel, various airlines, and had decent vegan meals. Taking a sandwich is ok for a local flight interstate, but not overseas. I'm going to the US in August and for the first time I'm flying Air NewZealand to LA, then a domestic flight, NorthWest. Hopefully they'll come good. On my flight from Brisbane to Sydney next week, I'm going Virgin, but they don't supply meals, so in that case I'm definitely taking a sandwich and a small carton of soymilk.
Have a wonderful time in Hawaii, and doubtless there will be plenty of fruit when you arrive.
Thanks Eve. I will have a great time!!! I will also be sure to post everything vegan friendly in Hawaii when I get back. I here there is a vegan fast food place called Mr Goodburger...apparently the burgers are soy based and taste like beef...not my ideal....ewww
I've traveled mainily within the US, and obviously the trick is to order ahead of time, and various airlines have different meal plans. I forget which airlines it was, but some do have the vegan option, while another didn't but had a meal plan called "Buddhist" which served the same function. While they generally aren't anything to rave about, it is a fair bit better than the white bread/overcooked meat/mystery sauce that everyone else gets. I've had people sitting next to me compare my meal with theirs, and ask the attendants if they could have what I was having. Plus, when you get a special meal, you get served first! I somethimes am done with my meal by the time my seat-mate(s) gets served.
Unfortunately, meals have been cut out of many domestic flights nowadays, so bringing a sandwich is the only option left anymore.
i've had them try to give me cheesey pasta, which was the normal vegetarian deal. i've also had pancakes served to me, which i didn't trust to be vegan, so didn't eat. the actual vegan meals i've had were a sesame noodle dish, pasta with tomato sauce and pita (random combo), and a rice and bean sort of thing.
I have just finished packing and I have packed for the plane:
- little individual packets of vegemite - a packet of mountain bread - V8 vegetable juice box - calcium fortified OJ box - can of 4 bean mix - a box of rice milk - instant miso soup - instant oats - iron-enriched dried fruit bars - canned peaches
i know i took alot but I figure I will have choice!!! Also, something for my hotel room if I get lazy/run out of money!!!!
Anyway, I will let you know...at least I am well prepared!!!! oh yeah, I took chewy as well!!!
ON THE FLIGHT
Eat little and often. Avoid having a big meal as it could tighten your clothes, increasing your risk for DVT. "Avoid fatty or sugary foods, which make your blood thicker for a while immediately after you've eaten," advises Olivier. For the healthiest inflight meal, pre-order a vegan dish.
PETA Honors Airline for Taking Veggie Options to New Heights
September 7, 2004
Matt Rice
Phoenix — For being one of the few airlines in the world to offer vegetarian meal options that don’t have to be specially ordered in advance, America West is being presented with a plaque from pro-vegetarian group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). America West has already begun offering its delicious Veggie Wrap in four markets and will soon expand the option to all flights through its "Buy on Board" program.
Why is PETA flying high over America West’s new policy? Addiction to meat-eating causes suffering and death for the billions of animals raised and killed for food and for millions of Americans. Animals on modern factory farms are abused in ways that would warrant felony cruelty-to-animals convictions if dogs or cats were the victims. And consumption of meat and other animal products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, several types of cancer, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Offering vegan options is also good business. More and more Americans are requesting meat- and dairy-free meals when dining out, and mock meats and other vegetarian foods are among the fastest-growing segments of the retail food business.
"Everyone is happy with tasty veggie fare, and we commend America West for meeting the growing demand from vegetarian flyers," says PETA’s Director of Vegan Campaigns Bruce Friedrich. "We’ll be alerting our members and vegetarians everywhere that America West is the airline for health-conscious and compassionate frequent flyers."
The last two flights I took (domestic round trip from St Louis to LA), small meals were served, and though booking through Travelocity took me to a page where I could preorder a meal type, the airline still asked what I wanted, so I guess it didn't go through. Breakfast of bagels and spreads on the first one; on the way back, a wrap sandwich. I chose the vegetarian, as I wasn't vegan then and lacked options anyway, and it was very good, some sort of mushroom spinach thing (with an obviously dairy sauce). There was some anorexic, prissy, uppity thing and her rude boyfriend beside me, and she ordered the chicken wrap, decided she didn't want it, and then declined the vegetarian wrap she was offered! My gosh, they were such jerks..but that's another story. I flew Frontier, and I bet if I'd called ahead they might've been able to set aside a sauceless veganized wrap. The flight attendant told me that when you fly to Mexico, all you get is the vegetarian because the govt. won't allow meat taken across the border.
i wish i could remember the name of the airline, but i just flew on one that no longer offers special meals. i'll get back to you on that one. it was frustrating, because i flew first class and they couldn't even feed me.
Have a good time, Banana.....It's a beautiful place. I can still remember the smell of flowers when I walked through the airport. You're smart, taking food on the plane. At least you won't starve....Byeeeeeeee....
Song, Delta Air Lines' low-fare, high-style air service, has announced its adding Grilled Teriyaki Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with Tofu, Spinach and Roasted Pepper on a multi-seeded roll, as well as a Mediterranean Vegetable and Toasted Lavash Vegan Sandwich with Organic Brown Rice and Tofu Cream Cheese to the on-board menu.
this sounds weird but tell your travel agent or airline that you can't eat dairy or eggs for religious reasons.. that's how i got my gel-caps switched to tablets at the pharmacy ( i said i was a vegan and couldn't eat anything made with animals) she changed my drug and when she was ringing me up she asked if i couldn't eat gelatin for religious reason, i just said YES.
Cant we just have a vegan religion so no one can screw with us???
I asked for vegetarian food on a flight before I was vegan and the meal was marked vegan, and was. I think they just cover their bases that way. That was Qantas or Air New Zealand though.
Thanks for your input. The conversation went like this:
- "I would like vegan food"
- "You mean vegetarian"?
- "No, VEGAN"...
- "Yes, we we have vegetarian"
- "No, I mean V-e-g-a-n...NO dairy, NO eggs"...
- "I'll put vegeterian, then."
She didn't know what vegan meant and she was a rather rude and impatient lady. I needed to go with the ticket offer (available only today), so I said, "Ok, put vegetarian"... Maybe I should call the Airline (Lufthansa) directly and ask if they have vegan options. I'm exhausted already!
"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends". ~ George Bernhard Shaw.
Maybe I should call the Airline (Lufthansa) directly and ask if they have vegan options. I'm exhausted already!
I have flown by Lufthansa quite a few times. What I do is I order AVML (Asian Vegetarian Mean), which is mostly vegan. There are no eggs in there. The dessert contains milk though. Just avoid the dessert. The rest will be a curry, salad etc.
I always order AVML (that is an international code applicable for all airlines). I have flown by emirates, BMI, British Airways, lufthansa - and I never had a problem with AVML. Only avoid the dessert.
I have booked a flight for December and the meal is vegan - Virgin Airways. They said they have three veggie options and one is always vegan. Hopefully it won't be vile, but they said it's usually veggie curry, which suits me.
Lufthansa supposedly has a "Western Vegan" selection. The asian is listed as "Asian vegetarian, Indian seasonings, with diary." You must call 48 hours ahead to confirm your meal selection. I would also confirm 24 hours in advance AND in the airport. I would also ask for a printout from the ticketing person at the desk stating that you get the vegan meal. And bring an emergency back-up meal.
I'm flying Swiss and American intercontinental flights next week. I'll be surprised if everything runs smoothly.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
Earlier this year, I flew QANTAS and had pretty good vegan meals going both ways.
Next year, we'll be flying to Prince Edward Island via Air Canada. We've just booked our flights and I had a choice of ordering "Vegetarian" or "Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian" meals. So I ordered the Vegetarian option, hoping it'll be vegan. I'll take my own sandwiches anyway, as a back-up just in case.
since i've been vegan i've flown canada-japan japan-china japan-canada canada-italy italy-france france-canada canada-england england-italy
i always get STRICT vegetarian (no cheese sandwiches), my fav was italy-canada where they gave me a really nice spinach thing and rice and vegs, but the asian flights were pretty good too.
I ordered the vegan option with BA before Christmas, and it was well on their list - but not on board! The crew then offered me non-vegan biscuits and a well-chilled (therefore flavourless) banana. On the way back my flight was cancelled, so no meal for me, as the alternative flight wasn't prepared for vegans.
I wrote to BA to make them aware of the missing food (rather than complain), and they offered me 30 Pounds in vouchers for their duty-free on-board shop - a very generous gesture I didn't expect at all!
First it was necessary to civilize man in relation to man.
Now it is necessary to civilize man in relation to nature and the animals.
Victor Hugo
I flew to New Zealand in November on New Zealand Airways and on the journey there and back my food was delicious and vegan. The only meal that was a bit 'iffy' was breakfast and they tried too hard by giving me a cooked breakfast of spinach patties. As I always have fruit for my breakfast, usually in a smoothie I just couldn't stomach this. They happily bought me a bowl of fresh fruit. No complaints.
i just got back from hawaii like a week ago and didn't know about the possibility of ordering vegan foods. i ended up eating something or other with mushrooms and cheese on the way there and gave my dad the meat in my sandwhich and took his chips. i really wish i knew about the possibility of ordering vegan meals. does this cost extra?
Earlier this year, I flew QANTAS and had pretty good vegan meals going both ways.
Next year, we'll be flying to Prince Edward Island via Air Canada. We've just booked our flights and I had a choice of ordering "Vegetarian" or "Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian" meals. So I ordered the Vegetarian option, hoping it'll be vegan. I'll take my own sandwiches anyway, as a back-up just in case.
Pack some Luna bars, soy milk juice boxes, and other little treats in case you can't find any vegan food when you land here.
Air Canada has stopped serving meals on continental flights . I flew from Vancouver to Toronto with them a few weeks ago and they had only a menu with subway subs, various wraps, and snacks for $5 apiece. So I opted to bring my own food, for sure.
Then a few days ago I flew to Hawaii (where I am now ) with Air Canada and I had ordered the vegetarian non-dairy meal, since they still serve regular meals on international flights. I got pasta smothered in cheese. On my tray was the card with my name on it, indicating that I had ordered a special meal. I looked at the card and it read "strict vegetarian". There was also a list of other special meal options, including ovo-lacto vegetarian. So I assumed that they must have made a mistake with my meal because "strict vegetarian" must surely not include cheese if there's an ovo-lacto option as well! So I told the flight attendant and he had no idea what I meant. He said "this is the vegetarian meal". He didn't know what vegan meant, but he had a strong French accent and luckily I know how to say vegan in French, so I told him in French that I need the vegan meal because I'm allergic to dairy (a small lie to get my point across). The guy next to me was taking interest, and he asked if I had gotten the wrong meal. I told him yes, and said it's always hard to make people understand what no dairy means. The guy was like, "How hard is it to understand that you don't eat dairy?", and I said "Harder than you'd think". The flight attendant took back my dinner and went to find me the vegan meal I had ordered. Later he came back with another tray and said "This is the best I could find, it's from Business Class. I hope it's okay". It was lasagna filled with ricotta cheese. I looked at the guy next to me and he laughed because then he understood that it IS hard, strange as it seems, for people to understand the concept of no dairy, and that this happens ALL the time. I should have just picked the cheese off the pasta and been happy. There was no way to take the cheese out of the lasagna.
So in short, if you travel on Air Canada and they offer a vegan option, don't trust them!
"Man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills" - Arthur Schopenhauer
That kind of experience you had, Yoggi, can make you cry when you're exhausted and hungry! I'm surprised my trip went so smooth in terms of food..it usually isn't that easy.
"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends". ~ George Bernhard Shaw.
Air Canada has stopped serving meals on continental flights . I flew from Vancouver to Toronto with them a few weeks ago and they had only a menu with subway subs, various wraps, and snacks for $5 apiece. So I opted to bring my own food, for sure.
Yes, I found that out since I made my last post.
Thanks for the tip Tigerlily. We are landing at 11pm, and the lady whose apartment we are staying in will be picking us up at the airport and taking us to where we're staying.
I'm going to pack a few things for breakfast the next morning too.
I have never flown on a long distance flight as a vegan but always managed being vegetarian. Maybe someone could compile a list of known vegan-friendly airlines?
The Dutch airline KLM is who I usually fly with, anyone had any experiences with them?
I flew with Qatar Airways in December 2005. The flight was from London Gatwick to Doha, Qatar, then from Doha, Qatar to Bangkok, Thailand.
I had to phone the airlines directly because the call centre in India for travelocity.co.uk didn’t know what different types of special meals they had. The girl I spoke to seemed flummoxed when I asked her what type of vegetarian meals they had, and she just started repeating this list that she already told me about, “diabetic, low-fat, non-gluten, etc. etc.” Useless.
Once I phoned the airline directly, it was better. For Qatar, their name for a vegan meal is “non-dairy vegetarian.”
On one of the legs of the flight, they gave me someone else’s meal. It was really stupid, because the special meals come with the passenger’s name and seat number on a sticker on the actual foil. They gave me some vegetarian guy’s meal, and I could smell the butter coming off it. Eww. After telling the stewardess, she found my meal. It was actually very good, with bean a bean salad and hummus as sides, but I can’t remember the main. It was fine anyhow.
I’ve also flown with Dragon Air in the past year; they’re a Chinese airline that go to Hong Kong. Their vegan meal was ok, just not very creative. It was rice with tomatoes and vegetables, no protein!
I flew with KLM in January 2006 and you must specify for a “strict vegetarian” meal. The guy I spoke to at the KLM call centre in France or the Netherlands was very efficient, he actually said to me, “a meal that does not contain any meat, eggs, dairy, honey, or any other animal derived products.” I was quite happy to hear that at least they knew what it is.
Lufthansa is generally very good with their vegan meals as well.
One thing to watch out for, and this happens in more than one airline, is that although the main meal (the main course, the bit that’s hot in the foil) is your requested special meal, sometimes the side stuff you get (bread plus spread) tends to be the same as everyone else’s. So sometimes you’ll be assaulted with the sight of cheese or butter with your meal.
I've flown with Delta within the US (not overseas) and even on the longer flights, they only give peanuts and soft drinks/juices to everyone (from vegan to omni). Most other airlines that I've flown with do the same (Northwest Airlines and I don't remember which other ones).
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
~John Wooden
Last time I flew Delta they gave out pretzels. (It was one of the worst flights I've ever been on, the plane wasn't circulating air properly and was clearly faulty from the horrible noises it made during it's taxi, followed by a long wait before it actually took off and then the horrible noises (like grinding metal when bearings have gone) when landing which was very bumpy and long.
The last international flight I took was with continental, I was vegetarian at the time so asked for a vegetarian meal but was given a general purpose veg*n meal which was very nice.
I went to Australia last year and they did their best with vegan food, but it was pretty rank to be honest. Id take some bits and pieces with you. I personally think that if you are going on a long haul flight, they feed you far too much and because you are bored, you just eat. My stomach was in knots for the whole journey. If I ever go on such a long flight again, I will just drink tons of water and eat fruit, nuts etc.
Hey all... just quickly browsing this thread for the magic letters VGML, but it seems nobody has mentioned them yet!
I haven't yet tried this myself (haven't flown for a couple of years, at which point I wasn't vegan) but I recently found out that you can order a vegan in-flight meal using a specific international code: VGML
Descriptions vary slightly, but here's an average example of what the code means:
VGML - Strict/Pure Vegetarian - Non-Dairy - Vegan. "Vegan or pure vegetarians eat no meat or meat products of any type - no fish, fowl or products with lard or gelatin. Dairy products, eggs and honey are not permitted."
So basically, when you book your flight, ask for a VGML meal and with a bit of luck you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'm going to go for the: don't try and explain what vegan means, just instruct them that the correct international code for the meal you require is VGML and that yes, you do know what you're doing.
I have a flight to Japan coming up later this year - hoping for some nice tofu, though I guess it depends if I fly with a Japanese airline or not.
My partner and I leave for Rome in a months time, and I ordered us Vegetarian No Dairy hoping that this means Vegan...!
Its with EasyJet, who Im a little unsure about flying with, and hope the meal will be ok.
In the past as a vegetarian I have been given Vegan and it has been pitiful- a wholemeal roll, no butter, with one slice of tomato, one slice of cucumber and one slice of lettuce. Absolutely appalling. And I had to sit and watch as the people round me tucked into hot complete meals.
Apparantly being vegan means you have no desire to eat food.
And what made it more ironic is that I dont like cucumber or tomato!!
So just lettuce in a dry roll...MMM!
I'm going to NY in the summer and I've ordered the "strict vegetarian" food option. They assured me that did mean vegan (why can't they just call it that?). My dad chose it last time he used this airline too and it was cury, rice and nann bread. Sounds awesome =]
I was an air hostess in 1989 (ok I was bored) with a now defunct airline. They were bollox, always forgetting the vegetarian meals so invariably someone would take mine for a passenger meaning I had nothing to eat for the whole flight
I don't remember anyone ordering vegan but it was a long time ago.
Vegan airplane food
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Maybe I should call the Airline (Lufthansa) directly and ask if they have vegan options. I'm exhausted already! 
kriz
) with Air Canada and I had ordered the vegetarian non-dairy meal, since they still serve regular meals on international flights. I got pasta smothered in cheese. On my tray was the card with my name on it, indicating that I had ordered a special meal. I looked at the card and it read "strict vegetarian". There was also a list of other special meal options, including ovo-lacto vegetarian. So I assumed that they must have made a mistake with my meal because "strict vegetarian" must surely not include cheese if there's an ovo-lacto option as well! So I told the flight attendant and he had no idea what I meant. He said "this is the vegetarian meal". He didn't know what vegan meant, but he had a strong French accent and luckily I know how to say vegan in French, so I told him in French that I need the vegan meal because I'm allergic to dairy (a small lie to get my point across). The guy next to me was taking interest, and he asked if I had gotten the wrong meal. I told him yes, and said it's always hard to make people understand what no dairy means. The guy was like, "How hard is it to understand that you don't eat dairy?", and I said "Harder than you'd think". The flight attendant took back my dinner and went to find me the vegan meal I had ordered. Later he came back with another tray and said "This is the best I could find, it's from Business Class. I hope it's okay". It was lasagna filled with ricotta cheese. I looked at the guy next to me and he laughed because then he understood that it IS hard, strange as it seems, for people to understand the concept of no dairy, and that this happens ALL the time. I should have just picked the cheese off the pasta and been happy. There was no way to take the cheese out of the lasagna.
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