The pros and cons of ordering the special meal on planes

The scent of food is wafting through the aircraft cabin, at any moment the meal trolley will appear – but already some folks are getting their meals. Handed out individually by the cabin crew. Those are special meals, an opportunity to tweak the menu, either for dietary, religious or lifestyle reasons.

What kinds of special meals are available?

You’ll find more than 30 different meal options on airlines around the world, though no individual carrier offers every one of them. The largest category is meals relating to health, which includes vegetarian and vegan meals, low fat, low sodium, low calorie, peanut free and bland – a meal of soft foods, unseasoned and low in fibre, intended for passengers with ulcers or intestinal sensitivity. There are also meals for specific religious requirements, such as kosher, halal and Hindu vegetarian meals, and special meals for children and infants.

What to know about special meals

Anyone can order a special meal, they’re prepared to order and must be requested 24 or 48 hours in advance. Health and religion are the primary reasons for choosing a special meal but it also puts you at the top of the queue. Ordering a special meal means you’ll be served before the meal trolley rolls down the aisle and general meal service commences. That might be a win for you, but you’ll probably finish your meal before your seat buddies get served, and you’re in for a long wait before your tray is cleared. Also, it’s rude and improper to recline your seat before the trays are collected.

If your booking involves a codeshare flight on another carrier, you need to make sure the partner airline understands your requirement for a special meal when you make your booking. In case of a change of carrier, it’s unlikely that your special meal request will be available. If you order a special meal in economy, you’re tied into an economy seat. There’s no chance of an upgrade since the special vegetarian meal in economy is not the same as the special vegetarian meal in business. If by status or sheer good luck you were to be visited by the angels and eligible for an upgrade, there would not be a business class vegetarian meal available for you, so you’re stuck.

Are special meals better?

It’s debatable. Special meals are made in small batches and that should mean better quality, and more care, but that doesn’t necessarily follow. In the quest for a decent meal in economy I’ve ordered Hindu vegetarian meals, low calorie meals, low carb and, in an experimental moment, a vegetarian Jain meal, intended for followers of the ascetic Jain religion, which forbids even the consumption of root vegetables as well as meat, fish and dairy. There’s been nothing memorable, although I’ve yet to venture into the realms of halal, kosher and vegan.

My next flight is with China Eastern, premium economy Sydney to Rome, and apart from meals for infants, the only special meals option appears to be kosher, vegetarian/vegan, vegetarian Hindu, vegetarian raw or vegetarian Oriental. I’m taking pot luck with whatever comes down the aisle.