The overall percentage of vegetarians in the US has remained constant over the past 20 years, but the number of options for vegetarians and people trying to cut the amount of meat in their diet is higher than ever before. Airlines are taking note, and many are upping the number of plant-based options. But just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s always easy to acquire. In general, vegetarians, vegans, and passengers with other dietary restrictions still have to jump through hoops or risk going hungry when it comes to finding a meal that fits their diet while flying.
Photo: Turkish Airlines/Shutterstock
The Best and Worst Airlines for Vegetarians and Vegans
Today, the best option for vegans and vegetarians is to bring your own food (make sure you know which food you can and can’t take through security). Many cost-cutting airlines don’t even serve meals on flights less than 2,000 miles, let alone plant-based meals. To add to the hassle, you have to decode what airlines mean with each vegetarian and vegan designation. In general, these are the terms to know according to the airline code:
Vegetarian meal: No meat or fish.
Vegetarian-vegan meal (VGML): No meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or other animal by-product. Stands in for a vegetarian meal as well as vegan.
Vegetarian lacto-ovo meal (VLML): No meat or fish, yet may have eggs or dairy.
Asian vegetarian meal TransPacific, or called vegetarian oriental meal (VOML): No meat, seafood, egg, or dairy that’s prepared with Chinese, Japanese, or pan-Asian spices.
Asian vegetarian meal TransAtlantic, or called simply Asian vegetarian meal (AVML): No meat, seafood, egg, or dairy that’s prepared with Indian spices.
Vegetarian Jain meal (VJML): Does not contain meat, animal by-products, mushrooms, or root vegetables like garlic, potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Raw vegetable meal (RVML): Raw vegetables only.
Fruit platter (FML): Nothing but fruit, and yes, that’s really the code for it.
In the best case scenario, you’ll end up with a full meal. In the worst case, you’ll end up with a single piece of honeydew melon wrapped in plastic. When you really want to get into the weeds — photos and all — you can check out AirlineMeals.net, a crowd-sourced site where users have posted more than 45,000 food photos from more than 730 airlines. Before doing that, however, take our advice so you don’t get caught flat-footed. Proper food, after all, is one of the best ways to prevent jet lag.
You may not get the best airline food in the world when ordering the vegetarian meal, but make sure you don’t get the worst. These are the most (and least) vegetarian-friendly airlines ranked from best to worst based on the availability of vegetarian and vegan options (not necessarily the quality, but having a wide variety of options is usually a great sign). Don’t forget to order ahead of time.
Information gathered from airline websites, Alternative Airlines, and Happy Cow.
The best airlines for vegetarian and vegan food
Photo: Aureliy/Shutterstock
Asiana: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Dragonair: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Bangkok Airways: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Singapore Airlines: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
South African Airways: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Air China: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Air India: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, RVML, and fruit platter
Cathay Pacific: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Hong Kong Airlines: Vegetarian-vegan, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Korean Air: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, and fruit platter
Iberia: Vegetarian, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Qatar Airways: VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Turkish Airlines: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, VJML, and RVML
Good airlines for vegetarian and vegan food
Photo: First Class Photography/Shutterstock
British Airways: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, AVML, VJML, and fruit platter
Aeromexico: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, VOML, AVML, and fruit platter
Emirates: Vegetarian, AVML, VJML, RVML, and fruit platter
Lufthansa: Vegetarian, VLML, AVML, and fruit platter
United Airlines: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, AVML, and VJML
Air France: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, and AVML
American Airlines: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, and AVML
Delta: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, and AVML
Alitalia: Vegetarian, Vegetarian-vegan, and AVML
KLM: Vegetarian-vegan, VLML, and AVML
Air Canada: Vegetarian, VLML, and fruit platter
Aegean: Vegetarian, VLML, and fruit platter
Worst airlines for vegetarian and vegan food
Photo: Christian Heinz/Shutterstock
Aer Lingus: Vegetarian-vegan and VLML
Icelandair: Vegetarian-vegan
WOW Air: Vegetarian-vegan
XL Airways: Vegetarian-vegan
Hawaiian: Vegetarian-vegan
Air Italy: Vegetarian 