If you have special requirements for in-flight meals, you will likely encounter so-called meal codes. These are abbreviations for the various menus that your chosen airline can offer you.
Veganism, religion, and health complications
Whatever your motivation for choosing a special meal, most major airlines are now prepared to accommodate you. However, you should let them know your request in advance and preferably specify what you avoid in your diet. This will help you avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Airlines commonly use a system of codes (so-called meal codes) that make it much easier for you to specify your requirements. What do the individual abbreviations mean?
A list of abbreviations that airlines usually work with:
- AVML – Asian Vegetarian Meal (Asian (often Indian, spicy) meal without meat)
- BBML – Baby Meal (meal suitable for children under 2 years old)
- BLML – Bland Meal (non-irritating meal suitable for stomach problems)
- CHML – Children Meal (meal suitable for children from 2 years old)
- FPML/FRML – Fruit Platter Meal
- GFML – Gluten Intolerant Meal
- HFML – High Fibre Meal
- HNML – Hindu Meal (Hindu meal – no beef, veal, or pork)
- KSML – Kosher Meal (kosher meal prepared according to Jewish rules)
- LFML – Low Fat Meal
- NLML – Low Lactose Meal
- PRML – Low Purin Meal (meal suitable for patients with gout)
- LPML – Low Protein Meal (meal with low protein content – for kidney and liver issues)
- LSML – Low Salt Meal
- MOML – Moslem Meal
- PFML – Peanut Free Meal
- VLML – Vegetarian Lacto-ovo Meal (vegetarian meal containing milk and eggs)
- VOML – Vegetarian Oriental Meal
- RVML – Vegetarian Raw Meal
- VVML/VGML – Vegetarian Vegan Meal (vegan meal without animal ingredients)
(Note: Often only one type of vegetarian meal is distributed, which falls into most of the above-mentioned vegetarian subcategories. It is therefore usually also vegan.)
Want to learn more? Check out our older article dedicated to special requirements for in-flight meals!
Source of the cover photo: airlinesmeals.com
