An Honest Look at “Gluten-Free” Airline Meals

Few things are more confusing than reserving a gluten-free meal for a transatlantic flight and being served a dinner roll with “enriched bleached wheat flour” as the first ingredient. Yet that is exactly what happened to me on my American Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare to Rome Fiumicino last month. Thank god I’m permanently in the habit of inspecting food labels because I easily could’ve experienced a medical emergency 35,000 feet above the ocean.

Let me back up. I have an autoimmune condition called celiac disease that causes my immune system to attack my own cells if I consume gluten. Terrifying to say the least. Oh, and I also have a serious wheat allergy. All this to say, gluten will really f*ck me up! As you can imagine, traveling is a very stress-inducing experience for me…especially on overnight transatlantic flights. I have to pack enough food to survive for at least 24 hours because it’s pretty safe to assume that I will not find food in the airport and especially not on an aircraft. So you can imagine how excited I was when I booked my American Airlines flight and was presented with the option to reserve a gluten-free meal. Yes, I want that! But what I got instead was a medical crisis on a plastic tray. 

The worst part? This is a universal experience in the celiac community. I posted a photo of my gluten-containing dinner roll on Instagram and my DMs were flooded with other celiacs saying “oh my god, that happened to me too!”

So what is the deal with these “gluten-free” airline meals containing gluten? Let’s take a closer look at the policies of some of the top airlines in the states.

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American Airlines

American Airlines allows you to reserve a special meal starting 30 days before and no later than 24 hours before takeoff. Special meals are available in all classes on flights to and from Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, Buenos Aires (EZE), Montevideo (MVD), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Santiago (SCL), and Sao Paulo (GRU). 

They have tons of options including vegetarian, kosher, diabetic, non-lactose, gluten-intolerant, and more. In regards to the gluten-intolerant meal, they state “this meal eliminates all foods prepared with wheat, rye, barley, and oats.” Hmmm, I beg to differ. Oh by the way, when I was on a different domestic flight with American (JFK-DIA), I was told by a flight attendant that they had no gluten-free snack options and that her good friend who is also a flight attendant with American and a celiac always brings her own food. She said she would never trust the airline food and brings her own! Look, if the flight attendant doesn't feel confident in the gluten-free meal then I sure as h*ll do not!

Sounds to me like American Airlines has some work to do in order to actually live up to these dietary claims they’re making on their website.

United Airlines

To receive a special meal on United Airlines, you must request it at least 24 hours before departure. They currently offer Asian Vegetarian (AVML), Gluten-Free (GFML), Kosher, and Vegan (VGML). Special meals are available on most North American premium cabin flights 2,000 miles or longer, all international trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific and most intra-Pacific flights, and on South American flights to/from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. They are only available in United Business on flights between Guam and Honolulu and are not available on flights departing from Kosrae (Micronesia), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), Majuro (Marshall Islands), Pohnpei (Micronesia), Koror (Palau), Sendai (Japan), Truk (Micronesia), and Yap (Micronesia).

On the special meals page of their website, under “what will I receive?” all they say is “You will receive a meal comparable to the service scheduled for your confirmed flight based on the departure time of the flight, the length of the flight and the level of service offered. Please note that some special meal choices may not be available on all routes.” Ok, but what does that mean? Will I get a gluten-free meal or will I not?

Under customers with food allergies, they say they “prepare and serve meals and snacks utilizing a variety of other ingredients including major food allergens. Due to the presence of food allergens in the processing environment and in meals and snacks served, United cannot guarantee an allergen-free meal or environment on its flights.” This is more in reference to nut allergies, but it makes you wonder how their “processing environment” actually operates. We all know that celiac disease isn’t an allergy but, for the sake of my safety, I always treat it like it is and communicate with others that I have an allergy. Because the same level of caution is necessary to keep me healthy. 

JetBlue

Like the other airlines, JetBlue lets you reserve a special meal up to 24 hours before departure. They have a variety of options including gluten-free, kosher, low-calorie, and vegan. They also have an option called Plane Eats that “features dishes that use simple, neutral ingredients for travelers who prefer plainer meals or have a history of digestive issues.” How interesting! I haven’t seen this offered on any other airline…love the added layer of inclusion! Plus, they mention they are “proud to source only 100% cage-free liquid and shell eggs since 2017.” 

But here’s the best part, JetBlue has all their menus linked on their website, including the gluten-free menu. So far this is the only airline I’ve seen openly publish their menu. I’m impressed! JetBlue also gets pretty positive reviews from the celiac community.

Delta

Special meals with Delta are available on all international flights and select domestic flights for those flying in first class. Like other airlines, they have a variety of options like vegetarian, different religious meals, diabetic, gluten intolerant, low fat/calorie/cholesterol. Similar to JetBlue they offer a “bland” option that excludes foods that could cause gastric irritation. 

The catch? When you click on the gluten-intolerant drop-down menu it says “Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that these meals are 100% gluten-free.” Then why even try? Really. That’s like saying “We have a vegetarian meal! But it might contain meat.” Make it make sense Delta. 

All of that said, when I asked for everyone’s thoughts on US-based airline meals Delta was mentioned a few times as being a really good option. So…the verdict is still out on that one.

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Just for the fun of it, let’s look at a few other international airlines to compare…

Virgin Atlantic

Ok, the people of Instagram had positive things to say about Virgin, let’s dig in.

Again, you need to reserve a special meal 24 hours before departure (48 hours for a kosher meal). On the special meals page, they state “Special meal requests only apply to your main meal, and do not include the snacks and condiments we provide onboard. If you have special dietary requirements, we advise you to bring some snacks with you onto the flight.” It doesn’t seem terribly difficult to also provide some gluten-free snacks, but whatever.

Under “gluten intolerant meal” they say “Does not contain gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, unripe spelt grain, oats kamut and triticale. This meal is suitable for passengers with coeliac disease or those passengers who have an intolerance to gluten. Available on all flights.” This is the first time we’ve seen an airline specify that the gluten-free meal is celiac safe! Wow, sounds like I need to start booking some Virgin Atlantic flights!

Lufthansa

Special meals need to be reserved 24 hours before departure, no surprise there. In terms of which flights you can request a special meal for, they say “special meals are usually offered in Economy Class on flights of more than 185 minutes’ duration and in Business Class on flights of more than 75 minutes’ duration.”

They have a special meal available for gluten intolerant passengers and it just says “the meal will be prepared without ingredients containing gluten.” That’s it, that’s the information they provide. It leaves a lot up to the imagination, I guess. But notice how all these airlines list these meals as suitable for gluten intolerant passengers (instead of specifically celiac passengers)? That’s how they avoid any responsibility.

British Airways

As part of the Oneworld alliance, this one is pretty much identical to American Airlines. Read: not positive for celiacs. Special meals need to be reserved 24 hours in advance (48 hours for kosher). On their special meals page, they go through a whole list of reasons why they don’t want to take accountability for providing truly gluten-free meals. I’ll just copy and paste them right here for you:

“-We cannot offer every special meal type on all flights, and there may be flights where we cannot supply your chosen meal.

-We cannot offer any variations on the meals below, or special items such as lobster, steak, caviar or a fruit plate made to your personal preference.

-Special meals may contain a range of allergens, including tree nuts or sesame, and may not be suitable for customers with a severe food allergy or multiple food allergies.”

Soooo, yeah. Not impressed with Oneworld alliance.

KLM

Did they get positive reviews from the people of Instagram? Yes. Does their website instill confidence? No.

Special meals need to be reserved 24 hours in advance. They offer low-salt, low-fat, diabetic, gluten-free, and lactose-free meals. In reference to food allergies they say “Although we have processes in place to minimise the risk, we cannot guarantee that your meal is 100% gluten-free or lactose-free. Do you have a severe food allergy? We recommend taking your allergy medicine with you in your hand baggage. You may also bring your own meal, but we cannot heat it for you because of safety rules.”

Yet another airline that offers a “gluten-free” meal but doesn’t take any responsibility for it being celiac-safe. Fun.

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The moral of that story is it’s very hard to decipher airline policies and whether or not their meals are actually celiac safe. Reviews are all very mixed BUT every celiac agrees on one thing: traveling as a celiac kinda sucks!

At this point, you’re probably asking yourself: what needs to happen to make airline meals safe for celiacs? Well, I have a few thoughts to contribute…

First of all, and this is a hot take so buckle up, the meal should ACTUALLY be gluten-free. I know, crazy. That means no wheat-containing dinner rolls, American Airlines. Not a single item on the tray being served to a gluten-free traveler should contain gluten. No wheat, barley, rye, or oats. Ever. Period.

Here’s my next hot take: I just don’t feel comfortable with meals that aren’t pre-packaged. Those mystery hot meals leave a lot of wiggle room for cross-contact which, judging by the info provided by the airlines, is not a risk I want to take. If something is truly gluten-free (I should specify, celiac-safe), I want it to come to me sealed…that way I know nothing has touched it before it gets to me.

And if it’s not too much to ask for, we need something with real substance. We can only live on fruit cups for so long. Think protein bars, beef jerky, trail mix, greek yogurt, GF crackers and cheese, etc.

Why not get some of the many dedicated gluten-free restaurants that offer catering involved with these airlines? Why can’t airlines partner with the suppliers who already know what they’re doing to provide the best possible service to their gluten-free customers? Clearly, I know nothing about the logistics of how this would work but I’m just throwing ideas out there. Someones gotta get the ball rolling!

The fact that most airlines have stopped serving peanuts altogether really makes me feel like expecting gluten-free meals is not unreasonable. Peanut allergies affect roughly 1.8% of the US population which is not far from the 1% of the US population with celiac disease. Come on airlines, get it together!

At the end of the day, I always err on the side of caution. I experience severe symptoms from gluten exposure that would be truly horrendous to deal with while stuck on a plane.

If you ask me, celiac travelers have suffered through bad gluten-free (or not gluten-free at all) airline meals for long enough! We’re tired of having to sacrifice precious space in our carry-ons for pounds of GF protein bars. Providing safe gluten-free meals and snacks on flights is not a big ask and not hard to do. It’s time for a gluten-free airline food revolution! Who’s with me?

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If you’re a celiac who loves to travel as much as I do, Italy should definitely be on your bucket list! And I would love to help you plan your gluten-free Italian adventure! By booking a 1-to-1 consultation I will be available to answer all your questions about traveling safely as a celiac in Italy. This is a completely personalized experience, feel free to ask me anything and everything! Learn more here.