Our society is getting more and more conscious about nutritional needs and a healthy diet. Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are becoming a trend, and most other restaurants already have a lot of suitable dishes for people who take special care of their diet, which also includes people who are lactose intolerant or suffer from allergies. But what if we’re on a really long flight and we’re really hungry and none of the dishes are appealing to us? Surely we can’t be expected to bring our own food all the time. Luckily, most airlines have already acknowledged this problem and reacted. While it is completely tolerable not to have a vegetarian dish on an one and a half hour flight, we now have the option to be served good and healthy food on longer flights such as a flight from London to New York.
On the longer flights, airlines usually have at least one vegetarian option on their menu, if not more. The veggie meals are usually also quite tasty and well done, not just “here, have some overcooked pasta with unseasoned tomato sauce instead of a slowly but well cooked lamb stake.” But keep in mind, you’re on an aeroplane and not in a gourmet restaurant.
What has proven to be a little harder is to find dishes for people with food intolerance or allergies. Obviously, no airline will have a variety of as many dishes on their menu as there are allergies, but in most cases, you can always plan ahead when booking or even ask the air hostesses. They will do their best to find a suitable meal for you. However, it’s always best to enter any special dietary needs while booking the flight – in which case something can be ordered for you beforehand.
Also I have found that on most websites where you book flight, people can give reviews of the airlines, rating them in regards of service, lodging, space etc. Go through them and read some reviews about the food the airline offers. People that were happy with the menu are likely to mention it, especially if they got a special dish due to an allergy. Or they’ll say that they didn’t, in which case you’re likely to not get what you want either. Theses reviews are always a great help in deciding which airline to choose.
In any case, most airlines do their best to meet our needs and make us happy, returning guests. Bring your needs forward, preferably before your flight, and you’ll usually be treated kindly and get a healthy dish that meets your dietary needs.