An underwhelmed vegan passenger was taken aback after the cabin crew served him a banana for breakfast. The passenger pre-ordered his vegan meal before departing Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Aiport via Japan Airlines but couldn’t quite believe his eyes when a pair of chopsticks and a banana on a plate was delivered to his seat.
He posted on Flyer Talk, a popular travel forum, that ‘Before takeoff today my flight attendant confirmed that I ordered VGML (Vegetarian Vegan Meal) and that my breakfast was a banana, by which I mistakenly assumed she meant that breakfast included a banana. When she served the banana after take-off, I thought it was just an underwhelming appetiser, but it was, in fact, the entire meal service! It was a really good banana – one of the best I’ve had recently – but it still seems more appropriate as a snack. Is catering out of CGK typically this underwhelming?’
These five airlines take top spots for serving tasty vegan meals to ensure this doesn’t happen to future vegan travellers. (Just don’t forget to pre-book)
Emirates Airlines
Picture: Saud Al-Olayan -Flickr
Emirates Airlines has noticed an increasing demand for vegan meals over the years. In response, their award-winning chefs and nutritionists worked together to create over 180 vegan dishes for their passengers to enjoy. They keep to tradition by serving recipes ‘inspired by the origin or destination cities of its flights.’
Their repertoire includes grilled vegetable crépes with spinach and tomato ravioli, Tagine vegetables with couscous, and Mediterranean vegetable ravioli. Passengers are advised to book their vegan meal 24 hours in advance.
Singapore Airlines
Picture: GettyImages
Singapore Airlines will always have a vegan meal option, you just need to remember to pre-book it at least 24 hours in advance.
The airline has some of the world’s longest flights and has needed to adjust its menu to cater to its ever-increasing vegan clientele. They employed a chef from the California-based luxury spa, Golden Door, to develop a larger vegan-based menu, mostly Western-style meals like spaghetti marinara. The airlines’ vegan passengers often rave about the delicious meals they enjoy on their flights.
Swiss International Airlines
Picture: Unsplash
This airline has taken leaps to be able to serve passengers some of the most delicious vegan meals while flying.
Hiltl is the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant and has operated since 1898. Swiss International Airlines has partnered with Hiltl to ensure that vegan passengers get the best of the best. Their menu includes vegetable green curry with basmati rice and mesclun salad with Hiltl salad dressing.
Alaska Airlines
Picture: GalloImages
Choose from a menu boasting the Brusslin’ vegan salad, a chickpea teriyaki, or vegan quinoa salad, among other vegan options, when flying with Alaska Airlines.
After partnering with a Seattle-based restaurant that serves freshly-chopped salads, Evergreens, the airline serves some pretty tasty plant-based meals. They also refresh their menus seasonally so that frequent flyers can enjoy a variety of meal options.
United Airlines
Picture: Unsplash – Impossible Foods’ Meatballs
United Airlines have collaborated with Impossible Foods, a California-based company that provides a vegan food range. In 2022, the airline began rolling out its delicious plant-based meal options.
First-class passengers can enjoy the Impossible Meatball Bowl, while all domestic flights that travel over 2 400 km offer breakfast sandwiches with Impossible Foods’ vegan sausage patties. The airline suggests that passengers pre-book their vegan meal before the flight to avoid disappointment.
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