Gluten Free Meals and International Travel

In the past, international travelers with gluten sensitivity and other food allergies had few regarding meal service on long international flights. Alot has changed in the airline industry. Most international airlines offer special meals for poeple with gluten sensitivity and lactose intolerance. The standard, airline,gluten free meal has no barley, oats, rye or wheat. The low or no lactose meal is a special meal without dairy, lactose, casein, cheese, butter or margarine. Medical meals must be ordered at least 24 to 48 hours before the flight’s departure. Airline travelers who are vegetarian and gluten or lactose intolerant have extremely limited meal service choices. Most gluten intolerant or low lactose medical meals also contain meat. Another good idea for celiac and lactose intolerant travellers is to bring extra gluten free or lactose free snacks in your hand luggage. My best experience with a special meal request was on Singapore Airline. Singapore Airline has a variety of meal choices on their international flights, and their in-flight service is excellent. Meal requests on Singapore Airline must be made at least 24 hours before the flight’s departure. On a recent flight from the United States to Singapore, I requested the Gluten Intolerance Meal. At the beginning of the flight, the airline cabin crew acknowledged my special meal request. The hostess placed a special sticker on my seat to ensure I would receive the proper meal. On Singapore airlines, the special, medical meals are served ahead of the regular meals to prevent confusion during the meal service. I was very pleased with the gluten free meal; a combination of crackers, fruit, and a main course. During the flight, fruit and ice cream were also served. In addition, Singapore Airline provides travelers with free beverage service; wine, soft drinks, fruit juice, tea and coffee. With research and planning, air travel for gluten and lactose intolerant travelers is less of a problem then in the past.