Originally Posted by
jdrtravel
I would guess that many people who are still not vegetarians may want/need a vegetarian meal in-flight. Many people only eat certain types of meat for either dietary or religious reasons. I know lots of people who only eat fish, or just chicken or fish, or don't eat pork, etc. On a plane it's just easier to get a vegetarian meal when the airline can't accommodate a specific request.
I agree. It should always be an option, not just for vegetarians. I was really glad I preselected the pasta on my AA flight back from LHR last weekend, the pasta ran out very quickly and some vegetarians in the row ahead of me were out of luck. I'm sure plenty of those people who chose the pasta eat meat otherwise.
Also, as you mentioned, people like my own mother. She loves chicken and eats it often, but doesn't eat beef or pork. If the options were beef, pork, or veg, she'd go veg 100% of the time. What if there was a family of four in the section of a religion that didn't eat pork and it was one of only two meal choices?
As a vegetarian, I always choose my meals ahead of time, but like on my flight last weekend, a lot of people who don't fly a lot may not realize that it's important to do.
Delta's veg options can be pretty atrocious. I often struggle with whether or not to bring a full meal with me on long flights.
At least it's not as bad, though, as the times on AF (last minute flight changes) where they have offered me fish or lamb... yeah.. those aren't working for me.