ARCHIVE: Ordering SPML / Special Meal - how, what (consolidated)
 

I recently booked a Business/First MileSAAver award (Z) from EWR to SJC via ORD and returning from SEA to EWR via DFW. I went with EWR instead of JFK because EWR is much closer to where I’m staying now. But because I misread the information on the AA web site, I didn’t realize that there are no special meals available on non-trans-continental domestic flights. I can only eat gluten-free food.* I didn’t have any problems getting gluten-free meals on BA or South African Airways or on an AA TATL, so I didn’t realize that it would be a problem with AA back home. Is there anything I can do to get a special meal on these flights? Or to get access to ingredient lists for AA’s standard offerings? Or is my best bet just to bring something along.

*While I was on a recent LONE5, I got very sick and had to break my trip and go home for medical tests and treatment. The result was a diagnosis of Celiac Disease and doctor’s orders to be on a strict gluten-free diet. I’m not allowed to eat anything that contains even a small amount of wheat, barley, rye, malt, or most oats, and I need to know the ingredients of everything I eat if it's not specifically designated as gluten-free.

There is nothing you can do if you remain on the EWR flights. You best bet is to pack your own food.

Even ifyou switch to ex-JFK transcon flights I would be suspect of airline catering if I had a food allergy.

Given your need for gluten free food, and your past experiences, I would not trust AA or an other airline to correctly cater the proper food even if you ordered it in advance.

You're correct about AA's policies since these are not transcon flights. I think the best suggestion is bring your own food that you are sure won't cause any problems.

Seriously.. I'd suggest to take something with you...

With the best will in the world the information on the actual ingredients for the "Standard" meals might get garbled or misinterpreted.. or there may simply not BE enough detail to allow a reasonable decision... It's not that I wouldn't "trust" the airline to help as far as possible.. but the people you speak to will (almost certainly) NOT be knowledgeable about such matters....

Not worth getting sick.....

That's pretty much what I was expecting. Can't hurt to try to find a way around some of the annoyance that comes with having to bring your own food everywhere. But you're right. I'll bring something.

I can't eat wheat and sadly I also have to take my own food on all flights. I sympathize with you Eliza.

Note that you will not have to bring an entire meal, as there will be things served that clearly do not contain gluten = fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, nuts are good possibilities. You will only have to reject a portion of what is served. An apple is a good meal supplement. AA serves enough food on most flights that you may not even feel the need for any of your own food.

Use FEBO for seat selection to make sure you get your choice of meal in case something like pasta is on the menu. If a FEBO-advantaged seat is not available, check the menus when they hand them out to see if one meal is a big problem, if so, advise the FA of your situation before they start taking orders and they will likely keep one of the meal you can eat for you.

Even if you could get a list of ingredients, and even if it was complete enough for you to make your decision on that basis, the menu could change by your flight date. Getting a list of ingredients for whatever they'll serve on some future date isn't practical - nobody probably knows unless the flight is less than a week out. If they can't promise a gluten-free meal, bring your own food. (A world traveler cousin of mine has the same requirement. That's what she does.)

Another reason is that special meals can miss flights just like people, flights are moved around, and people change flights for any number of reasons. Special meals don't always follow. If you have your own food and your AA flight goes mechanical, you can take the UA reboooking they offer and not worry about the food part.

I'm not that pessimistic. Special meals for medical (or religious) needs are generally not prepared in the same kitchens as standard ones. The folks who prepare them know they're dealing with medical requirements, in some cases with potentially serious consequences. This is drilled into them over and over. Nothing is ever perfect, but of all the things to worry about, having a meal mislabeled in this regard is way down the list.

I have huge concerns about AA's 'medically necessary' catering. The diabetic meal (DBML) cold breakfast consists of
1) sugar sweetened yogurt with (~35 grams of sugars)
2) sweet breakfast cookie (another 30-40 grams of sugars)
3) fruit

I sincerely doubt that a registered dietitian approved this for "reduced sugar, hyperglycemic, hypoglycemic and carbohydrate controlled meal requests."

I just prefer not to eat a lot of sweet junk, but if I had a true medical issue, I would be playing Russian Roulette if I trusted AA to meet my needs.

So in response to the OP, pack your own snacks and try to eat around whatever they serve.

I'm not sure if accepting parts of the meal, without having an ingredient list, is a practical solution. I can eat fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, and nuts, etc., if they were clearly kept separate from anything I can't eat. But because of the strictness of the doctor's orders, I can't, for example, eat a meat with a sauce on it, unless I know exactly what was in the sauce. (Even scraping off the sauce won't help, because even a little bit is enough to cause problems.) I can have a salad if I know there were never croutons in it, etc. Knowing the ingredients is key.

Anyway, it looks like I should bring enough to eat for the day and be happy if it happens that there's anything I can eat.

Wow. That's very serious. It seems to me that you are correct, best to bring whatever you might need. Good luck.

That's why the GFML catering option is so useful on those flights that offer it. The caterers are essentially saying that they know and understand the seriousness of the problem and the rules and are giving you something that complies with the rules and that has been kept separate from other food.

But, as HNL and janetdoe indicated, it's possible that the caterers aren't as careful as one would hope. (At some point, you have to draw lines as to who to trust.) And as Efrem pointed out, I can't always rely on being on the same flight as originally planned. Which means that I'll be grateful for the GFML when that's an option, but I should always be prepared.

Menus would not be handed out on the OP's routing of EWR-ORD-SJC and SEA-DFW-EWR.

The menus also don't actually list all ingredients.

The point I was trying to make there was that some meals will be loaded with unavoidable gluten, while some meals will have extremely little. If you notify the FA before they take orders, they will generally save you one of what you can eat. I have a friend who is gluten-intolerant, and she is OK with tiny amounts of gluten, and could take a chance wiping sauce off of meat with a napkin but couldn't eat tortelini.

The OP is not in that position. She has to have absolutely no gluten. Even if there once was a crouton in the salad which was picked out, that will give her big problems. She should bring her own food.