Jan 29, 2017, 11:30 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Special meals and nut allergies and Special meals and dietary requests
AA currently makes a number of “special meals” available on certain flights; they must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. Please see this page on AA.com for current information.
"Special meals are available on select flights with scheduled, complimentary meal service. Similar to scheduled meal service, they are based on departure time, destination and flight length. Menus vary monthly to ensure fresh and seasonal ingredients." See listing of special meals available from AA below.
How to request your special meal:
Contact Reservations (link)
For your interest, airline meal codes for SPML offerings on AA. The list of options may appear extensive but in practice the variety is much reduced due to duplication
From British Airways, definitions of these meals:
Archive of previous posts: ARCHIVE: Ordering SPML / Special Meal - how, what (consolidated)
AA currently makes a number of “special meals” available on certain flights; they must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. Please see this page on AA.com for current information.
"Special meals are available on select flights with scheduled, complimentary meal service. Similar to scheduled meal service, they are based on departure time, destination and flight length. Menus vary monthly to ensure fresh and seasonal ingredients." See listing of special meals available from AA below.
How to request your special meal:
- Make sure your flight has scheduled meal service
- Determine which specialty meal meets your need
- Call to order
- This option is available at least 24 hours before and up to 30 days in advance of your departure.
- Log into your AA account
- Select on Your Trips
- Select View/Change on your reservation
- Go down to Reserve a Meal.
- When you arrive at the airport, advise the gate agent and flight attendants that you ordered a special meal
- Call Reservations if you booked through American Airlines or contact your travel agent if you booked with an agency.
Contact Reservations (link)
For your interest, airline meal codes for SPML offerings on AA. The list of options may appear extensive but in practice the variety is much reduced due to duplication
- AVML - Asian Vegetarian Meal
- BBML - Baby / Infant Food
- BLML - Bland Meal
- CHML - Children’s Meal
- DBML - Diabetic Meal
- GFML - Gluten-free Meal
- HNML - Hindu Meal
- KSML - Kosher (Jewish) Meal
- LFML – Low Fat Meal
- LSML – Low Sodium Meal
- MOML - Muslim (Halal) Meal
- NLML – Non-Lactose Meal
- VGML - Vegetarian Meal (non-dairy)
- VLML – Vegetarian Lacto-ovo Meal
- VVML – Vegetarian Vegan Meal
From British Airways, definitions of these meals:
- Asian vegetarian - Does not contain fish, shellfish, meat, poultry or eggs. It is a meatless meal and spicy in content.
- Baby meal - ?
- Bland - For those with digestive tract and gut disorders. Excludes mustard, pickles, garlic, fried and fatty food.
- Child meal - Contains a combination of familiar and fun foods.
- Diabetic - For those who need to manage blood sugar levels. Foods excluded are sugars, syrups, jams, cakes and chocolate, unless specifically for diabetics.
- Gluten intolerant - Foods excluded are wheat or wheat flour, barley oats and rye, bread, cakes (unless wheat free), pastry, sausages or any flour based products.
- Hindu - Does not contain beef, beef derivatives, veal or pork, it is not a meatless meal.
- Kosher Meal - These meals are prepared to comply with Jewish dietary laws.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian - Does not contain meat, fish or seafood. May contain dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese and eggs etc.
- Low fat - High fibre meal with reduced amounts of fat.
- Low lactose - Excludes cheese, dairy products and their derivatives and lactose or milk products.
- Low salt - Excludes use of salt, MSG and baking soda/powder, instead herbs and spices are used to flavour the meal.
- Muslim Meal - Does not contain pork, by-products of pork or foodstuffs containing alcohol. All meats come from ritually slaughtered animals.
- Vegan vegetarian - Does not contain meat, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, dairy products or derivatives. If vegan is not specified, then a lacto ovo meal will be provided.
Archive of previous posts: ARCHIVE: Ordering SPML / Special Meal - how, what (consolidated)
Guide: AA SPML - Special Meal (vegetarian, gluten intolerant, child, etc.)
Dec 8, 2017, 12:14 pm
#76
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: SFO
Programs: AA LTP 2MM, Marriott/SPG Rabid Plat w/Ambassador, HHonors Gold
Posts: 696
AA should do curries or a nice cous cous with garbanzo beans carrots tomatoes served with falafel hummus baba ganoush and pita bread. A orzo or tabouli salad.
Lifeways Kefir and for dessert an apple cake.
For breakfast apple crepes. Fruit Greek yoghurt granola strawberris blueberries .
Snack could be a cheese and sundried tomato baked ziti pasta with dolmades grape leaf salad and a vegan brownie.
Thoughts?
Lifeways Kefir and for dessert an apple cake.
For breakfast apple crepes. Fruit Greek yoghurt granola strawberris blueberries .
Snack could be a cheese and sundried tomato baked ziti pasta with dolmades grape leaf salad and a vegan brownie.
Thoughts?
Jan 25, 2018, 5:39 pm
#77
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: AA Exec Plat, UA 1K, SPG Plat, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 201
Special Meals List?
Now that AA has introduced the ability to pre-book "special meals" I am wondering if there is a list of what is actually in the meals? The description on the AA site is vague. I have searched the forums and can't find them broken down. I'm assuming the special meals will always be the same, so it would be handy to have a list made by those who've tried them.
Jan 25, 2018, 8:17 pm
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Now that AA has introduced the ability to pre-book "special meals" I am wondering if there is a list of what is actually in the meals? The description on the AA site is vague. I have searched the forums and can't find them broken down. I'm assuming the special meals will always be the same, so it would be handy to have a list made by those who've tried them.
Special meals are combined, though. Ie, the vegetarian special meal is also likely to be vegan as well as gluten-free (so that they can stock one special meal for three or more applications). So expect corn and quinoa and rice, etc, as the grains, and expect nothing diary..
As with any other meal, there are repetitions, but there is more than one, plus they may periodically change on top of that.
So any list created by datapoints would only be partial (at least at first), and would become "stale" after a while if certain meals got replaced by others over time.
Jan 26, 2018, 6:35 am
#80
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: AUS
Posts: 276
I recently had a DFW-ORD where I preordered Asian Vegetarian. It was the best meal I have ever had in any class on an American carrier. Bar none. I was pretty sad to see the longer ORD-CUN flight I'm taking soon only offers oatmeal or omelette. Here's to dreaming that special meals will be expanded to all domestic and international premium cabins.
Jan 26, 2018, 6:58 pm
#81
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75k, AAdvantage Executive Platinum
Posts: 197
There's definitely been a secondary quiet, yet good change here.
AA.com used to list just three domestic routes (JFK-SFO, JFK-LAX, MIA-LAX) where special meals were available, but now lists simply:
On a midcon out of Phoenix today I was offered the full selection for preorder, and ordered the Kosher meal. My expectations were fairly low on it actually being catered with a preorder 25 hours before the flight, but when I boarded the flight attendant confirmed with me that it was onboard.
It was a frozen Borenstein Caterers meal on AA plating with a use by date on the entree portion in May and the tray in April. It was the same meal which you'd typically receive on an international J flight, so it was more substantial than that standard offering.
As AA has no long haul services out of Phoenix, this type of meal wouldn't have been on hand there in the past. There's definitely some additional logistics going on here and I'm very happy that AA has made this change to accommodate customers.
I also don't see these available yet out of ORD, but I do have a flight from RDU to ORD in February where the choices are offered.
AA.com used to list just three domestic routes (JFK-SFO, JFK-LAX, MIA-LAX) where special meals were available, but now lists simply:
First and Business
Special meals are available in First or Business on most flights with meal service in the U.S.
Special meals are available in First or Business on most flights with meal service in the U.S.
It was a frozen Borenstein Caterers meal on AA plating with a use by date on the entree portion in May and the tray in April. It was the same meal which you'd typically receive on an international J flight, so it was more substantial than that standard offering.
As AA has no long haul services out of Phoenix, this type of meal wouldn't have been on hand there in the past. There's definitely some additional logistics going on here and I'm very happy that AA has made this change to accommodate customers.
I also don't see these available yet out of ORD, but I do have a flight from RDU to ORD in February where the choices are offered.
Jan 26, 2018, 7:06 pm
#82
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
There's definitely been a secondary quiet, yet good change here.
AA.com used to list just three domestic routes (JFK-SFO, JFK-LAX, MIA-LAX) where special meals were available, but now lists simply:...
AA.com used to list just three domestic routes (JFK-SFO, JFK-LAX, MIA-LAX) where special meals were available, but now lists simply:...
Jan 27, 2018, 12:14 pm
#83
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,978
Ordered Asian Vegetarian SFO-DFW for breakfast. It was hilarious: fruit, yogurt (both expected), but main dish was a plate of broccoli and carrots with no seasoning at all. It was more like a Bland meal than AVML.
Apr 6, 2018, 11:50 am
#85
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: AA Plat, National EE, Marriott Plat, HH Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 401
Have you or anyone ordered AVML out of PHX or SEA on a daytime (lunch or dinner) flight? Curious if it will be the broccoli and carrots a few people mentioned at California airports (LAX and SFO now)
Apr 27, 2018, 12:03 am
#86
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 171
What are J-class Kosher meals like on AA's ORD to LHR flights?
What are J-class Kosher meals like on AA's ORD to LHR flights? I don't like any of the regular choices on my upcoming flight so I am wondering if it might be worth the risk to order KSML. Any info on what these are like? I imagine they are not Hermolis meals ex-ORD, but if they are those horrible Stogel long-life meals they are probably not worth it...
Apr 27, 2018, 11:12 pm
#88
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 171
Apr 28, 2018, 10:15 am
#90
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 171