Dining onboard

Dietary required meal requests

From vegetarian and gluten intolerant options to meals for infants and children, find out how to request a meal to suit your dietary requirements.

We've made some important changes to our dietary required meals to comply with the Quality and Safety Alliance of In-flight Services (QSAI) guidelines. 

These include important changes to our nut-free options currently served onboard. 

Our gluten intolerant meal is no longer dairy-free, and we've introduced a new lactose intolerant meal.

Dietary required meal types

If you're travelling on a Qantas operated flight and you have medical or dietary requirements, or are travelling with children, let us know in advance. 

Couple enjoying a meal on Boeing 737 in Business

While we provide a broad selection of meals to suit most dietary requirements, we understand that you may have individual needs which we're unable to cater for. Our meals may contain a range of allergens, such as tree nuts or sesame, and may not be suitable if you have a severe food allergy or multiple food allergies.

If you want to bring your own food to meet your specific dietary needs, it needs to comply with local security screening regulations.

Note:

  • We can't refrigerate or heat your meal onboard.
  • Our dietary required meal options cannot be combined.

Medical meals

Dietary required meal Code Description Does not contain
Diabetic DBML Suitable for passengers requiring a nutritionally balanced meal that is low in sugar, fat and salts. Added salt.
Gluten Intolerant GFML Suitable for passengers requiring meals that do not contain ingredients or food items with gluten.

Wheat, rye, oats, barley or malt, peanuts, tree nuts or nut products.

Find out more about nuts onboard Qantas flights.

New: Lactose Intolerant NLML Suitable for passengers requiring meals without any lactose-containing ingredients. Dairy products (milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, ice cream, kefir, sherbet, puddings), milk powder, lactose, whey, casein and lactalbumin.
Table outlining different types of medical meals

Religious meals

Dietary required meal Code Description Does not contain
Non-Vegetarian Hindu HNML Suitable for passengers requiring a non-vegetarian meal prepared according to Hindu customs and respecting Hindu dietary practices and beliefs. Typically cooked Indian style (i.e. spicy or curried). Beef, veal, pork and derived products. Raw and smoked fish.  
Kosher KSML Suitable for passengers who follow the Kosher dietary rules and regulations. All meals are prepared according to Jewish dietary laws. Food that is not being prepared according to Jewish religious specifications.  
Muslim MOML Suitable for passengers requiring meals prepared according to Muslim dietary laws and customs. Pork, alcohol or doubtful (mushbooh) food items. 
Table outlining different types of religious meals

Vegetarian meals

Dietary required meal Code Description Does not contain
Hindu Vegetarian AVML Suitable for passengers requiring a lacto-vegetarian meal which is cooked according to a Hindu cooking style, i.e. spicy or curried. Any animal products such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or egg by-products.
Vegan VGML Suitable for passengers requiring a meal that does not contain animal products or animal by-products, no eggs and no dairy products. Any animal products or animal by-products, eggs, honey or dairy products.
Jain Vegetarian VJML Suitable for passengers requiring a strict vegetarian meal which is typically cooked Indian style, i.e. spicy or curried. Animal products or animal by-products, eggs, honey, dairy products, root or bulbous vegetables, or fermented food.
New: Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo VLML Suitable for passengers requiring a meal which does not contain animal products or animal by-products but may contain egg and dairy products. Animal products (meat, game, poultry, fish, seafood). Animal by-products except dairy products and egg products (bone, lard, stock, rennet, gelatin, animal fat, shortenings, and omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish, surimi, carmine and shellac).
New: Fruit platter FPML Suitable for passengers requiring a meal that contains only fruits, which do not contain any additives or preservatives. Fruits with additives or preservatives, canned fruit and food items that aren't fruit.
Table outlining different types of vegetarian meals

Infant and child meals

Child being served a snack onboard Boeing 787 by crew

We know travelling with little ones can be challenging, so we offer special meals that are designed to cater for our youngest flyers.

For infants aged between six months and two years, we offer meals that are mashed, strained, or pureed. For children aged between two and five, we offer a child meal that is easily identifiable, healthy, tender and easy to chew.

Meals must be requested at least 24 hours before departure and won't automatically be added to your booking. If your child has a specific diet, you may wish to request this instead.

Dietary required meal Code Description Does not contain
Baby meal BBML Prepared for infants and children aged from six months to two years. Solid food, meat with bones, highly seasoned or spicy food, and honey.
Child meal CHML Prepared for children aged two to five years.

Fish, poultry or meat with bones, seeds, rich sauces, high seasoned foods, peanuts, tree nuts or nut products.

Find out more about nuts onboard Qantas flights.

Table outlining infant and child meals

Requesting a dietary required meal

Add to your booking

Simply request your meal at least 24 hours before your scheduled departure, or for a Kosher meal, at least 36 hours before departure. The status of the meal you've chosen will be displayed in Manage booking under Passenger details.

Keep your account updated

If you're a Qantas Frequent Flyer, keep your Travel Preferences updated in My Account so we can apply dietary meal requests to your future Qantas flights when available. To remove a request, simply choose ‘No special meal’.

Cancelling your meal request

To cancel a dietary required meal for an upcoming flight, select ‘No special meal’ in Manage booking at least 48 hours before departure. 

Eligible flights

Dietary required meals can be requested on the following Qantas operated flights:

International flights

When travelling in all cabins except:

  • on flights between Auckland and Cairns,
  • on flights from Tonga to Australia, and
  • Kosher meals on flights to and from Bengaluru and Delhi.
Australian domestic and regional flights

When travelling in all cabins except:

  • in Economy on flights less than three and a half hours in duration, and
  • on QantasLink flights operated by Dash 8 aircraft.
Flights where dietary required meals are offered

Travelling with our airline partners

If you're travelling on a Qantas codeshare flight, or if your ticket includes travel with another airline, we'll let them know about your meal request. The options offered by those carriers may be different to those offered on a Qantas operated flight and are subject to change. We recommend you contact them directly to discuss your options.

Note: when flying with LATAM between Australia and South America, or Aircalin between Australia and Noumea, we'll let them know your meal request between 72 hours and 24 hours before departure.

If you've made your booking with another airline, check with them directly to confirm your meal request.

Flight changes

If a change is made to your Qantas operated flight, it may affect your meal request.

If you request an upgrade to travel in a different cabin, and:

  • The request is confirmed more than 24 hours before departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), the dietary required meal request will be transferred to the upgraded cabin. 
  • The request is confirmed within 24 hours of departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), the dietary required meal may not be available in the upgraded cabin, and you may receive your selected meal option from the originally booked cabin

If you change your flight and:

  • The change is made more than 24 hours before departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), you'll need to add your dietary required meal request via Manage booking 
  • The change is made within 24 hours of departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), your dietary required meal selection won't be available for your new flight. 

If we change your flight and:

  • The change is made more than 24 hours before departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), your dietary required meal selection will be transferred to your new flight. 
  • The change is made within 24 hours of departure (or 36 hours for Kosher meals), your dietary required meal selection may not be available for your new flight. You can check the status of your meal request at Manage booking

Peanuts and allergies

We've made some important changes to our dietary required meals served onboard, and the following meals are no longer nut-free: 

  • Diabetic (DBML), 
  • Jain Vegetarian (VJML), 
  • Kosher (KSML), 
  • Muslim (MOML), and 
  • Hindu (HNML). 

Our gluten intolerant meal, fruit platter and child meal remain nut-free.

We’re unable to provide a nut-free cabin or guarantee an allergy-free environment on board. 

Although we don’t serve peanuts, we do serve other nut products across all cabins and there may be trace elements of unspecified nut ingredients, including peanut oils in meals and snacks. Additionally, other passengers can bring peanuts or other tree nuts onboard.  For this reason, we recommend you carry any medication or other treatment you may need in the cabin of the aircraft and ensure that it is ready for administration (eg ready-for-use epi-pens which are located within reach).

If you require peanut and tree nut-free meals, we recommend you bring your own food items that do not require chilling or reheating inflight.

We request that you take every necessary precaution, bearing in mind the risk of exposure. If you have any concerns about your fitness to travel, we encourage you to share this information and discuss your travel plans with your doctor. 

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Important information

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: ~The Gluten Intolerant meal may contain traces of gluten as meals are made in the same facility, or on the same equipment, or served in the same environment as gluten containing food items.  

Disclaimer: + Coconut is not a tree nut and therefore tree nut or nut product free meals may include coconut.

Disclaimer: # The Lactose Intolerant meal may contain traces of lactose  and dairy as meals are made in the same facility, or on the same equipment, or served in the same environment as lactose and dairy containing food items.

Disclaimer: ^ Kosher meals must be ordered at least 36 hours before your scheduled departure and aren't available on flights to and from Delhi and Bengaluru.