If you have been looking through the special meal options available for an upcoming flight, you may have come across the airline meal code CHML.
But what does CHML mean, what food is included in a CHML meal, and who can order one?
CHML is the airline special meal code used for a Child Meal. It is designed for younger passengers who may prefer simpler and more familiar foods than those served as part of the standard in-flight meal.
In this guide, I explain what a CHML meal is, what food you might receive and how to request a child meal for your next flight. If you are new to airline meal codes, I have a guide that lists all airline meal codes and explains what each one stands for.
Quick Wins: CHML Meal at a Glance
CHML means Child Meal and is the airline special meal code used for meals designed for younger passengers.
- CHML stands for Child Meal.
- It is generally intended for children who are old enough to eat solid food.
- A CHML meal may include pasta, chicken, potatoes, sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt or desserts.
- The exact food provided varies between airlines, routes and catering providers.
- Child meals usually need to be requested before your flight.
- A CHML meal is different from a BBML, which is a Baby Meal.
- CHML meals are not automatically suitable for children with food allergies.
- If your child has sensory differences or a restricted diet, take familiar snacks and safe foods where permitted.
- Check your booking before travelling to make sure your CHML meal request has been added.
What Does CHML Mean?
CHML means Child Meal.
It is a special airline meal intended for children who are old enough to eat solid food but may prefer meals designed specifically for younger passengers.
CHML is one of the standard airline special meal codes used to identify different dietary and passenger meal requests.
The exact contents of a CHML meal vary between airlines, routes and catering providers.
What Is the Difference Between CHML and a Standard Airline Meal?
The main difference between a CHML meal and a standard airline meal is that the child meal is designed with younger passengers in mind. A CHML meal will often contain simpler foods or meals that airlines believe are more likely to appeal to children.
Standard airline meals may include foods, sauces and flavours that some children are less familiar with.
However, ordering a child meal does not guarantee that your child will like or eat the food provided. This can be particularly important for autistic children and children with sensory differences or restricted diets.
As a family travelling with autistic children, we know that unfamiliar food can be one of the more difficult parts of travelling. Even foods that appear familiar may have a different texture, smell, brand or presentation from the version a child eats at home. Because of this, we make it a rule that we always travel with some of our own foods and snacks that we know the children are comfortable eating.
What Food Is Included in a CHML Meal?
There is no universal menu for a CHML airline meal.
Possible foods can include:
- Pasta
- Chicken
- Sausages
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Sandwiches
- Bread
- Fruit
- Yoghurt
- Cakes or desserts
- Snacks
- Juice or another drink
The meal provided will depend on the airline, departure airport, flight route and catering company.
Menus can also change regularly even on the same airline or between different parts of the flight if you have a layover.
If your child has a very restricted diet, I would not rely entirely on the CHML meal being suitable.
Who Can Order a CHML Meal?
CHML meals are generally intended for children travelling on flights where special meals are available. Individual airlines may have their own age restrictions or recommendations for ordering a child meal.
You should check directly with your airline before travelling, particularly if you are unsure whether your child is eligible for a CHML meal.
It is also worth remembering that child meals are not automatically provided by every airline simply because the booking includes a child. You may need to request the meal in advance, and typically you have to do it at least two days before your flight is due to depart.
How Do You Request a CHML Meal?
The process for ordering a CHML meal varies between airlines.
You may be able to request one:
- When booking your flight
- Through the Manage My Booking section of the airline website or app
- By contacting the airline
- Through your travel agent if you booked through a third party
Airlines usually require special meals to be requested before the flight.
The deadline varies between airlines, so it is best to order your child’s meal as early as possible.
I also recommend checking your booking before travelling to make sure the CHML request is showing correctly.
Is a CHML Meal Free?
Whether a CHML meal is free depends on the airline and your ticket.
On many long-haul flights where meals are included in the ticket price, requesting a child meal does not cost extra. However, low-cost and short-haul airlines may not provide free meals or offer CHML special meals at all.
Always check what is included with your individual booking.
Is a CHML Meal Suitable for Babies?
CHML meals are generally intended for children rather than babies. Airlines may use the separate meal code BBML for a Baby Meal.
A BBML meal may contain baby food, purées or other foods intended for infants, although the exact contents vary between airlines. If you are travelling with a baby, check whether the airline offers BBML rather than ordering a CHML meal.
Is a CHML Meal Suitable for Children With Allergies?
A CHML meal should not automatically be considered suitable for a child with a food allergy, simply because there are so many different allergies and airlines cannot exclude every single thing someone may be allergic to.
Child meals may contain common allergens, including milk, eggs, wheat, nuts or other ingredients. If your child has a food allergy, you should check the airline’s allergy policies and available special meal options before travelling.
Some airlines offer separate meals for particular dietary requirements.
However, airlines may also state that they cannot guarantee a completely allergen-free environment because meals are prepared and served in shared catering facilities.
Learn more about travelling with an anllergy in my guide to travelling with allergies and find out more about flying with EpiPens.
Is a CHML Meal Suitable for Autistic Children?
This depends entirely on the individual child.
Some autistic children may prefer a CHML meal because it can contain simpler and more familiar foods. For other children, the unpredictability of airline catering can make ordering a child meal difficult.
A child may eat chicken nuggets at home, for example, but refuse a different brand or shape of chicken served on the aircraft. Presentation, smell, texture and temperature can all affect whether a child considers a food safe or familiar.
If your child has a restricted diet or relies on particular safe foods, it is sensible to take suitable food and snacks with you where airline, airport and destination rules allow.
Does Ordering CHML Guarantee My Child Will Receive a Child Meal?
No special meal request is completely guaranteed.
Airlines can experience catering problems, last-minute aircraft changes or errors with meal requests.
For this reason, I would always take additional food for a child who would struggle if their requested meal was unavailable.
It is also worth checking that the CHML request appears on your booking before you travel and confirming it again when checking in if you are concerned.
Can Adults Order a CHML Meal?
This depends on the airline, but in my pesonal experience I have managed to order a childs meal for myself on multiple airlines.
Some airline booking systems may allow any passenger to select a child meal, while others restrict CHML meals according to passenger age.
If you want to request a child meal for an adult passenger, you will need to check the rules of the airline you are flying with.
What Other Airline Meal Codes Are There?
CHML is just one of many airline special meal codes, and I have a guide which lists out all of the airline meal codes for quick reference.
Other codes you may see when booking a flight include:
BBML – Baby Meal
DBML – Diabetic Meal
GFML – Gluten Intolerant Meal
HNML – Hindu Meal
KSML – Kosher Meal
LCML – Low Calorie Meal
LFML – Low Fat Meal
NLML – Low Lactose Meal
VGML – Vegetarian Vegan Meal
VLML – Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo Meal
If you regularly travel by air, understanding these airline meal codes can make it easier to work out which special meal to request.
Frequently Asked Questions About CHML Meals
What does CHML mean on a flight?
CHML means Child Meal. It is an airline special meal code used for meals designed for younger passengers.
What is CHML in airlines?
CHML is the standard special service meal code for a Child Meal.
What does CHML meal mean?
A CHML meal is a Child Meal provided by an airline. The exact food included varies between airlines and routes.
What food is in a CHML meal?
A CHML meal may include child-friendly foods such as pasta, chicken, potatoes, sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt or desserts. The exact menu depends on the airline and flight.
Do I need to order a CHML meal in advance?
Usually, yes. Airlines that provide special meals generally require passengers to request them before departure.
Is CHML the same as a baby meal?
No. CHML means Child Meal, while BBML is the airline meal code commonly used for a Baby Meal.
CHML means Child Meal and is the airline special meal code used for meals intended for younger passengers. Ordering a CHML meal can be useful if your child is more likely to eat simpler or more familiar foods than the standard meal provided on the flight.
However, the contents of a CHML meal vary between airlines and routes. If your child has allergies, sensory differences or a restricted diet, it is important not to assume that the meal will be suitable.
Request the meal as early as possible, check that the request has been added to your booking and consider taking additional food and familiar snacks for the journey.
Continue Learning About Airline Meal Codes
Continue Planning Your Trip With an Allergy
- Start at the beginning – learn about travelling with an allergy from my main guide
- Learn about airline meal codes and what they stand for so you can be sure your meal is allergen free
- Find out what is in my babies allergy travel bag so you can save yourself the headache of packing without a list
- Explore what it means to fly with medical luggage as an allergy travellers
- Download and print some free allergy translation cards before your trip
- Find out what Equal Eats allergy translation cards are and how to use them to travel safer
- Learn why it is important to learn important phrases related to your allergy before you travel and downloaed the free accessible travel translations eBook
- Figure out what to include on a doctors travel letter for medication so you can get it right the first time
- Find out more about flying with EpiPens so you can travel with confidence
Continue Planning Your Accessible Travels Using My Guides
You can click on each image to go directly to the guide for that topic.
