Airline Meal Codes
Airline Meal Codes Explained
If you’re searching for a complete guide to airline meal codes, you’ve come to the right place.
Airlines around the world use standard IATA airline meal codes to identify special meals for passengers with dietary requirements, allergies, medical conditions, religious beliefs and lifestyle preferences. These four-letter codes, such as VGML, GFML, KSML and DBML, help cabin crew and catering teams ensure the correct meal is loaded onto your flight.
Whether you’re wondering what an airline meal code means, trying to choose the right meal before you fly, or simply looking up a code you’ve seen on your booking, this collection explains every major airline meal code in plain English.
Airline Meal Codes by Category
To make finding the right meal easier, we’ve organised our guides into helpful categories.
Allergy-Friendly Airline Meal Codes
If you or your child has food allergies or intolerances, these guides explain the airline meal codes designed to reduce certain allergens or avoid specific ingredients.
Read: Airline Allergy Meal Codes
This includes codes such as:
- GFML (Gluten-Free Meal)
- NLML (No Lactose Meal)
- PFML (Peanut-Free Meal)
- NFML (No Fish Meal)
- SFML (Seafood Meal)
Medical Airline Meal Codes
Many airlines offer meals designed for passengers with medical or therapeutic dietary needs.
Read: Airline Medical Meal Codes
Examples include:
- DBML (Diabetic Meal)
- LFML (Low-Fat Meal)
- LSML (Low-Salt Meal)
- LPML (Low-Protein Meal)
- PRML (Low Purine Meal)
- LCML (Low-Calorie Meal)
- HFML (High-Fibre Meal)
Vegetarian and Vegan Airline Meal Codes
Whether you follow a vegetarian, vegan or plant-based diet, these meal codes explain the different options available.
Read: Vegetarian & Vegan Airline Meal Codes
Including:
- VGML (Vegan Meal)
- VLML (Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo Meal)
- VJML (Vegetarian Jain Meal)
- VOML (Vegetarian Oriental Meal)
- VVML (Vegan Vegetarian Meal)
- AVML (Asian Vegetarian Meal)
Religious Airline Meal Codes
Many airlines cater for passengers observing religious dietary laws.
Read: Religious Airline Meal Codes
Including:
- KSML (Kosher Meal)
- MOML (Muslim Meal)
- HNML (Hindu Meal)
- RVML (Raw Vegetarian Meal)
Children’s and Baby Airline Meal Codes
Travelling with young children? Airlines often offer meals designed specifically for babies and children.
Read: Children’s Airline Meal Codes
Including:
- BBML (Baby Meal)
- CHML (Child Meal)
- BLML (Bland Meal)
- JPML (Japanese Meal for children on some airlines)
Regional and Cultural Airline Meal Codes
Some airlines also offer meals inspired by regional cuisines or cultural preferences.
Read: Regional Airline Meal Codes
Including:
- ORML (Oriental Meal)
- OBML (Oriental Baby Meal)
- SPML (Special Meal)
- FPML (Fruit Platter Meal)
Individual Airline Meal Code Guides
Each guide explains:
- What the airline meal code stands for
- Who the meal is intended for
- Foods that are usually included
- Foods that are normally avoided
- Which airlines commonly offer the meal
- Whether the meal is suitable for allergies or medical conditions
- Frequently asked questions
- Tips for ordering the meal before your flight
Are Airline Meal Codes Standard?
Yes. Most airlines use the same IATA airline meal codes, meaning a code such as VGML or GFML has the same general meaning regardless of which airline you’re flying with.
However, the actual food served can vary between airlines, catering companies, departure airports and flight routes. For that reason, it’s always worth checking directly with your airline if you have severe allergies or complex dietary requirements.
Explore All Airline Meal Codes
Whether you’re looking up a single code on your boarding pass or comparing the different meal options available before your flight, this category contains comprehensive guides covering every major airline meal code used by airlines around the world.
Don’t forget to download my free airline meal code list for your own reference.
