Qantas upgrades ‘special meals’ but reduces nut-free options

Qantas is expanding its selection of special meals served on domestic and international flights, although passengers with an allergy to nuts will face fresh challenges.

Changing dietary needs and lifestyle choices mean airlines must continue to adapt.

That said, on many short flights – such as Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane and Adelaide-Melbourne, all of which are clocked at under 90 minutes – there’s arguably little need for a meal, especially if passengers have lounge access or take advantage of the quality restaurants now appearing at many airports.

Qantas’ new special meals

Qantas offers a range of special meals on almost all international flights as well as all domestic flights over 3½ hours (or flown on a regional QantasLink Dash 8 aircraft).

Here’s the full list as of the start of September:

• Gluten intolerant
• Lactose intolerant
• Hindu vegetarian
• Non-vegetarian Hindu
• Kosher
• Muslim
• Vegan
• Jain vegetarian
• Vegetarian lacto-ovo
• Fruit platter

How does a fruit platter qualify as a ‘special meal’? Qantas notes this is “suitable for passengers requiring meals without any lactose-containing ingredients.”

Similarly the new vegetarian lacto-ovo meal is “for passengers requiring a meal which does not contain animal products or animal by-products but may contain egg and dairy products.”

Any of these special meals must be requested at least 24 hours before your flight (or at least 36 hours, in the case of the Kosher meal) through the Qantas website’s Manage My Booking facility.

If you’re a member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, considering setting your travel preferences to match your dietary needs so that the airline can automatically apply the relevant special meal request to future Qantas flights.

Qantas reduces ‘nut-free’ meals

Beginning 1 October 2024, a half-dozen special meals will no longer be guaranteed not to contain traces of nuts.

The airline states the move is to comply with the international “Quality and Safety Alliance of In-flight Services guidelines”. 

Here are the special meals which are moving out of the nut-free safety zone:

• Diabetic
• Gluten intolerant
• Jain vegetarian
• Kosher
• Muslim
• Hindu

Qantas says its gluten intolerant meal, fruit platter and children’s meals will all remain nut-free.

But there are limits to what any airline can control, at least from a peanut perspective.

Qantas says it no longer offers peanuts as bar snacks “on all Qantas flights and from Qantas owned and operated lounges”, while also minimising the use of peanuts or peanut-based products in inflight meals.

All the same, “Qantas cannot guarantee an allergy free environment onboard or in our lounges.”

“It’s always possible that other passengers may bring peanuts or other nuts onboard or into the lounges with them. Passengers may also be served a range of other nuts including almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts as bar snacks or after dinner snacks.”

“For this reason, we recommend that passengers carry any medication they may need with them in the cabin of the aircraft and be ready to administer the medication if necessary.”