Non Lactose Airline Food
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Lactose-Free Airline Food
Worried about flying with a dairy intolerance? Find out the airlines offering lactose free meals and discover how to request a special meal before your flight!
How to request dairy free airline food
To book a lactose-free meal onto your flight. Please contact Alternative Airlines or call the airline you are flying with directly and request a NLML (Non Lactose Meal). Please see below for an outline of which airlines offer lactose meals and when to book.
Not looking for dairy-free meals? Check out what special airline meals airlines offer, and more specific dietary requirements.
Which airlines offer lactose free meals?
Check which airlines offer lactose-free meals and find out how far in advance to order your dairy free airline food. Flying as a vegan or vegetarian? Please visit our vegan and vegetarian airline food page. For a list of airlines offering halal meals and kosher meals, please visit our Halal and Kosher meals pages.
| AIRLINE NAME | Lactose-Free Meal | MIN HOUR BEFORE FLIGHT FOR PREORDER |
|---|---|---|
| Adria Airways | x | 48 |
| Aegean Airlines | x | 24 |
| Aer Lingus | x | 48 |
| Aeroflot | x | 36 |
| Aerolineas Argentinas | x | 72 |
| Aeromexico | N | N |
| Air Astana | N | N |
| Air Baltic | x | N |
| Air Canada | x | 18 |
| Air China | N | N |
| Air France | N | N |
| Air India | x | 48 |
| Air New Zealand | x | 24 |
| Air Serbia | x | 24 |
| Air Tahiti Nui | x | 48 |
| Air Transat | x | 72 |
| Aircalin | x | 24 |
| Alitalia | x | 24 |
| All Nippon Airways | x | 96 |
| American Airlines | x | 24 |
| Asiana Airlines | x | 24 |
| Austrian Airlines | x | 24 |
| Avianca | x | 24 |
| Azul Airlines | x | 48 |
| Bangkok Airways | x | 24 |
| British Airways | x | 24 |
| Brussels Airlines | x | 24 |
| Caribbean Airlines | x | 48 |
| Cathay Dragon | x | 24 |
| Cathay Pacific | x | 24 |
| China Airlines | x | 24 |
| China Eastern | N | N |
| China Southern | x | 24 |
| Condor Airlines | x | 24 |
| Copa Airlines | x | 24 |
| Croatia Airlines | N | N |
| Delta Airlines | x | 24 |
| Egyptair | N | N |
| EL AL | N | N |
| Emirates | x | 24 |
| Etihad | x | 24 |
| Eva Air | x | 24 |
| Finnair | x | 24 |
| Garuda Indonesia | x | 24 |
| Gulf Air | x | 24 |
| Hainan Airlines | 48 | |
| Hawaiian Airlines | x | 48 |
| Hong Kong Airlines | x | 24 |
| Iberia | x | 24 |
| Icelandair | x | 48 |
| Indigo | N | N |
| Jet Airways | x | 24 |
| Jetairfly | x | 72 |
| Jetstar | N | N |
| KLM | x | 48 |
| Korean Air | N | N |
| La Compagnie | x | 51 |
| Lufthansa | x | 24 |
| Malaysia Airlines | x | 24 |
| Middle East Airlines (MEA) | N | N |
| Oman Air | x | 24 |
| Pakistan International Airlines | x | 24 |
| Philippine Airlines | x | 48 |
| Qantas | x | 24 |
| Qatar Airways | x | 24 |
| Royal Jordanian | N | N |
| SAS Scandinavian Airlines | x | 18 |
| Shenzhen Airlines | N | N |
| Silk Air | x | 24 |
| Singapore Airlines | N | N |
| South African Airways | x | 48 |
| Spicejet | N | 24 |
| Sri Lankan Airlines | x | N |
| Swiss International Airlines | x | 24 |
| TAP Portugal | x | 24 |
| Tarom Airlines | x | - |
| Thai Airways | N | N |
| Thomson/TUI | N | N |
| Turkish Airlines | x | 24 |
| United Airlines | x | 24 |
| Vietnam Airlines | x | 24 |
| Virgin Atlantic | x | 24 |
| Virgin Australia | x | 48 |
| Vistara | N | N |
| WOW Air | x | 48 |
| Xiamen Airlines | x | 24 |
| XL Airways | x | 96 |
N- Not available
Dairy Free Airline Meal Code
The airline code for a dairy free airline meal is NLML (Low Lactose Meal).
Travelling with lactose intolerance
During your flight
Bring your own milk
Although some airlines will be able to provide you with non-lactose milk along with your dairy-free meal, you might want to bring your own milk onto the flight just in case. You'll be able to bring any liquids that are under the 100ml in your carry-on baggage or — if there is a good choice of shops at the airport — you can purchase it after security.
If you're travelling with a baby that is lactose intolerant, you can bring extra non-dairy milk on the flight to feed them. However, you'll need to screen this separately and they'll likely test with a test strip.
Bring food from home
Unfortunately, not every airline offers non-dairy food options. If you're flying on a short-haul flight, menus are much more limited than on long-haul flights. Luckily, there aren't as many restrictions on flying with food as there are with flying with liquids. This means you can bring your own food onto the flight and not have to worry about a lack of option.
Make Note of the Airport Toilets
It might be useful to make a note of where the airport toilets are in case something unexpected makes you ill. Find a map of the airport as soon as you get there or look on the airport's website beforehand.
During your travels
Lactose Intolerance Pills
Although they aren't always 100% effective, by taking a lactose intolerance pill, you'll be able to consume up to the equivalent of one cup of milk (give or take) without any problems. Lactose intolerance pills give you a bit of leeway and are a great option if you're travelling and don't want to constantly worry about whether the food you've just consumed contains any traces of lactose.
Build Up Your Tolerance Pre-Travel
In the weeks leading up to your flight, train your body to handle small amounts lactose by drinking small amounts of milk before you travel. This will make a reaction less likely if you accidentally consume small amounts of lactose when you're travelling. However, every persons tolerance to lactose differs, so it's important to speak to your doctor before doing this.
