Lufthansa halal meals: ordering the Muslim meal step by step

The short answer for Muslim travellers

On Lufthansa the regular menu is not halal by default. Halal food comes through the special meal called the Muslim meal, booked under the industry code MOML. If nobody orders it, you are served whatever the standard service offers, and on many European or transatlantic flights that may include pork, alcohol-based sauces or meat of unknown slaughter.

Lufthansa describes the Muslim meal as free of pork, game and alcohol, with all meat and poultry certified as slaughtered under halal guidelines. The airline's special meals page also says orders are accepted up to 24 hours before departure, that a confirmed booking in the relevant class is needed, and that there is no additional charge.

That gives the whole plan in one line: confirm your booking, order the Muslim meal as early as you can, and check the confirmation on your itinerary before you travel.

What is in a Lufthansa Muslim meal

What is left out

According to Lufthansa, the meal excludes pork, game and alcohol. Alcohol exclusion matters for cooked dishes as well as drinks, because wine, spirits and some flavourings turn up in sauces and desserts. The airline states the exclusion for the meal itself; it does not say anything about the drinks trolley, so choose soft drinks, water, tea or juice as usual.

What it can include

The meal is a full main course built around chicken, beef, lamb or a vegetarian dish, with the usual starter, side and dessert components of the cabin you are flying in. The exact dishes vary by route, departure airport and season, and Lufthansa does not publish a fixed menu per flight, so do not expect a particular recipe.

Vegetarian alternatives

Some travellers prefer a vegetarian or vegan special meal when they are unsure about meat sourcing. That is a personal choice and is covered in the neighbouring guides on special meal codes. Be aware that the Hindu non-vegetarian meal is a different product and may contain meat, fish or eggs, so it is not a substitute for the Muslim meal.

Why halal is not the default on Lufthansa

Lufthansa is a European network carrier serving a very mixed passenger base. Unlike airlines in the Gulf or South-East Asia, it does not run the entire cabin on halal rules, so the Muslim meal is prepared as a separate, labelled tray and loaded for the passengers who ordered it.

In practice this means three things for you:

• The meal exists only if it was ordered and recorded against your booking.
• The crew serve it to you by name or seat, usually before the other meals so the tray can be identified.
• If the order is missing, the crew cannot create a halal meal from the standard stock, because there is nothing separate on board to give you.

Compare this with airlines that make every meal halal, such as the ones covered in the neighbouring Emirates and Oman Air pages, where nothing needs to be ordered. With Lufthansa, ordering is the whole game.

Ordering the Muslim meal, step by step

1. Hold a confirmed ticket. Lufthansa says a confirmed booking in the required class is needed. A request on a waitlisted or unticketed reservation may not stick.
2. Choose your channel. The airline lists two: online through My Bookings on its website, or through a travel agency. If you book through an agent, ask them to add MOML to every flight segment, not just the first.
3. Select Muslim meal. In My Bookings, open the trip, find the special meal option for each flight and pick the Muslim meal from the list.
4. Order for every leg. Outbound, return and connecting flights are separate segments, and each one needs its own order.
5. Save the confirmation. Look for the meal code or wording on the booking details, and screenshot it.
6. Re-check before departure. A change of flight or aircraft can drop a special meal, so look again once the rebooking is complete.

The 24-hour limit is the latest possible time, not the recommended one. Ordering at the time of booking, or several days out, leaves room to fix a failed request.

Flight length and cabin: where special meals are offered

Lufthansa states that special meals are usually offered in Economy only on flights longer than 185 minutes, and in Business Class on flights longer than 60 minutes. The wording is cautious (usually), and the page does not explain what happens on shorter flights.

For a traveller this changes the approach by route:

• Short European hops in Economy. You may not be able to order a Muslim meal at all. Eat before boarding, or carry your own sealed snack and check the airline's current rules on food from outside.
• Long-haul flights. A special meal is normally available, and the service is the same type of tray with more than one meal on night or intercontinental sectors.
• Business Class. The same dietary rules apply, with the shorter 60-minute threshold. Presentation and menu design are better, but the exclusions are the same.

If your journey combines a short feeder flight with a long one, order for the long flight and confirm separately whether the feeder flight offers any meal service.

Reading the certification wording carefully

Lufthansa's claim is specific: meat and poultry in the Muslim meal are certified as slaughtered under halal guidelines. It is a statement about the animal products, and it is worth reading as exactly that.

What it does not tell you

It does not say that the whole catering kitchen holds a halal certificate, that every ingredient (gelatine, flavourings, stock) has been separately certified, or that the same standard applies at every departure airport, since meals are prepared by catering companies at the airport where the flight starts.

What you can do

If kitchen-level documentation matters to you, write to Lufthansa before you travel and ask which certifier covers the meal at your departure airport, and whether a certificate can be shared. Keep the reply with your booking papers. Opinions on how much verification is enough differ, and a qualified scholar is the right person for your own ruling.

Planning by region without assuming anything

The airline's network runs from Europe to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Lufthansa's page does not list different halal rules by region, so treat the following as planning advice, not guarantees.

• Flights from a European hub. The meal is loaded in Europe, so the order must be in the system on time and the 185-minute and 60-minute thresholds apply.
• Return flights from a non-European airport. The meal is prepared by the local catering supplier. Ordering early gives the airline time to route the request, and a polite reminder at check-in costs nothing.
• Codeshare or partner flights. If another airline operates the flight, its policy governs. Ask the operating airline, not Lufthansa, what it will serve.

Meal costs are not charged separately, because special meals are part of the fare, so there is nothing to pay at any stage of the request.

Checklist, and what to do if the meal does not appear

Before the flight

• Order MOML in My Bookings or through your agent for every segment.
• Confirm the flight is long enough to carry special meals.
• Screenshot the booking page showing the meal.
• Re-check after any schedule change.
• Carry a snack that you know to be acceptable, in case of delay or shortage.

On board

• Tell the cabin crew early, before the service begins, that you ordered a Muslim meal.
• Show the confirmation if the name is not on the crew's list.
• If the meal cannot be found, ask what is on board that contains no pork, no alcohol and no meat of uncertain origin, such as a vegetarian dish, and decide for yourself whether it suits you.

After the flight

Send the airline a short written complaint with the booking reference, flight number, date and your screenshot. Written feedback is how a failed order gets traced to its cause, whether that is a missing request or a catering error.

Frequently asked questions