Building and checking meal request lists for Hajj and Umrah groups

Start with a form, not a group message

A group of pilgrims rarely shares a single diet. Within a coach party of forty people there may be a diabetic, someone allergic to nuts, a traveller who cannot eat spicy food and several who simply want the airline's standard halal meal. A message to the whole group saying that halal meals are arranged hides these differences.

The more reliable method is a short form that each pilgrim, or a relative on their behalf, completes. It should be filled in before the organiser contacts the airline, not afterwards, so that the information sent is the information the traveller has approved.

What the form should ask

• Full name exactly as it appears in the passport and on the ticket.
• Booking reference or ticket number for each flight.
• Whether the traveller wants the airline's halal or Muslim meal.
• Any allergy, medical diet or texture requirement, in the traveller's own words.
• A phone number for a relative or companion who can be reached about the request.

Ask only for medical detail that the airline needs in order to choose a meal code, and keep the forms private.

Find out what the airline actually offers first

Before collecting choices, read the operating airline's special meals page so that the form only offers options that exist. Airlines differ widely. Etihad lists its meals in groups, religious, vegetarian, children and dietary or medical, and states that a halal meal is provided as standard. Singapore Airlines lists a Muslim meal and says that only one type of special meal can be selected per flight. Offering a pilgrim a combination that the airline does not allow only causes disappointment on the day.

Neither page describes a separate group procedure. If you are submitting more than a handful of requests, ask the airline's group desk, or the agent who issued the tickets, whether a list can be sent in one file, and confirm the answer in writing. Do not assume that a method that works for individual passengers also works for a group booking.

Tie every entry to a ticketed passenger

Meal requests attach to a passenger record in the booking, so a typing error can leave a request orphaned. Relatives often share surnames and given names; in many families several people are called Muhammad or Fatima with the same family name. Use the exact name format on the ticket and the airline's own identifier, such as the booking reference, rather than a nickname or an informal spelling.

Check each flight segment separately. A request added to the outbound journey does not necessarily carry across to a connecting flight, and a connecting flight may be operated by a different airline altogether. Etihad's page states that special meals are available only on flights it operates, and that for partner airlines the passenger should contact the partner. Keep a column on the roster for the operating airline of every segment.

Deadlines: work backwards from departure

Set your own internal deadline well ahead of the airline's. Etihad says most special meals must be requested at least 24 hours before departure. Singapore Airlines publishes longer cut-offs for some departure cities, including at least 56 hours before departure from several Indian cities and at least 32 hours from cities such as Bangkok, Barcelona, Jakarta and Hanoi. The point is not that these figures apply to your flight, but that they differ by airline and even by airport, so look up the actual rule for each flight.

1. Collect all forms at least a week before the earliest airline deadline.
2. Submit requests as early as the airline permits.
3. Check the bookings a few days later to confirm the codes appear.
4. Re-check on the day before travel, because rebooking and aircraft swaps can drop requests.

Remember that pilgrims who join the group late need the same treatment. Keep the deadline written at the top of the roster so that a latecomer is never added without a meal request.

Combinations that need an answer

A pilgrim who needs halal food and a medical diet has two requirements that may not be selectable together. Where an airline allows only one special meal per flight, the traveller must understand the choice. Some airlines treat halal as the default standard, which leaves the single special meal slot free for a medical need. For example, Etihad states that all food on board is prepared to halal standards, so a diabetic meal can be requested without a separate halal code.

Not every airline works that way. Raise each combination with the airline early, ask what the kitchen can supply and write down the reply. Do not promise a pilgrim that ticking two boxes will produce a combined meal.

Allergies and coeliac disease

Airlines are careful about guarantees. Etihad warns that its gluten-free meal is not suitable for people with coeliac disease, and it says it does not accept responsibility for allergic reactions on board. Tell affected pilgrims plainly, suggest that they speak to their doctor, and encourage them to carry safe food of their own.

Short flights and snack-only sectors

Group itineraries often include a short domestic leg. On those flights the choice may be narrower. Etihad states that on flights under 2 hours 50 minutes only diabetic, gluten-intolerant and low-lactose meals can be requested. Other airlines may serve only a snack. Find out in advance what the short sector will provide, and tell the group so that people do not arrive at a hotel after a long day having eaten nothing.

This is also the moment to plan for gaps between meals on the ground. Group coaches wait for the last passenger, queues at immigration can be long, and the first meal at the hotel may be hours after landing. Ask the organiser or ground handler when food will be available and advise pilgrims with medical needs to keep snacks within reach.

One contact on travel day and careful handling of medical details

Name one person who carries the confirmations, whether printed or on a phone, and knows which pilgrims need help. That person can speak to the cabin crew quickly if a meal is missing, and can handle a seating request for someone who needs to be near the aisle or a companion.

Medical details are personal. Share them only with staff who need them in order to assist, not with the whole coach. A coloured sticker or a simple code on the roster is better than reading out diagnoses at the gate. Pilgrims should also carry their own note of any condition and medication, as suggested in guidance for pilgrims published by the Saudi health authorities.

Return lists and a final checklist

Itineraries change. If dates, names or airlines change, the roster must be rebuilt, because requests tied to an old booking may disappear when a ticket is reissued. Review the return list as soon as the new details are known and again before the return deadline. The return is also catered at a different airport, so treat it as a new order and do not assume that a successful outbound means a successful return.

• Roster with passport names, booking references and operating airline for every segment.
• Each pilgrim's meal code and any medical note, approved by the pilgrim.
• Written airline confirmation for each flight.
• Deadlines written beside every flight, with the internal date earlier than the airline's.
• Snack plan for airports, transfers and the first hours after arrival.
• Organiser's phone number given to every pilgrim.

If requests are missing at the airport

Ask the check-in agent to look at the booking and add the request if the airline still allows it. Show your written confirmation, tell the cabin crew at boarding and ask what can be offered. Afterwards, send the airline a factual report with flight numbers and names.

Frequently asked questions