Choosing a Muslim meal during online flight booking, step by step

Where the Muslim meal option usually appears

The place to ask for a Muslim meal while booking is almost always the passenger details step, under a heading such as special requests, meal preference, dietary requirements or special services. Some airlines place it on a separate extras page after the fare is chosen, and some offer it only once the booking exists, inside a Manage Booking area.

Malaysia Airlines, for example, says special meals can be ordered during online booking, through Manage Booking, or by phone. Qatar Airways tells passengers to add a meal request in the booking flow, or later through Manage Booking under the meal preference option. If you cannot see the selector on the first pass, look for the same choice after payment before assuming the airline does not offer it.

This page covers the booking screens themselves. If you are using a travel agent, or want to understand the deadline rules, the linked pages on those subjects go further.

Pick the right label, not a similar one

Drop-down lists often hold a dozen items, and some of them sound close. Read the description before you choose.

Labels you may see

• Muslim meal, Muslim, MOML. The code usually used for a meal prepared to Muslim dietary rules. This is the one to look for.
• Halal. Some airlines use this wording on their own pages; others fold it into Muslim meal. If both appear, read each description.
• Vegetarian, vegan, Hindu, Jain, kosher. These are different categories with different rules. A vegetarian meal can suit some travellers, but it is not the same product as a Muslim meal, and it is covered on its own page.

Some airlines state that all meals on their own flights are halal. Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines both say so on the pages consulted for this guide, which means the selector may be about other dietary needs. Even then, read the airline's wording and ask what it covers on the flight you are taking.

Passenger by passenger, flight by flight

A booking form treats every traveller as a separate record, and every flight as a separate leg. Selections made for one person or one leg do not usually copy across.

• Open the dietary section for each adult and child.
• Choose the meal for the outbound flight, then repeat for each connection and for the return.
• If a family has different needs, such as one Muslim meal, one child meal and one standard meal, set each person on their own line and check the names against the passports.
• If a combined need exists, for example Muslim and low sodium, see whether the airline allows only one code per person and which it advises.

Where the selector is missing for one leg, do not skip it. Note the flight number and look at the airline's special meals page to see whether that route or cabin is excluded.

Check whether your flight serves special meals at all

A selector in the booking form does not prove that a meal will appear on every flight. Airlines limit special meals by route, cabin or operating carrier.

• Malaysia Airlines says special dietary meals are offered only on selected international flights of its own, that the list can change, and that without a booked special meal the standard cabin meal is served.
• Qatar Airways says it does not guarantee special meals on partner or codeshare flights, and advises confirming with the operating airline at the time of booking.

Short flights, sectors with no meal service and cheap fares that sell food separately may offer no Muslim meal at all. If halal catering matters to you, read the operating airline's page before you pay, because a ticket can be sold without any meal service, and the cost of changing later can be high.

Respect the cut-off time

The booking form may let you tick a box even when the airline's catering deadline is close or has passed. The airline's own page tells you the true limit.

• Malaysia Airlines asks for orders at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the first flight in the itinerary.
• Qatar Airways asks for requests at least 24 hours before departure.

These are two examples; other airlines use different limits. If you are booking close to the flight, phone the airline instead of relying on the form, and ask whether a late request can still be accepted. The detailed guide to Muslim meal deadlines compares how the limits work.

Confirm that the meal was saved

Finishing payment is not the same as finishing the meal request. Forms can drop a selection if a session times out, a page reloads or a fare change forces the booking to be rebuilt.

What to do after payment

1. Open the confirmation email and look for a special service or meal line against each passenger.
2. Log in to Manage Booking with the booking reference and check each flight.
3. Take a screenshot showing the passenger name, flight and meal type.
4. If nothing appears, add the meal in Manage Booking at once, or phone the airline.

Keep the screenshot with your travel documents. It is better evidence than memory if the meal is not served.

If the airline changes your flight

A schedule change, new date or different operating carrier can break a saved request. Malaysia Airlines states that if a flight or departure date changes, the special meal order may be cancelled and should be resubmitted through Manage Booking or the call centre. Treat that as a sensible rule of thumb for any airline.

• After any change, open the booking again and look at the meal line.
• Check that the new departure is still outside the cut-off.
• If the operating carrier changed, read the new carrier's meal page.

The linked page on reconfirming a Muslim meal after a flight change covers this subject in more depth.

Checklist, and what to do if the option is missing

1. Decide the meal category: Muslim meal, not a similar vegetarian label.
2. Look for the selector in passenger details, then in Manage Booking.
3. Set it for every passenger and every flight.
4. Check that your route and cabin serve special meals.
5. Note the airline's cut-off and book inside it.
6. After payment, reopen the booking and screenshot the result.
7. Recheck after any change.

If you cannot find the option

Phone or message the airline with your booking reference and ask them to add a Muslim meal for each passenger and flight, and to confirm by email. Ask in the same call whether the meal is available on your route and cabin. If the airline says it does not offer one, ask what is served instead and consider carrying suitable food of your own, within the airline and airport rules for the journey.

Frequently asked questions