Qantas offers 13 free special meals for dietary, religious and medical needs, plus baby and child meals. Request one in Manage booking at least 24 hours before departure, or 36 hours for a kosher meal, and its status will show in your booking. Baby and child meals aren’t added automatically, so request them too. If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer, save your meal in your travel preferences and it’s applied to every eligible flight. For screenshots of each step, see our step-by-step guide to ordering a special meal on Qantas.
Special Meal Codes
| Code | Meal | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| DBML | Diabetic | Low in sugar, fat and salt, with no added salt |
| GFML | Gluten intolerant | No wheat, rye, oats, barley or malt, and nut-free. May contain traces of gluten |
| NLML | Lactose intolerant | No dairy, milk powder, lactose, whey or casein. May contain traces of lactose |
| HNML | Non-vegetarian Hindu | Indian-style and often spicy or curried. No beef, veal, pork, or raw or smoked fish |
| KSML | Kosher | Prepared to Jewish dietary laws. Order at least 36 hours ahead |
| MOML | Muslim | Prepared to Muslim dietary laws. No pork, alcohol or doubtful (mushbooh) items |
| AVML | Hindu vegetarian | Lacto-vegetarian, Indian-style. No meat, poultry, seafood or eggs |
| VGML | Vegan | No animal products or by-products, eggs, honey or dairy |
| VJML | Jain vegetarian | Strict vegetarian, Indian-style. No animal products, eggs, honey, dairy, root vegetables or fermented food |
| VLML | Vegetarian lacto-ovo | No meat, fish or seafood, but may include eggs and dairy |
| FPML | Fruit platter | Fresh fruit only, with no additives or preservatives. Nut-free |
| BBML | Baby meal | For babies aged six months to two years |
| CHML | Child meal | For children aged two to five. Nut-free |
Where Special Meals Aren’t Available
| Where | What changes |
|---|---|
| Domestic Economy flights under 3.5 hours | No special meals |
| QantasLink flights on Dash 8 aircraft | No special meals |
| Flights from Townsville and Cairns | No kosher meals |
| Flights between Australia and Tonga, Palau or Samoa, and between Samoa and New Zealand | No special meals |
| Flights to and from Bengaluru, Delhi, Jakarta and Denpasar | No kosher meals |
| Flights between Sydney and Sapporo | No Jain, kosher, Muslim, Hindu vegetarian or non-vegetarian Hindu meals |
| Qantas flights operated by LATAM or Aircalin | Order at least 3 days before you fly |
Nuts & Allergies
Qantas doesn’t serve peanuts, but it serves other nuts in every cabin and can’t guarantee a nut-free cabin. Only the gluten intolerant meal, the fruit platter and the child meal are nut-free, and the diabetic, Jain, kosher, Muslim and Hindu meals are no longer nut-free. If you need a nut-free meal, bring your own food that doesn’t need chilling or reheating, and keep any allergy medication, such as an EpiPen, within reach in the cabin.
FAQs
How far in advance should I order a special meal on Qantas?
At least 24 hours before departure, or 36 hours for a kosher meal.
Can I get a special meal on a short Qantas domestic flight?
Not in Economy on flights under three and a half hours, or on QantasLink Dash 8 flights.
How can I request a special meal on Qantas flights?
Special meals can be requested during the booking process or by managing your booking on the Qantas website or mobile app. Requests should be made at least 24 hours before your flight’s departure.
Which Qantas special meals are nut-free?
Only the gluten intolerant meal (GFML), the fruit platter (FPML) and the child meal (CHML).
How do I cancel a Qantas special meal?
Select “No special meal” in Manage booking at least 48 hours before departure.
Does Qantas add child meals automatically?
No. Request a baby or child meal at least 24 hours before departure. Baby meals are for ages six months to two years, and child meals for ages two to five.