I often read and leverage posts by travel & deals blogger Dan Eleff, aka DansDeals, who meticulously catalogues his trips and advises his readers accordingly. DansDeals recently noticed an uptick in kosher meals being offered on flights by domestic (U.S.) airlines, although this is mainly available only via Business & First classes.
If you’re seeking to reserve a kosher meal for yourself and your family, please see the list below where it is eligible and how to do it.
Note: for most airlines any special meal request for a flight made with a carrier will not be applied to the segment of a reservation on a different/codeshared carrier. To better ensure that your special meal request is applied to each segment, please call reservations for each airline to request a special meal, and ensure you have it for each leg of your trip.
Here’s a current list of routes where North American carriers offer kosher meals.
Air Canada:
- Available in all classes on international flights that depart or arrive outside of North/Central America.
- Available in first/business class on all routes.
- It is not possible to order special meals for flights offering the Air Canada Bistro service.
- For international flights, travelers must order a special meal (including kosher) at least 24 hours before the first flight in your itinerary.
- HOW:
- At time of online booking:
- On the Passengers page, simply select the special meal you require from the MEAL drop-down menu when entering your passenger information
- If you have already completed your online booking:
- Contact Air Canada Reservations to request your special meal
- At time of online booking:
- HOW:
American Airlines:
- Available in all classes on international flights across the Atlantic or Pacific.
- HOW:
- Call Reservations to order at least 24 hours before departure
- HOW:
- Available in all classes on international flights to/from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and the following Brazilian cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo.
- Available in first/business class on flights within North America on flights that are 2,200+ miles and depart before 9pm. Kosher meals are not available from Anchorage, Kauai, and Kona
Delta:
- Available in all classes on international flights across the Atlantic or Pacific
- HOW:
- Must be reserved up to 24 hours prior to departure by selecting Special Service Request (SSR) on delta.com, or through Delta Reservations or an independent travel agent.
- Delta advises travelers that upon arrival at the departure gate, customers should advise the gate agent they have pre-ordered a special meal and also confirm with a flight attendant once onboard.
- HOW:
- Available in all classes on flights to/from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru
- Available in first/business class for domestic flights that are at least 900 miles long that depart between 5am-1:30pm and 4pm-8pm
- Available in first/business class for domestic flights that are at least 1,400 miles long that depart between 5am-8pm
- Available in first/business class on all flights to/from JFK and Los Angeles
- Available in first/business class on all flights to/from JFK and San Francisco
- A kosher snack can be reserved in coach on flights between JFK-Los Angeles, JFK-Portland, JFK-San Diego, JFK-San Francisco, JFK-Seattle, Boston-Los Angeles, Boston-San Francisco, Boston-Seattle, Seattle-Fort Lauderdale, Seattle-Orlando, Seattle-Raleigh/Durham, and Washington DC-Los Angeles
- Special meals are not available on flights originating from El Paso, TX; Albuquerque, NM; or Tucson, AZ. Special meal offerings may vary depending upon regional catering availabilities
JetBlue:
- Available in Mint class on all routes.
- While Kosher meals are not available for non-Mint class flyers, the vast majority of the free JetBlue snacks offered are certified kosher, including Craisins dried cranberries, PopCorners Popcorn Chips, Skeeter Nut-Free chocolate chip cookies, and Terra Blues Chips.
United:
- Available in all classes on international flights across the Atlantic or Pacific.
- Available in all classes on flights to/from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru.
- Available in first/business class on flights within North America that are 2,000+ miles.
MORE: Read DansDeals’s recent post on airline meals.
All travelers should check to make sure that the snacks that are passed out by the flight attendants have the kosher symbol on them. The pre-flight candies that are often handed out by national and international airlines for the most part are NOT KOSHER. Realize that candies with similar names in the US that do have a reliable kosher certification DO NOT have a kosher certification on them in foreign countries.
As a former travel agent for 16 plus years, I’ve employed my own way to travel and that is the day prior to any of my flights, I go to my favorite store and stock up on granola bars, or whatever you want to snack on while you are flying and buy one of those shopping bags from the store and check in with this bag bringing it on board with you place it under the seat in front of you so you can access this bag at all times during your flight. One idea that when I worked at the California Mart in Downtown L.A. that the wholesale representatives in the building a day prior to flying to their shows, fed ex their luggage so that when they arrive at their destination airport all they have to do is get right to transportation to their hotel (regular folks can have their luggage fed ex to their destination as well it doesn’t have to be a hotel) and your hotel may place your bags in your hotel room as well and just do the same for the return. Setup an area at your home where fed ex could deliver your luggage where it can be secured. The reason I gave this is that you only need to bring with you a tote and your snack bag that’s it. This should destress you in your travels.