4 Ways Fiji Airways Could Better Support Passengers With Multiple Dietary Needs
I understand that catering for passengers with dietary restrictions is not always simple. But on a 10-to-11-hour flight, food is not a minor detail—especially when you have paid approximately FJD 3,000 for a round-trip ticket.
As someone who is vegan, gluten-free and nut-free, I know I need to travel prepared. I always pack snacks because I cannot assume that every meal served will be suitable. Still, there is nothing quite like receiving a proper hot meal when you are sitting for many hours in a cabin with cold air blowing around you.
For my recent Fiji Airways trip from Nadi to San Francisco, I booked at the Suva office and specifically requested Jain meals. I chose this option because Jain meals typically include rice and steamed, stir-fried or curried vegetables—simple foods I can usually eat. If I request a vegan meal, I am often given pasta or bread. If I request gluten-free, I am frequently served meat. Neither option meets my needs.
Unfortunately, of the four meal services across my return journey, only one provided food I could eat.
1. Dietary requests need to reflect what passengers can actually eat
On my flight to San Francisco, the first meal offered to me was a tiny sandwich. Since it contained gluten, I declined it and ate the food I had brought.
The second meal was rice and vegetables with fruit on the side. It was simple, and suitable for me. It also demonstrated that accommodating my needs does not require a complicated or expensive meal.
On the return flight to Nadi, however, my first meal was a bun, which I again declined. The second appeared to consist of some kind of potato pancake and a semolina slice with an unknown, unlabeled pudding on the side. Since semolina is made from wheat, and no one could tell me if the potato pancakes had flour, that meal was unsuitable too. Once again, I relied on my own snacks.
A special meal request is only useful if the meal supplied corresponds with what the passenger can eat. There appears to be a gap between the request recorded at booking and the food eventually placed on the aircraft.
2. Passengers should not have to choose between vegan and gluten-free
One of the most frustrating aspects of air travel is being forced to select either a vegan meal or a gluten-free meal when you are both vegan and gluten-free.
Choosing vegan often means receiving bread or pasta. Choosing gluten-free often means receiving meat. Add a nut restriction, and the available choices narrow even further.
Yet the solution can be remarkably simple: rice or root crops, vegan protein (legumes, beans, lentils, or tofu), vegetables and fruit. Airlines could also provide a way for passengers to add clear dietary notes when booking, rather than relying on a single meal category that may address only one restriction.
I have received appropriate and even delicious, filling meals on other airlines, so I know it is possible. Fiji Airways should work with its booking staff and caterers to ensure that multiple dietary needs are communicated accurately and consistently.
3. The food and service should reflect the price of the journey
I paid approximately FJD 3,000 for this round trip, compared with the FJD 2,000–2,400 fares I more commonly see. I recognise that airfare is affected by many factors and that the meal represents only one part of the overall cost.
Nevertheless, receiving only one suitable meal across two long-haul flights did not feel reasonable.
To their credit, the flight attendants offered me a fruit platter when they realised I could not eat the scheduled food. I appreciated their effort and willingness to help. Unfortunately, much of the fruit was squishy and neither fresh nor enjoyable, so I ate very little of it.
Frontline staff can only work with what has been loaded onto the aircraft. This is why the solution must begin earlier—with stronger booking systems, clearer communication and better catering arrangements for what customers need.
4. Overnight cabin service could be more attentive
Another concern was the handling of the light evening meal. After it was served, passengers were left with their trays and rubbish for approximately six hours. The waste was not collected until morning, shortly before the second meal service.
On a long-haul flight, trays and food waste should not remain with passengers for most of the night. It is uncomfortable to sleep with your tray table down. More timely collection, along with occasional checks through the cabin, would create a cleaner and more comfortable experience.
I am sharing this experience because constructive feedback matters. Fiji Airways is our national airline, and I want it to provide a standard of service that makes Fiji proud.
Passengers with multiple dietary requirements are not asking for elaborate cuisine. We are asking for clear communication, a simple meal we can safely eat without the risk of getting sick or having an allergic reaction at 30,000 feet, and attentive service throughout a long journey. Rice, vegan protein, vegetables, fresh fruit and timely tray collection would have made an enormous difference.
Surely that is not too much to expect.
