Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Emirates Airlines

codetalker

By codetalker
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

codetalker Contributor
codetalker
Posted

I had a good experience with Emirates Airlines recently.  I flew from the US to the Maldives and had 2 flights with Emirates in each direction.  The flight from Wash-Dulles (IAD) to Dubai was 13 hrs and had 2 meals.  The flight from Dubai to Male was 4 hrs and had one meal.  Emirates offers several special-request meal types, including gluten-free.

 

The meals were tasty and I did not experience an unwanted glutening.

 

One slight issue occurred on the flights to the Maldives.  The meals served on those flights had 2 components.  The first was the part of the meal that needed to be heated up.  The second was a pack of bread/crackers that was added to each meal after heating.  Someone mistakenly added the pack to my meal.  However, the items included in the pack were clearly marked with an ingredient list so I immediately knew that the items contained wheat. 

 

I’ve encountered this on other flights with other airlines and do not see this as a problem.  People sometimes do things by rote and adding a pack of bread items to each meal tray falls into that category.  When you’re serving meals to hundreds of passengers, it is easy to fall into this trap.  I accept ultimate responsibility for what I put in my mouth and do not consider a bread pack accidentally placed on my tray a negative.  That said, I recognize that other celiacs disagree.

 

Some of the remaining meals contained a slice of bread wrapped in a plastic pack.  Those unfortunately were labeled only with a serial number.  It would have been useful if the wrapping contained labeling that described the type of bread and its ingredients.  Due to the lack of labeling, I passed on the bread, although I was fairly sure the bread was indeed gluten-free.

 

Bottom line, I had a good experience and look forward to flying w/ Emirates Airlines again.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Saz Explorer
Saz
Posted

I flew with Emirates last year from Australia to London and Dublin to Aus. I didn't have a problem except from Singapore to Australia. At Singapore airport I had asked to change seats. I informed ground staff that I needed a special meal and was assured the change of seat not effect my meal.  Turns out the change did not go through and my meal was given to someone else. They were able to find me some fruit but I guess the lesson is always check with flight crew.  

 

As far as the gluten-free meals I got, they were edible and I even got a  proper dessert on one of the legs to London. It was a nice change from a extra fruit salad.  On long haul flights I have sometimes gotten a brand of salad dressing or topping for bread that I knew wasn't gluten-free. It's no big deal, if I know it is not safe or suspect so I just don't eat it. Something that does annoy me is the mini snack offered between meals (crackers etc), usually this is not gluten-free and there doesn't seem to be a gluten-free thing offered.

 

Next week flying 14 hours straight with BA, Hope my meal gets loaded!

codetalker Contributor
codetalker
Posted
  • Author

Totally overlooked the snack, which you mentioned.  All the years I've been gluten-free, I can't remember ever being offered one that I was sure was OK to eat.  I sometimes take my own snack so it's not a big loss.

Saz Explorer
Saz
Posted

I also take my own, more because it gives me something to eat if the meal isn't loaded. I suspose having paid so much for flights it would be nice be provided with the same as everyone else. Also as this is usually like a little bag of chips or something they could easily have ones that are gluten-free and could be given to everyone.   Very minor thing though and would much rather they get the main meal part right than the snacky  thing. I suppose on the flight I did there was only the main meals and snacks so it just meant a bit longer between food if you didn't take your own. Another time I flew to UK, the airline I went with provided a in between service, I got fruit or salad, when other passengers were offered sandwiches biscuits, which was nice. That airline still didn't have any gluten-free for the other little snacky thing though.

 

As I said above- the food I did get on Emirates was fine and edible.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,549
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Blough
    Newest Member
    Blough
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.