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I'm Going To Hong Kong

DarkIvy

By DarkIvy
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

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DarkIvy Explorer
DarkIvy
Posted

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around much. I've been pretty busy with school!

I thought I'd pop in and ask some questions because I'm going to Hong Kong to visit my boyfriend over Thanksgiving break. I'm pretty worried about the food situation. Actually, I'm nervous anyway because I've never been abroad before and never been on an airplane alone. Ahhh!

So, first of all... I'm flying Northwest Airlines. I called them about a week ago to find out if they have any gluten free meals, but apparently they don't. The woman on the phone listed off various specialty meals- everything from Hindu, to vegan, to Japanese, to soy allergies- for a good 15 minutes, but nothing was explicitly "gluten free". I was told that I should just be able to bring my own food onto the plane without any problems. I was told I wouldn't need a doctor's note or anything. It's a LONG flight, though, and I'm worried my food will spoil without ice packs. Can I bring ice packs? They said I don't need a doctor's note, but should I get one anyway? What will I bring on the flight back, seeing as how I won't have a kitchen to cook in? I don't have a sweet tooth at all, I don't want to be eating Larabars the entire way. Should I call again and maybe talk to someone else who can figure it out?

Second, anyone know of any good restaurants in HK? I won't have access to a kitchen at all, because my boyfriend lives in a hotel/dorm type of situation. He knows of a Maylay veggie restaurant that he thinks will be able to accommodate me, and there's an all you can eat sushi place that I should just be able to bring my own Tamari into, but that's all I've got to go on so far. I was thinking I can always try and have restaurants cook my food plain. I'm on a pretty tight budget, because I'm a poor college student.

Any ideas?

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missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Good Luck to you. I went to Japan not long ago. It is a LONG flight. Be prepared to have your luggage searched. Mine was both going and coming home because I had food in it, even though I stayed within the regulations as far as types and amounts and had it well organized and visible. gluten-free meals were available to me but I brought a few things as emergency suppplies, Gillian's Rolls but they ended up as breadcrumbs, smoked canned tuna slices and Glutano crackers in the individual packs, a mini jar of jam from Cost Plus World Market and some Tasty Bite meals.

You may want to bring things that are soft and easily digested and eat more small meals. I felt a little nauseous towards the end.

The morning of my flight from the U.S. I took a breakfast of pancakes and ham that I had made ahead and frozen and then grabbed it out of the freezer, added some fruit and it was defrosted by the time I got off my first connecting flight so I ate it in the airport before getting on the international flight. My flight was too early to eat before leaving the house.

Hope this helps.

BTW, Korean and Japan Airlines both have gluten-free meals available.

MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

Northwest offers gluten-free meals. You can specify one in your itinerary on their website. I am heading Europe in a few weeks on NW and ordered one. You can also order the fruit plate. That's usually pretty safe. Not very filling but safe...

DarkIvy Explorer
DarkIvy
Posted
  • Author

How do I do that through their website? I bought the ticket through the student travel association, so I didn't use their website to purchase the ticket. When I tried to use their website to find any info on gluten-free meals, I couldn't find any information anywhere.

If it's not very filling, I'll still want to bring my own stuff in addition. I eat kind of a lot. Would it still be advisable to bring a doctor's note?

Thanks!

Renth Newbie
Renth
Posted

Personally, the doctor's note sounds like a good idea with the security measures that are up now, lord only knows what kind of trouble you might run in to, better safe than sorry. You probably won't be able to get through security with ice packs, they classify as a gel. My best suggestion would be to call NW back and ask to speak to a supervisor explain to them your situation and your concerns about getting through security and what advice they have for you and whatever they tell you write it down along with their name so if you run in to problems you have it handy.

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

I gotta get my kiddo from school so I'll make it quick.

I called the 800 number on the website today, which is what I did with the other airlines in the past. I got the same response that you did- no gluten-free meal. The agent that I spoke with was very nice and willing to be educated about it as he wasn't familiar with gluten-free, he even spoke to a supervisor. I also e-mailed NWA today and asked them to provide a gluten-free meal in the future, with a few facts about celiac disease and my experience traveling international.

DarkIvy Explorer
DarkIvy
Posted
  • Author

I just called NWA again, and the lady I talked to this time told me there are gluten-free meals and made reservations for me to have them both ways within 5 minutes. I couldn't believe how easy it was the second time around. I couldn't find the number they were looking for, so instead they looked me up by name and flight and everything is all set now. Last time I called to find out, I talked to a woman for about 20 minutes while she went through a list of the kinds of meals the had, was on hold for a while so she could talk to her supervisor, then was told that there is nothing they can offer me besides maybe some plain veggies or fruit so I should bring my own food. World of difference.

I think I'm going to get a doctor's note, just in case. It seems like it would be a good idea if anyone does decide to pitch a fit or question me about the contents of my suitcase. I also like the suggestion about freezing something premade and letting it thaw out over the course of the flight. It won't be a liquid or a gel (unlike ice packs) but it will still keep the rest of my food cold in the lunch box.

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MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

If you go to NWA.com and enter your last name and conf number in the manage my reservations section (on the home page) it'll pull up the reservation details. There'll be a few drop downs and under the Update Reservation / Add Information dropdown you see an option called view /add special services. In the special services section, there will be another pull down called special request with all of the meals they offer. Clear as mud, huh?

Some airlines have the ability to request special meals online and others don't. I find that often my requests through customer service don't make it through to the plane. I've also found a discrepancy between what meals customer service lists and what is listed online. I've never had a problem when I order meals online.

DarkIvy Explorer
DarkIvy
Posted
  • Author

^Thanks. I'm going to double check online and make sure everything's set.

ETA: I just logged on and followed your directions, but the only thing on the drop down menu was the "add emergency contact info" option. :/ Gotta love this sort of crap.

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Hi again. I'm following up on this to assist you but also because Northwest services Japan, where I go to and it is of benefit to many others. So please forgive me if I seem like a pest. I'm not trying to discount what janetw said or add to any stress you may have about your trip. I got a response to the e-mail I sent yesterday and they simply said "I do apologize." Only three words. Not we DO have a gluten-free meal. Yesterday,when I spoke to the customer service agent he said that they have a bland meal that would work for gluten-free but they wouldn't guarantee there would be no cross-contamination.

Again, Good luck! I hope you have a wonderful trip.

  • 1 month later...
MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

I just wanted to follow up on this and let everyone know that I received gluten-free meals on both legs of my flight on Northwest Airlines. I flew Detriot - Amsterdam and Amsterdam - Memphis. Both meals were clearly marked speical meal/GFML. The meal out of Detriot was a rice cake (big surprise), salad and steamed chicken and rice. Not the best. The meal out of Amsterdam was excellent for airline food - roasted vegetables, wild rice and fish with a cream sauce. This meal and the snack included gluten-free bread and muffins.

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