In 2024, I set out on an around the world trip. This post shares my experience flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok via Tokyo (Haneda) with ANA airlines and their Gluten Free meal offering across two international flights. Because longhaul economy is no fun and collecting airline points is great fun, the flights I took were in business class using AMEX points via ANA (obviously it’s a very lucky life) though from what I have seen, Gluten Free meals are generally similar to what’s in Economy, just with a fancier presentation and perhaps an extra appetizer.
Disclaimer: As a Celiac, gluten free isn’t a choice — it’s a requirement I’d love to not have. My immediate symptoms are thankfully relatively minor, but obviously I aim to avoid any & all gluten and cross-contamination. This post is simply my personal experience: your risk tolerance / reasons may differ from mine. Always follow your doctor’s advice and always confirm before eating!
In total, my trip here was around 20 hours, 11 and change from LAX to HND and 5 and change from HND to BKK with a decent layover between. This meant 3 in-air meals to experience. ANA also offers on demand snacks but with decent enough portions, I did not inquire about those.
Before I get into things, I should note that this was my first international trip after my Celiac diagnosis and so not surprisingly, I was pretty apprehensive about how it would go. Since then however, I’ve been on a half dozen longhauls and many more shorter flights so this post reflects my overall experience with about a year of frequent flying, GF style.
My Review on ANA, GF Style
Overall take: ANA does a great job at GF in the air even if the food is fairly basic and meant mean dinner for breakfast.
Highlight: The rice-bread was absolutely amazing. I’d fly just for those, seriously.
Safety take: 9/10. Nothing in a shared space will ever be risk free I realize but the entire meal was completely different from other passengers and while they may have removed wrapping before it came to me, it was clear it was isolated. I had no symptoms after the trip.
Taste take: 6/10 (for business). While airline food is generally not impressive, business class food I had in my years before Celiac could be pretty solid, but gluten free loses a lot of that. Meals on ANA were all totally edible but fairly flat, and that’s coming from a non foodie.
Portion sizes: Very impressive
What I skipped: Dessert. They only had fruit and the m&ms I packed seemed better.
What it lacked: Variety, relative meal selection. Not that I minded anything offered but by 2am, an omelet or rice-bread egg sandwich (oooh) would have been a lot nicer than chicken. Oh well.
How to book it: If it’s a direct booking, you can choose this online or via the app. Otherwise, you’ll need to call.
The Airplane Meals
I flew ANA in business class so meals get fancy plates but from the few photos I could find, I think most everything they served is standard, except perhaps the appetizer. Though there were 3 meals in total, the variety was pretty minor between them. Chicken, rice, yummy gluten free bread, repeat.
From photos, I also know ANA receives items wrapped up, especially their gluten free bread. This was all removed before making it to my seat and that was probably the biggest risk. I am sure the ANA staff has had Celiac travelers but still, shared spaces. But the staff confirmed everything was GF when it arrived and ANA is very detailed in my experience to believe that.
While it wasn’t their usual service, the crew was almost over attentive in confirming I had the right food, enough food, and trying to figure out if any dessert or other sides would work. But my first meal was more than enough food, even with my heavy appetite, and by the second and then third on the next flight, I was well into redeye life with no desire for more than what was served to me.
All in all, the meals were simple, fairly repetitive, and totally got the job done. They felt fresh, healthy, and just enough yum factor that I’d gladly fly them again.
Gluten Free at the airports
LAX: Despite the prevalence of the gluten free lifestyle around LA, LAX is pretty bad for much of anything.
The airport markets sell some decent bars, yogurts, and pre-packed salads at a very premium price. The lounge (Star Alliance) I had access to was a very mixed Buffett as is the Amex Centurion. I did not ask about any options at either.
There is a Jersey Mike’s which is probably the safest bet for a real meal as they usually do a good job and seemed to have a dedicated or at least easily cleanable prep area. But I wanted more and went with PF Changs as I’ve had decent luck with them elsewhere. Their menu has a handful of marked options, the staff was fully aware of gluten issues and Broccoli with Beef + white rice, while not amazing, got the job done, with no issues after.
HND: Despite what I just said, Haneda makes LAX look like a gluten free paradise. The airport is impressive (aside from transiting terminals, that’s a pain) and the treats and meals all very yummy looking but I didn’t see a single thing, save for M&Ms and Hi-Chew candies, that I would trust to buy, so I bought those. This is not all that surprisingly has GF is not as prevalent in Japan as I understand it.
The ANA lounge did have plain rice and I am sure they would have found a clean spoon or even made more up if I had asked for it. Great to look around but glad I had that plane food!
Other snacks I brought: Since this flight started from a friend’s home, I was able to stock up with some GF granola bars (I like Kind’s), a Clif Builder Bar, and some nut mixes.
My go to flight “food kit” includes a couple bars, certified jerky or nuts, a peanut butter sandwich on waffles or bread (wrap in foil and they stay good for a few days), and a backup backpacking meal or two, depending on the trip length. Add in some chips or a cookie for longer flights and fruit if the airport sells it.
What I would change: Not much. ANA is as I said, very attentive and I’d absolutely trust them to get this right (with snack backups of course for any long haul trip).
And that’s a wrap!
Other posts you might like
- You can find some of my other Gluten Free flight experiences
- How I booked my RTW flights in business class with miles (and some money)
