In 2024, I set out on an around the world trip. This post shares my experience flying from Bangkok (BKK) to Kathmandu (KTM) with Thai Airways and their Gluten Free meal offering. Because long haul economy is not fun but collecting airline points is, the flights I took were in business class using Amex Points though from what I have seen, Gluten Free meals are 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!
After 10 days of navigating Bangkok GF (more on that to come), I’m excited to be headed to my next destination and writing this mid-flight, just after the meal service wrapped up in fact. Thailand has been incredible and despite some of my fears about GF eating, I fared pretty well the last week on my first Asia trip since giving up the good stuff. Of course, GF certainly isn’t a common concern here and my biggest worry was “what’s in the sauce” and “what was just cooked where my meal is being made” but all good, mostly.
BKK airport is a great example of this. There’s wonderful food all around but very little that was done GF, and even less marked as such. Since I flew fancy today, I got to wander through many lounges and while not perfect either, options there were better with plenty of fresh fruit, plain rice, fried eggs, even made to order Omelets at Thai Airways lounge. I am sure they would have prepped a grill space to whip something fantastic had I asked.
But with a big breakfast this morning and a lot of love for Thai Airways from past travels, I skipped all that, stepped on and was well rewarded for the wait with a very solid, 4-course meal that even included bread. Nice stuff Thai airways!
Overall take: 8/10. Thai Airways service has always impressed me and no surprise they would deliver on GF either. The staff was very attentive and while they did serve a cheese platter dessert that was not part of the GF meal I don’t think, I felt certain they had really checked to be sure it was ok anyways.
Taste take: 8/10 (for business class). This was very solid as most of my GF business class meals have been rather bland but Thai does a great service even if they stick to simple dishes for us.
Safety take: 82%. The main meal felt very solid though I am always cautious of a gluten free bread that comes without a label, even when wrapped up (but it tasted bad enough to believe, ha). After the main meal however, they had fruit & cheese plates to accompany dessert and those were clearly not something catered specifically for GF. The flight staff checked before offering it up and everything looked naturally GF so I went for it but felt close to a “no thanks” moment too.
Portion size: Impressive
Highlight: The grilled fish main was really tasty with good flavor and quite nice to have some simple veggies alongside.
What I skipped: The pre-meal nuts. While they should be GF, wasn’t sure on the mix and had a meal coming anyways.
What it lacked: Not much honestly, it was a solid meal.
How I booked: As this flight was booked via another airline, I could not select GFML online and emailed Thai Airways. It took a few days but they got everything confirmed.
The Airplane Meal
I’ll mostly let the photos speak for themselves but if you’re nervous seeing them, so was I and I had to ask the flight crew to confirm the meal twice given how normal it all looked. Like with my prior ANA flight, flying fancy means that most wrapping was removed before the meal got to me and so some risk in the kitchen but Thai air is great and no surprise that the meal was without issue.
My flight was fairly short so I’m surprised there even was a full meal service, let alone multiple courses and certainly not long enough to experience any follow up snacks or offerings to talk about this time.
Gluten Free at the Airport
BKK Airport is pretty spectacular and I was glad to spend several hours meandering around it today but it’s not where to come if you are starving and GF! There are a lot of restaurants, many which show allergens and none of which seemed to have any proper meals marked as gluten free though I am sure you could find something and certainly a good chat with a slower restaurant may yield a simple chicken, rice and veggies meal. But nothing obvious.
There are plenty of places selling Mango Sticky Rice and Fruit Cups which would be solid to accompany a bar or candy snack. I also spotted a few salads with croutons bagged separately and some pre-prepared sushi, all of which could work with a little scrutiny.
KTM: Kathmandu airport is barebones on arrival so do come full enough to make it into the city. I’ve got a write up about the Gluten Free eating in Kathmandu you can read coming soon (hint: there’s lots of great spots) and another about Flying Gluten Free from Kathmandu as well.
Other snacks I brought: While I did pretty well in Thailand, travel friendly, packaged snacks were limited. I made sure to snag a few bars, a snickers, and a nut mix for the flight and that would have been enough to carry me through on its own. In the airport, you can find GF candy bars to pack along in a pinch.
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.
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)
