Vegan Meal Option on Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines Vegan Island Style Meal (Teriyaki Tofu, Shiitake Mushrooms, Carrots, Baby Bok Choy, and Rice), requested in advance through their Dine-Up Meal Program

On a trip to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines earlier this summer, one of the flight attendants mentioned that they had just started a new meal program that she thought included vegan meals! Ryan and I had just both declined the warmed non-vegan chocolate chip cookie (still trying to spread the word just how easy it is to make vegan chocolate chip cookies, even ones that beat out non-vegan ones in competition!), and when she inquired, we told her we were vegan.

So on our return flight, we found their new Pre-Purchase Meal Program website called Dine Up www.hawaiianairlines.dineup.com , and tried to order the Island Style Lunch, which was the only option that looked vegan. You have request and pay for your special meal at least 48 hours before your flight. We kept getting a pop-up window saying they were "unable to process your request", so we emailed a message requesting vegan meals to the address provided support@dineup.com in the Contact link. We emailed twice and never got a response, so we weren't hopeful. We tried calling as well, but the reservation agents we spoke to, although very friendly and pleasant, didn't know much about the program and referred us back to the Dine Up website.

Imagine our surprise when we were on the plane, and were delivered our Island Style Lunches, with a sticker that clearly said "Vegan" right on it! And it was pretty darn good especially for airplane food. The chefs that created this entree clearly put thought and effort into making something that was visual pleasing as well as tasty.

There were some non-vegan milk chocolate-covered Macadamia Nuts on our tray which we didn't eat of course, but I think they just automatically put that on all the trays without really thinking about it. We also noticed that the non-dairy margarine contained vitamin D3, so we chose not to eat it.

There were a couple of other delicious-sounding meal options that looked like they were or could easily be made vegan, such as the North Shore Salad with a Quinoa Kale Salad and Hummus with Pita, as well as the Rainbow Lunch with Roasted Vegetables over Rotini Pasta, but the description says they contain both eggs and milk. We sent an email to support@dineup.com and requested clarification, but never received a response. We also noticed that "Eggs" were added to the description of the Island Style Lunch we ordered, but don't remember it being there before. We'll try again to get confirmation on our next trip to Hawaii. Maybe if more of us ask, they will provide more confirmed vegan options (their website once again in case anyone is wondering is www.hawaiianairlines.dineup.com and their email is support@dineup.com). ;)

All in all, this is a wonderful step in the right direction. Mahalo nui loa to everyone at Hawaiian Airlines who worked to make a cruelty-free vegan meal option available to your vegan, animal-loving, and environmentally-conscious travelers! We look forward to flying with Hawaiian Airlines again soon.

Thanks for reading. Peace and love to all who live.

Susan