Air India Meals on Domestic Flight: What to expect?

Got a flight with Air India to catch? Wondering how and what the meal is going to be? Then, you’re in the right place. This is a complete guide on Air India Meals on a Domestic Flight, what you can expect, in terms of food, for your next Air India Economy class flight.

The Split:

So, primarily, you can expect completely different meals from domestic flights vs international flights. This article will focus on Air India meals on domestic flights, as international menus vary heavily depending on where you’re flying from and how long the flight is.

Meals on a Domestic Air India Flight:

Further, you can divide Air India Meals on a domestic flight into 3 categories:

Less than 60 Minutes:

For flights less than 60 minutes on Air India, expect a bottle of water and maybe a cookie or two. Sometimes, they serve a pack of peanuts as well, alongside a beverage of choice like tea, coffee, etc.

Between 1 hour and 2 hours:

Over 60 minutes, you’ll be getting a small snack sandwich or a roll with a bottle of water.

There will be a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian option available to select at the time of booking the flight ticket.

If no option is given/ no preference selected, by default, you will be opted in for a vegetarian option.

These are also served with a beverage of your choice.

Over 2 Hours:

For flights over 2 hours, you can expect a full meal. It will be served with cutlery on a tray, along with a bottle of water.

Even longer flights offer multiple meals or a meal and a snack or some similar combination.

These also come with a beverage of choice.

NOTE: Air India has also revamped its menu recently, so some items may vary. The exact menu will depend on the time of day and the region of flight. For example, if it’s early morning, you could get a breakfast menu which may include poha, idlis, sambhar, vada, etc. Mentioned below are the main courses that you’ll likely get.

Non-Vegetarian Meals on Air India Domestic Flights:

You get a piece of bread, along with Amul butter.

For the actual meal, you get a small food container with rice in the middle, and to the left is going to be a chicken curry of some sort. To the right is going to be Dal (a lentil-based curry, commonly eaten with rice).

There will be a side of yoghurt served along with it.

Comes with a dessert, a cake of some sort dipped in a custard-based sweet condensed milk.

Vegetarian Meals on an Air India Domestic Flight:

For vegetarians, you can also expect a small piece of bread, along with some butter.

The food container you get will have rice in the middle, with a paneer (cottage cheese-based curry) to the left, and Dal (lentil-based curry) to the right.

A small carton of yoghurt on the side.

Dessert will be the same, a cake dipped in sweet condensed milk.

Special Meals on Air India Domestic Flights:

This is where the real magic is. Air India serves up to 18 different special meal preferences depending on the flight and region.

These meal preferences on Air India Domestic Flights can be based on dietary preferences, medical conditions, or religious preferences.

You can select:

Hindu Non-Vegetarian Meal:

Assures that the meal served doesn’t contain any beef or pork.

Halal Muslim Meal:

Prepared according to Muslim Dietary Laws.

Jain Meal:

Vegetarian meals that also exclude root vegetables like Onions, Garlic, etc.

For shorter flights, you can expect a bowl of fruit instead of a sandwich or a snack. For longer flights, Air India will strictly follow Jain dietary laws.

Vegan Meal:

Plant-based meals, with no dairy products.

Diabetic Meal:

Low in sugar, salt, and fat. High in fibre.

Gluten-free Meal:

Ingredients used will be gluten-free.

and a bunch more…

Note: These special preferences have to be opted for during the booking of the flight (at least 24-48 hours before the day of the flight).

Alcoholic beverages are not served on domestic flights. Only on international flights.

THE EVERYWHERE TRAVELLER PRO TIP: It never hurts to ask. Don’t be shy to ask the crew members if there is a certain request that needs to be handled and was left unattended.

You can even ask for an extra; there are usually a few extra meals left over with the crew. Just be polite, and ask, “If it’s possible, once you’re done serving, and there are a few meals left, can I get another one?”

Also note, you are ALLOWED to carry food to the cabin on a domestic flight. It just needs to adhere with the given security guidelines.

Air India meals on domestic flights: Premium Economy and Business?

Typically, the premium economy meals will be the same as economy, with slightly bigger portion sizes and more elegant cutlery.

For business, expect another small snack for longer flights. The meal menu might be more sophisticated and no longer include plastic trays. Comes with complete plates and proper cutlery as well. Better quality food and a more diverse menu to choose from.

Questions regarding Air India Meals on Domestic Flights?

Hopefully, this answers your questions about Air India meals on domestic flights.

For further information, you can check Air India’s Website here.

Any questions, drop them in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.