Special diets and food allergies

We try our best to provide everyone with an enjoyable meal onboard our flights. For that reason, you can choose a meal from a wide variety of special diet options that suit different health, dietary, religious and nutritional requirements.

Please make sure to pre-select the special meal at least 24 hours before your flight. If you are travelling in Business Class and you have other special dietary needs because of health reasons or severe food allergies you can order a customised "Other special meal (SPML)" at the latest 72 hours before departure via our customer service.

Order a special meal

Please pre-select your special diet option at least 24 hours before your flight via Manage booking or in your Finnair Plus profile if you are a Finnair Plus member.

Please note we are updating our special meal selection and the following changes will apply from 24 January 2024. 

Long-haul flights

On our Finnair operated long-haul flights (to/from Asia, North America and the Middle East), special meals are available in all travel classes (Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class). If you have special dietary requirements, you can pre-select your meal from our special diet options, and we will prepare it in advance for you to enjoy on board. Please note that the selection is wider for our Business Class customers.

Short-haul flights

On our short-haul flights (within Europe), special meals are only available in Business Class.

If you are travelling in Economy Class on our short-haul flight, you can either purchase your meal from our onboard food and beverages menu which also includes meals suitable for different dietary needs, or pre-order from the available selection of hot meals, salads and sandwiches via the Finnair app or during online check-in depending on availability.

Food allergies

If you have a food allergy, you can order a special meal for your flight. Our selection includes a range of special meals that exclude many potential allergens, such as seafood, dairy, eggs and gluten.

In case you have multiple or very severe allergies, we may not be able to offer you a suitable meal. You can always bring your own food on board as long as it’s aligned with the carry-on baggage security rules. We recommend non-perishable food as it is not possible to heat or refrigerate any food items you bring.

After boarding, our cabin crew will be able to provide information about the allergens in the meals served on that flight. The meal packaging may also have this information. However, the allergen labelling on the packaging may not reflect all the allergens listed under EU legislation. We source food from all around the world, and not every country considers the same food ingredients to be declared allergens.

Please note that our customer service personnel cannot share your personal food allergy information with the cabin crew. Therefore, please inform the cabin crew about your food allergy when boarding the flight.

If you wish, you can bring your own wipes to clean the tray, seat pockets and armrests of your seat from any potential traces of nuts or other allergens left from the earlier flight. 

Travelling with nut or sesame allergy

In Business Class, you can choose the “Other special meal (SPML)” from our special diet options, which is suitable for most people suffering from peanut, tree nut or sesame allergies.

We do not provide a nut-free special meal option for Economy Class and Premium Economy, but you can bring your own food on board as long as it’s aligned with the carry-on baggage security rules.

We cannot, unfortunately, guarantee an allergen-free cabin environment while travelling with us. Some of our in-flight meals or snacks may contain peanuts or peanut products or be produced at a facility that handles peanuts. Also, we cannot prevent other passengers from bringing nuts onboard.

Upon request, our cabin crew can request the customers seated near you not to consume nuts during the flight, and suspend the serving of loose nut snacks in your proximity. We cannot, however, announce the matter to all the customers on board.

Severe allergic reactions

Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) on board are rare, but if you suffer from a severe allergy, we advise consulting a doctor before you buy tickets to discuss the possible risks and how to minimise them.

If you have been prescribed an epinephrine or adrenaline auto-injector like EpiPen, Anapen, Twinject or Jext, make sure to take it with you in your carry-on baggage. We recommend packing the medication in a separate bag, preferably in the original packaging, with the prescription and a letter from your doctor. 

Ensure your medication is easily accessible throughout the flight; for example, place it in the seat pocket or on your person. Please also advise the cabin crew and people seated next to you of your allergy, where you have placed the medication and what to do in an emergency. 

Our cabin crew is trained in basic first aid and to recognise symptoms of anaphylaxis, but they are obliged to rely on a medical volunteer to administer medications, and medical volunteers may not always be found among passengers. If you are travelling with travel companions, they should be prepared to treat you first. EpiPen or similar auto-injectors are not included in the emergency medical kits on board our flights.