New “In-Flight Vegan Yelp” Pits Airline Meals Against Each Other

This week, web-based tool Fly Vegan (“FlyVe”) launched as the first review platform for vegan meals served by airlines worldwide. Similar in functionality to Yelp, users can provide star ratings based on an airline’s availability, price, quality, selection, ease of ordering, and overall satisfaction of vegan meal options. The tool was created in partnership by The Vegan Society and Humane Society International (HSI) with the mission of persuading airlines worldwide to improve their vegan options and, in doing so, help offset the carbon footprint of air travel. “Despite the compelling need for change, the ubiquitous ‘chicken or beef’ remains the unimaginative default choice on most airlines,” Charlie Huson, HSI UK Forward Food Programme Manager, said. According to Huson, if all passengers departing from Heathrow Airport in London chose a vegan option for just one day, the savings of carbon dioxide emissions would amount to 33, 592 metric tons—the equivalent of driving a gas-fueled car for 112,695,851 miles. Elena Order, senior campaigns manager at The Vegan Society, urged airlines to add vegan meals as a standard in-flight option, rather than something passengers must order in advance so that all travelers can easily make better choices. “We have launched FlyVe to allow us to see which airlines are flying ahead of the curve, and which could do with some extra support when it comes to embracing plant-based options,” Orde said. “We encourage any airline to get in touch for advice and training.” Thus far, Turkish Airlines is the top-rated company on FlyVe, followed by Air New Zealand, Emirates, and Aegean.