Airlines Report Sharp Rise in Vegan Meal Orders

Veganuary has made the friendly skies even friendlier—to farmed animals, that is. Two major international air carriers, Norwegian and Emirates, reported spikes in vegan meal orders this month and attributed them to the wildly popular new year’s campaign.

Norwegian claims a 7 percent rise in vegan meal requests compared with last January, noting that the request rate for plant-based meals is 55 percent higher on its long-haul flight from Gatwick to Los Angeles. And Emirates reports a whopping 40 percent increase in vegan meal requests, amounting to an astounding 20,000 plant-based meals served just this month.

Matthew Wood, a senior vice president at Norwegian, said:

Veganism is taking to the skies, and the increase in our customers choosing vegan meals clearly shows there’s a “Veganuary effect” taking off.

Vegan offerings on Norwegian are a gnocchi dish and chickpea stew, while Emirates serves mushroom ravioli, vegetable tagine, and sweet potato ragout. Sounds delicious!

But vegan dining at 40,000 feet is not the only thing that’s become more popular. Major airports around the globe have also started offering plant-based fare. In fact, LAX, the international airport of Los Angeles, features a vegan restaurant in one of its terminals, and Amy’s Drive Thru, an all-vegetarian drive-thru restaurant, announced last fall that it would open an outpost at San Francisco International Airport!

Need tips for eating vegan while traveling? We got you. Also, here are the top airports for finding amazing vegan food.