Onboard

Meals

South African Airways can provide a special meal for passengers with special dietary requirements.
Unfortunately SAA cannot accommodate requests to suit individual passenger tastes. Only passengers with very specific medical dietary requirements can request a special meal (SPML) which will be individually prepared.
Meal requests must be made at least 24hrs prior to departure, except kosher meals which need to be requested at least 48hrs in advance of travel.
SAA no longer cater for the following - HFML LPML PRML ORML MBML TDML

Below is a list of the meals most frequently requested on South African Airways:

DIETARY MEALS
BLML	BLAND MEAL	Bland diet applied for the following diseases: chronic peptic ulcer disease or stomach/intestinal problems, after diseases of the stomach, bowel, liver, gall and after gastric surgery. Also used as a "light" meal in case of gastric problems.
DBML	DIABETIC MEAL	Diabetic diet applied for the following diseases: diabetic mellitus and glucose intolerance.
GFML	GLUTEN-FREE MEAL	Gluten free diet applied for the following diseases: gluten-sensitive enteropathy, allergy to wheat, dermatitis herpetiformis and celiac disease.
LCML	LOW CALORIE MEAL	Low calorie diet applied for the follow diseases: obesity
LFML	LOW FAT MEAL	Low fat diet applied for the following diseases: cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, hypercholestremia, hupercholesterolaemia, high triglycerides, fatty liver, increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.
LSML	LOW SODIUM MEAL	Low Sodium diet applied for the following diseases: hypertension, high blood pressure, impaired liver function, liver disease, renal disease, kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.
NLML	NON LACTOSE MEAL	No lactose diet applied for the following disease: lactose intolerance.
VEGETARIAN MEALS
AVML	ASIAN VEGETARIAN MEAL	Asian Vegetarian meal excludes all meat and met products, fish poultry or products with lard , gelatin, meat stock and gravy. The meals are spicy (Indian style)
VGML	VEGAN VEGETARIAN MEAL	Vegan Vegetarian meal is strict or rigid vegetarians, no food or animal origin is permitted, and also items such as milk, milk products, gelatin or gravy.
VLML	LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN MEAL	Lacto-ovo Vegetarian meal eats no meat, poultry, fish or shellfish or products derived from them. Eggs, diary products and plant-derived foods are authorized.
FPML	FRUIT PLATTER	Fresh, cooked or canned whole or cut and dried fruit to provide some variety.
ETHNIC MEALS
HNML	HINDU	Non-vegetarian. Refrain from eating beef, pork or veal.
KSML	KOSHER	Meals are cooked under the rabbinical supervision, wrapped and sealed accordingly.
MOML	MOSLEM	Omit pork, venison and alcohol. The animals are slaughtered according to Halal rites. The usage of blood and cooking fats are animal origin is allowed.
*In certain countries, some Ethnic meals are not available for religious reasons.
CHILDREN MEALS
BBML	BABY MEAL	Baby meals are available for children up to two years of age. These are generally off-the-shelf pasteurized baby food and include strained fruit, vegetables, meat, desserts and juices.
CHML	CHILD MEAL	Child meals are generally from two to six years old.
OTHER MEALS
SPML	SPECIAL MEAL	For very specific medical cases, i.g nut allergy. Use the entry: SRSPML - ALLERGIC TO NUTS
SFML	SEAFOOD MEAL	Seafood meal is made of lean fish such as sole, trout, hake kabeljou or haddock to name a few.

Nut allergy / Nut free flights

South African Airways are unable to provide a completely nut free flight. SAA cannot stop other passengers from bringing food on board that may contain traces of nuts and the particles may get into the air conditioning system. Additionally, the catering company may handle nuts in the same environment and therefore are unable to guarantee there would be no trace of nuts in the meal.

It is still possible to request a "no nuts" meal as a special meal (SPML-ALLERGIC TO NUTS), however it must be directed to our medical department in Johannesburg in order to be confirmed. Any relevant information must go in the OS, e.g. OS SA MEDA AWARE MUST CARRY MEDICATION IN HAND BAGGAGE

A passenger with a nut allergy must be treated as a medical case and booked as such. A doctor’s letter must be provided stating the following:

The degree of the allergy.
Whether the passenger could have an allergic reaction through breathing the air on board (e.g. airborne dust)
What medication does the passenger take to control a possible allergic reaction?
Any other information the doctor may consider relevant.
If syringes are used for medication the passenger will need a letter from their medical practitioner stating that syringes are carried for the use of the passenger due to their condition. This will help the passenger through security procedures.

Group seating

Typically we will request group seating as a block once a booking has been confirmed. However, if you wish to seat the group individually, please let our Groups team know so they can release the block and you will be able to book individual seat numbers via your GDS.

Seat Selection

Should they request it, customer seating can be booked in advance. For Saver (G, W and L) and Plus (V, T, Q, S and H) fares a fee applies.

Passengers not opting to select this new benefit will be able to select those seats still available, free of charge, once check-in opens (i.e. 24 hours before departure) or at one of our check-in counters at the airport.

Further information about seating

Exit Row Seats

Exit row seats can be bought at London Heathrow Airport on the day of travel for £75 (including all taxes).

Seating Plans

View the seating plans onboard our longhaul aircraft.

E-cigarettes

Passengers are allowed to travel with e-cigarettes in their cabin luggage. However, they are not permitted to be smoked on board the aircraft for the comfort and safety of other passengers.

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