Should You Fly With Aeroflot? And Vegetarian/Hindu Meals Review
One of the oldest airlines and once the largest airline in the world, today fewer people are aware of its glory. I had a lot of choices when it came to choosing my flight to Moscow. However, when I had an opportunity to choose Aeroflot then why not? It is a truly Russian experience. A warm up before actually experiencing Moscow.
It was very emotional for me to step inside the plane. It was equally satisfying to see the comfortable seats, good leg space in economy class and well loaded in-flight entertainment system that included English and Russian movies and TV shows with English subtitles. I often read books on the flight or watch some movies and shows from the destination country! Believe me, I fell in love with some Russian movies and shows.
The service is pretty good. When I was flying with Aeroflot for the first time ever, I kind of found service a bit cold. I may attribute that to cultural difference. However, now I have changed my mind. I liked the service and of course speaking in Russian help!
Aeroflot Hindu Meal
When I was booking the flight I could choose from several meal options that included vegetarian and Hindu Meal. I have some stories where I ordered something thinking that it is something else, but I got something else. For example, I ordered a Hindu meal first time in Aeroflot and I received Chicken, in an Indian curry. I was expecting a vegetarian meal. However, I realized that I was wrong. A Hindu meal is not always vegetarian! A Hindu meal is anything that is prepared in Indian style. It may be vegetarian or may contain chicken, lamb, goat, and egg. A Hindu meal will not contain beef pork or pork. Below is the picture of Aeroflot’s Hindu meal. Please note below that chicken is included and it is not a vegetarian or vegan meal.
Aeroflot Hindu Vegetarian or Asian Vegetarian Meal
If you are looking for Hindu Vegetarian meal anyway then you should look for the keyword Hindu “vegetarian” or Asian Vegetarian meal. These meals should be vegetarian, slightly spicier and maybe curry based. When I was flying with Virgin Atlantic, I ordered an Asian Vegetarian meal and I got vegetarian Indian curry based food. However, Aeroflot defines Hindu/Asian Vegetarian meals as – “prepared without meat or fish, with limited use of dairy products”
Anyhow, I told the flight attendants that I made a mistake while selecting meal options. The flight attendant was very helpful, she told me she will try to adjust something and get me my food once she is done with the meal service. I patiently waited for about 15 minutes and she came back to me with a really big meal box containing Aeroflot’s vegetarian meal. It was supposed to be for someone in business class, but she had one extra.
Aeroflot’s Vegetarian Meal (Traditional Russian)
Aeroflot’s vegetarian meal gave a very traditional Russian feel. It included Grechka (Russian Buckwheat) with salt, with a side of salad, a bun, a loaf of black bread with cheese and butter and fortune cookies as dessert.
I forgot to take a picture of Aeroflot’s vegetarian meal. Next time when I get to try this I will remember to take a picture!
Aeroflot’s Vegan Meal
For vegans, Aeroflot has many options from traditional Russian to a general vegan meal box. The latter can be boring in my honest opinion. Going with the principles of this website, I suggest trying a traditional Russian vegan meal which is known as Lenten meal in Aeroflot. It is available under the Religious Dietary meals section.
Aeroflot’s Eastern Orthodox Lenten Meal
Many Russian Orthodox Christians follow a vegan diet for about 40 days before Easter and Christmas and some other religious days. This is known as Lent. There are some exceptions where Russian Orthodox Christians may eat seafood. Nevertheless, according to Aeroflot, Lenten meal is “prepared with vegetables, fruit, nuts, cooked cereals (porridge) and mushrooms and without meat, fish or dairy products.” some vegans do not eat mushrooms since it does not belong to plant kingdom. So I will leave that on you. When I was travelling to Bucharest from Moscow and Volgograd, it was right before orthodox Christmas and this meal choice was very popular in the flight.
Aeroflot’s Strictly Vegetarian and Fruit Meal
You will also find Aeroflot’s vegan meals mentioned as a Strict Vegetarian Meal in Aeroflot. According to Aeroflot, this is “strictly vegetarian meals prepared without ingredients of animal origin, milk or eggs”. You can also order a Fruit meal.
Aeroflot’s Kosher Meals and Halal meals
Aeroflot also offers Kosher meals. Unfortunately, I did not see anyone trying it. It is a common meal option for flights between Russia and Israel. Nevertheless, it does not mean that it is not available on other routes. Anyway, Kosher and Halal meals are not vegan or vegetarian, therefore, I will not go much deeper into this topic. If you are willing to order this meal simply mention it at the time of booking or call the flight or your travel agent.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a true Russian experience, I suggest you book Aeroflot. Most of the times it is cheaper than other airlines. Aeroflot is part of SkyTeam alliance which includes Air France, Delta, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. If you are scoring miles in this air alliance, definitely go for it. Personally, I will again choose Aeroflot because it is the cheapest option for me to travel to Russia. Next time, I will try choosing an Asian Vegetarian meal instead of a Hindu.
What Next?
Now that you are thinking of flying to Russia, learn if it is safe to travel to Russia. Also, read My Experience at the Immigration Checkpoint at Sheremetyevo. Learn how to reach the Moscow city centre from the airport. In addition, checkout our guide to survive as a vegan in Russia.
Will you fly with Aeroflot? Which meal are you going to order?
