Emirates & Etihad Offer Iftar Meals While Qatar Airways Allows More Baggage For Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is currently underway. With many passengers of the Islamic faith traveling during this period, the big three Middle Eastern carriers have offered special conveniences to make their journeys more comfortable. This includes specially curated meals and even more baggage allowance on a particular route.

Emirates’ iftar boxes

Emirates is handing out meal boxes to fasting passengers both onboard and at boarding gates. At the airline’s lounges at Dubai International Airport (DXB), passengers can find traditional Arabic sweets, dates and coffee during Ramadan.

The lounges also offer a selection of hot and cold Arabic mezze, as well as lentil soup. For main course, there is Arabic mixed grill with tahina and chicken kabsa served with dakous and raita. And the selection of desserts includes kunafa pistachio cream, basboussa saffron, walnut kathayef ashta, and ice cream flavors of Arabic coffee and dates or baklawa, alongside a host of traditional Arabic sweets and pastries.

At select Emirates gates, fasting passengers are being offered complimentary iftar boxes to help break the fast. These contain water, laban, a banana, and dates. Onboard, customers breaking their fast across all cabins on select routes will be given nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes.

These include light bites from hummus with spinach and Arabic bread to tabbouleh with baba ghanoush, alongside sandwiches of Moroccan or zaatar chicken with pickled garlic mayonnaise. Desserts include almond chocolate or Arabic baklawa, cashew nut and pine seed baklawa flowers, traditional dates, and laban.

Photo: Emirates

Etihad’s offerings

At Etihad’s lounges in Abu Dhabi, New York, Washington DC, and London Heathrow, passengers are being offered laban, Vimto, karkade, date milk, hydrating cucumber refresher, and rose milk. Those who wish to break their fast at these lounges can have warm harira soup and lobster machbous ravioli to chicken biryani. For dessert, guests can have authentic Ramadan treats with a modern twist, such as Vimto cheesecake, rose and pistachio mahalabia and rangeena.

Photo: Nicolas Economou | Shutterstock

Premium travelers onboard Etihad planes are being given lentil soup with fried chaami cheese, lamb and date meatballs with saffron rice, and the classic warm umm ali dessert. Those looking for lighter options can go for an iftar salad.

Economy passengers can enjoy Arabic mezze, braised lamb with vermicelli rice, fried onion, and almond, and for dessert, they will be served Vimto mousse with khabeesa. Etihad guests who break their fast before landing are being given iftar bags decorated with traditional Emirati artwork, containing Laban, water, and dates.

Photo: Etihad

Related

Can Muslim Pilots Observe Fasts During Ramadan?

On-duty Muslim pilots do not have to fast during Ramadan.

Qatar Airways is doing its bit during the holy month by offering an extra 15kg baggage allowance free of charge to passengers flying between Doha and Jeddah from March 15 to April 10.

Photo: Max Walter | Shutterstock

The carrier operates 35 weekly flights to Jeddah from its hub at Hamad International Airport, and its overall network in Saudi Arabia comprises 10 destinations – AlUla, Dammam, Qassim, Jeddah, Medina, Neom, Riyadh, Tabuk, Taif, and Yanbu.

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