Budget airlines offer a low-frills and low-cost way to get to your travel destination. One of the “frills” is making the in-flight meal an optional part of your trip – which you can choose to pre-order, order on-board the flight or completely do away with.
For those who are deciding to only book your meals on board your flights, don’t be surprised if you happen to look to your right and see that your seat partner has some additional items than wasn’t on the menu. When politely asked, they explain that they had pre-ordered their meal.
If you plan to eat a meal, pre-ordering your in-flight meal is worth considering on your next trip. However, you might be wondering if there are any differences to just ordering your meal on-board the flight?
To delve further into this question, here is a guide to budget airlines flight meal options.
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How To Pre-Order In-Flight Meals
In-flight meals can be pre-ordered when you purchase your flight tickets. Depending on your selected flight fare, pre-ordered meals may already be included. If you’ve already booked a flight without a pre-ordered meal, you can still choose to pre-order a meal by managing your booking. Once on board, you may need to provide your boarding passes or flight itinerary as proof of your pre-order purchase.
By pre-ordering your meals, you are guaranteed to receive your selected meals. This is unlike ordering on-board, where there’s a chance that your preferred meal is unavailable. In some instances, pre-ordering meals can also give you more variety.
Popular Budget Airlines In Singapore
We look at the flight meal options for three of Singapore’s popular budget airlines: Scoot, Air Asia and Jet Star.
| Airlines | Pre-order meal prices | On-board meal prices |
| Scoot | $6 to $18.50 | $12 to $20 |
| Air Asia | $3 to $5 | $2.34 to $5.27 |
| Jet Star | $6.99 to $16.99 | $13 to $19 |
*Prices as of 6/6/2023
The flight meal options available on these airlines differ slightly in their prices. This is because there is a difference in the variety of food provided, ala carte and set meal pricing and more. It is to be noted that menus on-board flight may vary depending on the travel destination.
#1 Scoot
Scoot’s ‘FlyBagEat’ and ‘ScootPlus’ fares include one pre-ordered meal per flight along with additional privileges. If you’ve booked their ‘Fly’ and ‘FlyBag’ fares, you have to add-on pre-ordered meals.
To avoid being served an alternative meal on-board, Scoot recommends to pre-order meals at least 72 hours in advance to your scheduled flight time.
What’s On The Menu
| Pre-order food items (Inclusive of drink, ice cream and cookies) | Price | |
| Hot Meals | – Signature Laksa – Carrot Cake – Stewed Beef Brisket Hor Fun – Soy Sauce Chicken and Egg with Rice – Nasi Lemak – Japanese Chicken Curry with Rice – Roasted Chicken Thigh in Black Pepper Sauce with Quinoa Pilaf – Chicken Gulai with Rice (Halal) – Oriental Treasure Rice (Halal) – Black Pepper Beef with Rice (Halal) – Herbal Chicken with Mixed Brown Rice (Halal) – Ragout Of Chicken and Potato (Halal) – Ginger Teriyaki Chicken with Rice (Halal) |
$18.50 |
| Vegetarian Meals | – Pumpkin Farfalle with Tomato Concasse – Minestrone Soup with Multi Grains (Halal) – Dahl Curry Basmati Rice (Halal) |
|
| Light Meals | – Turkey Ham and Gruyere Cheese Croissant – Turkey Ham and Egg Wrap – Mushroom Swiss Wrap – Sweet Chicken Bread Roll – Arabica Pita Wrap with Zucchini Patties and Potato Salad (Halal) – Sweet Chicken Bread Roll (Halal) – Pumpkin Seeds and Gouda Cheese with Laugen Bread (Halal) Vegetarian Options: Corn Baguette with Chicken Fillet |
$16.50 |
| Pandan Chiffon Set | $6 | |
| Old Chang Kee Curry Puff | $10 | |
| Snack Pack – Two drinks and three snacks | $15 | |
| Celebration Cake combo with non-alcoholic/alcoholic drinks | $29/$36 | |
| Onboard food items (All meals are halal) | ||
| Hot Meals | – Nasi Lemak – Oriental Braised Beef – Ragout of Chicken & Potato – Yam Rice with Chicken – Herbal Chicken with Mixed Brown Rice – Ginger Teriyaki Chicken with Rice |
$12 |
| Vegetarian Meals | – Dahl Curry Basmati Rice – Minestrone Soup with Multi Grains |
|
| Light Meals | Chicken Teriyaki Wrap Vegetarian Option: Grilled Vegetable Wrap |
$9 |
| Combo | Light/hot meal+ Coca cola/Mineral water Light/hot meal+ Red wine/White wine |
$12/$15 $17/$20 |
| Others | Instant Noodles | $6 |
Scoot offers a wide range of meals, including vegetarian and halal meals. Its pre-ordered menu is not only more than double its on-board menu, but is also served with a drink, cookies and ice cream.
While its onboard meal options are priced on an ala carte basis, you can choose to purchase a combo set along with your meals for an extra $3 to $8. If you were to order a hot combo meal on board, priced at $15, you will still have to top up more for a snack and dessert to get an equivalent pre-ordered meal. This is likely more expensive than pre-ordering your meal.
#2 AirAsia
AirAsia’s “Value Pack” and “Premium Flex” bundle fare deals are inclusive of one pre-ordered meal per flight, while pre-ordered meals are an additional expense on ‘Low Fare’ flights.
Passengers are allowed to select up to two pre-ordered meals per flight. AirAsia recommends for meals to be pre-booked at least 24 hours before your scheduled flight time.
What’s On The Menu
| Pre-ordered food items to Malaysia (Inclusive of one complimentary bottled water) | Price | |
| Hot Meals | – Prawn & Chicken Wonton Noodles – Thai Basil Chicken with Rice – Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce – Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak – Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice – Bukhara Chicken Biryani |
$5 |
| Vegetarian Meals | Hyderabad Vegetable Biryani | |
| Light Meals | – Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken – Chicken and Cheese Sandwich |
$3 |
| On-board food items* | ||
| Hot Meals | – Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak – Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice – Thai Basil Chicken with Rice – Bukhara Chicken Biryani – Chicken Rendang with Basmathi Rice |
$4.98 – $5.27 |
| Vegetarian Meals | – Hyderabad Vegetable Biryani – Vegetable Curry with Biryani Rice |
|
| Add-on option | Hot Meal + Teh Tarik or White Coffee or Calamansi Oolong Tea | $0.88 |
| Light Meals | – Chicken and Cheese Sandwich – Honey Sesame Roasted Chicken Wrap |
$2.63 |
| – Black & Pink Roll Cake – Mum’s Butter Cake |
$2.34 | |
| Combo | – Chicken and Cheese Sandwich or Honey Sesame – Roasted Chicken Wrap + Nescafe Classic Arabica or English Breakfast Tea |
$3.51 |
| Beverages | – Calamansi Oolong Tea – Vietnamese Iced Coffee – English Breakfast Tea – White Coffee – Green Tea – Teh Tarik |
$1.76 |
| – Matcha Latte – Hot Chocolate |
$2.05 | |
| Others | Instant Noodles | $1.76 |
| Snacks | $0.88 – $4.09 | |
| Combos | Mix and Match: Snacks and Drinks | $2.92 |
| Grab and Go Boxes – Juice, chocolate and assorted snacks | $2.92 | |
| Movie Combos – Pringles + Drink/Tortilla Chips with Guacamole Dip + Drink | $3.51/$5.27 | |
* On-board food items are priced in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) and converted to Singapore Dollars at a rate of SGD1: MYR 3.41.
AirAsia’s meals are halal. Meal options on its onboard and pre-ordered menus are the same with the exception that pre-ordered meals come with a complimentary bottled water.
Meals can also differ in prices and variety depending on the AirAsia flight you take. For instance, Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak costs $6 on Thai AirAsia which is $1 more than the same meal on Malaysia Air Asia.
Additionally, there are added combo options available such as grab and go boxes which are priced at $2.92. These boxes provide both a kid-friendly snack option and a light assortment of snacks for adults. There are also movie combos priced at $3.52 and $5.27 for chips with a side of dip and drink. Both options drive a good bargain for those looking for light indulgences instead of heavy meals.
#3 Jetstar
Jetstar’s ‘Plus’ and ‘Max’ fares are inclusive of one inflight meal, while its ‘Starter’ and ‘Flex’ fares do not.
It is recommended to make your pre-orders more than 24 hours before your scheduled flight timing. If you happen to miss the timing, in-flight vouchers will be provided instead.
What’s On The Menu
| Pre-order food items (Inclusive of bottled water and ice cream) | Price | |
| Hot Meals | – Beef Rendang with Nasi Putih – Hainanese Chicken Rice – Sweet and Sour Fish with Egg Fried Rice – Chicken Meatball with Vegetables |
$16.99 |
| Vegetarian Meals | – Spiral Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin and Edamame Channa Masala with Garlic Naan – Mapo Tofu with Ee Fu Noodle – Jain Meal: Moong Daal Tadka With Jeera Pulao |
|
| Light Meals | – Cheesy Tuna Mayo Croissants – Roasted Chicken with Thyme Sandwich – Carrot Cake with Shrimp – Assorted Dim Sum Vegetarian Options: Herb Focaccia with Mozzarella Cheese and Red Capsicum Relish Spread |
$14.99 |
| Gluten-free Banana with Dark Chocolate Chip Cupcake Duo | $10.99 | |
| – Muffin and Water – Citrus Custard Danish |
$6.99 | |
| Others | In-flight Vouchers | $10/$20 |
| On-board Meals | ||
| Hot Meals | – One Pot Chicken Mushroom Rice – Beef Goulash with Crackers |
$13 |
| Vegetarian Meals | Buckwheat Vegetable Stew | |
| Combo | Hot Meal + Seaweed or Chicken Sausage + Non-alcoholic drink | $19 |
| Snacks and Drinks | Speciality Snacks | $5 – $9 |
| Local snacks | $2 – $6 | |
| Beverages | $4 | |
| Others | Instant Noodles | $6 |
Jetstar’s pre-ordered meal options include a bottled water and ice cream. You can also purchase inflight voucher to use on board for food, drinks or duty-free items. While there is a variety of meals on its pre-order menu, its onboard menu is limited to four types of meals, including a hot meal combo. Pre-ordered meals cost $4 more but comes with a bottled water and ice cream tub.
Pre-ordering meals on Jetstar offers both value for money and gives you much more options, from hot meals to light snacks and gluten-free meals.
On shorter haul flights, Jetstar may limit their pre-order menus to serve only light meals. For instance, a trip from Singapore to Malaysia. For longer haul flights to cities such as Perth, the full menu is served.
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