To eat halal on a long-haul flight, order the Muslim meal (Delta, for one, lists it under the code MOML) at least 24 hours before departure, or fly with an airline that serves halal food to everyone on board. To pray, know that the Quran allows travellers to shorten the prayer and that the Prophet ﷺ combined prayers on journeys. Scholars differ on the details, so settle your approach with your own scholar before you fly. To fast, the Quran allows a traveller to make up missed days later. The rest is planning: wudu before boarding, a window seat, and a prayer room at each end.
How do I order a halal meal on a plane?
Ask for the Muslim meal when you book, or add it through the airline's booking management page afterwards. Here is what four airlines' own pages say:
- Delta lists the Muslim Meal under the code MOML and says: "All Muslim meals are Halal certified and do not contain pork, by-products of pork or alcohol." Requests must be made at least 24 hours before departure.
- Lufthansa describes its Muslim meal as having no pork or game and no alcohol, with all meat and poultry certified as slaughtered according to halal guidelines. You can order up to 24 hours before departure at no extra cost. Special meals are usually offered in Economy on flights longer than 185 minutes and in Business on flights longer than 60 minutes.
- Emirates says plainly: "All our meals are halal certified."
- Malaysia Airlines says every meal served on board is prepared in full compliance with halal standards, and recommends pre-booking meals at least 24 hours before departure.
Delta also advises passengers who have ordered a special meal to tell the gate agent and a flight attendant. We'd do that on any airline.
For more on how individual carriers treat Muslim passengers, see our airline guides.
Can you shorten and combine prayers when you travel?
The Quran gives travellers a concession. In Dr Mustafa Khattab's translation, The Clear Quran, Surah An-Nisa 4:101 begins: "When you travel through the land, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer". The verse continues with a reference to fear of attack, and scholars differ on how that bears on ordinary travel.
The hadith record shows the Prophet ﷺ combining prayers on the road. Sahih al-Bukhari 1107 reports that he "used to offer the Zuhr and Asr prayers together on journeys, and also used to offer the Maghrib and Isha' prayers together."
Scholars differ on the details: how far you must travel, how long the concession lasts, and whether to combine early or late. Decide your approach with your own scholar before the trip, so you aren't working it out over the Atlantic.
How do you pray in your seat?
If standing isn't practical, ask your scholar before the trip how to pray seated. It's also worth asking the crew whether there's a quiet corner near the galley where you can stand for a few minutes. A window seat gives you a wall to face and a little privacy.
There is a relevant hadith. Sahih al-Bukhari 1094 reports that the Prophet ﷺ "used to offer the Nawafil, while riding, facing a direction other than that of the Qibla." That narration is about voluntary prayers on a mount. How it applies to obligatory prayers on an aircraft is a question for your scholar, not for us.
Make wudu at the airport before you board and keep it if you can. Bring a travel spray bottle and a thin prayer mat or a large scarf.
How do you find the qibla at 35,000 feet?
Use the moving map on your seatback screen to see where you are, then work out roughly where Makkah lies from there. Check the qibla direction for your departure city before you board, so you have a reference point. You can also ask the crew which way the aircraft is heading. Do your best, and don't let the search for precision cost you the prayer.
Save your departure and arrival cities on our prayer times page before you leave, in case your phone doesn't update its time zone in the air.
Do you have to fast while travelling?
The Quran gives travellers an alternative. In The Clear Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:184 says: "But whoever of you is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺." The next verse, 2:185, repeats the concession and adds: "Allah intends ease for you, not hardship".
Some travellers choose to keep the fast in the air; others make the days up later. Scholars differ on questions such as when to break your fast when you're flying with or against the sun, so ask your scholar. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before you fast on a long flight.
Where can you pray at the airport?
Plenty of big hubs have prayer rooms. Two good examples:
- London Heathrow has multi-faith prayer rooms in every terminal. They are shared, quiet spaces open to everyone, and the airport asks users to respect the needs of others.
- Hamad International, Doha has spacious prayer rooms throughout the terminal, with separate areas for men and women and dedicated ablution facilities. If you're leaving the airport, there's also a public mosque just outside the terminal, within walking distance of the Departures Hall.
On a long connection, a proper prayer room, wudu and a fresh start before the next flight can change how the whole journey feels. Find more mosques on the ground in our mosque directory.
Edited by Jeloni, editor-in-chief. Researched and drafted with AI assistance; every fact in this article was checked against its sources.
