Enabling equitable and inclusive travel experiences for dysphagia patients: a call to action for the aviation industry.
Anthony Cino, Unnathi Annapurna Shashikumar, Kelly Troxell and 2 others
PMID 41994218WHAT IT FOUND
Major US airlines lack texture-modified meals for dysphagia patients.
Menus are heavily concentrated on thin liquids and regular solid foods, leaving those requiring IDDSI levels 2 through 6 with almost no safe options.
Key findings
01Airline menus are dominated by IDDSI Level 0 thin liquids and Level 7 regular foods, with very few items in the intermediate texture-modified levels.
02Special meals like vegetarian or gluten-free do not address the texture and consistency changes needed for safe swallowing.
03Airlines should expand offerings to include IDDSI Levels 2 through 7 to support safe swallowing and reduce reliance on passengers bringing their own supplies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Classification was performed by a single reviewer, introducing potential subjective bias. The study relied on online menu descriptions, which may not reflect actual in-flight food texture or preparation. The review was limited to three major US airlines and may not generalize to international carriers. This is a descriptive review of public information, not a clinical trial or observational study of patient outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors received funding from the Dysphagia Research Society, Lehigh University, and the Lehigh-Geisinger Joint Investment Fund.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that airline food causes aspiration pneumonia. This study only describes the lack of texture-modified menu options; it did not measure patient outcomes or safety incidents during flights.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →