Celebrating a Birthday or Other Special Occasion in the Air

If you happen to be flying on your birthday or are otherwise flying on a special occasion (e.g. honeymoon, anniversary) on some airlines, you or someone else can call the airline to request special services like a birthday cake. This list isn’t meant to be at all exhaustive, but just a sampling of what certain airlines offer.

Singapore Airlines

Although I can’t find anything on their website to validate this, Singapore Airlines is well-known to provide cakes for special occasions. Unlike what some people might believe, this is not automatic, even if you have elite status with Singapore, so your best bet is for someone to call Singapore and preorder whatever you want rather than be disappointed. Their US contact number is 1-800-742-3333.

Korean Air

Korean Air specifically lists “Birthday/Honeymoon Cake” as a special meal, which I think is pretty cool. You can order one just like ordering any other special meal by calling Korean at 1-800-438-5000.

Asiana Airlines

I’m super excited to fly Asiana early next year, partly because they advertise so many “special” in-flight services (has anyone actually experienced any of these things?). One of the special services they offer is a celebration party, which they say you can apply for in-flight, although it probably wouldn’t hurt to give them a call at 1-800-227-4262 prior to your flight.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is known to offer cake for special occasions, but it’s not complimentary, unlike the three airlines listed above. You can call reservations at 1-800-233-2742 to preorder and pay for a cake. It’s also possible to get something more informal in-flight, as people have reported receiving champagne or business class desserts on their birthdays while flying economy, which you wouldn’t have to pre-order or pay for.

Emirates

Similar to Korean Air, Emirates lists “cakes” as a special meal that you can order at the time of booking. Unlike Korean, I believe you need to pay for the cake on Emirates. You can contact Emirates from the US at 1-800-777-3999

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic advertises a personalized celebration service, where you can preorder things like a bottle of champagne or a celebration cake. This is also a paid service, to the best of my knowledge. Virgin’s US reservations line can be reached at 1-800-862-8621.

Have you ever celebrated a birthday or special occasion in-flight? What was your experience?