Unless you’re traveling internationally, most airlines will charge you for food—and the options won’t necessarily be all that appealing. Not that long ago I was flying from St. Louis and was shocked to discover that no meal was offered on such a long flight. To make matters worse, the flight attendants mistaken the lady and child sitting next to me as my family. She offered the family snacks and they accepted and she gave me the bill. I was shocked when I saw that the snacks on ??? airline was over $25 for two people. I did not want to lady sitting next to me to feel bad so I paid the bill.
I learned my lesson, of course, and now always bring a snack. What I bring depends on many factors including how much time I have to prepare beforehand (e.g. do I prepare something at home or do I buy something at the airport), how long my flight is, and what time of day I’m flying. In general, I try to steer clear of foods that are too odiferous out of respect for my fellow passengers. And I try to choose things that will stay fresh for a while. For me, that usually means pretzels, a sandwich on a baguette (baguettes are important as they’re less likely to get soggy, like regular bread will) and some kind of fruit—I prefer apples or bananas.
Also, I saw a commercial about a lunch pack, “Packit” that keeps food cold or hot for 8 hours. This new and improve fold-up lunch pack is good for traveling with food that need to have some kind of temperature control; if you travel with these types of foods. This is an ideal travel package when traveling small children and family.
I have not used this product and can not verify its effectiveness and my company is not officially endorsing this product! If you have used this product Packit and would like to give a testimony feel free to add your comments:
In a follow up post I’d like to put together a list of the best snacks for airline travel—and I’d like your help.
What are some of the things that you think make for a good airline snack?
Do you think it’s worthwhile to consider your fellow passengers when packing food; ethic foods with very strong smells?
Or do you think that, with all of the fees and rules, it’s everyone for him or herself when it comes to eating in the air?
I’m eager to hear your thoughts!