Take a flight and starve

by Doug Lipp on April 7, 2009

111I feel sorry for “rookie” travelers who think business or vacation travel means good food, drink and relaxation. How often do we hear the following at the beginning of our flights?

“Ladies and gentlemen, during our flight today we will be offering a wide variety of snack boxes for sale in our economy cabin. You may choose your favorite from the following:

#1 The fresh fruit and cheese box. This contains a healthful combination of organically-grown fruit and superb selection of low-fat cheeses.

#2 Our deli turkey sandwich. This is a robust offering filled with free-range turkey meat.

#3 Our vegetarian wrap. Only the freshest, locally-grown veggies are in this feast.

#4 The “snacker surprise.” This beauty is full of enough empty-calorie, highly-processed, trans-fat-laden, sodium-enriched goodies to satisfy your junk food cravings for years to come.

The flight attendant intones, “Each box is yours for a mere $5. Also, I was just informed that our selection is extremely limited on today’s flight … number four is the only meal available. Plus, we only take credit cards issued by our mileage partner. No cash. Bon appetit.”

Take a flight and either starve, or subject your body to a chemical invasion that shouldn’t be legal. Sorry, that’s the reality of air travel these days. You’re on your own out there. Also, don’t even think of grabbing a quick snack at the airport food court unless, of course, you’re willing to wait in a line that wraps around the terminal several times. Connecting flight? Forget it, let’s eat!

The answer? Pack your own food. I take enough zip-lock bags of granola, nuts and fruit to feed a family of five, and I usually travel alone. As a matter of fact, I’m getting so tired of the looks of envy from my fellow passengers that I’m planning to sell my snacks on future flights. Cash and credit cards accepted.

“Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”
Winston Churchill

Doug Lipp is author of Stuck in the Middle Seat

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Tagged as: Airplane food

  • Aaron

    Hi Doug.

    I whole heatedly agree that one should pack your own food. I would like your opinion on the following that I have seen discussed elsewhere:

    You pack your snack mix with granola, nuts, etc. Just as you are getting ready to take it out, a Flight Attendant comes on the PA and announces that a passenger has a severe peanut allergy, and therefore asks everyone to refrain from opening any items containing peanuts.

    What would be your advice in this matter? Personally, I have not run into this myself, but it is a hypothetical that I can see occurring.

  • Frank

    You pack your snack mix with granola, nuts, etc. Just as you are getting ready to take it out, a Flight Attendant comes on the PA and announces that a passenger has a severe peanut allergy, and therefore asks everyone to refrain from opening any items containing peanuts.
    ========================================================

    I’ve only made this announcement, once in the past 10 years. If a passenger with peanut alleries thinks that just because the airline is serving pretzels, that they are in a peanut free zone, they are wrong. I see passengers with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cans of mixed nuts and snack mixes. etc.
    Secondly, meals for the most part disappeared after 9-11-01. The flying public ” supported the low cost carriers who did not offer them. Price was more important then meals. So, the legacy carriers responded to be competitive on cost. Clearly, a way that passengers have shaped the industry regarding service.
    I NEVER fly the position where you sell meals. It’s too abusive. You run out of the passengers “first choice” in the first 10 rows. And, out of “all” meals near the back of the plane. It’s terrible to see someone holding their money out and you’ve just run out of meals. I try to sneak some snacks out of first class for them.
    And, then there’s the complaining about the meal. They eat half of it only to discover it has (insert ingredients here) inside. “You didnt tell me it had cranberries on this!” Of course, they want their money back. And, of course they didnt clearly read the description of the meals for sale in the inflight magazine.
    Bring your own food, people. I do. They dont feed me anymore either.

  • Wrona

    I too bring my own food – enough to share with others. I usually travel with some oatmeal breakfast bars, some granola bars or peanut butter crackers, some almonds, and some dried fruit. If the peanut announcement was made, I would still be able to eat the oatmeal breakfast bars and dried fruit. Even the almonds should be okay if only peanuts are restricted as they are from a different nut family than peanuts.

  • The Walking Conundrum

    And to think that in the not so distant past, the meals that use to pass as airline food bore the brunt of countless comedian’s jokes.

    Ahhhh how time changes perspectives……

  • Susan

    My experience with a peanut allergy mother was to finally tell her to get off the plane and drive. This woman was completely out of control, wanting everyone within three rows of her to dump their carry-ons so she could inspect for peanut products. The flight attendants were busy but it didn’t take long for passenger revolt. I’ll be damned if I’m going to forfieit the food I brought for a five-hour flight and I was not alone. She and her son left the plane. I felt sorry for the kid, but mom was out of control.

    Peanut allergies are not a global problem. If you’ve got them, you deal with them. It’s not my job. I’m compassionate, but this sense of entitlement that so many people have has now become firmly entrenched in the peanut allergy people and it’s going to stop. They can drive. I don’t care.

    I will not fly any airline that accommodates peanut allergies at the expense of other passengers.

  • Mike G

    I completely agree with Susan. Not to sound too cold-hearted, but “your” peanut allergies are really not my problem. The needs of the one cannot outweigh those of the many. That being said, I’ll ususally travel with a bag of goldfish crackers, so the peanut issue is a non-starter generally.

  • jlawrence01

    Or you can show up at the airport early and actually eat some pretty decent meals – depending on the airport – and not worry about how bad the food was.

    People bitched and moaned about how bad the airline meals were, especially in coach, and now complain that they don’t have meals in coach.

    And a lot of us moved to the low cost carriers because we saw no need to pay signficantly more for mediocre food bundled with mediocre service.

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