The trip discussed hereis finally coming to pass on Monday. It will be about 2.5 hours on Southwest Airlines. I have all my ducks in a row re the flight itself (I guess those would be flying ducks) thanks in part to the advice I got here.
Next question: what do you carry with you to eat during the flight? Or do you take anything at all?
Even 10 years ago, real food was no longer served in flight. You got a mini sub sandwich and maybe a small package of cookies. And of course, the peanuts. Sandwiches, etc., bought at the airport were outrageously expensive.
What do you frequent flyers do about food?
*Nostalgic moment: *My first husband and I (c. 1972) had a friend who worked for Continental Airlines (“The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail”) and through him we acquired a collection of those little square plastic plates and the square-ish, appropriately named flatware. Probably contributed to the airline’s demise.
I just take some trail mix, along with an empty water bottle (which I fill after going through security). That’s usually enough to tide me over until I can get a real meal.
When we are leaving from home, we try to bring bananas, cheese, sandwiches, chocolate. It’s not easy taking some decent food through TSA security so we often end up buying what is available in the sterile airport concourse. (I always get nailed for the chocolate and cheese because the TSA X-ray thinks both are C4. And just forget the mayo.)
Some of the pre-made sandwiches in the airport aren’t bad, but not cheap. Often fast food is the only thing available, but smelly. Your fellow passengers might not appreciate that. Sometimes we don’t care.
What I have noticed is when we are tagged with TSA-Pre, getting through security is a snap. If we have TSA-Pre leaving home, it’s much easier to get food through security.
One thing we always do is bring Mio. We add it to the water we buy in the airport, if we don’t have empty water bottles we can fill past security.
ETA: Southwest isn’t as friendly as it used to be. If you get some decent, friendly flight attendants on your flight, enjoy them. The last several we had (we flew in November) couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the passengers. Maybe you should post again later telling us about your flight experiences.
If you are a frequent flyer you might have been selected for TSA-Pre by the airline, for that flight. Otherwise, it’s a program you can join, at your expense and after a background check by TSA.
Nuts! Cashews, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, hazelnuts. For me, nuts are the most compact source of energy - they don’t take up too much space, but they can tide you over a long time. I’ve heard the stories about having someone with allergies on board and the pilot asking everyone to not take out nuts, but it hasn’t happened to me so far.
Dark chocolate is also good, though it can make you crave milk.
On some longer flights recently: chocolate, nuts (although I didn’t eat those), currant buns. Something solid that you bite pieces off of is the most convenient.
I try to bring things that are quiet, non-smelly, and have little messy trash. Nuts, trail mix, cheese crackers, Fig Newtons, chocolate (this is a must), granola bars, dried apricots, that sort of nibbly stuff. Stuff that won’t get crushed in my really stuffed to the hilt carry-on or purse. No messy sandwiches, or anything that requires more assembly than slipping a piece of cheese on a cracker. I have bathroom issues so I try to limit large meals before or between flights…don’t want to need a sudden run to the bathroom when you aren’t allowed up from your seat. Always amazed at the people eating huge meals and giant coffees right before boarding. My digestive tract moves things through quick, so I pretty much fast before flying and only nibblies during.
TSA has never had an issue with my food or my knitting, and now they assign me to PreCheck almost every flight, so it’s all good.
Is flying once every 10 years frequent enough? I guess not.
I followed the link. But I don’t want their hype, I want your [del]hype[/del] experience from your own two lips.
Well, they were always a cattle car airline, but at least they were fun. And back in the day they offered adistraction from the cattle car environment .
If the flight is near a mealtime, and the meal won’t be served (flights I take that are long enough to interfere with meals tend to be international, which do serve food still), I eat at the airport beforehand.
Having said that, whenever I’m traveling somewhere, I take a fistful of protein bars for emergency backup during the trip. They go in my carry-on in case there is a delayed takeoff situation or whatever.
I don’t take anything. If it’s going to be a flight over meal time and the airline doesn’t serve a meal (the one I usually travel on does) then I’ll have something at the airport before I go.
I don’t usually bring food on the plane. I almost always eat a meal prior to boarding.
On the flight, I like to get the little “snack pack” deals that have lots of individually wrapped bits and bobbins. I’m one of those “busy hands” people and those things keep me occupied for a good chunk of time. These are often available even when there’s no actual meal service.
The last few times I thought I’d need a meal, it has been a burrito from the local taqueria. Easy on, easy off from I90 near O’Hare.
Easy to eat and the salsa cups fit into the transparent ziplocks just fine.
I’ll get a coffee or beers at the airport but hard pressed to buy what they’re calling food. By hard pressed, I mean affording it AND keeping it down.
I also keep a couple ounces of almonds in my carry on bag, just in case.
As it happens, I’m flying tomorrow. I’ll probably buy a cold sandwich in the terminal and have it with the soda provided by the airline. (I figure most cold sandwiches don’t smell too much.)
Sorry to hear that.
