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A Traveler’s Guide to Incredibly Shrinking Airplane Food Options
Top tips for a healthy, tasty culinary experience on your flight
Packing your own food for your flight is a healthy, reliable and cost-effective option to what your airline offers — if it offers anything at all.
Paul Spella (Getty Images,11)
Key takeaways
- Airlines are reducing or eliminating complimentary food on some shorter flights.
- Paid meals and snacks may require preorders, especially in the main cabin.
- Packing simple, sturdy foods can help travelers avoid messes, waste and extra costs.
Food offerings on airlines are trending smaller. On some shorter flights, they’re disappearing altogether.
As of this past May, only first-class passengers receive snack and drink service on Delta flights under 350 miles. In July, Hawaiian Airlines stopped serving free economy-class meals on most routes between Hawai‘i and the mainland, relinquishing its status as the last major U.S. airline to provide free meals on long-haul routes.
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Other major airlines have quietly scaled back, replacing or supplementing complimentary food service with paid meal and snack programs — at times available by preorder only. The shorter the flight, the less likely even a pack of pretzels and a soda will grace main-cabin travelers’ tray tables.
“With rising fuel costs, inflation and the need to control food waste driving what’s available for passengers to eat, nutrition and other health or cultural considerations fall by the wayside,” says Gretchen Dueñas-Tanbonliong, a registered dietitian and associate director of health and wellness at the National Council on Aging.
This introduces challenges for older travelers, who are more likely to struggle with low energy levels and need to maintain stable blood sugar levels, according to articles published by Harvard Medical School. Add in a food sensitivity or allergy and things get even trickier.
Money is a factor too. While flying is the preferred mode of travel for those 50 and older, according to AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey, 45 percent of respondents also said the high cost of airline travel gives them pause. “There’s nothing they offer on those airline menus that is ever worth what they charge,” says Lisa Pittman, a 51-year-old certified travel coach, who helps Black professional women 45 and older set intentions for travel and use it as a form of self-care as the Travel Docta.
We spoke with frequent fliers and others to get top tips and tactics for picking and packing airplane-friendly food to save money and fuel your trip.
Considerations when bringing food on a plane
Learn the top five challenges and how to handle them.
Spoiling: Limit meats, cheese and dressings that will spoil and always prioritize eating them first, ideally within two hours — the safety zone for perishable foods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ice packs extend the grace period. (See options in the tips below.)
Smells: Top offenders include onions, garlic, tuna and jerky. Steven Vigor, 64, CEO of luxury travel concierge agency Revigorate, likes bringing eggs for protein, so he developed a hack to help with the smell. “I place the egg slices in the middle of the sandwich so they’re well contained rather than exposed to the air.”
Sturdiness: Either skip foods that smash easily, like chips and soft berries, or transport them in a hard container that you can leave behind or reuse at your destination.
Saltiness: Err on the side of no or low-salt options. “Airplane cabins are already dehydrating,” says Karen Gershowitz, a 74-year-old travel photographer and author of Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust, among other books.
Mess factor: The airplane is no place for crumbly, leaky or mess-producing food. “Turbulence, spillage and not having enough napkins or wet wipes can make this an unpleasant experience for you and for your seatmates,” Pittman says.
What to bring to eat on your flight
Start with the preferred basics of our well-traveled pros, then customize or build out as you wish:
Sandwich or wrap: Keep them simple — no soggy tomatoes or lettuce that can wilt. Consider packing condiments or spreads on the side, to add before eating.
Fruit: Fresh fruit provides additional hydration, says Dueñas-Tanbonliong. Dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, cherries, mangoes and apricots travel well and are sweet enough to taste like a treat.
Nuts or trail mix: Almonds are a go-to for Jim Widder, a budget-travel blogger in his 60s. “They are easy to eat on a plane, serve as a good source of protein and fiber, and keep you feeling full longer than many other foods,” he says.
It’s worth noting that in 2024 a team of scientists in the U.K. released a study debunking the idea that peanut or tree nut particles can be transmitted through aircraft ventilation systems and pose a significant risk to passengers with allergies. Airlines will alert travelers near you about severe allergies. Also, consider wiping down your seat area to prevent contact transmission.
Protein bars: Pack extras in case of travel delays or unexpected blood sugar drops. Travel coach, writer and Gen Xer Heather Markel likes to be prepared with both sweet and savory options.
Tips and tricks when flying with food
Remember TSA restrictions
The Transportation Security Administration rule often associated with toiletries applies to food items too.
“Any food item larger than 3.4 ounces that can be spilled, spread, sprayed, pumped or poured — think liquids and gels — must be packed in a checked bag, not a carry-on,” says a TSA spokesperson. “That includes spreads, dips and sauces such as peanut butter, guacamole and salsa.”
Learn your limit
Dawn Younts, 50, cofounder of tour provider Explore Egyptian Nile Adventures, packs food for her regular flights between the U.S. and Egypt. She’s careful to bring only what she knows she’ll be able to eat on the plane. “It keeps my bag lighter, avoids waste and makes the trip through customs much simpler.”
Carry packets
Several of our pros sang the praises of small packets of nut butter and ranch dressing, in particular. They’re small enough to make it through TSA checkpoints and self-contained, to prevent a mess. Use them to supplement the food you carry on or to enhance an airline meal.
Stick with foods you know
Riding in close quarters at 30,000 feet in the air is not the time to realize a certain food doesn’t agree with your gastrointestinal system. Pittman recalls traveling with someone who brought along a new-to-them cereal. “She did not know how it was going to affect her stomach. That was not a very comfortable trip for her,” Pittman says.
Double-duty ice pack
Gel packs could be confiscated by TSA. Patti Morrow, who’s in her 60s and writes about boomer travel on the website Luggage and Lipstick, packs a resealable bag with ice since water in solid form is permissible. Another idea: Freeze a bottle of water to serve as your ice pack, then drink it once thawed on your flight.
Pack smart
Pittman prefers the flexibility of disposable bags for packing food. “I usually put my food in sandwich bags, and I will put those sandwich bags into a grocery bag, making it easy to pack into my personal item,” she says. “The grocery bag can then become a garbage bag for when I’m finished eating.”
It also provides double backup for leaks. Include wet wipes, disposable forks and a few extra napkins.
Improve your airline meal experience
If in-flight food’s available, review the pre-order options prior to check-in, especially (but not exclusively) if you have dietary restrictions. If you decide to go for it, think hot — in terms of spice and temperature. Altitude dulls your taste buds, so bringing on a TSA-friendly bottle or packet of hot sauce, or your favorite dried spices, can help make the food more palatable.
Also consider that raw salads, deli meats and seafood all come with an increased risk of bacteria, Dueñas-Tanbonliong says, adding that adults 65 and older are at higher risk for severe foodborne illnesses. Better to go with food options that are heated, which kills bacteria.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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