Carrying lunch on a plane

[MommyMK]

I'm flying solo with my kids this week across the country. We're on Southwest so I don't believe there is meal service or meals available for purchase.

We'll leave our house at 7 am and I don't know what to pack them for lunch which will happen approx 5 hours later. I will have my hands pretty full as it is so I don't want to buy an overpriced sandwich at the airport and have another bag to juggle.

They don't eat peanut butter and jelly of any other variant, aka no Nutella, etc.

They are also bottomless pits so I need to bring something substantial, lots of snacks and figure out how to keep it all cold.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I've brought sandwiches from home, but also chewy bars, Lunchables, cold cuts and buns, popcorn, candies, gum or whatever I have to clear out of my fridge. I don't worry whether they are getting their veggies on the plane, but you could also bring some cut up veggies or fruit. I'm not sure if you can bring dip through security, though.

 

[Gracie09]

you can pack a small cooler as a carry on and use frozen peas or grapes as the "ice"

 

[pooch]

You could take a soft side cooler as one of your carry ons. You are only limited on your liquids. Do they eat any kind of sandwich? You could pack almost any kind of snacks except maybe yogurt. Probably no ice packs allowed due to the liquids issue. You could use frozen veggie boxes as a coolant!

 

[NotUrsula]

Rules for TSA. Foods that cannot hold their shape without a container are liquids, and must fit in your 3-1-1 baggies (one 3-1-1 baggie per paid passenger, but you can carry all of them. Names on the bags make it easier through TSA with kids.). Condiment packets must be in your baggies if you have them.

Condiments already on food don't count as liquids. Your choices for ice are bags of frozen fruit, or empty baggies to be filled with ice once you get airside. SWA serves drinks gratis, and they carry juices if that is what you prefer for the kids. You can bring empty water bottles through TSA and fill them airside.

Best to avoid foods with strong odors such as tuna, etc., but as long as it is not liquid, anything they like will be fine. My kids thought Lunchables were a high treat on planes; they didn't normally get those. Packing snacks in individual small ziploc baggies will make it easier to manage mess. Bring some wet wipes.

 

[bumbershoot]

We budget for the travel day and generally eat in the airport or on the plane (but with SW that's not an option). But our home airport spoils us for that since they have a deal with the non-unique merchants that they don't jack up the prices. But we still eat at other airports like Orlando if we are there with time enough to do so.

It's just part of the travel experience for us.

 

[MommyMK]

We budget for the travel day and generally eat in the airport or on the plane (but with SW that's not an option). But our home airport spoils us for that since they have a deal with the non-unique merchants that they don't jack up the prices. But we still eat at other airports like Orlando if we are there with time enough to do so.

It's just part of the travel experience for us.

We'll have to buy from the airport on the way home, but DH will be with us then. My main issue with buying from the airport on the way there is not the cost, but that we'd have to buy the food hours before we were ready to eat it and have to figure out a way keep it hot or cold.

 

[maxiesmom]

A cooler of sandwiches with grapes as the ice. Buy drinks past the security screening, or bring empty water bottles along. Pack some small packages of cheese and crackers, granola, trail mix, even small bags of sun chips are not horribly unhealthy.

 

[monorailsilver]

We flew in April. Our flight was at. Ion so just buying drinks at the gate was all I wanted to spend money wise!

I made egg salad sandwiches for me, my dh and my mom. I kept them in the cooler until we got to the airport at 10 and then they went in our back packs.

My kids don't eat that, well my youngest will and my middle is allergic to eggs and my oldest is 15 and turns her nose up at anything...

Anyways, they like chicken fries and we were going to my sisters/beach so would need lunch there. I preheated the thermos container so it stays warm (I do this for my son for school lunch too), cooked the chicken fries, wrapped them in foil and they were still,steaming hot when they ate them at around 11:30.

I have also done crackers and salami/pepperoni. They sell them in bags that don't need to be kept refrigerated and my kids like both.

If you are driving to the airport you can keep whatever it is you are bringing on ice til you have t pop get out of the car. If you are taking a shuttle/limo you can do the same and then just throw away the ice/ice pack/frozen juice box.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I echo what a lot of the other posters are saying, especially to use frozen grapes as the ice. Cheese and crackers would be pretty filling. Bananas are always a good healthy option and they don't even need to be refrigerated.

The only thing I would say is to consider who may be sitting around you in the plane. Of course, it's your prerogative to bring whatever you want (within TSA rules), but it's always good to be considerate of others. You mentioned your kids don't eat peanut butter, so you won't have a problem with that one. But consider things like other tree nuts, etc. Also, don't bring anything too smelly onto the plane. Some people are highly sensitive to scents (think...pregnant women). I flew at 15 weeks pregnant last year and wouldn't have been too excited if someone had plopped down next to me with a tuna sandwich.

One other thing to consider...I'm not sure how old your kids are, but would they be OK with adjusting their mealtime so as to eat prior to the flight (thus purchasing your food at the airport), and you can bring something to nibble on during the flight (like fruit snacks, etc.)? I understand with little kids, it would be difficult to change their mealtime (heck, my 8 month old is on set meal times), but if you've got middle schoolers or older, they can probably handle eating a little early (or perhaps late, depending on the flight time), just for one day.

 

[tjmw2727]

A cooler of sandwiches with grapes as the ice. Buy drinks past the security screening, or bring empty water bottles along. Pack some small packages of cheese and crackers, granola, trail mix, even small bags of sun chips are not horribly unhealthy.

We do this as well, sandwiches, snacks and fruit with frozen grapes for an ice pack in a soft sided cooler! Always purchase drinks after security so we have what we like when we want it instead of waiting on the FA.

 

[NotUrsula]

We budget for the travel day and generally eat in the airport or on the plane (but with SW that's not an option). But our home airport spoils us for that since they have a deal with the non-unique merchants that they don't jack up the prices. But we still eat at other airports like Orlando if we are there with time enough to do so.

It's just part of the travel experience for us.

We usually eat in airports as well, but it sounded like the flight that the OP was speaking of might be a transcon. A flight that long can be problematic - most kids won't handle a seven-hour gap between meals very well unless it is overnight. (Flight of about 6 hours, plus time to board and disembark.)

 

[DVC California]

On a early flight that would need a meal, we typically would hit up Subway and get a footlong sandwich, no condiments, no "wilty" or wet veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, etc) and just carry packs of mustard and mayo. They held up well enough (didn't spoil or get soggy), wasn't stinky and was enough for two meals transcontinental. Took along Pringles instead of bagged chips so the pressure wouldn't expand. Usually ate with beverage service.

 

[shyjade]

We like to pick up Jimmy Johns (subs) on the way to the airport to eat on the flight. For early-morning flights we pick it up the night before. It's easy to toss in our carry-on bag and usually grab a beverage at the airport (once we go through security) to bring on the plane.

 

[ParrotBill]

Be sure to put condiment packets in your 3-1-1 bag as they are considered liquids!

 

[Jillpie]

Make it easy on yourself. Stop at Dunkin donuts at your airport. Buy a bagel for each child, and have them put it in their own backpack. They can each pack a juice box or wait till they come around on the flight with drinks. Done. No trying to keep things cold, don't over think here, nice and easy.

 

[Gracie09]

Make it easy on yourself. Stop at Dunkin donuts at your airport. Buy a bagel for each child, and have them put it in their own backpack. They can each pack a juice box or wait till they come around on the flight with drinks. Done. No trying to keep things cold, don't over think here, nice and easy.

Can't pack a juice box. 311 rules (unless it's a very small juice box)

 

[shyjade]

Unless you buy the juice box at the airport after you've gone through security.

 

[Pembo]

Make it easy on yourself. Stop at Dunkin donuts at your airport. Buy a bagel for each child, and have them put it in their own backpack. They can each pack a juice box or wait till they come around on the flight with drinks. Done. No trying to keep things cold, don't over think here, nice and easy.

We had early morning flights our last two trips and I picked up bagels the night before at Panera. I also have the kids carry their own food in their backpacks including snacks. I am not a fan of eating in the airport. We always bring lots of our own food.

 

[Baklava]

Bagels and cream cheese. Cream cheese holds up well enough from morning until lunch time.

Lunchables are great but be careful to check- some of them now include a capri sun.

Hard boiled eggs and beef jerky. Fruit.