Changing planes, eating, airport questions...

[elgerber]

OK, not sure if the title of that made much sense or not, but here goes. We are flying on connecting flights this trip for the first time (fares too cheap to pass up). We land in Cincinatti/Covington at 6:07and then take off again at 7:10 pm. This is dinner time. Since there are on meals on the plane, will we have enough time to grab something to eat and still make our connecting flight? Can we grab something fast food and take it on the plane with us?? Is anyone familiar with the food options at this airport? Ironically I used to fly this airport a few times a year until I was a teenager but I'm sure it's all changed since then. One last question, if we can grab food and take it on the plane, what about drinks, I would imagine we couldn't properly stow those for take off??

Thanks!!!

Erika

 

[crisi]

I'm not familiar with that airport, but I always carry my own bottled water on a plane (get dehydrated easily there) and lots of people do (or bring your own bottle of soda). Also, you won't be the first person in the "no meals" era to brown bag it. Lots of people grab something and bring it on the plane. I'm more fond of sandwiches myself, as it will be a good half hour or more between the time you board and time time you are able to eat - fast food burgers really don't hold up well.

As I said, I'm not familiar with that airport, but being that food is scarce on planes nowadays, almost all terminals I have been in have had SOMETHING available.

 

[CarolA]

One question. Where are you starting?
That makes a difference. In Cinncinatti there are several terminals. If you are on Comair for your first or second leg you will be in terminal C and may have to bus to the A/B Terminal. This takes a few minutes and could reduce your time to buy food.

As for carrying on food, go ahead!!! They don't care. They will sometimes take up open drinks, but you could always wait to eat until they give you the soft drinks. This airport has all your basic fast food. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut (it just kind of depends on your terminal again!)

 

[hercamore]

Hi there,

I am not familiar with Cinci airport, but am familiar iwth having 1 or 2 connections usually traveling to Fl.

You don't have a lot of connection time to eat especially if you are dealing with kids along.

Your plane will probably board 30 minutes early, remember.

We always bring BOTTLED water and pop along with some munchies to eat on the plane. The bottles will easily fit in the seat pocket in front of you during the flight. When we are making connections, we uusally hightail it to the departing gate area, and then someone goes to get fastfood nearby to bring back to the gate area.. There is usually some sort of fast food near most gate areas in every airport I've been in. You could probably do a search and find the Cinci airport website for more info. Btw, many people bring fast food on the plane these days, but personally I think it's a hassle to eat in those tiny seats.

Have fun on your trip.

herc.

 

[elgerber]

Thanks everyone. I am travelling from Minneapolis on Delta, since you asked. I'm sure dinner time will be a pain, but what can we do, gotta take the bargains where we can find them!!!

Erika

 

[zulaya]

Hi Erika--

We just did MSP to MCO on Delta! We went thru Cinci on the way back and our gates were in the same terminal. We weren't on Comair. There is a huge food court in the center of each terminal.

In the one were were in, there was KFC, Campbell's Soup (I know, weird), Burger King and a couple others. We stopped at the food court on the way to the gate we needed to board at - this was at 4pm, so a little early for the dinner rush - and we were pretty much in and out of line.

We walked to the gate and still had about 15 minutes before they even started to board.

The nice thing about Cinci is the individual terminals are short in terms of distance. They are probably only half as long as a terminal in Atlanta.

As long as you aren't late getting in...which truthfully, Delta has been so on time with the trips we have taken with them this year...you should have no problem grabbing so food.

As far as drinks...as long as you hold them, I don't think you have to stow them. You just can't have the little table thing down during takeoff.

Have fun and do'nt stress. I already did that this past trip, and it wasn't needed.

 

[seashoreCM]

You can put non-perishable food like boxes of cereal in your carry-on luggage.

On a tight schedule, I suggest going through security first and buying the food inside the secure area, near your gate. Try not to bring take out food through security, it could get spilled.

Consider holding off on a meal until after you get to Orlando Airport on your last day and return home. This gives you more time in the park (if a late departure) or less hectic packing (if an early departure). Depending on how much time you made it back to the airport in, you can eat at the gate, or in the plane.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[skfulkers]

Just a quick note about flying Delta through Cincinnati. If your flight number is 4 digits and begins with either a 5 or 6, it is a Comair flight and will be out of Concourse C. Any other flight numbers will be out of Concourses A or B. So, for example, if both of your flight numbers are 5_ _ _ or 6_ _ _, you will not have to switch concourses and will have more time to eat. Likewise, if neither of your flight numbers are the above format, you will most likely be in Concourse B (concourse A mainly services international flights) and will also not have to switch concourses. Hope this helps!

 

[safetymom]

You couldn't have an open drink on the flight on take off. They usually come around and collect any drinks before take off. If it is in a bottle I just stick it in the seat pocket with no problems.

 

[prncess674]

just in case you are running late and can't stop by the food court, be sure to pack non-perishable snacks in your carryon tote that could tide you over till you land in MCO. Good plane snacks are dried fruit, granola bars, raisins, pretzels, pre-packaged cracker snacks, etc.

If you do stop to get fast food don't bother with fountain drinks because they don't seal and are a pain to carry and could spill. Soft drinks and water are free on board so you can just wait and drink those when they are passed out.

 

[tjmw2727]

I just bring a soft sided cooler with a "lunch" mostly for my girls but usually something for me. Bottled water is a must for us and we just keep in in the seat back pocket. I pack sandwiches and fruit, as well as snacks and other things that travel well. I try and stay away from salty stuff as flying tends to dehydrate you anyway. I freeze an extra bottle of water or two and use that for an ice pack until it melts, then we drink it!!

Personally I find traveling a bit stressful esp since I am usually alone with a 6 & 8 yo. I don't like to have to count on having fast food or counter service as it could be closed or overly crowded.

TJ

 

[msdis]

We just flew thru Cin 2 weeks ago and they have changed things a little since the last time we were there a year or two ago. We lucked out and landed in concourse C and left in concourse C so no shuttle(comair for both). HOWEVER, the big food court and the Disney store are in the other terminal . Terminal C only has a Mickey D's and a couple other things, lots less than the other side but we ate so no big deal. A co-worker went the week after and she connected with a bigger Delta plane so she had to take the shuttle. She said they offered meals for sale on the plane. $7.50 for a sandwich, chips, and a drink and $10.00 for a different choice, she didn't remember what it was. I guess this preps you for Disney LOL! We too pack things just in case. If you put something in a screw top bottle you will be fine, they won't take it from you if you are not finished. We do the freeze it to keep things cold then drink it too.

 

[elgerber]

Thanks everyone! I returned last night. On the flight down, that connected in Cincinatti, we were a bit rushed, but we did manage to wolf down some food from McDonalds. Not the greatest, but it worked. On our return flight, we connected in Atlanta, and we had a little more time but a lot longer way to go between planes. We landed on concourse E and our next flight was in concourse A. We grabbed some Dominos and had just enough time to eat that before the flight. Our flight to Atlanta was so short, we only got to choose water, lemonade or apple juice.

Cin. airport has indeed come a long way. My dad used to live there so I flew into there alone at least twice a year from age 6 on, and wow, have they updated. I was not at all impressed with Atlanta though, it seemed really rundown.

Erika

 

[pumpkinboy]

Out of consideration for your fellow passengers, please don't bring stinky food onto the plane! I am noting that there is a Pizza Hut counter mentioned, and that could be the worst possible option for fellow passengers both when consuming it and with disposal of the refuse after the fact; imagine a wad of greasy pizza boxes and used napkins in the seatback pocket, yuk! Thinking about it, would KFC be much better? Hmmm. I sure wouldn't want chicken bones on the aircraft floor. Don't get me wrong, pizza and fried chicken are (more or less) decent food options, I am just not sure I want to be in a confined space with the leftovers on a three hour flight, especially iof they belong to someone else.

I am not sure what the airports are thinking when they bring in vendors. Any counter-service restaurant in the terminal is going to end up with some of its food consumed on outgoing flights. Chicken bones and pizza detritus has got to add to the cleaning costs of the airlines, not to mention the soil and grease applied to the airline seats from spills etc.

Better to do like Song and serve pretty decent in flight meals at a moderate cost. That way the airline can more or less control the "mess factor" and keep costs down to some degree.

 

[safetymom]

pumpkinboy , what smells bother you may not bother others. I can think of all the food vendors at the airport and I'll bet you will find someone that can't stand the smell of something.

The airlines brought it on themselves. I prefer to think the flight isn't that long and if someone eating keeps them happy then eat.

 

[Figaro]

We usually bring food to eat in our carry-ons and have for quite a while, since some of the medications I take require me to have at least something in my stomach when I take them(smile). I love the disposable gladware. I usually bring along a couple of tuna sandwiches, pickles (in their own container) and then fruit like grapes of oranges that have been peeled and sectioned. My spouse has a real sweet tooth and so I usually also have some kind of cookies that are reasonably good "travellers" (don't break or crumble easily).

 

[mcnuss]

I'll bet the previous poster would be a lot happier to sit next to the guy with the Pizza or KFC than the pickles and tuna!!! ROTFL!!!!

I am at the point now where I always bring a couple of Balance bars and some water. You just never know when you'll get stuck on a runway somewhere. If I am flying at or near a mealtime, I do grab something in the airport. Often, there is painfully little choice in the airports, especially at LGA, where I find myself most frequently late in the day. I've had pizza, sushi, Chinese, you name it. But I usually try to eat while everyone is boarding so that I can discard the trash before we even take off. Bc I generally board early, there's usually 15-20 minutes of down time to eat my gourmet meal in a bag.

I agree 100% that the airlines have brought us to this point. I also think that our constant quest for the cheapest flights has brought the airlines to this point. We simply cannot have it all.