Ever Took Lunch as Carry on?

[Okiemom]

We are flying in November, and have a short lay-over at DFW. Then the flight gets in after 10:00 pm. We leave right after school too. So I was wondering if I could pack a lunch for everyone, and eat between flight, or would they say anything to me when I pass out food to 6 people on a flight? I would not bring anything that stinks!! Just trying to save some money, airport food is usually very expensive.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

No problem doing that at all. Since most airlines no longer provide meal service to coach class passengers you are more than welcome to carry on your food. I would avoid anything overly aromatic (like tuna) to keep from offending other passengers.

Have a great trip!

 

[SusanD]

Most airlines charge for food on board. At our terminal in Portland it suggests people purchase food before the flight because it is not offered on all flights. I would go with something easy to pack and not too messy. Good luck and enjoy your lunch!

 

[swilshire]

Go for it! I never go on even short flights without some sort of food and drink because you never know when and for how long you'll be delayed. You also can't count on having time to buy something when you're changing planes enroute.

We found a cooler that looks like a typical carryon with the retractable handle. We fill it with food for the trip and then use it for picnics at our destination. It holds a lot. Someone had a similar one in the sale ads in last Sunday's paper. I don't recall which store, but I remember thinking it was much cheaper than the one we bought.

The only funny looks you'll get on the plane will be from those that wish they had thought of it. It's amazing how good a yogurt and cheese and crackers can taste after a long day.

Sheila

 

[Crazy Hakim]

When I was traveling a lot for work, I would fly from Dayton to Orlando almost twice a month. On the way back to the airport I would stop at Subway and get a sub for the flight. I can't say I was the most popular guy on the plane, but envy has it's evil looks........

 

[powellrj]

unless you are all sitting together, I would give each person a sack lunch to take on the plane with them. You can give them each a small soft sided cooler that would fit in most carry-on bags and they can eat without trying to pass out food to 6 people on an all ready crowded plane!! We usually fly in the early evening so we are too early to eat dinner before we leave, but really hungry when we get there, so we have started taking a sack lunch on the plane with us. Usually a sandwhich, chips and grapes and a cookie. They still serve drinks on the flights we have been on.

 

[sk!mom]

Bringing something to eat on the plane has become so common that it is becoming rare to see anyone without something. Those who forget are normally sorry. I would not bring any thing too large. We normally each stick a bottle of water in our carryon along with some mixed nuts, a granola bar, snack crackers, etc... Unless there is an Aunt Annies pretzel place in the airport, if there is we have to buy pretzels for the journey.

 

[marcyinPA]

We are flying in November, and have a short lay-over at DFW. Then the flight gets in after 10:00 pm. We leave right after school too. So I was wondering if I could pack a lunch for everyone, and eat between flight, or would they say anything to me when I pass out food to 6 people on a flight? I would not bring anything that stinks!! Just trying to save some money, airport food is usually very expensive.

We actually plan on doing the same thing in September. Our flight leaves at 11:00 am, and doesn't get in until close to 1pm. We don't want to eat airport food ($$$) and our kids will be starving by the time we get to our resort and settle in. I was going to pack some pb&j's in a small softside cooler bag and some snacks (and then I can use the cooler in the parks to hold our drinks in the bottom of the stroller!).

I've seen people carry McDonald's and Burger King on the plane, so I doubt they will have a problem with sandwiches!

Marcy

 

[MrsPete]

No problem doing that at all. Since most airlines no longer provide meal service to coach class passengers you are more than welcome to carry on your food. I would avoid anything overly aromatic (like tuna) to keep from offending other passengers.

Have a great trip!

This is such a story . . . people are going to think it's a lie, but I swear it's not!

A couple years ago I flew a red-eye from NC to Las Vegas with a group of friends. We booked last minute, so we were all seated separately (which was fine because we were an all-adult group). I was in a center seat, and one of my friends was directly in front of me. Two women came in and took the two aisle seats beside me and my friend. We knew they were together because they were talking, and we offered to switch so that my friend/I could sit together, and they could sit together. They declined, saying they both wanted aisle seats. They were a little odd -- dressed in an unusual mixture of evening clothes and Walmart athletic stuff -- and both dressed in 100% white. They were both a little crude and a lot loud (they had to be loud since they weren't sitting next to one another), but I thought that was just "getting ready for Vegas" type attitude, and I didn't think anything about it.

After we were in the air, these two ladies asked when the meal would be served. The flight attendant explained that they don't serve meals on flights that leave at 11PM. They told her not to worry -- they said they had a back-up plan, and they both pulled out HUGE FRIED ONION SANDWICHES. No meat, no cheese, no tomato . . . nothing but fried onions. Talk about STINK.

The real upshot of the whole thing . . . as we talked, I learned that these two women were on their way to Vegas for a bridal show. They're WEDDING CONSULTANTS! I wonder who would hire these two women to make their special day charming and classy? I was looking around for the cameras; I was sure I was on a reality TV show -- one of those things where they try to catch people in really strange situations.

The flight went from bad to worse when the air conditioning went out -- and every seat on the plan was full. The flight attendants were handing out bottled water to everyone. They even moved one of my friends up to first class and put a fan on her because they were afraid she was going to have a heart attack.

In answer to your question, I always bring snacks on planes. I'd suggest avoiding peanut butter of any type -- so many children have serious allergies that can be "set off" by just being close to peanut products. Grapes, baby carrots, crackers . . . these are all easy. Bottled water is a must-have.

 

[pjlla]

We always carry food when we travel. We have two kids and like someone else said, you never know when you will be delayed, etc. Nothing worse than being hungry.... except maybe when your kids are hungry and you have nothing for them!!

We pack our meals/snacks in a softside oversized insulated lunch bag. I make sure that everything in the bag is disposable, so when lunch is over I can throw away the trash, fold up the cooler, and then I have a free hand for later! We have carried those disposable tuna "kits" (the kinds with tuna, crackers, mayo packet), hard boiled eggs (I know.... a bit smelly... I won't do it again!), granola bars, grapes, apples, juice boxes, pb&j (although I may rethink this in the future to be sensitive to folks with allergies), bagels and cream cheese, squeeze yogurts, squeeze puddings, etc. As long as it doesn't require direct refrigeration (I usually put a frozen water bottle in the bag, just to keep things cool), and can easily be eaten and cleaned up, I figure its an option!

This strategy has paid off for us many times.... especially when our 90 minute layover changed to a "run for all your worth to make the connection" one time and we didn't have time to stop for supper for the kids! At least we had some granola bars and juice boxes to fill them up! So don't hesitate to pack food!........................P

 

[cseca]

go for it!
I travel a bunch for business and always bring my own snacks. Company pays for per diem but I like to save the $ for my disney trips hehe...
Never go anywhere without granola bars or snack bars of any sort.
Sometimes packed up some oreos, pop tarts, cookies, chips, fruits, etc.
Also brought PB&J like everybody says. But I never thought about the peanut allergy thing.

But yeah, I guess just try to be nice and not bring tuna/onion sandwiches hehe...
A lot of parents with kids will bring food on the plane all the time (cherrios and such). So don't feel bad.

Pack up, save your money and your sanity...

 

[ladysoleil]

I'd never get on a plane without a meal of some sort packed. So many flights don't serve food anymore, or charge you for the privelege of having a dry, tasteless sandwich or a $3 bag of chips. Not worth the hassle, especially since I have some dietary issues and prefer not to run the risk of hoping that a) the plane has food, b) the plane has food that won't make me sick.

I would probably give each person their lunch separately before you go through security, as I've been told that food items sometimes "trick" the scanners and then they have to hand check the bag. I don't know if that's true, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

 

[Chicago526]

The only thing the airlines don't allow is alcohol, otherwise bring what you'd like! Saves money and you are sure to get something you want to eat (and for health nuts, you're sure to get something healthy!).

 

[MELSMICE]

I always bring food/snacks for the plane & have in fact packed lunch for my family. We didn't eat the actual "lunch" on the plane though - we ate it during our layover.

I don't see a problem with this at all. We just bring a small soft sided cooler to pack the lunch in & then that's we use when we go to the pool while at WDW.

 

[Julia M]

If you live near a Trader Joes, you can get some awesome stuff for meals on the plane. My kids prefer lunchables (yuck......travel is about the only time they get them!), but I bring TJ's great salads for our trip. People are SO jealous!

I usually carry a soft sided cooler that I can then use on our vacation. WIth the size of our family (there are 5 of us), we don't have to worry about carryons.

Julia

 

[Wishful Tinking]

We've always brought food with us on the plane. But now that the airlines don't offer anything edible I definately bring good stuff with us. Recently we went to CA to DL. We had an early morning flight. I brought everyone a bagel with cream cheese, cut-up fruit and drinks. For the lunch offering I brought cheese and crackers, as well as veggies and dip and more drinks. The kids always brought plenty of junk food for themselves. I was sure glad I had brought all that stuff. When I looked at the offering from the airline for a minimum of $5/per I was VERY happy with our choices.

 

[Taja]

I fly Southwest regularly and, although they do serve a decent snack (processed food) on longer flights, I always carry my own food and at least two bottles of water with me. My flight to MCO is five hours NS, so I take some reasonably healthy snacks and something less than healthy for fun!

I've been stranded in airports for up to 10 hours (longest with Southwest is 4 hours) and the airlines are not fond of providing food or beverages. All of the restaurants and shops on the concourse usually sell out of water when that occurs, as usually more than one flight is affected.

I use one of those hot/cold bags from the supermarket designed to keep things hot or cold for several hours. I freeze two .5 litre bottles of water (be sure to open them and remove some water first!), add some ice in a ZipLoc bag, and one bottle of water that I pop in the freezer about an hour before I leave home so it is very cold. Add some baby carrots, grapes, and a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie and I'm good to go!

I stick the hot/cold bag in my wheeled carry-on, which fits under my seat. Unless I get stuck in the airport, I usually have the two frozen bottles of water to use after I arrive at my destination. Saves having to find some place to buy water before leaving the airport!

 

[Nicolepa]

I always bring tons of food. I got lost on an airplane when I was about 10, and they put me in the "safe" room and wouldn't let me go get food. I was there for about 8 hours or so. Ever since I have brought enough food to probably feed the family for a full day, no matter how long the flight was. I guess you could say I was really traumatized by the incident!

 

[lmountford]

We are travelling to Orlando and the flight will be about 9 hours yuk ! The airline does provide food but our daughter is not that keen on it so I thought I would pack my daughter a disney themed snack. Rather like a mummy's disney equivalent of a Mac D's happy meal ! Has anyone got any ideas for contents? Ideas will probably need to be generic as we don't always have the same brands in the UK. Many Thanks.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

we take subway. ;-)