Advice from Above: BYO Food When You Fly the Cheaper Skies

With the frills disappearing daily from airline flight service, business travelers and other frequent fliers might be feeling irritated over the loss of the personal touch.

But what they should do, according to one veteran flight attendant, is learn to help themselves, even if that means turning their briefcases into something resembling a brown bag.

The attendant writes from Aurora, Colo.:

“As so often occurs on the plane, many people expect the airline to provide them with their personal/special needs, either through special dietary needs with their meals or even down to not wanting peanuts, when they are served, or wanting pretzels when peanuts are served.

“My chief pet peeve,” she says, “is the general public’s lack of personal awareness for their own needs. We are all in charge of our own lives. . . .

“So, while traveling long or short distances, is it not reasonable to think that if one has special dietary needs, or is lacking too little time between flights, that one should bring their own food, snack or water, just in case of emergency, or even impatience while waiting for beverage service?”

Cabin attendants, who are not guaranteed meals when they fly, have taken to packing their own sandwiches, instant soups, beverages and even frozen entrees when they travel, the letter adds.

“If you need some chocolate, a toothpick, pretzels (instead of peanuts), non-carbonated beverage besides apple juice, then bring it yourself! Don’t expect the airlines to be able to provide for every need, because they can’t,” the letter adds.

“Flight attendants are on board an aircraft to quickly execute an evacuation of an entire aircraft within minutes, if ever necessary. We are also skilled in a variety of on-board aircraft safety-related items, including emergency medical situations, diplomacy, public relations. . . .

“An airplane in the ‘90s is a transportation vehicle designed to get you quickly from one destination to the next. We have come a long way from the family station wagon of the ‘60s and ‘70s that took us across the United States. However, we are not yet a soda fountain, drug store, pizza place or gourmet food court in the air.”

The attendant also advises travelers to drink plenty of water since “there is approximately 1% moisture on board an aircraft and much of that is reconstituted human sweat (as unpleasant as that sounds). . . . Misting with a water sprayer also helps reduce moisture loss from the skin.”