It’s common to want to enjoy a snack or two on a flight, but there are some food items that should never make it aboard a plane, says one experienced flight attendant.
Barbi, a longtime flight crew member, told The Takeout that the most important thing to consider when packing food for a flight is the other people around you and how they might be affected by it.
“Be cognizant of other people around you. The old adage of thinking about how your actions are affecting others in a small, confined, and not-private space goes a long way,” Barbi said.
There’s undoubtedly a relatively long list of foods that should never be brought on an airplane, but Barbi has provided four in particular to avoid.
Tuna
We’re going to extend this suggestion to pretty much all fish in general, but tuna, in any form, is a no-no, said Barbi.
“Tuna in a can … can be messy and hard to mix and manage in an airplane seat,” she said, adding that tuna salad or a tuna sandwich can be sloppy and smelly as well.
Kimchi
Kimchi is a staple of Korean food. The fermented vegetable, often napa cabbage or radishes, is an excellent side dish–if you’re not flying.
“If you’re flying in the U.S., kimchi is probably going to be on that list of bad ideas,” Barbi explained. “We in the States aren’t used to smelling it much, and it can be quite an overwhelming smell.”
Chicken wings & Peel-and-eat shrimp
These are actually the third and fourth items Barbie mentioned, but we’ll list them under one roof because they’re bad for the same reason: they’re messy.
“If it’s messy at home or in a restaurant, it’s 10 times more messy in a cramped seat on an airplane,” Barbi said.
