How the Traditional Airplane Snacks are No Longer Allowed on Planes!

Flying has historically been the fastest and easiest way to reach a destination, resulting in many people choosing this method of travel. Part of the package you purchase when flying is the “comfort” factor, meaning that the seats are comfortable, and the in-flight service crew is very kind to you. They bring snacks and drinks to each seat to ensure you enjoy your flying experience. While this may seem like the best part of the flight, it can be the most risky for someone with allergies. Peanuts, specifically, have been known to be a common snack distributed on an airplane. Having them on a plane poses an incredible risk to passengers with allergies. In recent years, airlines have started to increase their restrictions for peanuts on flights to protect all their passengers. Here’s a quick look into why this is happening. 

For people with severe allergies like this, airplanes pose unique threats. The close confinements of an airplane mean that allergens can easily spread to other passages, increasing their exposure. Some foods can trigger anaphylaxis when airborne, which does not help people with allergies when they only breathe circulated air. 

Even though some planes do not offer peanuts anymore, they still offer snacks with gluten in them or have been cross-contaminated with nuts. Shoutout to Delta Airplanes for carrying one of our favorite brands, 88 Acres. JetBlue also now carries two allergy-free brands, Partake and Safe + Fair! If you have an allergy and are looking for additional snacks to bring on the plane, besides what they offer, here's a quick list of our favorite allergy-free plane snacks!

Snacking on gluten-free pretzels, like the ones from FitJoy, crackers from Every Body Eat, or allergy-friendly popcorn from Little Lad’s can fulfill that crunchy craving you may have on an airplane. You can also bring Absurd Snacks onto the airplane since we’re free of the top nine allergens. You can buy the individual snack packs here for easy access and storage in a carry-on backpack.

Looking for more air travel tips? Visit nonuttraveler.com. Lianne Mandelbaum is an award-winning speaker and writer for allergy-friendly travel. She founded the website, to create a platform for food allergic flyers. Meldelbaum collects and shares testimonials from allergy-prone flyers to share with the world. She uses her power to advocate for the food allergy community and share allergy-free air travel tips! Her website is a great resource if you are someone with allergies and are afraid to travel.  

The move to ban peanuts on airplanes is a positive step toward creating a safer and more inclusive travel experience for all passengers. In the meantime, we can support everyone’s travel safety by bringing substitute snacks on the airplane that are still yummy and allergy-free! We listed a few of our favorites, but there are still many other brands out there that are air-travel-safe!