Fliers shouldn't leave meal plan up in the air

When Dana Hillcrest flew to San Francisco, she expected to reach her destination in time for dinner. Unfortunately, after sitting on the runway for three hours, it was nearly midnight when she arrived at her hotel. Dana went to bed tired, hungry and extremely crabby.

"I could have purchased a snack on board," said Dana. "But I was seated at the back of the plane. All they had left was a chocolate bar for the drop-dead price of $3 or a bag of potato chips for $2. I just couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on junk food."

There's no question, in-flight meals have become an endangered species. Because of high fuel costs in 2003, many of the airlines decided there would be no more free lunches for travelers. They started their own fast-food chains that include snacks, sandwiches, salads and, in some cases, real meals. But it costs you.

Recently, when Jean Cowden flew on a Midwest Airlines flight, she enjoyed an Asian chicken salad. It put her back $10, which will appear on her next credit-card statement. Midwest only accepts credit cards.

When Eric Kuffner flew from Denver to Chicago on United Airlines, he enjoyed a tortilla-wrapped turkey sandwich. It put him back $5. United only accepts cash.

But on many flights, travelers are lucky if they get a bag of pretzels or salty trail mix.

Airline food has never had the reputation for being particularly healthy or good. Even during the days of beef-or-chicken choices on a two-hour flight, the food was high in salt and fat. But while it was raising your cholesterol levels, it was also raising your spirits.

Eating is a great diversion. The airlines knew this back when flying was almost as much a destination as London or Paris. In those days, the meal services took nearly as long as the flight. Passengers loved it.

Unfortunately, those days, along with most in-flight amenities, are gone. That doesn't mean you can't still enjoy food when you fly. But rather than expecting your plane ticket to be your meal ticket, you need to plan ahead.

• Check with your airline. If you're flying at 7 a.m. and assume you'll have breakfast, the only egg you might see will probably be on your face. Even first-class bookings don't guarantee a meal.

On a recent flight from Salt Lake City to Chicago in first class, all I received was my choice of cookies from the snack basket before it was passed to economy class. Some airlines have gone so far as to eliminate the 4-ounce packages of pretzels.

Most of the airlines have their food services listed on their Web site. Check it out before you fly.

• Order a special meal. If your airline offers a meal, it might also offer choices, such as kosher, vegetarian or low-fat meals. But you need to order them a couple of days before your flight.

If you do order a special meal, be sure to tell the flight attendant ahead of time. Both the meals and the flight attendants have a tendency to disappear.

• Bring your own. The last time Mary Ennis flew, she dined on roasted turkey with sides of mashed potatoes and spiced apples. She picked it up at Whole Foods on her way to the airport. If she's crunched for time, she picks up fruit and yogurt at the airport after she goes through security.

To ensure a meal you'll enjoy, pack a lunch. There are plenty of healthy choices that are small enough to fit in your carry-on bag and large enough to fill you up.

With crowded airports, long security lines and lack of service, there's plenty of food for thought when you fly, but very little to fill your stomach. Know what your food options are before your stomach growls. You really don't want to leave it up in the air.

Gail Todd, a free-lancewriter,worked as a flightattendant for more than 30years. She can be reached viae-mail at gailtodd@aol.com.