We Asked 4 Etiquette Experts What Foods to Avoid Bringing on a Plane-and What to Pack Instead

"Plane food etiquette is about being a good neighbor in a small community. When considering the appropriateness of a plane snack or meal, you should consider your reaction if the person next to you ate such a snack. If you wouldn't want to be sitting next to that person, then you should choose another snack," says Jules Martinez Hirst, owner of Etiquette Consulting Inc. in Los Angeles. Since travel is a shared experience-and since an airplane cabin is not your private kitchen-it's important to think about staying within your bubble, adds Nick Leighton, New York City-based cohost of the weekly etiquette podcast, " Were You Raised by Wolves?" Of course, this includes being respectful of your neighbor's space and the armrest area, and it involves staying within your scent bubble."

"Lisa Mirza Grotts, a San Francisco-based certified etiquette expert and the author of A Traveler's Passport to Etiquette in a Post-Pandemic World, recommends remembering the golden rule of in-flight eating: "If it smells, it repels." All four etiquette experts we spoke to agree that the best plane snacks or meals are not aromatic, quiet, easy to eat without making a mess, and well-timed."

Choose non-aromatic, quiet, easy-to-eat, low-mess foods during flights and time meals for when the cabin is settled. Consider whether a seatmate would tolerate the snack and select an alternative if the food would bother them. Stay within a personal space and scent bubble and avoid foods that emit strong odors. Follow the principle "If it smells, it repels" to minimize discomfort for others. Avoid elaborate meals that require the tray table until other passengers are settled. Be mindful of armrest boundaries, noise from eating, and the potential for spills to respect the shared airplane environment.

Read at Travel + Leisure