CLIF bar @ Trader Joe's ~ $0.99 ... and they have pretty much all of the flavors!! They're so tasty...

Well, I support anything that gives me some options besides peanuts and pretzels. However I urge the airlines to NOT make prices so high that I feel embarrassed to shell out the money in front of my seatmates.

Maybe Skymall ought to set up some vending machines on the plane. I can get a $50 New York Cheesecake and put it on my credit card.

Hey, all I gotta say is if you don't like the prices don't buy the stuff. That's the way the free market works guys.

If their service is any basis for how the food will taste I'd rather lick the seats.

I've had some bad espressos and I can only imagine how much worse they could be if made on an airline. The things they do to food are bad enough, but espresso? For 3 dollars no less!

2 years ago I started bringing my own good on long flights, and stopped getting their horrible meals, even on long international flights of 12 hours or more. I'd rather take on a good 12" grinder from Togos or Subway, makes a decent 2 meals, plus the juice provided on the flight.

@pmr12002: But what does a "free" market do when all the players conspire (even if just to keep step with the competition) to charge these excesses (because you know the next step is charging for ALL food/liquids) and you can't just "go to the other airline"? Is that a free market or just a fact of life? There are so many people flying yet nobody can make a profit... that's just strange.

Airlines, like credit cards and telco companies are always under scrutiny because they don't just have the ability to screw everyone at a moment's notice... they regularly seem to do so.

$3.00 for a starbucks doubleshot actually isn't that bad. In chicago, at most Walgreens its about $2.29 plus tax.

I was on an AA flight a few weeks ago and I would have been down for some additional options. Right now it's like 3 bucks for a 3 Musketeers Bar or trail mix. Or 5 dollars for a pretty bad looking sandwich thing.

AA is my LEAST favorite airline in the food department.

@goodkitty: When the TSA banned liquids for security reasons, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before airlines started charging for anything liquid on the flight. I just don't think the term "free market" really applies here.

Any reason why this isn't just a prelude to inflight pay toilets?

This is going to be worse then MOVIE THEATRE PRICES!!!!!!

@Zanpakuto: It's not being made fresh. It's a canned drink from Starbucks. It's espresso and a cream version of that Parmalait type of milk along with some sugar, served cold. It's okay, but nothing to write home about. Not really that great compared with a well made espresso.

Screw that crap... I'll just fly JetBlue and have free, unlimited snacks & drinks

@pmr12002: Wow, I never thought of it quite that way before. I guess I should just pay it and shut up.

/sarcasm

"Waah. The world owes me things!" Eff you people, already. You bought a PLANE TICKET, not a dinner at Chez Paul. I swear, this entire community is just commie whiners.

My wife works at at a store that sells these. They cost $0.60 to buy from the manufacturer.

Skybus already does this. And in doing so, I have the chance to buy a non-stop ticket for $10. I have no complaints with this.

I could care less what the snacks on a plane could be. However, I do care that some parents will think buying their little darlings an espresso or energy bar is a great way to placate them. That's gonna be a fun trip.

(For what it's worth, my kids think a stick of gum and an ice cube is an awesome treat. I do suspect the male-child is starting to catch on but he's smart enough to still play along.)

It's important to note that the "for sale" foods have replaced even peanuts or pretzels on most flights. And then they try to spin it like they are doing us a favor. But I'm sure they'll pass the savings onto their customers, right?

Is it that difficult to bring your own food on the plane? Especially if it is a Clif bar that you really want?

@magic8ball: Only banned if you don't buy them inside the secured area. You can you Starbucks behind security and bring it on the plane.

What I'd like to see AA do is not offer different snacks based on flight length. My last flight had me arrive just barely in time to not miss my connection, and so there was no time to grab a bite in Dallas. But since the flight from Dallas to Detroit was so short, all they offered were their $3 snacks, not anything more substantial. I'd've been thrilled to pay $5 or $7 for one of their sandwhiches at that point. As it is, I opted to buy nothing and wait until I could go to Buffalo Wild Wings in Mt. Clemens.

AA has been offering food for sale on its flights for years. So now we are complaining that they are offering MORE options?

BTW, you can now buy beverages once you get past security and bring them on the plane. So do that, and stop whining.

I wonder if bringing our own MREs would be allowed on transcontinental flights. They're not the most delicious meals in the world, but at least it's a hot meal.
[www.mreinfo.com]

@Hobo-NC:

If you're unhappy with Consumerist's posts, perhaps you could start your own blog. I have an idea for a title: AirlinesAreAwesomeEvenThoughTheyKeepNickelAndDimingUsLeftAndRight.com

Let us know how that works out for you.

bring your own snacks. I usually go to McDonalds and buy a bunch of cheeseburgers to bring on board. Can sell them to passangers as well to make some cash. Two bucks for a cheeseburger.

@calpchen: You can't fly with MRE heaters. Period end of story. It was illegal even before 9/11

Even if you do buy items inside the security area, you're still getting gouged for said items. If they require people to use a specific service, then they should also put limits on price mark-ups. It isn't a "free market" if you are completely limited in your choices...

What's the big deal? Movie theaters have been making money this way for decades!

(btw, I'm half-kidding, and haven't been on an airplane in nearly seven years due to the increasing frustrations associated with flying).

@bunnymen: You can realistically sit through a movie without eating. Alot of plane trips are long enough that even if you ate just before going through the gate you'll be very hungry before you land. I've been on 20+ hour plane trips and that not including delays and time on the ground.

@Hobo-NC:

Yes, however, as a passenger you are captive for long periods of time often over usual mealtimes, ridiculous security prevents you from bringing your own substantial foods onboard, and airport snack stands and quick service restaurants are overpriced and sometimes do not offer healthy options.

Also, crappy airline/airport service means you sometimes don't have time to grab food between connections, and might be stuck on a delayed plane for hours.

How hard is it really to spend, say, an hour before leaving to pack yourself a tasty home made meal to bring on the plane? I've been doing this for years. It's great, they bring out the $10 wilted lettuce sandwiches for everyone else and I bring out my delicious pasta salad and home made cookies.... the only bummer is that I have to bring plastic forks, I can't bring my travel chopsticks on the plane. But then, I am picky about what I put into my body and rarely eat out or eat takeout much less airport food.

American Airlines has gone way too far with this. It's one thing to not offer any kind of snack on a short flight, but they are doing it on long flights too. I flew from Dallas to Honolulu (which is over 6 hours) and was offered NO MEAL SERVICE. I could buy a $3 cookie, or $5 small chicken salad, but that was it. How can they fly you for that long and not offer food?

It's not too much trouble to just bring a granola bar or something onboard, but all I'd really want is the ability to bring my own drink in (not a $5 Diet Coke from inside the security zone) without being thrown in Guantanamo Bay.

Caveat: I fly once every two or three years.

Why can't you just pack a couple of granola bars or a sandwich in your carry-on bag? Is this now prohibited? It's what I always have done.

@tekmiester: I've flown with Lufthansa a few times, and for long flights (9+ hours). I've always gotten good service and decent food that was actually hot, plus they actually gave you what you asked for! Imagine that. I ask for pasta, I got pasta. And it was a balanced meal, as well. A little cheese, some bread, a little pad of butter, and tea or coffee afterwards. Great service, well worth the extra money. AA? Not so much.

Just BYOF, people. That's what folks did when traveling, in the olden days. That way, you don't even have to think about what kinda crap you may be forced to buy on the plane.

for $10, it needs to be a pound of the finest Stilton, accompanied by a glass of tawny port and served to me by a flight attendant who could pass for Eva Longoria's little sister... we're talking 200% markup on prepackaged items, i.e., pure profit! damn, I'm in the wrong business...