Wow, $3 for a cup of ramen? That's like a 150000% markup right there...

I would pay $8 for an in-flight cocktail. Of course, I have to be either drunk or drugged up on Valium in order to fly in the first place. I know it's an irrational fear, but I really, really hate flying. If we had a decent high-speed rail system here, I'd never fly in the US again.

If you bring your own Ramen cup, will they provide free hot water?

@tbax929: I have never stepped foot on an airplane and don't plan to. I'm holding out for personal high speed jet packs.

@tbax929: I would pay $8 for an in-flight cocktail.

Copy that. The downside of getting a direct, non-stop flight to Sarasota to see my dad is that I fly one of their Express carriers which means I can't have a fortifying cocktail (or three). And he's always waiting for me at the gate, so no time to duck into a bar and find my courage there.

The best "deal" is a Red Bull for $3

@a2bondfn: Well you can choose to go to a grocery store rather than a 7-11. That choice isn't really there on an airplane.

@supercereal: That's exactly what I thought. Some of the stuff is marked up like 200% (Twizzlers maybe), the trail mix, depending on the size of the bag, is hardly marked up at all it seems, and the ramen is marked a ton.

@a2bondfn: [consumerist.com]

In that story, a stewardess says she feels as if she's in a flying 7-Eleven.

@supercereal: Not really. It cost like $4 for a salt lick, which has slightly less salt than Ramen. ;)

@changed my name: Pop and coffee are free, so tea probably is too; so you can just ask for hot water for your own tea...I'm sure it would work.

@a2bondfn: by it's self this doesn't seem to bad by US Air and BS by Consumerist, but when you look at the history of crap and poor service from US Air, it's just more of the same from them.

@supercereal: Come to think of it, you can get hot water for coffee or tea, so you might as well bring ramen and just ask for a cup of hot water.

Ramen's light weight, durable, totally dry, and cheap. Sounds like an ideal carry-on item.

@italianscallion33: They do have hot water on the drink cart. I always like to order coffee at 30,000 ft, as I like the idea of danger. I'm in a bumpy room, hours from a hospital and a change of clothes. If I spill on myself, I'm on my own in an aluminum tube.

@supercereal: yeah, sams club: [www.samsclub.com]

28.5 cents each for the same thing, so that's about $2.71 for the hot water

@tbax929: Me too. I have successfully avoided flying for the last 20 years. I flew way too much before that to the point that I loathed it then. I have no desire to deal with what it is today.

I am about to the point of begging that the might finally put in more rail in the midwest. High Speed would be amazing.

With the possibility of long 3-9 hour delays trapped on a tarmac and the extra 2 hours you have to allow to get processed before a flight, even long rail trips seem a better option.

3 hours to the nearest Amtrak but free long term parking and a 24 hr trip between Mpls and DC. Flying is a pain and has so many unknowns that could make the flight take just as long. At least on a train you can get up and walk around.

Great, now I have to worry if the person flying next to me is gonna order the twizzlers. Another smelly candy that gives me a headache.

@supercereal: Actually, I think the Pringles are a worse markup than the ramen. That's a snack-sized can of Pringles they're selling for $3. You can get an entire tube of Pringles for $1 usually.

@a2bondfn: the article doesn't look like serious griping to me. i read it as more of an update on their services, which as a consumer, it's nice to know.
with all the changes and added fees and removed or used-to-be-free, now-with-a-fee conveniences on various airlines, it's nice to see that soda and coffee are still free and they have improved their choice of food offerings.
not that i WANT to pay $5 for almonds but the picture shows it's a whole can of almonds which makes more sense for that price.

i especially like how they point out that the cocktail mixers use cane sugar.
they don't come right out and SAY 'HFCS free!' but they've obviously been paying attention to the hype around the HFCS debate.

The next step will of course be to ban food brought in from outside the airplane.

@a2bondfn:

Right. US Airways isn't evil because they have insanely high markups on in flight food. That's quite common.

US Airways is evil because of their wretched customer service, frequently high prices and the hive of scum and villiany that is Philadelphia International Airport.
My coworkers and I refer to PHL as the "Luggage Motel" because bags went in, but they don't come back out.

@a2bondfn: I totally agree with you. Yes, the mark up is huge.. but you have a choice. Don't buy it and bring your own snacks, or do buy it. Convenience. It costs more.

@zjgz:

Exactly. And you can't bring things with you, either.

I don't believe for a second the liquid rules (which make a lot of foods questionable, too) are for security...they're for airport vendors.

@allstarecho: If you know the prices ahead of time, then you'll know to pack your own Oreos. And for me, it's very important to know that they don't appear to offer vegetarian meals at all--that will make me either pack my own sandwich or avoid USAir altogether for long flights.

@allstarecho:

Only if they're dry.

And forget about vegan options too. On any airline.
$7 for a snack box out of which I might be able to ingest three oversalted peanuts? Nothanks.

It still surprises me that even vegetarian options are so few and far between on most (domestic) airlines. You'd think they'd catch on that it's much much cheaper to produce and there's demand for it. Of course, you would have thought they'd have caught on to alot of things by now..

And this is why I take Amtrak.

SELF-BINGO!!!
.. wait, does that count?

@veg-o-matic: Um, forget the vegetarians. How about steaks or hamburgers, or hot dogs or something? Or just plain raw meat in a bowl? I'd buy that!

@EdnaLegume:
OMG. That sounds even scarier to me than flying on a plane!

@starrion:
I've flown in and out of Philly a few dozen times without ever losing my luggage.

Now that I've written that, I'm sure it'll get lost the next time I go home for a holiday!

@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!:
I have never noticed a bad smell from Twizzlers. That's the first time I've ever heard such a thing. Do they stink?

The $5 Blue Diamond Almonds is not that bad. It cost about $3 in local grocery store, so it is ~40% markup. Not "cheap" by any sense but compare with the ~1000% markup of Raman it is not so bad either.

@PoleMan14: That's actually only about 60¢ more than a small can of Red Bull generally costs... RB is ridiculously expensive. It must be the wings it supposedly gives you that drives the price up.

Ridiculously expensive, but no worse than what you'd pay for snacks in a movie theater.

Let's face it, given a captive audience (and there is no better one than airline passengers), the markups will be insane. At least they won't throw you off the plane for bringing your own snacks. Yet.

Ah, US Scareways. They're the only airline my fiance and I absolutely refuse to fly. It was the last straw when my fiance was put in first class on the way home from a business trip and he was inundated with advertisements for 15 minutes during takeoff- meaning he couldn't leave his seat or do anything to get away from them. And this was in first class.

The BEST ramen I ever had was in China, while on a flight delay. At JZH... 8 hour weather delay. ... PACKED.. HOT airport.. they started passing out these really great big spicy noodle bowls. Just add hot water. Yummmy.. oh and it was free.

@italianscallion33: How about soda, is that free?

@EdnaLegume: I for one hope we get those transporters from Star Trek.

@Blue387:
Now you're talking.

@linkura:
I have issues with all of the domestic carriers. I don't think US Air is any worse than the others. Some folks swear by Southwest, but I'm not really a fan. I've heard good things about Frontier but have never flown them.

For me, I just go with the lowest airfare and most convenience travel times. There's no airline I won't fly; I think they all suck.

@veg-o-matic: Quite the contrary, airlines are cutting unpopular features, and that would indicate that the demand for vege options is just not there. I would have thought that you might have caught on.

I refute your assertion that vegetarian entrees are cheaper to produce after considering economies of scale. All the costs are in processing, packaging and handling, so even if vegetarian meals were FREE, it wouldn't make them "much, much" cheaper.

And VEGAN offerings? On a plane? The last time I had even a vege offering on a plane, it was a hideous egg and potato omelet, where the egg was a rubbery puck of death, and the potatoes were crunchy and raw. No just god would allow this to to be served. Do you really want to see what they would attempt for vegan? Just pack a bag of frozen vegetable medley from the grocery store and nibble on that while it thaws on the plane. That's best case scenario right there.

Personally, I really liked the way the food was handled on my last flight, which was on Japan Airlines. Flying fish roe on EVERYTHING, and either salmon or shrimp on every plate (whether you asked for chicken or seafood). They pretty much set out to mess with as many people as possible with every meal.

@Don Roberto:

Flying in Japan, China, and Korea is a vastly superior experience to flying in the US, in every respect. Except the security bullshit you have to put up with at any international terminal with flights to the US...which still isn't as bad as in the US.

Also, the best instant ramen is Korean. You can even get it at many supermarkets in the US (look for "Nong Shim.")

If you want GOOD ramen, though, get it fresh. Japanese is the best, particularly Hokkaido-style, but even fresh Chinese-style ramen is better than any instant.

@changed my name: @changed my name:

This is actually a great idea. I've been trapped on international flights that serve meals. Usually, I booked only less than a week in advance, and as such end up in cattle car - and end up watching others get served food for one hour before I get mine. Many times, I have been left with vegetarian or Indian Curry meals - instead of something good. I think the next time I fly, I'll pack a couple of Cup 'O Noodles just in case I need them.

At least on the international flights, they have free beer (German, yum!) and wine.

@tbax929:
With any US carrier, it is really luck of the draw. I try to avoid any layovers as it just increases my chances of getting stuck. A lot of it probably has to do with too many flights and not enough airport capacity, and a lot has to do with the airlines trying to keep their costs low.

This recession and the rapid de-industrialization of our country over the last 30-40 years doesn't make money cheap or easy to come by. And the airlines are feeling the pinch.

@Laura Northrup: I agree. The lack of veggie options is puzzling, because there is certainly demand for them. A veggie sub sandwich or pasta would be cheap (for them at least), easy to have ready, and popular.

The best airplane food and general experience I've had has been on British Airways. You can choose from several dietary preferences (veggie, vegan, kosher, hindu, muslim, gluten-free, and others) and there are loads of free drinks, too. :) The quality of food is actually quite good, better than some restaurants I've been to. The meal is free, but one could argue it is included in the price -- however the price tends to be cheaper than Delta, which is the other carrier I can choose on the route I tend to take.

My ideal transatlantic route would be cargo-ship with a modest but comfortable cabin and unlimited internet access. I could work the whole time during travelling while also enjoying a "cruise," albeit a unique one.

Do you have to pay for all this with a credit card or do they accept cash? I can just see the airlines only accepting credit cards for cabin food/drink purchases (I think there are several that already do) and then saying that you have to purchase a minimum $6 or whatever to use your card.

@tbax929: They probably don't smell bad to normal people.. but for some reason they (and some other sweet fruity candies) smell to me and give me a headache when others eat them around me. Skittles were my prime example in the gummibear thread.

Lets see.. I also get this reaction from the smell of gummibears/worms/whatever other shape they come in, and the smell from assorted energy drinks.. like Redbull and Monster. I can't think of the other candies that do this to me but I know that lots of them do.

I can't explain it.. but I guess it's just the way it is for me.

No doubt they'll come up with a garbage disposal fee to go along with the markup.

these prices are worse than those at Six Flags.