What Do Flight Attendants Actually Eat On A Long Flight?

Although airline food has improved in recent years, the choices you receive on a long-haul flight when it comes to meals can be mediocre at best. Even good options will lose their luster if it's the only option day in and day out, which is why despite the possibility of being provided an inflight meal (sometimes we are, sometimes we aren't), many flight attendants opt to bring their own food on work trips.

I've been a flight attendant for close to 10 years, and what I pack in my monster-sized lunch box is typically dependent on a few different things.The number of flights on my schedule for the day will impact where and when I will be able to eat. I have to consider if I will have time to get off the plane in between legs, and what I will do if delays interrupt those opportunities. Where am I spending the night, and for how many nights, matters when it comes to food options once the last flight of the day is complete, and if I am flying internationally I have to consider that I may lose any fresh food I've packed in Customs. 

As a passenger, you can bring food through TSA and onto a plane (with some restrictions), but while that's one of many options for most travelers, it's usually a necessity for flight attendants. Our office is the sky, and there's no break room with a refrigerator and a microwave. We have to be prepared, or risk not having anything to eat for hours on end. So what do flight attendants pack when they know they can only count on themselves? Read on to learn how we ensure healthy and timely eating in an environment that we all know can be incredibly unpredictable.

So what do flight attendants opt to bring with them on a regular basis? Protein is king when it comes to keeping us full for longer and sustaining our energy during a long day. Cottage cheese and hummus are easy additions to any lunch bag (including yours), and fruits and veggies are a way to get away from the processed snacks that are offered on most flights — bonus points for anything that doesn't require utensils.

Most people look to their flight attendants for guidance, but I wouldn't recommend bringing two of the most common staples I see my colleagues pack on the daily: tuna packets and hard boiled eggs. Although it may seem a bit hypocritical, these items are actually top of the list when it comes to the worst food for passengers to bring on a plane according to flight attendants because they can be smelly, but they also check all of the boxes when it comes to the hard and fast rules we live by when packing food for the air — high protein, low salt, and low preparation. As long as we're warned that our fellow flight attendant's lunch is a bit fragrant, we tend to tolerate that minor inconvenience much better than your fellow passengers will. When it comes to eggs, a flight attendant on Reddit advised, "The preboiled [sic] ones in stores won't smell strongly and keep me full for a long time."

There may be ovens available to heat up more complex leftovers (and you can even ask your flight attendant to heat up your own food), but most of us find it best to keep things simple. You'll never go hungry with snacks like yogurt, granola bars, and protein shakes on hand.