I'm A Frequent Flyer—These Are The Airlines With The Best & Worst In-Flight Snacks

Let’s face it: Air travel sucks. From waiting in TSA lines to constant delays to cramped seats, there aren’t many redeeming qualities besides getting you from point A to point B. There are some silver linings, but you have to pay a lot to get most of them…except for the free in-flight snacks.

The snack cart passing through the aisle is the highlight of any flight, bar none. We may not get peanuts anymore (we understand why, but we’re still sad about it), but there are so many snack options that make air travel a little less grueling. That being said, some airlines do a better job than others.

As someone who travels a decent amount, I’ve been able to try the in-flight snacks in the main cabin of most major airlines. And I took it upon myself to do some hard-hitting journalism and rank them all from worst to best. It’s never going to be the deciding factor when I plan a trip, but it does earn an airline some extra brownie points in my book.

Spirit

What negative things can I say about Spirit that haven’t been said already? The budget airline offers no free in-flight snacks or drinks. Flop.

Allegiant

Again, no free snacks or drinks. You can get a free drink if you have an Allegiant credit card, but I’m not messing with my credit to get a ginger ale on a budget airline.

Frontier

Frontier’s not much better than the other two, but at least they give out free water. I give them a D+.

Alaska

Alaska has historically offered both Biscoff cookies and pretzels in the main cabin. But according to several Reddit users, the airline recently released an internal memo limiting passengers to only one of the two per flight. We can't independently confirm the internal memo, but we're hoping it's not true. Stinginess isn’t a good look, Alaska.

American

Unlike some airlines (*cough cough*), American Airlines doesn’t make main cabin passengers pick between Biscoff cookies and pretzels. Both are solid, but I can’t help but feel like the selection is slim in comparison to other carriers.

Hawaiian

Hawaiian retired the free chips and cookies in favor of complimentary sandwiches and Hot Pocket-esque rolls—but passengers overwhelmingly hate them. Reddit users describe them as "nasty," "gross," and "plain awful and disgusting." The only reason it’s higher on the list? The iconic cups of pineapple-orange-guava juice.

Southwest

Southwest Airlines revamped its snack selection last year to include Remy’s Cinnamon Grahams, Stellar Snacks Maui Monk Pretzels, and, if your flight’s longer than 1,550 miles, Oreos. Passengers especially love the pretzels, which boast flavors of vegan butter, Maui onion, and a hint of sweetness from monk fruit extract.

I have to admit that I am not one of those passengers. The pretzels have a lot of potential, but the faux butter flavor and the odd monk fruit aftertaste leave a sour taste in my mouth, even with dulled taste buds. The allergen-friendly graham crackers and Oreos are much better, but you can only pick from three snacks with varying degrees of sweetness. I just wish they offered at least one fully savory option.

United

You get three snack options on United flights, and they’re all great. Their savory snack mix tastes like a cereal-free Chex Mix. They switch up the standard Biscoff with Daelmans Caramel Stroopwafels (a welcome addition, in my opinion). And they also offer Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Quinoa Crisps from the brand Undercover—the crispy, decadent snack that every airline should have.

Delta

Delta has one of the largest snack selections among domestic airlines, and it covers every part of the sweet-salty spectrum. They carry Biscoff cookies, naturally. (Fun fact: They were the first airline to do so in 1985.) Their private label 30K snack mix beats United’s with the addition of sesame sticks. The chewy Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Seed and Oat Bar from 88 Acres is substantial and satisfying. And, I may never buy Garden Salsa SunChips on the ground, but I’ll gladly eat them in the air.

JetBlue

The best airline for free snacks is, drumroll, JetBlue. Similar to Delta, they offer four distinct options that satisfy both sweet and savory snackers. But JetBlue’s picks just barely edge out the Atlanta-based airline. You can still expect Biscoff cookies and chewy chocolate granola bars (this time from Quaker), but the savory snacks are what really take JetBlue to new heights. Chifles plantain chips are sweet, salty, and naturally allergy-friendly. And who can go wrong with Goldfish? I’m tempted to take some points off for the Pepsi products on the drink cart, but JetBlue is still my winner.