4 and a half hour flight advice on foods to take as not having plane meals

[soyouthinkyoucandance]

me, hub and ds age 5 leave for airport at 6am so dont think we will have anything before, check in around 7.45am fly at 9.45am.

Flight is 4.5 hours long, arrive destination around 4.30pm and not having meals on plane

So I need:

Breakfast items or could grab this in airport.

Lunch and nibbles on plane

Something to nibble on for tea timeish probably on transfer

Do I take 2 cool bags? Suggestions please would be welcome!

Can you take food on planes now? - I thought you could only take stuff you'd bought in the airport. (not much help sorry) also, where are you going because DH told me a story this week about colleague being told off for bringing fruit from Spain!

It will cost you an arm and a leg for breakfast at the airport even if you have a crappy criosant and a cuppa x 3.

I don't think you will need 2 cool bags though as you won't have to chill everything, the sorts of things I would pack are:

Brekkie:
Breakfast cereal bars
Yoghurt
Juice

Lunch:
Sandwiches
Big bag of crisps for all to share

Snacks:
Fruit
Raisins
Chocolate
Sweets (for plane)
Cheese dipper things
Nuts

Bear in mind you will buy hot drinks, you will have to buy cold drinks once you are through to departure lounge.

I would pack croissants, yoghurt and fruit and eat it at the airport. Then, once you've gone through security, buy a Boots meal-deal each to eat on the plane (will work out cheaper than taking lunch and buying brekkie and will mean that you don't have to faff around with a cool bag). You could also pack some cereal bars and dried fruit in your carry-on bag.

You definitely cannot bring liquids into the airport, so nix the yoghurt and juice.

I never eat airplane food and usually pack items similar to saggyhairy...'s suggestions. However, I also usually supplement buy buying things at the airport (after security). They always have a pret a manger (or similar), so that is when I pick up salads, yoghurt, cake slices and drinks.

what janeite said

i always get us boots meal deals once through security, plus loads of water. also have extra Organix cereal bars and raisins in hand luggage.

you wont be able to bring all that food through security, they will take it off you. get checked in and through security (takes forever nowadays - we never get time to grab breakfast anymore as run out of time ) then grab plenty of nosh in boots and get boarded.

have breakfast in the airport and buy a sandwich in pret if you think you will need more food in 4 hours
or just eat the airline food
it won't kill you!

going from Birmingham so not sure if they have a ~Boots

i'm a link virgin but if you google Bham airport they have a list of shops and restaurants: there is a Costa and a Boots in departures so you can get coffees and muffins for brekkie and load up on sarnies for the flight

make sure you grab plenty of crisps and drinks. You'll be fine, although it seems a long time with transfers and whatnots, you are factoring in all usual meal times but this is not a usual day is it. You will all be excited and tired with th etravelling and this does affect appetite etc. bit of brekkie in costa, sarnies & crisps on plane and another bag of crisps on coach while nodding off will be plenty You will want dinner once you are there and unpacked anyway.

have a fab hols

I usually take a small sandwich box and put foodstuffs in that. No liquids, juice or yoghurt of any kind is allowed as all these break the 100 ml quantity rule (you can buy those items post security anyway).

Mrs w

You can take food on planes now subject to the above restrictions on liquids (that also includes sauces, gels and yoghurts). Does not matter that you've brought foodstuff from home.

Not surprised to read your DH's work colleague got told off. Bringing fruit into the UK is prohibited as it can bring in agricultural pests. He should have left the fruit behind on the plane before disembarking.

Theres a Boots airside in both Birmingham terminals. I'd have a nice Wetherspoons breakfast at the airport - it's no more expensive than the other Wetherspoons, and really gives you a good start.

Then either do the Boots meal deal, or take sarnies/fruit/crisps with you and buy drinks airside. Theres plenty of food outlets

Yogurt--We usually take the ones in tubes/pouches. You can bring liquid items so long as each individual item is less than 100ml and they all fit into a small ziplock bag. You won't be able to bring in individual pots, though. And you'll have to buy cold/hot drinks after security check.

Agree I won't bother buying full breakfast. You can make two sets of sarnies--one for b'fast, the other for lunch. Maybe one of them in different bread like rolls, bops, pita.

Another thing that went well with my kids were plain cooked pasta in a tupperware or a sealable platic bag. It gets messy with tomato sauce, but my kids just eat them with cheese. Cherry tomatoes, grapes, cuke/carrot sticks also are good for flights and can be prepared the night before.

some great advice - many thanks. The Pasta in a box is a good one, my ds loves pesto with some tuna and cuke thrown in a good oen for the plane. Thanks again

Sorry didnt see the Boots in the departure lounge when I looked on the site

RE: yoghurts - my idea was to eat them for brekkie, before going through security. Having said that, I'd personally far rather have a pain au chocolate and forget the yoghurt! We usually go to Starbucks I must admit but that is because I am a failed hippy capitalist pig.

Yes, re yoghurts and juice, I was imagining that being eaten on arrival.