I've taken two trips in the past two weeks. The first was to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Frontier Airlines. Snacks were available for purchase and they even tried to sell bottled water (although, if you waited a few minutes you could get a cup of water with the regular beverage service). The second trip was to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Southwest Airlines. Southwest offered as many cheese nips and peanuts as you could eat. While it was a step up from Frontier, it was a far cry from the early days of flying.

In a New York Times article, William Woys Weaver (on a totally unrelated note, I love his name!) writes about how he has been collecting airline menus for the past forty years. Not surprisingly, as airline's food and other offerings degrade, more and more people seem interested in his collection.

The New York Times article also contained some images of menus from his collection which feature items such as Selected Delicacies from Various Countries, Roasted Duckling, and Poached Turbot.

What's the best meal you've had in the air?

Flying is a tricky business these days, especially when it comes to the availability of food. I know that I don't need the extra calories when I'm essentially immobile for a large chunk of time, but I like having something to munch on when I'm on an airplane, especially if it's a long flight. At this point, I've basically given up hope of having a meal served (let alone an edible one), especially after my last United flight across the country teased me by asking my meal preferences when I booked the ticket. There are a few airlines that offer sustenance, but it looks like you might have to pay for that packet of peanuts/pretzels/snack mix with some of them.