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Are We Entitled To Free Plane Snacks? Travel Tip Tuesday · Travel Mug Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Travel Tip Tuesday with the Travel Mug Podcast.
• 0:07
  All right, Meggan.
• 0:09
  Let's search back in your memory.
• 0:11
  Have the last few flights you've been on served you free snacks?
• 0:16
  Do you remember?
• 0:17
  I don't know about snacks, but there were meals.
• 0:22
  Oh, I know we got fancy.
• 0:24
  I don't remember.
• 0:25
  I don't remember the being snacks.
• 0:27
  I remember the menu that you could choose the snacks, but I don't recall free ones, but are both of our last flights were long hauls and they actually had meals.
• 0:38
  Yes, that's a different story.
• 0:40
  we're going to talk about the free Snacks.
• 0:44
  last we love a snack.
• 0:46
  I know, my last trip was to and from Florida on Air Canada.
• 0:51
  So it's a four ish, four and a half hour flight depending.
• 0:55
  No free snacks to be found on this that seems egregious.
• 1:01
  I know.
• 1:02
  And so my previous flight before that was a two hour flight to and from Boston, and we got snacks.
• 1:10
  Also Air Canada?
• 1:11
  Also Air Canada.
• 1:13
  I know.
• 1:14
  And then two weeks before we went to Florida, my husband flew Halifax to Newark, and he got snacks.
• 1:22
  And I was like, I don't understand what is happening Didn't they forget the snacks?
• 1:28
  I don't know.
• 1:29
  So, I thought I'd put on my detective hat and find out what the heck is up with this.
• 1:35
  Do tell us what you found.
• 1:37
  well, obviously, it's all about the bottom line because they used to serve full meals on the planes, like, no matter how long your flight was.
• 1:47
  It was, you know, of course, included in the price.
• 1:50
  But the snack has been the standard since the 1970s.
• 1:55
  it should be.
• 1:56
  I know, I'm like, I love my airplane snacks, where are they?
• 2:00
  So my first question is, are they required to serve free food on any flights?
• 2:07
  And from what I could find, no.
• 2:10
  There's no legal requirement for airlines to serve food, complimentary or not.
• 2:15
  However, there is one situation where they are.
• 2:20
  are required, and it's not actually while you're in the air.
• 2:25
  So as outlined by the department, American Department of Transportation, they are required to serve food during a tarmac delay.
• 2:35
  So, this is a quote from the website.
• 2:38
  During a tarmac delay, airlines must provide you with a snack, such as a granola bar, and drinking water no later than two hours after the start of the tarmac delay.
• 2:50
  And here in Canada, we have a similar regulation.
• 2:53
  However, it's three hours and it just says food and drink in reasonable quantities, so whatever that means.
• 3:01
  I love how the American rule is like drinking water, not, toilet water.
• 3:07
  They need you to have drinking water.
• 3:10
  drinking water and snacks such as a granola bar.
• 3:13
  I'm like specific.
• 3:15
  very, so they aren't required, but many airlines do serve complimentary snacks and I can't, couldn't find anything on the Air Canada website about snacks.
• 3:25
  So it seems like pretty willy nilly, whether or not you'll get one.
• 3:31
  So WestJet on their website does have a table for what they serve depending on the flight, uh, duration and destination.
• 3:39
  So basically, if you're in economy and flying within Canada, From Canada to the U. S., Caribbean, or Mexico, and the flight time is over an hour, you'll get a snack, apparently.
• 3:51
  Okay.
• 3:52
  Porter flights in Canada have multiple options for complimentary snacks, and their chocolate chip shortbread cookies are really good.
• 4:01
  Um, so good.
• 4:02
  And then, of course, I have to mention the delicious Biscoff cookies.
• 4:06
  So they are served on Delta, WestJet, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines.
• 4:11
  And they are So good.
• 4:14
  Uh, so, really, the moral of the story is always bring your own snacks, because apparently you never know when they will or won't be provided for you, unless like tarmac delay.
• 4:26
  It's like snack roulette out there.
• 4:28
  It's wild out there.
• 4:30
  I I was upset.
• 4:32
  I'm like, where are my pretzels?
• 4:35
  I'm distraught.
• 4:36
  Could I speak with the manager?
• 4:40
  So that's it.
• 4:41
  We just wanted to talk about snacks.
• 4:42
  Thank you for listening to this Travel Tip Tuesday.
• 4:46
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• 4:50
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• 4:54
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• 5:07
  Bye! Bye everyone.