By James Wysong

Travel columnist

updated 5:36 p.m. ET Nov. 16, 2005

Air travelers used to complain about how awful the food was at 35,000 feet. These days they complain they get nothing at all. And it’s true, you don’t - not unless you’re willing to fork over 10 bucks or bring your own sandwich aboard. How did it come to this?

Money troubles, that’s how.

SkySnax, BOB (Buy on Board), SkyKitchen, Food for Purchase - the airlines have lots of words for it, but they all mean that complimentary in-flight meals are disappearing. They’re already gone on most domestic flights, and they’re getting harder to find on international flights. You can bet they won’t be back soon. The airlines are financially strapped and are doing everything they can to stem the hemorrhage of money that is so prevalent now in the industry.

There are two ways to look at it:

1. Outrage and indignation. The airlines have hit a new low — they’re charging for every little item. It’s way out of hand when you can get on a six-hour flight, find no U.S. currency in your wallet, and listen to your stomach rumble from New York all the way to San Francisco.

2. Optimism and opportunity. Airline meals were never any good, anyway. At least now you have options: bring your own, buy at the airport or purchase onboard. Before, you paid for the food whether you liked it or not; it was lumped into the ticket price.

I recently flew from Chicago to Hawaii on a “domestic” flight, so if I wanted a meal I had to buy it. Mind you, this is a nine-hour flight. If I had arrived late in Chicago carrying only my credit cards, I’d have spent a long, hungry flight dreaming of pineapple and poi. Why? Because most airlines take only cash for their in-flight meals. I would have ended up eating the seat cushion. I’m a flight attendant, so I know to carry cash, but there’s some poor, hungry guy on every flight who doesn’t know this.

In the past, when passengers would ask me, “Don’t you feel embarrassed about how cheap the airlines are getting?” I would have answered an immediate “Yes,” but recently I’ve had second thoughts. The passengers are paying less and less for their tickets, and the savings have to come from somewhere. The employees’ salaries and pension benefits are already tapped out, and the executives’ paychecks - well, that’s another column.

Nevertheless, I felt embarrassed for the Hawaii-bound crew as they had to answer many times, “Yes, seriously, you have to buy the meal.” Shouldn’t there be some kind of time limit on no-meal flights, or at least a place to store the food you bring aboard? Just a thought.

Here are some tips for dealing with food on your next flight.

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