Airlines have strict rules on what food and drinks passengers can bring onto flights (Image: Getty)
Going on holiday abroad is an exciting experience, but the process of actually getting to your destination can be a bit stressful.
While there’s the issue of packing, getting to the airport and queuing for security to contend with, passengers also have to be aware of strict airline policies when it comes to taking certain items onboard – including food and drink. Budget airlines like TUI, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 are popular choices for passengers and while they all sell drinks and snacks on board during flights, each airline has its own specific rules on what passengers can bring onto flights themselves. All four carriers ban the consumption of alcohol brought onboard by passengers from outside the aircraft and strict rules also apply to other food and drink items.
So if you’re heading abroad for February half-term, or you have a holiday coming up later this year, these are all the banned food and drink items on TUI, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 flights you need to know.
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TUI
Personal alcohol, including duty free items bought at the airport, are strictly banned for being consumed onboard TUI flights. Passengers who want an alcohol drink must buy it from the onboard trolley service.
TUI allows passengers to bring their own “low-risk” food items on board, such as sandwiches, crisps and biscuits, that can be eaten cold. The airline cannot provide heating facilities onboard, but for infants it will warm bottles of milk in hot water.
TUI requests that passengers don’t bring nuts onboard and it doesn’t sell any nut products from its inflight bar service.
Passengers can carry liquid baby foods or baby milk that is either pre-packaged or made at home, and passengers can also carry foods for special dietary requirements. Solid baby food can be carried in either hand or hold luggage, but it must be screened separately at airport security.
When traveling to the EU from the UK, passengers are not allowed to bring meat or dairy products onboard.
easyJet
easyJet allows passengers to bring alcohol that has been bought in the airport duty free into the cabin, but it is strictly forbidden to drink any alcohol that hasn’t been purchased onboard – and those found drinking their own alcohol may face prosecution.
Alcohol must remain unopened and not be consumed during flights, must be lower than 70% abv and packed either in an airport shopping bag or your cabin bag.
Passengers are allowed to bring their own food on flights but there is a 100ml for liquid items like soup or custard. Due to post-Brexit rules, passengers cannot bring meat or dairy products from the UK into the EU.
Hot drinks can be brought onboard provided they have been bought at the airport and they have a lid on, and hot and cold food, snacks and drinks are also available to buy onboard.
The 100ml liquid rule doesn’t apply to baby food, milk or sterilised water, provided the total amount doesn’t exceed two litres, and passengers may be asked to taste it for security reasons.
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Ryanair
Ryanair allows duty-free alcohol with a maximum of 70% ABV to be brought into the cabin, but it cannot be consumed during the flight. Any alcohol duty-free items must remain unopened and stored in the cabin until passengers arrive at their destination to help prevent disruptive behaviour during flights.
Passengers are permitted to take their own cold, dry food and snacks onboard, such as sandwiches, crisps and biscuits, but hot food and drink are strictly prohibited.
There are no restrictions on baby food, milk, food or water for infants under the age of two, and these don’t need to fit in a transparent bag that is needed for all other liquids, but passengers are asked to have them ready for inspection at airport security.
Passengers can buy hot food, drinks and alcohol during flights, and when flying into the EU, you must consume or discard any meat or dairy products before landing.
Jet2
Jet2 bans passengers from bringing their own alcohol to drink during flights and will only allow alcoholic drinks bought onboard to be consumed.
Passengers are also banned from bringing their own hot food and drink onboard, but hot and cold sandwiches are available to buy in the cabin. Cold drinks or snacks bought in the airport terminal, or brought from home, are permitted, provided they aren’t hot.
Jet2 doesn’t serve nut-based products on-board and while passengers can bring their own, passengers may be asked not to eat these items during flights if a nut allergy sufferer is onboard.
Due to post-Brexit rules, you cannot take any meat or dairy products, including sandwiches, into the EU from the UK.
Jet2 allows passengers travelling with infants under the age of two to carry enough food, milk or sterilised water in their hand luggage for the journey, exceeding the 100ml limit, but these items may be screened at security.
Frozen breast milk is banned in hand luggage and must instead be packed in hold luggage, and the 100ml liquid restriction applies in this case.