U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that he would like to see healthier snacks on flights, tying the issue to his broader push for civility and formality in air travel.
While speaking with conservative news site BlazeTV, Duffy criticized the complimentary cookies that many airlines give to passengers.
“I would love some better snacks,” he said. “I would love a little healthier snack on the airplane… Maybe that could change it all. If I didn’t get the really fattening cookie full of butter and sugar and crap, or that little snack pack of pretzels. Can we do something else?”
“I think airlines should embrace a little [Make America Healthy Again] as well,” he added. “Can we get a healthy choice on the airplane?”
Many airlines around the world offer cookies, pretzels, crackers, nuts, and other snacks to passengers free of charge. Among the most popular and widely distributed are Biscoff cookies, Daelmans Stroopwafels, Cheez-Its, Sun Chips, and Quaker granola bars.
The secretary did not name any specific foods that he would like to see offered.
Since the start of the Thanksgiving travel season, Duffy has asked Americans to dress better and be more aware and polite while taking flights and navigating airports. More widely-practiced courteousness and respect, he argues, can help create a better travel experience while also tamping down some of the more disruptive and even confrontational behavior that seems to have surged since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I want to have a conversation with America that says, ‘Listen, let’s call on our better angels,’” he told BlazeTV. “‘Let’s all be better when we travel together. Let’s dress more respectfully. Let’s be nicer to one another. Let’s say please and thank you.’”
