Rant: I just realized I've been overpaying for airport food for a decade

So I'm sitting in Terminal 3 at O'Hare last Thursday, paying $14 for a soggy sandwich and thinking this is just how it is. Then this guy next to me pulls out a tupperware of pasta salad and a reusable bottle he filled at a fountain past security. Told me he's been carrying food through TSA since 2019, saved maybe $800 a year that way. I never once considered packing snacks before a flight, I just assumed airport prices were the rule. Has anyone else had that slow-dawning moment where a basic habit you ignored turns out to be the obvious fix? What else am I missing that's that simple?

1 comments

1 Comment

wood.andrew20d ago

The airport lounge passes are the real loophole. Most people think you need a first class ticket to get in, but you can buy a day pass for like $50. All you can eat and drink, plus free wifi and outlets. One long layover and you break even on what you would've spent anyway. Some credit cards even throw in lounge access for free if you travel a lot. That guy with the pasta salad is playing checkers while lounge people are playing chess. A packed sandwich is good, but an unlimited hot breakfast at 6am hits different.