The backstory makes these viral pictures even better…
Mother & son enjoy seafood feast on Spirit Airlines
Pictures recently went viral of a mother and son enjoying quite a seafood feast on ultra low cost carrier Spirit Airlines. In the pictures, you can see two massive aluminum trays of seafood, Cheez-Its, baby wipes, and some alcoholic drinks (presumably purchased onboard, since you can’t consume alcohol you brought onboard).
When I first saw these pictures I wondered if they were real, because I’ve never seen anything like this before. And if the pictures were real, my assumption was that this was a one-time publicity stunt, and was done just for the pictures.
Well, as it turns out, that’s not the case…
What’s the backstory to these pictures?
A news station did an interview with the mother and son duo who had been captured in these pictures, and the story is pretty awesome. The two live in Brooklyn, and were flying to Las Vegas.
Were these pictures real? Yes, absolutely. Was this a publicity stunt? Nope, apparently not. As they explain:
- “Breaking bread in the air was something normal, it was just regular, cause we always do it, we actually do it bigger than that”
- As far as the reaction of other passengers and the crew, “they was smiling and a lot of positivity, people was running up to us and taking our photos, we felt like stars”
- The mother explained that she had been flying this way since the age of eight, saying “I never flew without my seafood, every time I fly I bring seafood, I never had a seafood-less flight”
- Apparently it’s not just airplanes where they bring seafood — “I would bring seafood into water parks for my daughter’s birthday”
- Some people online left negative comments about how this wasn’t classy, to which they responded “we take pride in being classy, and it was more of a classy thing than anything, because I wasn’t even in first class, but I turned coach into first class” (I can assure you that what they were eating is better than what most airlines serve in domestic first class!)
You can watch the interview below for yourself — these two are good vibes.
I do have some logistical questions. For example, they were flying Spirit Airlines, which charges for carry-ons. How exactly did they carry this on, and were they paying for the privilege of carrying this meal with them? Do aluminum trays count as a personal item or a carry-on? Also, did they eat all of this, or share with fellow passengers? Sharing is caring!
Does this cross the line of airplane etiquette?
The TSA doesn’t have rules prohibiting bringing food past security, and airlines generally don’t have policies against bringing your own food onboard. So absolutely no rules were broken here.
Were airplane etiquette rules broken, though? That depends who you ask. Generally I think it’s a bit inconsiderate to bring food with a strong odor on a plane, simply because others may not share your enthusiasm for what you’re choosing to eat. For example, personally I’d bring onboard a cold turkey sandwich before I bring onboard a hot pizza or a hamburger.
That being said, I have to hand it to these two, and I’ll make an etiquette exception for them — if you bring on two aluminum trays with seafood, Cheez-Its, and baby wipes, then as far as I’m concerned you’re awesome, and any etiquette faux-pas should be forgiven. 😉
Bottom line
There are some viral pictures of a mother and son enjoying a seafood feast on a flight. As it turns out, this is indeed a true story, and it’s not the first time this has happened. Apparently this is how the family always travels, and more power to them…
Sorry to have seemingly missed the point here, but what exactly is the story here ? Airlines in Europe allow you to take a packed lunch, they even have places in departure with signs next to the till reminding passengers that they can take their take-aways on board with them, and many of them sell Prawns, so how is a picture of a woman eating Prawns news ? Is it because some people sitting nearby...
Sorry to have seemingly missed the point here, but what exactly is the story here ? Airlines in Europe allow you to take a packed lunch, they even have places in departure with signs next to the till reminding passengers that they can take their take-aways on board with them, and many of them sell Prawns, so how is a picture of a woman eating Prawns news ? Is it because some people sitting nearby object to non-Vegans or something ? which wouldn't suprise me because those Vegans always insist on adopting some sort of attitude, like there diet is like some sort of religion, I mean years ago, when I was on Atkins we just said *No Thanks* to Carbs without behaving like we were on some sort of moral crusade the way these vegans seems to be.....
Chill out, people. The BoB menu on Spirit isn't that attractive, so they brought their own. If it IS a marketing gig for their business, so be it and good for them for being clever enough to pull it off.
And @Ben... not all seafood has a strong smell. And, if that's what you're concerned about, then no AA lobster roll for you next time. :)
I wouldn't have done it but more power to them!! Just glad nobody was on this flight with a severe allergy to seafood, otherwise, it could have prompted an emergency landing...
Love seeing this — reminds me of flying in the 1970s when actual classy seafood dishes were served.
Some people just want to talk. I've brought seafood on a flight to Boston no one said anything except wow. Life is about being happy, if this is what makes her family happy and bonding so be it. If you don't have anything positive and encouraging, just don't say a word. God Bless
Looks comfortable & relaxing . Now all they needed was to be left alone. Enjoy Ur life . Whom ever say its ghetto is just hungry,if you offer it they are not going to turn it down. If you don't like it then don't look at it(simple)Give them a baby wipe, they got peanut crums around their mouth,it don't get more classy than this Enjoy!!!
The smell of strong seafood on a plane is just gross.
So are you after boarding the aircraft having run halfway across the terminal. If you ever end up flying up front in your lifetime, we'll be sure to tell the cabin crew to serve you only crackers.
Ok, at 52 I’ve always loved seafood..depending on the type of seafood it can be very messy..crab legs..crawfish..clams..oysters etc..ON A PLANE..????..I think not..I’m a “neat” freak/OCD..I NEED SOAP AND WATER NEARBY TO EAT ANYTHING...really..a flight from Bklyn to Vegas..it’s just a bit much for a plane meal especially with the world upside down dealing with the pandemic...germs germs and more germs..it’s just unsanitary and not to mention the overwhelming aroma. STAND CLEAR OF THE BATHROOM...
Ok, at 52 I’ve always loved seafood..depending on the type of seafood it can be very messy..crab legs..crawfish..clams..oysters etc..ON A PLANE..????..I think not..I’m a “neat” freak/OCD..I NEED SOAP AND WATER NEARBY TO EAT ANYTHING...really..a flight from Bklyn to Vegas..it’s just a bit much for a plane meal especially with the world upside down dealing with the pandemic...germs germs and more germs..it’s just unsanitary and not to mention the overwhelming aroma. STAND CLEAR OF THE BATHROOM DOOR !!
Okay! Now mind you every post I've read about this situation... Not one person has mentioned the What ifssss... Some people have really bad reactions to Shellfish and many Seafoods as well... This is very inconsiderate of Whatever Airline that allows this... They may as well bring back serving Peanuts, if that's the case...
Not a good etiquette swing.
So inspiring. On my next flight I’m going to bring bagel , lox, tuna fish , and gefilte fish. I’m sure the other passengers won’t mind.
Bringing a reasonable amount of food on board is fine, however this is over the top and anti social considering the aroma.
Then again, this is the golden age of selfishness and stupidity.
I think you mean "shellfish-ness"!!
LCC Scoot prohibits consuming your own food and beverages on board.
Thank goodness I was not on the plane. I am highly allergic to seafood. I can't even be in the sy room with it. The oil gets circulated in the air. We would have been making an emergency landing. Remember that a lot of people have severe food allergies. My daughter has the same reaction to nuts. My neighbor is highly allergic to banana. You could have cost the airline and yourself a hi hospital...
Thank goodness I was not on the plane. I am highly allergic to seafood. I can't even be in the sy room with it. The oil gets circulated in the air. We would have been making an emergency landing. Remember that a lot of people have severe food allergies. My daughter has the same reaction to nuts. My neighbor is highly allergic to banana. You could have cost the airline and yourself a hi hospital bill because I would have sued both of you. Before I fly I always ask if seafood or fish is being served. If it is, I wait for another plane.
It’s just a marketing gag for their local business… watch the last few seconds of the video. The things we do for 15-min social media fame.
So what?
How did they get an empty middle seat? I can't imagine the discomfort without it....
I was on a Cathay flight once and someone unpacked Durian. The smell was vile and the use of vomit bags increasing!
I have no problem with people bringing food on board, though it would be a big mess had the flight run into unexpected turbulence. Spilling water and coke is already bad; imagine flying lobster tails.
Viral and seafood doesn’t sound good lol.
This has to be the most gangsta shiz (in a positive way) I've ever seen that's airline related. I can't believe this. I wish I were on that flight.
The only way I would see this being an etiquette issue is if there was a third person sharing their row and they were intruding on their space. As long as this wasn't the case, I don't see what the problem would be. I don't tend to find boiled seafood to have a particularly strong odour.
I am seriously allergic to shrimps/ prawns, to a point I have to carry 2 EpiPen with me.
If I was sitting in their vicinity (a row up front or back), the plane would have to be diverted to get me admitted to a hospital! While airlines pay attention to peanut allergies, I wonder why they don't take sea-food or shell fish allergies seriously.
You probably should consider flying private if your allergies are that serious.
If someone brought their own peanuts on an airplane what would you do?
Flavortown! Good on them for enjoying their flight...As long as they aren't disturbing others, why shouldn't they enjoy as they please??
Did the food cost more than the flight?
I'm not amazed at the type of food, but the amount of food. Next time I'm bringing 4 large aluminum trays of ribs, steaks, sausages, paper plates, plastic cutlery, etc.. BBQ is on me when I fly.
No problem bringing the food thru TSA, but what about the tools to get the lobster meat out of the shells? I’ve taken lobster rolls on flights many times, and have brought back live lobsters from Maine many times (to cook at home after landing) but I don’t think I’d want to attempt a lobster boil like this in a Spirit Airlines seat.
I couldn’t eat that much in a week but it looks fabulous! Good for them, I don’t see an etiquette problem. I pack snacks for flights given the state of airline meal offerings these days, even in premium cabins. I believe we will be seeing more of this in the future, maybe not on such a grand scale as above, but more carryon meals.
If we're ok with business class passengers eating Lobster Thermidor on Singapore Airlines, we probably shouldn't object to someone eating seafood in economy on Spirit. Although..2 full trays maybe a bit of a stretch. If only hot food was regularly served on US carriers, the food smell issue would really be a non-issue.
Don't see why this would be an etiquette issue. I have been in plenty of airports that serve seafood in their resturants. If that food were to be made to be brought on an airplane why would it be improper to bring their own?
I read somewhere she owns a seafood restaurant. So, while she claims it's not a publicity stunt, I smell a rat (or a lobster tail).
I have a hard time at a proper restaurant table eating such food (cracking lobster and crab shells) without making a mess, cant imagine how to do so on cramped Spirit airlines seat!
I am flying with the mother and son duo. They seem like a lot of fun!
Now thats OG.
It's amazing how she can navigate all those shells with her nails. Maybe they are doing this to get ready for the Vegas lobster buffets (sadly not like they used to be). The irony here is that one lobster might already cost more than the ticket to Vegas.
Was this a publicity stunt?
Seeing both mother and son doing interviews on with their business logo, I'm going with a yes.
Now thats OG.
It's amazing how she can navigate all those shells with her nails. Maybe they are doing this to get ready for the Vegas lobster buffets (sadly not like they used to be). The irony here is that one lobster might already cost more than the ticket to Vegas.
Was this a publicity stunt?
Seeing both mother and son doing interviews on with their business logo, I'm going with a yes.
Was it intentional, probably not. I do know I'm going to tryout their seafood for sure.
Saw picture of passanger eating Peking duck onboard in China.
"etiquette rules broken?"
I don't think anything regarding "etiquette" applies to Spirit Airlines.
Badda Bing!
Given how scarce and mediocre airplane food is, I do enjoy consuming chick fil a or chipotle when I get on an airplane. It’s like your sticking it to the airline
Strong odor? What sort of weird boiled seafood you eating? Shellfish isn't tuna or egg salad. I don't see anything wrong with this whatsoever.
Ever had a crayfish boil? It can be quite pungent, but it's obviously not from the seafood itself, but rather all the spices.
Just don't serve the fish to the pilots...I saw that gritty documentary of what happens, and it's HILARIOUS! ;)
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit posting "Airplane!" references.