Why Most Airlines Don’t Serve Popcorn on Planes

Like many travellers, I enjoy watching a good movie on a long-haul flight. And one of the things I enjoy doing while watching a film is devouring a bucket of warm, salty, crispy popcorn.

For many movie buffs, a trip to the cinema would be incomplete without popcorn and a refreshing drink. But, despite offering in-flight entertainment with often hundreds of movie choices, most airlines simply don’t offer popcorn on board their planes. There’s a good reason for this.

The main reason airlines don’t serve popcorn to passengers is that it’s extremely messy. If you’ve ever had to clean a movie theatre at the end of the day, you’ll know that little bits and pieces of the popcorn get everywhere. It can be found on the seats, underneath the seats, between the seat cushions… and so on.

Airlines already allow minimal time to clean their aircraft cabins between flights. Add popcorn to the equation, and – although this might force airlines to clean their planes a lot more thoroughly between flights – it would take a lot longer to vacuum up all the inevitable mess.

This isn’t just theoretical. We spoke to a flight attendant who operated a charter flight where popcorn was served to all passengers on board. They said there was a huge amount of mess at the end of the flight, with bits of popcorn all over the plane.

According to an AFF member, popcorn was removed from Virgin Australia’s Business Class pantry menu for a similar reason.

In-flight popcorn wouldn’t be the same, anyway

Realistically, any popcorn that an airline would be able to serve on board would also be a bit disappointing, compared to the hot and crispy popcorn you often get at the cinema. Aircraft don’t really have the facilities on board to freshly pop corn kernels. So, on the small number of airlines that do sell popcorn on board – most of which are in the USA – this comes pre-packaged as an “ambient” (i.e. not fresh) snack item.

Even if airlines did have microwaves on board that could pop popcorn, the smell could be quite strong and linger for a long time.

The good news, though, is that you can still get a good drink on most airlines to enjoy with your movie!

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.