Stingy airlines? Nuts!

Okay, it's confession time: I'm a little bit of a health freak.

In addition to obsessively reading labels, leading rallies against high-fructose corn syrup, and burning partially hydrogenated oils in effigy, I also try to eat every 2-3 hours, as it keeps my energy level high and enables me to eat more reasonably at meals. For this reason, I rarely travel without a huge supply of almonds, raisins, string cheese, V-8, and assorted other rabbit food. This comes in handy on airplanes, where the snacks are usually filled with tons of artificial additives and empty carbs.

Even though I pack my own food, I was upset when I recently heard that, as of June 1, US Airways is no longer giving free snacks to its coach-class passengers. While I rarely eat the crap that the airline hands out, I still feel like I've got a right to it. More importantly, the free food usually keeps my fellow passengers quiet and serene, which I really appreciate. Besides, I like to give the nuts to homeless people when I get to my destination, as it helps me begin my trip with good travel karma.