Sweet treats are eternally popular with passengers looking for enticing snacks in between meals on long-haul flights.
Popcorn, cookies, ice cream, chocolate bars and sweets have always been the go-to snacks of choice, creating moments of joy, putting passengers at ease with familiar everyday offerings onboard.
But just as there has been a noticeable shift in what people want in a main meal, there’s also been a shift in how people snack. Passengers now expect elevated presentation, regionally inspired choices, snacks made with clean ingredients that align with dietary preferences, plus health-conscious, trend-forward options.
Multiple choice
One of the biggest trends airlines are seeing is ensuring there’s something on offer to suit all tastes. What full-service airlines are serving in between meals on long-haul flights in all cabins matters now more than ever.
Virgin has witnessed this shift in appetites onboard and has adapted accordingly. Hari Ghotra, Senior Manager – Inflight Food and Beverage Development at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Our approach is to be as inclusive as possible, ensuring there’s something for everyone. We’ve developed an internal snack framework to help guide this, covering sweet, savoury, chewy, indulgent, healthy and allergen-free options.”
Last year it launched its own signature ice cream with a bespoke flavour profile, Cherry Pie in the Sky, created exclusively for the Upper cabin. It also serves a chocolate ice cream lolly in Premium and Economy. In addition to this, Wander Wall offers a range of self-service snacks for Premium and Upper Class passengers, including strawberry fizz sweets from Yumma Candy, chocolate bars from Seed & Bean and dried mango from Kooky.
Giving passengers these signature Virgin touches, says Ghotra, is designed to help pass the time during the flight and delight people with unexpected treats. “For some customers they’re on a holiday of a lifetime; for others it’s a regular commute. Our role is to create moments of surprise, such as our movie treat service offering ice cream or sorbet, alongside more functional options like biscuits to enjoy with a coffee or to keep children entertained. Flying can take people out of their comfort zone, so if we can put them at ease and make them smile along the way, that’s a win.”
Pass the popcorn
One sweet snack that goes hand in hand with movie time is popcorn. Joe & Seph’s supplies popcorn to airlines who serve it on both day and night flights. The premium popcorn is in packaging specifically designed for airlines, and each piece has an intense taste ensuring that even small portions taste good.
Adam Sopher, co-founder and CEO said: “We think it’s important to delight passengers during a flight. So many passengers on long-haul flights are using the inflight entertainment system and popcorn is an integral part of the movie experience. We offer a wide range of popcorn flavours from salted to cheddar cheese, but the best-selling flavour is salted caramel.
“Airlines are moving towards more premium snacks like our popcorn, that offer passengers a superior experience for only a small premium on the cost.”
Branded bites
When it comes to sweet snacks reflecting an airline’s signature brand, Matthew Farrell, VP of Culinary Innovation and Development at AMI Group, said: “I think working with an up-and-coming or well-known branded partner is a value add for an airline and its passengers. Getting that brand to take a signature product and make it exclusive to the airline is a great play and is something we’re seeing more of.
“Other worldwide trends I’m seeing is even more food doubling up as functional, quickly converting viral trends into creative products, unexpected partnerships, even greater culture fusion, alongside some virtue signalling.”
He agrees that having ice cream or a sweet treat on long haul flights mid-service is something passengers really appreciate. “Yes of course it provides ‘entertainment’, but it’s also a differentiator,” he said.
Keeping it cool
One airline doing things differently is United. Enter the ice cream sundae cart in United Polaris Business Class. “Ice cream and snacks remain some of the most anticipated and memorable parts of the onboard dining experience. Our ice cream sundae cart is consistently a highlight for customers in our Premium cabins. It’s more than dessert – it’s an experience and a moment of delight during the flight,” said the United Airlines Culinary Team.
The airline partners with Tillamook Creamery for its vanilla bean ice cream and rotating limited time offer flavours, thoughtfully curating modern sweet and savoury snack offerings that resonate with customers. In a highly competitive industry, signature food and beverage moments like these are powerful differentiators. They create lasting impressions and build emotional loyalty.
United’s ice cream cart is offered during the primary lunch and dinner services in Premium cabins with snack offerings available in all cabins across daytime and nighttime flights.
Of course, serving ice cream at 30,000 feet isn’t without its challenges. Virgin’s Ghotra said: “The key challenge is ensuring ice cream stays frozen and safe until it’s served. Our chillers are carefully managed and we work closely with manufacturers to test melt points so products perform properly inflight.”
United’s Culinary Team echoes this. “Keeping ice cream properly frozen on an aircraft is always a logistical challenge. The menu planning team works closely with catering operations and inflight teams to ensure the integrity and quality of the product from catering kitchen to onboard service. Temperature control, storage constraints and timing of service all require careful coordination.”
Personal touches
Where some airlines are cutting back, United has moved in the opposite direction by enhancing the Economy experience with more choices and fresher components. Virgin is also delivering different dining experiences across all cabins and is currently working on new product development to bring even more fun and personality into the Economy offering.
With some passengers preferring not to be disturbed after the main meal service and on late-night departures many airlines also now offer self-service snacks like biscuits and fruit.
There’s no single formula, but strong brand consistency is key when it comes to sweet snacks onboard. Those airlines doing things differently and adding a personal touch are the ones that will leave passengers wanting more.
Ghotra said: “Signature products help customers associate memorable moments with our brand. Sweet treats are just one part of that, but they play an important role in showing that we care, that we curate thoughtfully, and that we want customers to enjoy flying with us and come back again.
“Every touchpoint matters, from the welcome to the main meal, snacks and even the farewell. We give all customers landing sweets in every cabin as a final goodbye – a small packet of Love Hearts. It’s a simple gesture, but it makes people smile, whether they’re a child or a grandparent, and it’s a lovely way to end the journey.”
