The plane is full. Everyone is seated; you’re waiting to take off. Suddenly, it hits your nose: the distinct, sulphurous odor of eggs. People are turning in their seats to see who made the stink.

The guy in 27F is chowing down on a gigantic breakfast burrito from the Chili’s Express. Bits of scrambled egg fall in little wet plops onto the waxed paper the burrito was wrapped in.

Since planes have sealed, recirculated air, everyone on the plane will smell the eggy breakfast burrito for all 6 hours of the trip to Austin. Hooray.

This doesn’t need to happen.

I mean, I get it—when a flight is at 6 a.m., hunger might not hit you till you leave the house. Sometimes you have to grab something quick at the airport. That’s fine. But if you plan a little ahead of time, you can eat something tasty without offending the nasal passages of other passengers. Here are a few ways to be olfactorily polite to others.

Snacks That Really Stink

Some foods just wanna smell up any room they’re in. These include:

• Onions
  
• Many cheeses: bleu, Limburger, Camembert de Normandy
  
• Eggs in any form
  
• Pizza
  
• Kimchi
  
• Burgers and fries
  
• Soup
  
• Taco Bell
  
• Fish of any sort
  
• Practically anything with garlic
  
• Hot broccoli
  

All of these are delicious foods. When eaten on a plane, all of them are sure to cause your popularity to nosedive. Use your best judgment. Simply asking yourself “Will this food create a stench cloud?” ahead of time shows a heck of a lot of courtesy for your fellow passengers.

Non-Stinky Snacks You Can Bring From Home

• Fruit and “polite” cheese: Why not bring a little cache of grapes and swiss cheese/non-smoked string cheese to snack on as you drink your mini wine? Ooh la la.
  
• A pita sandwich: This is the king of portable snacks. The pita is your travel-friendly bread pocket—smear it with plain hummus and then stuff with fresh veggies, salad, and inoffensive meat or cheeses.
  
• Cut-up veggies and crackers: How about some carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes, dipped in plain cream cheese or hummus, on top of little crackers? Heck, cut up a baguette at home, drizzle a little bit of oil on slices before putting them in a container, top it with a few slices of tomato and cheese, and you have a full-on fancy, healthy snack that does not smell but will look and taste amazing.
  

Non-Stinky Snacks to Get at the Airport

• Pastries: Croissants, rolls, cookies, and breakfast-type pastries rarely put off a noxious odor.
  
• Trail mix: The stuff in the little bags at the newsstand. Or try everyone’s favorite standby—granola bars.
  
• Prepackaged salads are usually a good bet. The dressing is usually on the side and the onions—if there are any, are usually tiny. Prepackaged cold wraps and sandwiches are also a good choice—the cold temperature keeps a lockdown on smells, and the bread or wrap surface absorbs most odors.
  

You can arrive at your destination full and be a silent, neutral-smelling hero to your fellow passengers—all you have to do is plan ahead!

Photo: Airplane snacks by faungg’s photo under CC BY 2.0