"Sweets for takeoff...landing..."

[brockenspectre]

Just channel surfing and caught 5mins of a programme about Britannia with a member of cabin crew offering a tray of sweets to pax prior to takeoff.

When was the last time you were offered a sweet for takeoff or landing? Mine has to be my last flight with SAS in 2003 ...

Why have most airlines stopped this practice? (and which ones still do it?). So many folks, even now, don't know to bring candy or chewing gum or something to assist with the pressure changes that it would, probably, make a wonderfully positive impression these days!

Do you like the "sweet for takeoff...landing"? If not, why not! :ok:


PS: Mods, if you want to shift this to Passengers and SLF Forum then feel free to do so! :)

[Ozzy]

I don't. Rots me teeth. Still, its nice to hark back to the old days:)

Ozzy

[Boss Raptor]

Air Europa - every flight for both take off and landing - such a nice and friendly airline :ok:

[Capt.KAOS]

My first sweetie : Berlin Schoenefeld-Hamburg 1968 (Interflug IL-18)
My last sweetie : AMS-HKG 2000 (Cathay 744)

[Dead_Heading]

Caledonian airways, takeoff and landing on the way to Barbados

[Sharjah Night Shift]

Japan Air Commuter YS11 Kagoshima to Fukuoka October 2002.

[maggioneato]

I had completely forgotten about sweets being offered. I always carry chewing gum for my better half as his ears give him so much pain in the decent. Now that I've been reminded about what I've missed. I will go and buy a box of my favorite sweets for our forthcoming trip across the pond. :}

[ratsarrse]

I certainly can't remember this happeining since I was a kid. I'd entirely forgotten that they used to dish out sweeties. Unlike some people here who seem to be so traumatised by the lack of sweets that they can remember the precise flight details of their last sweet-enhanced flight...;)

[IB4138]

You used to be able to buy "Travel Sweets" - hard boiled fruit flavoured sweets dusted with icing sugar, in round tins from newsagents/duty free shops at the airports. I don't recall seeing these for some time either.
It is this type of sweet that was welcome to suck and last until you were airbourne.
Unfortunately, before most airlines discontinued them, they had resorted to giving soft chewy things that had gone in less than a minute.

[FinalsToLand]

Eastern Airways offer boiled sweets to pax on all their flights.

F.T.L

[amanoffewwords]

On a Caravelle many moons ago, on my way to Brussels from Milan as I recall. Would be nice to have it back.

[Dead_Heading]

It alright, IB4138, Travel sweets are still being sold (i'm eatin one now :ok: ) They're usually on sale in petrol stations now though.

[speedbird_heavy]

I can also remember Britannia handing out newpapers on the return flights.

[marlowe]

Loganair flight to IOM 2 weeks ago cracked a tooth!!!!!

[IB4138]

Serves you bloody right for chomping and not sucking!

Boiled sweets are not made to be chewed..a bit like pork scratchings..but even harder!

Savour them and see how long you can make one last.

[takenthe5thamendment]

I got sweeties on Aer Arann on a flight from Dublin to Cork last summer.
They left everyone's baggage in Dublin which entailed a 3 hr wait in Cork following arrival. :rolleyes:

[reynoldsno1]

Air NZ still do it, and usually get the kids on board to dish them out....

[tom de luxe]

Pre-landing sweets (as well as pre-departure sweets AND "refreshing tissues") are a regular feature on Luxair flights.

[TightSlot]

Us lovely Britannia folk used to give out boiled sweets. Then someone choked on a sweet, and sued: And won. Several hundred thousand pounds later, we stopped doing sweets. Pity really, it was a fun service to do.

Newspapers were given out, largely due to a beneficial commercial arrangement with the publisher - everybody won! The arrangement stopped, and so did the papers.

[Globaliser]

Some of the QantasLink airlines still do it on every flight.

[sixmilehighclub]

I wondered where the sweets had all gone too!! (then got on the scales!! :ooh: )

I think some airlines stopped them to

Save money
Avoid passengers choking
Avoid getting them stuck to seats
Avoid being sued by those with allergies
Allow the crew to have a quick cuppa before take off (just kidding, dont flame me!)
Maybe it was following the whole new issue of "if I give you a sweetie will you...." (sorry wrong website..!)

Seriously though, it was a good idea for the passengers, and helped the crew familiarise themselves by who was on board and where they were seated.

I always carry my own suitcase of goodies. Shame they get slung in the hold though.

[SkySista]

reynolds, I well remember the Air NZ sweetie service Was about 11 and my sister & I got to hand 'em out on a 744..... lot of work! ;)

As I recall Ansett Australia did the sweet service. Got a bagfull of the leftovers from the Purser on quite a few flights... the nice fruit-flavoured boiled ones in the crinkly wrap.... yum..!

Last sweet service I got was about a month back on charter with Skippers Aviation - however the FA confessed that sometimes it does shut up the noisy kids!!! :E

Sky

[Lite]

Can you seriously imagine Ryanair forking out to pay for all of the passengers to get a free hard boiled sweet prior to take off?

The cost & time element for distributing passengers with a sweet prior to take off is to large in the day of no-frills & fast-turnaround, so I'm not surprised that it seems to no longer be a regular offering on shorthaul flights at least.

When MyTravel was Airtours International, I remember we used to have hard boiled sweets with the old logo on them. It seemed to stop when AIH was turned into MYT. Shame! Not a shame having to scrape & pull sweets that had been thrown into seat back pockets, on the carpets etc. Yeuch!

[Young Paul]

You still get them most times before landing on bmi - or at least, at the front of the aircraft; dunno about the back.

[PAXboy]

My first must have been BOAC in Dec 1965 as that was my first flight (VC-10 LHR~JNB :cool: Ideally I want a smiley for 'Dreamy look of wistfullness in eyes').

I had not even noticed that sweeties had gone as I never took them, having always been able to self-adjust my ear pressure easily.

Amusing to read that NZ had the children handing out the sweets. Now, if only they could be persuaded to do the meal service as well, the CC would have more time to chat up the Pax. ;)

--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[takenthe5thamendment]

I had not even noticed that sweeties had gone as I never took them

Never took them?

Now that IS a statement I am unable to understand!

Love, The5th
Who has never refused a sweetie in her life! :)

[Joles]

HEY !
This topic brings back memories of my FIRST FLIGHT

Air India MUM-DEL sector, November 1970. I was all of three, but I can never forget that I took the aisle seat because I wanted the sweets. And you know what, while disembarking, the airhostess gave me a full one pound bag full of them !

All Airlines in India ( except the no frills Deccan Air) serve them 5 minutes prior to take off. Infact Sahara hands over a box containing choclates and sweets on the ground pre-boarding.

Even a small operator like Jagson Airlines ( Dornier 228s ) has no food, but the hostess duly gives you sweets prior to take off !!!!!!!

YA
Joles

[IB4138]

I've now found a large supply of these little hard travel sweets at Lidl. Different flavours and very cheap.:ok:

[FlyingV]

Can you seriously imagine Ryanair forking out to pay for all of the passengers to get a free hard boiled sweet prior to take off?

I was on a Ryanair flight where everyone got sweeties. It was in 1987 though :hmm:

[starbag]

We used to do baskets of boiled sweets (the red ones were best!) before take off and landing at Brit World (RIP):{