Here’s how your favorite onboard snacks are chosen.

Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure

On a recent domestic flight, I found myself uncharacteristically reaching for the snack menu.

But that day, as the flight attendants came around, I nabbed three different snacks.

Airplane tray with an apple, granola bar, and a cup of water

An inflight snack of an apple and granola bar.Credit:Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure

United Airlinestells me its food and beverage and customer experience teams work together to choose the snack options.

Many options rely heavily on customer feedback, but the teams also consider popularity and dietary needs.

Johnson has also noticed a trend in snack preferences based on customer ages.

Our older crowd tends to gravitate toward the salty snacks, like pretzels, she shares.

And the younger people enjoy the sweet ones, like the stroopwafel.

AtDelta Air Lines, its onboard service team selects all snacks.

This is why, for example, youll see the Biscoff cookies offered alongside a snack mix.

Aside from taste and preferences, another major consideration in selecting snacks is sheer volume.

Ive seen more passengers get upset that we no longer serve a certain snack option they loved.