Family of 6 exposes 'insanely expensive' airport food with pizza order, igniting online backlash
An Oregon mom of four is going viral after revealing how she avoided high-priced airport food during a flight delay — which supporters say is "genius" even as critics slam it as "rude" and "inconsiderate."
Ali Van De Graaff, who shares family travel tips on her Instagram account "Twin Passport Tales," racked up more than 13 million views after posting a video of herself picking up two freshly delivered pizzas outside Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport in Medford, Oregon, before heading back through security.
Van De Graaff was traveling to Mexico earlier this month with her husband and their four children — two sets of twins, Jimmy and Natalie, 11, and Sloane and Riv, 6 — when they learned their flight was delayed.
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The small regional airport has limited food options, and she knew she didn't want to buy food there for six people.
"Airport food is just so insanely expensive," she told Fox News Digital.
Then her husband had an idea.
"He was like, 'We've got time — let's get some Domino's,'" she said.
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Van De Graaff took two of the kids, left their bags back with her husband and went to fetch the food.
"Then we went back through security," she said. "We have TSA PreCheck, so we knew it would be quick."
They plopped the pizza boxes onto the conveyor belt and went through without issue.
"The TSA guy was like, 'I'm so jealous. That's so smart,'" she recalled.
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When they learned their flight delay time was reduced, they boarded the plane with their tasty carry-on.
"The kids had never eaten pizza on an airplane before," Van De Graaff said. "They thought it was so cool."
"The flight attendant was like, 'I've never seen that before. That is genius,'" Van De Graaff said.
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While some people online called it "the smartest parenting hack," not everyone was as enthusiastic.
The video quickly ignited debate online as some argued the pizza smell could bother fellow passengers.
"Bringing food on the plane like this is rude as hell," one woman commented.
"I would cry if someone ordered a pizza and I had to sit next to them and smell it the whole time," someone else said.
Another woman, who wrote that she was a flight attendant, said it was a good idea if eaten before boarding.
"It's gonna smell up the plane and a lot of those boxes are hard to dispose of on the plane because they take up a lot of space," she said.
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Jacqueline Whitmore, a Florida-based etiquette expert and former flight attendant, agreed that passengers should consider size and disposal methods for the items they bring on board.
"A full-size pizza box can become cumbersome and create unnecessary inconvenience for the crew," she told Fox News Digital.
Nonetheless, Whitmore encouraged more travelers to think about bringing their own food.
"Many airlines no longer offer substantial meals, and during delays or extended tarmac waits, having something to eat and drink can make a stressful situation far more manageable," she said.
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Whitmore also recommended foods without strong odors.
"My advice is simple," she said. "If you do bring food onto the plane, choose items that are compact, easy to store under your seat, minimally messy and simple to dispose of."
Many people online didn't see an issue with what the family did — and agreed there are more offensive smells.
"Why are people complaining about the smell of pizza?" one person said.
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Van De Graaff, who also runs the Disney travel account @momsmeetmagic alongside her sisters, agreed.
"I've seen hard-boiled eggs or cans of tuna," she said. "It could be worse."
She added, "I'm feeding my kids. I'm doing what I've got to do."
She doesn't regret the decision. She was even reminded why she did it on her way back to the U.S. when six slices of airport pizza cost her about $80.
"If I can avoid that, I do," she said.
Domino's took her side, too.
It weighed in with this assessment of the video: "Just plane delicious."