Information, advice & tips for the Kosher Traveler

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Flying the Kosher Skies: OU Survey

Recently the OU surveyed domestic airlines on their kosher offerings. Here are the highlights:

Kosher Snacks -- such as potato chips, pretzels, cookies -- and in many cases, meals, are available on eight major United States airlines.

American Airlines: On flights of two hours or longer, of the snacks offered, the Chocolate Chunk cookie (which is OU-Dairy) and 3 Musketeers candy bar are kosher certified. American provides kosher meals to first and business class passengers on transcontinental flights.

Continental Airlines: Sent a box of snacks to the OU, who informed him that “a great majority are indeed kosher approved." Regarding meals, Continental provides kosher meals in both domestic first class and the main cabin for transcontinental and Latin flights.

Delta Airlines: There are five OU certified snacks on EATS flights: Pringles, Animal Crackers, Clif Bar, Dove Bar, and Emerald Nuts Mix.

JetBlue Airways: Most of their complimentary snacks offered in-flight are kosher.

Northwest Airlines: Several of the items in their snack box offerings are kosher certified, but the overwhelming majority are not.

Southwest Airlines: The airline offers kosher peanuts and pretzels on its flights, and in mid-March will begin offering Ritz cheese crackers, which also are OU Kosher certified.

United Airlines: Some of their 'Buy on Board' snacks are kosher. They plan to ask their vendors to submit kosher certified products for inclusion in their refreshed snackboxes later this year.

US Airways: Within the In-Flight Café Snack Box they offer five items, four which are kosher (mint chip cookies, strawberry fruit bar, fruit and nut mix, and garlic and rosemary all natural wisecrackers ).


Read the complete article on ou.org.

Kosher Traveler Adds: Travelers should also note that depending on the airline there may be a charge for some or all of the snacks. In addition at both JFK and LaGuardia, the Cibo shops carry packaged parve sandwiches certified by the Star-K.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

First Kosher Eatery in Arizona SE Valley

The Arizona Republic reports on the grand opening of Pita Delight in Chandler, Arizona - the first kosher eatery in Arizona's Southeast Valley. The new dairy establishment, under the supervision of the Greater Phoenix Va'ad Hakashruth, serves soups, sandwiches, salads, tilapia, pizza, french fries, desserts and appetizers including hummus, tabouli, baba ganoush, avocado salad and Israeli eggplant salad.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Pittsburgh Looses Second Bakery

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on the closing of the Simple Treat Bakery, a Squirrel Hill institution. This follows the loss of Rolladin's bakery and cafe earlier in 2007. Notwithstanding the losses, Squirrel Hill still boasts a butcher/market, one dairy (Milky Way) and two meat (Pinati and Aaron & Ari's Grill) restaurants within two blocks on Murray Avenue.