We like to be in the middle of the action—preferably with snacks in hand—especially when it’s in support of worthwhile causes. 

One particular effort we've focused on is promoting women in aviation. Women make up more than half of our airfare members—those lucky ducks getting healthy snacks every month. And more than half the snacks we offer are made by women-founded companies. Companies like Lupii and Thunderbird, Karen’s Naturals and Mary’s Gone Crackers, Earthy Krunchy Snacks and Fruit Bliss. More on them in a moment.

But our support for this movement goes so much further than our own company. We’re inspired both by the history of women in aviation and the progress of female aviators in recent decades across all sectors. And from this inspiration we've developed a desire to help and to ensure opportunity and equality in this great industry. And there's much work left to do.

We've already done some work in this area. In 2021, for example, we gave out healthy snacks in Atlanta to the lovely ladies at the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21) and worked with Female Aviators Sticking Together (FAST). We’re also partnering with women doing big things in this world, iIncluding Lisa Holland and her outsized, positive impact on private aviation over at Sheltair.

This past weekend, we were back for more, putting our snacks where our mouths are. This time in Music City.

The gracious people at Women in Aviation International (WAI)invited us to give out snacks to the 4,000-plus attendees at their 33rd annual conference. In the spirit of the weekend, we fueled up female flyers with bars, kale chips, and nuts and (snack) balls exclusively from our women-founded snack partners.

It was a total blast. Everyone loves the people giving out free food at a conference. And it also gave us an opportunity to learn about one of the groups at the forefront of  supporting the women's movement in aviation.

Women In Aviation International International

From its beginning in Prescott, Arizona 33 years ago, this nonprofit organization is now more than 12,000 members strong. It provides resources to assist women in aviation and to encourage young women to consider aviation as a career, and it offers educational outreach programs to educators, aviation industry members, and young people nationally and internationally. 

To understand why that mission is so important, it helps to know the facts. These sobering statistics certainly opened our eyes: 

• Only 3 percent of the world’s pilots are women. (Special claps for India and Canada, leading the way with 20 percent and 8 percent, respectively.)
• Women make up only 6 percent of the senior executive roles in airline companies. 
• The percentage of women in roles as aerospace engineers (25%) and manufacturing aircrafts (16%) is also disproportionately low.

On the bright side, all of these numbers have been climbing since the 1970s, and they will likely continue their upward trend, especially with WAI and other organizations focused on a similar mission.

A look at our female-founded snack partners

So who are the ladies behind our #actuallyhealthy snacks? Here's a primer:

• Lupii (New York, NY). There is rarely a day that someone on the airfare team is not snacking on a Lupii bar. Geremy’s go-to is the Peanut Butter Cacao Nib, and Justin goes nuts for the Almond Butter Cinnamon Raisin. Even better than the taste and nutritional macros of the snacks is the character and energy of the two founders, Isabelle and Allie. Both are smart as hell and heavily talented, and more importantly, they are incredibly kind.
  
• Thunderbird (Austin, TX). Thunderbird was started by Katie Forrest and her husband, Taylor Collins, two endurance athletes who made the bars to fuel themselves on long runs and bike rides. When the two decided to move on, they sold the company to Cameron Smith, who is carrying on the tradition. They make some of the best fruit and nut bars in existence. 
  
• Fruit Bliss (Brooklyn, NY). Only the highest quality fruit makes it into Fruit Bliss snacks, which came from the life and brain of Susan Leone, who came across the concept of rehydrated dried fruit while traveling abroad. The simple and innovative process was exactly what she was looking for in a clean, simple and sustaining snack as she started her family. Now, her team searches high and low for regions around the world that produce the best organic fruits, such as the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, or the Agen region of France, that eventually make it to an airfare pouch, flight deck, hotel, or home.
  
• NuNu (San Pedro, Costa Rica). Melissa Chacon Cruz is special for two reasons. First, she and cofounder Marek Adamski Mora have grown NuNu into one of the better products available. Melissa first made these to give her kids healthier snack options at lunch, and this bar with exotic Costa Rican fruits and nuts is surprisingly low in calories and very tasty. The second reason? Her brother used to be Justin’s roommate. So she’s sort of in the family. 
  
• Earthy Krunchy Snacks (Middleton, MA). Holy vegetables, Batman. These are the best kale chips on the planet. We have founder Ashley Stevens to thank for it. Ashley got the idea while traveling for a (not-so-health-focused) corporation. She then perfected the Sour Cream and Onion, Cheezy Lemon Garlic and Spicy flavors in her kitchen, and she hasn’t looked back. 
  
• Raw Bliss Balls (Brooklyn, NY). Emma Ros is Swedish and her raw bliss balls are sweet-ish. Get it? These yummy, healthy treats are made in Brooklyn, but Emma’s healthy lifestyle and recipe were born in Australia. Wherever in the world you are, Bliss Balls are phenomenally tasty and surprisingly satiating.
  
• Sun and Swell (Santa Barbara, CA). Kate Flynn is just a badass. She has an MBA from a little place called Harvard, she’s an accountant, and in 2020 she won PepsiCo’s WomenMade Challenge. And our favorite feather in her cap…along with her hobby, Bryan, she’s made a wonderful snack company with a focus on clean, delicious products and sustainable packaging. 
  
• Shakti Nutrition (Orange County, CA). Shakti founder Manasi Bhagwat is an aerospace engineer whose pivot into Ayurvedic-focused snacks and food is impressive. Born in India (recall, a global leader in women in aviation), Manasi started making her bars in Orange County, and the world thanks her graciously.
  
• Karen’s Naturals (Westley, CA). Karen Cox and her husband Bill started this company way back in 1985, selling tomatoes from their farm, then calling the company Just Tomatoes. Since then they’ve added all kinds of freeze-dried fruits and veggies, keeping it simple, delicious and healthy. Who would think that freeze-dried corn could be so tasty? 
  
• Mary’s Gone Crackers (Reno, NV). This is probably one of the most recognizable brands in our flight path. When Mary Walden started making her crackers in 1994, she was coming from a career in… psychotherapy. But when she finally discovered the cause behind her life-long ailments—Celiacs Disease—she decided to make a gluten-free cracker she could eat, and Mary's Gone Crackers was born.

Well that's it, ladies and gents. We had a blast at the conference, saw some of our favorite customers, and met hundreds of badass women pushing the industry forward. The future of flying is female...and full of healthy snacks.