Airport food is expensive, mediocre and frequently the only option available. Some of that is unavoidable and a reasonable amount is addressable.
Why it is the way it is
Worth understanding since it explains what to expect.
Concession rents at airports are extremely high, which is passed into prices.
Operating conditions are constrained — limited delivery windows, restrictions on equipment and on certain items for security reasons, staffing difficulties given the access requirements.
And the customer base is captive and transient, which removes the commercial pressure that repeat custom applies elsewhere.
Several jurisdictions have introduced street pricing requirements, obliging airport outlets to charge no more than their off-airport locations, with mixed enforcement.
What you can actually bring
The most useful thing to know and it is more permissive than people assume.
Solid food is generally permitted through security in most jurisdictions, including sandwiches, fruit, snacks and cooked items.
Liquids and gels are subject to the volume restrictions, which catches out items people do not think of as liquid — yoghurt, soft cheese, dips, spreads and soups.
An empty water bottle passes through and can be filled after security, which most airports now facilitate with filling stations and which eliminates the most overpriced purchase available.
International arrivals have separate agricultural restrictions on bringing food into a country, which is a different matter from security screening and which is enforced seriously.
Where to look inside the terminal
Some reliable patterns.
Away from the main concourse. Outlets at the ends of piers and in quieter terminals are frequently less crowded and no worse.
Local operators rather than national chains, where airports have made an effort to include them, which is increasingly common and which produces genuinely better food.
Sit-down restaurants over grab-and-go, counterintuitively, since the food is frequently fresher and the price difference is smaller than it appears once you account for what the packaged option costs.
And staff cafeterias where accessible, which exist in some terminals and are considerably cheaper.
Lounges, assessed honestly
Since they are the standard suggestion.
Food quality in most lounges is adequate rather than good, and the offering is frequently limited.
The genuine benefits are space, seating, quiet and facilities rather than the catering.
Access through credit cards and paid day passes is widely available, and whether it is worth it depends heavily on the specific lounge and on how long you have.
For a long connection it is generally worthwhile. For an hour before a flight it rarely is.
The ordering-ahead option
A development worth knowing about.
Several airports now support ordering from terminal outlets through an application for collection or delivery to the gate.
This removes the queue, which at busy times is the main cost, and allows ordering while walking rather than after arriving.
Coverage is uneven and expanding, and checking whether it exists at a specific airport takes a moment.
What to pack for a long journey
What I actually carry.
Something substantial and non-perishable — nuts, dried fruit, a proper sandwich made that morning.
An empty bottle, always.
Electrolyte tablets, which address the dehydration that cabin air produces and which take almost no space.
And something for after landing, since arriving late at a destination with nothing open is a common and entirely avoidable situation.
The aircraft half
Briefly, since it is the same problem.
Special meals ordered in advance are frequently better than the standard offering and are served first, which is a genuine and underused option on carriers that provide meals.
They must be requested ahead, generally at least twenty four hours, and are worth requesting even without a dietary requirement.
And on carriers charging for food, bringing your own is permitted, considerably cheaper, and better, which covers most short-haul flying entirely.
Long connections
Where the calculation changes.
Some airports permit leaving and re-entering, which for a connection of several hours opens up the surrounding area entirely.
Whether this is practical depends on immigration status, on transit rules, and on how long re-screening takes, all of which are checkable in advance.
Several major airports have hotels inside the secure area offering rooms by the hour, which for a very long connection is a better proposition than a lounge.
And a small number of airports are genuinely worth spending time in, with facilities that make a long wait pleasant rather than endured.
Dietary requirements
Worth planning for since airport provision is inconsistent.
Terminal directories published by most airports list outlets and frequently indicate cuisine, which allows checking before arriving.
Allergen information is required to be available in many jurisdictions and the practical quality of it at fast-service outlets varies.
For anybody with a serious allergy, bringing food is the reliable answer, and solid food passes security in most places.
Airlines can accommodate most requirements on meals if requested in advance, and the request has to be made ahead rather than at the gate.