Jet2.com passengers cannot bring hot food or hot drinks on board, and the airline can also refuse foods with strong smells that might bother other travellers. Cold snacks and cold meals are still allowed, but anything hotter than that has to wait until after takeoff, when food and drinks can be bought during the flight.
The rules matter now because millions of Britons are flying overseas this summer and many will try to pack their own food to keep costs down. Jet2 is one of several major airlines whose cabin rules are getting fresh attention in 2026, as travellers work out what they can carry through security and what must stay at home.
Jet2’s position is tighter than some of its rivals. easyJet also lets passengers bring food into the cabin, though liquids and semi-liquids such as soup, yoghurt, custard and sauces still have to meet airport security limits. easyJet passengers can bring hot drinks only if they buy them after security and keep them in a secure lidded cup. Ryanair allows food and soft drinks on board too, but not hot drinks, and passengers cannot drink their own alcohol during the flight, including duty-free purchases. On TUI, passengers on long-haul flights of seven hours or more get meals and drinks included, while shorter flights offer food for sale from the in-flight café.
That flexibility still comes with a catch. Passengers may bring their own snacks to save money, but some foods are blocked by airline policy or by border rules, especially when travelling from the UK to the EU, where limits apply to meat and dairy products. The UK also restricts certain meat and dairy items coming back into Great Britain from EU countries, and those rules are separate from what an airline will allow through the cabin door. TUI passengers can bring their own food, but cabin crew cannot heat it or store it for them, except for warming baby bottles, and they cannot drink their own alcohol on board.
For travellers packing a bag for the summer break, the safest move is to check both the airline’s latest cabin rules and the government’s current guidance before leaving for the airport. Jet2.com’s line is clear enough: cold food is fine, hot food is not, and anything with a strong smell may never make it past the crew.
