Here's where you can find the best snack basket in the sky
I'm always excited about snacks on an airplane. There's nothing quite like munching on your favorite foods at 30,000 feet while staring outside the window.
Free name-brand snacks is one of the big reasons I like flying with JetBlue. Delta also does a great job with the selection for Comfort+ passengers. And even the smallest changes to the food selection — like United's new snack basket — catch my eye. But what I was served on a recent flight from Denver to Telluride will go down in history as the best snack basket in the sky.

I was flying an airline I'd never heard of before — Denver Air Connection — and didn't really know what to expect. A full review of my experience with the airline is coming soon, but one of my biggest takeaways was that I must return for the snacks.
You see, on its website, Denver Air Connection promises the following:

That's very vague, so I couldn't wait to put it to the test. About midway through the hour-long flight, the sole flight attendant passed through the aisle to take drink orders. Things started off quite well when full cans and bottles of drinks were served.

After drinks were served, she then passed through the aisle with two snack baskets. And my jaw dropped when she got to my seat. I quite literally felt like a kid in a candy store.

The flight attendant definitely noticed my excitement and immediately exclaimed that they're all free and instructed me to take as many as I wanted.
If the picture isn't clear, there were tons of full-sized, name-brand chips, pretzels, bars, candy and more.
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I had a long day ahead of me, so I took a few of my favorites.

Sadly, the flight was too short for the flight attendant to make another pass through with the basket. Before long, we landed in Telluride and I bid farewell to one of my new favorite airlines.
When I finished my last Starburst later that night, I paused and remembered the best snack basket in the sky.
All photos by the author.
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