Airline amenity kits! (Image from CheapFlights.com)
A friend of mine flies frequently for work and she gave me a United Airlines goodie bag…and I’m in heaven. I have never flown first class and I had no idea such little treats existed. They are called “amenity kits,” apparently, and they are my spirit object.
This isn’t my photo, but here’s a good shot of the case I got:
Image from www.hub.united.com.
Look at all the fun goodies packed into that little case!
- Eye mask
- Socks
- Mints (in a packet)
- Hand sanitizer gel
- Ear plugs (in a packet)
- Philosophy lip balm
- Philosophy facial cleanser towelette
- Philosophy lotion
- Toothpaste
- Flosser
- Toothbrush with case
- Comb
- Tissues
- Pen (but my hand-me-down kit didn’t have one)
The case itself is really good, too—it has a mesh pocket side, an opaque pocket side, a smooth zipper, etc.
Squee! This little bag hits on all my tingly buttons:
- I love miniature things (that toothpaste!).
- I love kits—a set of things gathered, prepared, and ready to go to tackle a specific task.
- I love feeling prepared.
- I love bags, boxes, etc. with organizational nooks and crannies.
- I love good free stuff (well, “free” with the price of an airline ticket).
- I love it when everything coordinates in style and color.
- I love good branding (stupid but true).
- I love trying “fancy” brands of makeup and skincare products (I’m not a huge fan of Philosophy, though—their stuff is often full of random chemicals and a lot of perfume).
These amenity kits totally seem like the adult version of birthday party goodie bags!
Anyway, I Googled around and, as it turns out, I’m not the only one who is smitten with these little kits. There’s a market for them on eBay! Also, an article on CheapFlights.com gives an airline-by-airline breakdown and review of amenity kits. I might have spent way too long clicking on all the links and comparing kits. Some airlines use very high-end products and some airlines try to reflect their home country or culture in kit style, materials, or products. Also, there’s often a difference between first class kits and business class kits. (I didn’t even realize there was a difference between first class and business class…I thought it was the same thing…) Also, several airlines make their amenity bags in such a way as to do double duty as iPad cases, wallets, clutches, etc.
Sigh. Back in steerage, we don’t even get a snack anymore. I wonder what else I’m missing out on?
P.S. – In a similar vein, I just gave several of these as Christmas gifts.
P.P.S. – LightbyCoco, my girl crush, makes herself similar kits when she travels—an airplane kit and a toiletries kit.
P.P.P.S. – Here are some more good kit round-ups:
- http://www.cnbc.com/id/101972899/page/1 (the slideshow has a couple of historical examples of amenity kits!)
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewstibbe/2013/08/03/the-worlds-7-best-first-class-airline-amenity-kits/
- http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/coolest-first-class-amenities-in-flight