The Fast Food Chain You're Most Likely To Find In US Airports Isn't McDonald's Or Subway

Airport terminals are looking more and more like shopping malls these days, with stores and restaurants everywhere you turn and even entertainment attractions like museums, movie theaters, and art exhibits. Just like any upscale shopping complex, major airports feature both sit-down restaurants that are on the trendier side and plentiful fast-food options for those seeking a quick bite. In terms of fast-food offerings, many of the same franchises that fill large cities across the United States can also be found in major airports. But which among them has the most prevalent presence when you're seeking a speedy meal between flights? The answer may surprise you.

While dominant chains like McDonald's and Subway may immediately spring to mind, the fast-food franchise that actually has the biggest presence in U.S. airports is Chick-fil-A, with locations in 41% of the country's largest airports. Across 60 of the nation's biggest air travel facilities, the popular chicken chain operates 35 locations spread among them, per travel information site Upgraded Points.

All things considered, Chick-fil-A isn't a bad way to dine while traveling. The chain has a reputation for good customer service and caring about satisfied patrons. It is also a noted spot for gluten-free diners and, despite the fried chicken premise, prides itself on offering fresh, simple, quality ingredients. There are plentiful choices on the menu in terms of lighter fare, providing options that are filling but won't give you food fatigue or make you feel like you loaded up on greasy food just before boarding a long flight.

When you're grabbing your Chick-fil-A goodies preflight, bear in mind the unspoken etiquette for bringing hot food onto a plane. The aroma of hot items tends to carry farther and be more pungent than cold comestibles, meaning the odors are more likely to disturb other passengers, so it's best to eat these things inside the terminal. Your Chick-fil-A hot sandwiches, waffles fries, and soups, therefore, should be consumed as you wait in the airport.

If you don't have time for sit-down dining and are dashing to make a connection, the restaurant has better options for carrying onboard the airplane, like the Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap, which, as the name implies, is served cold. Any of the restaurant's various salad options are also good inflight choices, as are the cold or prepackaged sides, like the Berry Parfait, Kale Crunch Side, and Waffle Potato Chips. And, of course, all of Chick-fil-A's soft drinks and treats are good to go onboard, as well, like the franchise's signature lemonade and handspun milkshakes. As long as you purchased the items post-security inside the terminal, you should have no problem boarding with them.

Even if you have time for a leisurely sit-down meal in the terminal, these plane-friendly Chick-fil-A goodies are great to grab for a snack during your flight. If time is on your side, take a gander at what the airport offers in terms of sit-and-take-your-time dining spots — you just might see some familiar names. Celebrity chefs aplenty have stamped their monikers on airport restaurants, from Gordon Ramsey — who, ironically, refuses to eat on planes — to Wolfgang Puck.