Tres Chiclet! Air France Debuts Crème Brûlée Chewing Gum

Leave it to France's national airline to make flying just a smidge more enjoyable. Created in conjunction with award-winning ad agency BETC, Air France's latest gift to the skies is an all-natural treat to help minimize discomfort in your ears while maximizing sweetness in your mouth. The crème brûlée chewing gum (also available in pistachio macaron flavor) is now available before take-off on select flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Los Angeles and San Francisco. You can also find it at Air France lounges at CDG as well as Paris Orly.

"Pain felt in the ears during take-off and landing concerns many of our customers. To relieve the pain, all you have to do is chew! That's why we have decided to offer a fun, gourmet solution, 'La gomme à mâcher,' a typically French, 100% natural gum," says Caroline Fontaine, Air France's Global Brand Vice President. "We have revisited the chewing-gum with flavors of emblematic French desserts — pistachio macaron and crème brûlée."

The gum is presented to customers in a colorful package designed to make it look like you're popping the gum out of airplane windows. Just because it's a pack of gum doesn't mean you can't add a little of that signature French design savoir-faire.

"We wanted the packaging to retain a gourmet and chic aspect, embodying a French-style universe that reflects our colorful and pop-inspired brand universe," adds Fontaine. Universe, indeed! Their pre-takeoff safety video reads more like a Fashion Week short film on French awesomeness than instructions on how to use your seat belt. Suddenly, that potato-flavored banana United's been offering for breakfast seems so much sadder.