The Last Airline Barf Bag: How A Simple Solution Became A Collectible

“Barf bags” or airsickness bags trace back to the beginning of commercial aviation. Airlines were confronted with the challenge of making flights comfortable for passengers unaccustomed to the sensations of flying. The early aircraft were smaller, less stable, and more prone to turbulence than what we experience today, so people got sick more often. Initially, airlines offered simple receptacles like boxes or bags for those who might feel unwell during the flight.

No single inventor is credited with creation of the airsickness bag, but it became a standard amenity on most flights by the late 1940s: a small, usually paper bag, often lined with wax or plastic to prevent leakage.

By the 1950s it had become a standard feature in the seatback pocket of every passenger seat, alongside magazines and safety cards. By the late 20th century, they became collectibles – featuring airline logos and even advertisements. At the same time, the necessity for these bags diminished as more advanced aircraft were better pressurized, and more stable in the face of turbulence.

My favorite airsickness bags have to be EVA Air’s branded Hello Kitty ones.

Earlier this month, Dramamine hosted a pop up exhibition in New York titled “The Last Barf Bag.” Dramamine, which dates to 1949, is a brand name dimenhydrinate, an anithistimine which targets the H1 histamine receptor and is used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. The exhibition featured a film about airsickness bags.

The documentary, produced by FCB Chicago and Sunny Sixteen, delves into the personal journeys of airsickness bag collectors who began collecting in the late 1960s. Through interviews and anecdotal narratives, the film explores the motivations behind this unique hobby and its significance in the collectors’ lives. Moreover, it reflects on the broader implications of such collections on the preservation of airline memorabilia and the changing landscape of air travel (for everything other than airsickness bags, there’s The Airchive).

  • The decline in the need for airsickness bags is hardly because of dramamine
  • Yet it’s also great marketing for dramamine

The journey of the airsickness bag from a practical necessity to a cherished collectible captures a unique facet of air travel’s history and cultural significance. Tremendous advancements have made flights more comfortable and less turbulent, and so the changing role of the airsickness bag serves as a tangible reminder of the progress we’ve made.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I recently flew aboard a Skywest Embraer 175 where there were no airsickness bags in the seat pocket. The same with the return flight.

  2. I still have a pack of American Airlines cards from the early 1980’s they gave out if you asked (and you were under the age of 12, lol).

    Sadly I lost my wings, but I’d did get them on my first flight from CVG to DFW when I was 9 years old, and me and my sister (13) navigated DFW ourselves to make our connecting flight to San Antonio.

    No supervision. It was liberating.

  3. Southwest should issue them at the beginning of each flight but collect them halfway through due to the miraculous healing properties onboard their aircraft.

  4. Are we permitted to use the words Barf & Delta in the same sentence on this blog?

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