RTW Roundup: Best airline amenity kits
I got to fly a bunch of new airlines in business class on my Round-the-World trip, and one of my favorite parts was opening up the goody bag, I mean, amenity kit once I got on board!
The Best
My favorite amenity kit was the South African Airways one, because it was packed with fun stuff. Like key chain, tiny notepad, tiny tiny pen. The travel toothbrush unfurls into a full-size one with a nice hand grip. Lots of items including the bag itself are branded with the baobab icon, the symbol of the South African business class (that's cool in itself how the service has its own logo). And the whole kit becomes a hanging toiletry bag with a fold-in hook; in my travels I learned that it should be mandatory for toiletry bags to have hooks on them, since counter space in bathrooms seems to be an "only-in-America" phenomenon. The tiny pouches holding all of the stuff actually detach as well, and become... belt packs?
Bath products include Colgate toothpaste, and Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm, Multi-Active Day Cream, and Invigorating Fragrance.
My other favorite is the Turkish Airlines amenity kit. The case is quite elegant with a zippered opening and a wide handle. Inside is a soft drawstring bag which velcroes in. Bath products include Colgate toothpaste, and L'Occitane Verbena Body Lotion, Anti-Drying Lip Balm, and Citrus Verbena Eau de Cologne.
This one just sneaks into the "Best" category, and is somewhat of a fluke. On my United Airlines SYD-LAX flight, we were given these first class amenity kits, not the regular business class ones (below). The shape of the case indicates that you can use it as a travel portfolio later, and the inside pockets neatly organize all of the goodies. Bath products include Colgate toothpaste, Scope mouthwash, and H20+ Exfoliating Marine Body Butter, Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment, and Lip Mending Hydrating Complex. I've become a fan of H20+ products after getting a bath kit in the Sao Paulo United Red Carpet Club, and using all of the products throughout my trip.
The Rest
The regular United Airlines toiletry kit comes in a plain drawstring bag, and substitutes White by Smint Natural Whitening breath mints for the first class Scope, and only includes the H20+ Exfoliating Body Butter. Still, I like how it includes a pack of facial tissues, which do come in handy when traveling.
The big disappointment for me was the Singapore Airlines amenity kit I got on my SIN-SYD flight. They just give you eyeshades and a drawstring bag that includes booties. They're very nice, plush booties, but still, where did the bath products go?
