A plane ticket is bound to come with a few headaches as you make your way through airports and find your seat. If you fly Southwest Airlines, however, you’ll find a sweet, salty treat waiting for you once you get into the air. The airline switched up its snack menu in 2024 and now flight attendants pass out colorful bags of mini Stellar Snacks Maui Monk Pretzel Braids instead of peanuts — and fans are raving about the switch. These pretzel twists are covered in bold, zesty Maui onion-style seasoning with a sweet monk fruit finish. And if you’re just discovering them now, you’ll be excited to hear you can buy them when you’ve landed in Texas.
A trip to Texas should always start at the local Costco, where you can stock up on everything from Kirkland Signature booze to high-protein snacks. And while you’re in the snack aisle, take a moment to look for a large bag that looks just like the little packet of delicious pretzels you were given on the plane. Chances are, you’ll find Stellar Snacks Maui Monk Pretzel Braids on the shelves at Costcos throughout the Lone Star State.
Why are these airplane snacks such a great score at Costco?
Southwest Airlines swapped the traditional peanuts for Maui Monk pretzel braids as an answer to increasing customer requests for peanut-free snacks — but that’s just one reason the company picked up these pretzels. Stellar Snacks is a family business operated out of Carson City, Nevada, and owned by a mother-daughter duo who have a passion for natural ingredients, vegan snacks, and bold flavors. Plus, the company features unique artwork on its packaging.
You can order Maui Monk Pretzel Braids in various packages on the Stellar Snacks website, but they’re only available in bulk. A four-pack of 12-ounce bags of pretzel braids costs $24.99 when purchased through the company. At Costco, you can get a 2-pound bag of them for just under $10. And while Southwest Airlines did debut the Stellar Snacks Maui Monk Pretzel Braids on a Dallas flight in June 2024, these snacks are becoming widely available at Costco warehouses and a few other grocers throughout the United States. We wouldn’t be surprised if we needed to add the well-seasoned snack to our ranking of Costco’s best grab-and-go snacks very soon.
