MEDFORD, Ore. (Feb. 27, 2026) — A local mother of four is at the center of a viral social media sensation after documenting how she avoided high airport food prices during a recent delay at the Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport.
Ali Van De Graaff, who shares family travel tips on Instagram under the name “Twin Passport Tales,” drew more than 13 million views after posting a video of herself picking up two freshly delivered pizzas outside the Medford airport before heading back through security.
Van De Graaff and her husband were traveling to Mexico earlier this month with their four children when they learned their flight was delayed. With pricey dining options inside the regional airport and six people to feed, she said buying food there wasn’t appealing.
“Airport food is just so insanely expensive,” she told Fox News Digital, which first reported the story.
Her husband suggested ordering from Domino’s instead.
“He was like, ‘We’ve got time — let’s get some Domino’s,’” she said.
Using the company’s app, the family ordered two pizzas and tracked the delivery to the airport. Van De Graaff took two of the children, left their bags with her husband and stepped outside to retrieve the order. The family then returned through security using TSA PreCheck.
“They plopped the pizza boxes onto the conveyor belt and went through without issue,” she said, recalling that a TSA officer told her, “I’m so jealous. That’s so smart.”
When the delay was shortened, the family boarded with the pizzas as carry-on items.
“The kids had never eaten pizza on an airplane before,” Van De Graaff said. “They thought it was so cool.”
She added that a flight attendant commented, “I’ve never seen that before. That is genius.”
The video quickly sparked debate online, including among Southern Oregon viewers who are familiar with the airport’s limited concessions.
Some social media users praised the move as practical parenting, while others criticized it as inconsiderate to fellow passengers.
“Bringing food on the plane like this is rude as hell,” one commenter wrote. Another said the smell of pizza in a confined cabin would be unpleasant.
Jacqueline Whitmore, a Florida-based etiquette expert and former flight attendant, told Fox News Digital that passengers should consider size, smell and disposal when bringing outside food onboard.
“A full-size pizza box can become cumbersome and create unnecessary inconvenience for the crew,” Whitmore said. At the same time, she acknowledged that with fewer airlines offering substantial meals, planning ahead can ease stress during delays.
Van De Graaff said the experience was reinforced on the return trip, when she paid about $80 for six slices of airport pizza.
“If I can avoid that, I do,” she said. “I’m feeding my kids. I’m doing what I’ve got to do.”
Domino’s weighed in on the viral clip, commenting: “Just plane delicious.”
The story was first reported by Deirdre Bardolf of Fox News Digital.
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