I have seen a lot of great airplane parties lately! Here are some of the best elements...
Use as much of your space to create the theme! Poms as "clouds", airplanes hanging down, cloud fabric as a back drop to really create a whole scene! The whole party was AMAZING! Source and party
From the same party (told you it was fantastic!) this propeller pops! How dang cute are these dipped marshmallows with melted chocolate propellers and a mini m&m?!? genius! Source and party
Have to serve the food in plastic containers to be "airplane" food! You can put labels on like this with a plane and designation of what type of food is inside. How about doing a bag of peanuts and mini sodas, too?!? Source and party
Put airplane "luggage" tags on favor bags to simulate luggage. Create boarding passes, photo ids and even set up the front door as TSA security - have to make sure none of the kids are packing heat rofl... Source
Not cost effective to give every child, but how about just a few to use as serving spoons - you could even line up the chairs like an airplane seating and give each child a lap tray! Make sure to make signs around like seat belt buckle up, exit signs, etc! Source
Paint lines down the middle of the table and put airplanes on it to make it a landing strip! You could even use flags and light sticks around like they use in landing planes! Source
These adorable airplane luggage tags would make a great favor for kids and adults alike! Source
I love these colorful cookies of airplanes then the birthday boy's age with mini airplanes! How yummy?!? Source and party, cookie cutters