Airplane food often gets a bad rap.
As it turns out, it’s not entirely the airlines’ fault food flavors different at 30,000 feet than on terra firma — and it’s not all in your head that you suddenly want ginger beer when the plane takes off.
It’s science.
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“It’s not your imagination. Food and drink taste different in the air,” the editor-in-chief of The Points Guy, a travel website, told Fox News Digital.
The combination of lower humidity and a pressurized cabin leads to dehydration — which “means things taste blander,” said Henderson, who lives in New York.
The high altitude of flights means that food and drink, especially tomato juice, taste different than on the ground. (Rob Kim/Getty Images GQ)
In particular, he added, “your perception of saltiness and sweetness is particularly affected. Sour, bitter and hot tastes are not affected nearly as much, which may explain why food preparation companies use more spices than they would in the field.”
This is also the reason why tomato juice is the main ingredient of a Bloody Maryfull of sweetness and umami – it’s simply better in the air.
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Ginger beer it has a similar taste improvement at higher altitude.
Loud background noise and vibrations on the plane also play a role in determining how things taste, Henderson said.
Airplane noise and vibration can make things taste different. (iStock)
He noted that studies have shown that these factors can affect a person’s sense of smell.
For Henderson, this was the case when he was flying.
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“I also find that my sense of smell is affected, which can really change the taste of food,” he said.
“It affects my sense of smell, which can also change the taste of food.”
When it fliesHenderson’s usual drink order is either a Coca Cola Zero or a combination of cranberry juice and soda with his meals, he said.
When taking food orders, one travel expert (not pictured) advised going for the pasta — unless a burger or ribs are available on American Airlines, he said. (iStock)
“American Airlines serves espresso on some of its flagship routes, which I enjoy, but airplane coffee it’s usually not great,” he said.
And when taking food orders, he advises going for the pasta—unless the burger or ribs are available on American Airlines.
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He said they were his favorite.
Coffee on a plane “is usually not good,” said one travel expert. (iStock)
Pasta, however, “is usually pretty good in the air no matter who’s serving it,” he said.
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But for anyone looking to maximize flavor on airplanes, Henderson suggested avoiding one thing: overdoing it to alcoholic beverages.
Pasta is usually a safe bet for airlines, a travel expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
This is “not a good idea,” he said.
Alcohol “exacerbates dehydration and hangovers,” he said.
