Guess what? Flight attendants hate it when you order Diet Coke on an airplane
Being 30,000 feet in the air in an airplane is far from the most hydrating experience, so it’s not surprising that you might find yourself extra parched when you’re on a flight. When flight attendants come around with drink offers, you’re probably going to opt for one of your favorites… but if that’s Diet Coke, you might want to order something else. Flight attendants actually hate it when you order Diet Coke on an airplane. As weird as that sounds, the reasoning behind it actually does make sense.
Apparently, out of all of the bubbly soft drinks you could ask for when you’re up in the air, Diet Coke is the most obnoxious to pour.
And your flight attendant is likely going to hold back an eye roll if you order one or more.
Why is this type of soda worse than any other? According to a post on the flight attendant blog These Gold Wings, Diet Coke foams up more than non-diet drinks, slowing down flight attendants and creating a bit of a backup in drink service.
That isn’t the only site with a post dedicated to the woes of pouring Diet Coke on an airplane. In 2012, flight attendant Heather Poole wrote a whole post for Mental Floss about why Diet Coke is one of the most annoying requests she gets on the job. Poole explained,
"Of all the drinks we serve, Diet Coke takes the most time to pour — the fizz takes forever to settle at 35,000 feet. In the time it takes me to pour a single cup of Diet Coke, I can serve three passengers a different beverage. So even though giving cans to first-class passengers is a big no-no, you'll occasionally spy 12 ounces of silver trimmed in red sitting up there."
In the blog post on These Gold Wings, one flight attendant wrote about pouring Diet Coke, saying, “I literally have to sit and wait for the bubbles to fall before I can continue pouring. If all three passengers ask for Diet Coke I’ll often get them started, take another three drink orders, serve those, and then finish the Diet Cokes.”
The flight attendant even created a video on the best way to pour the soft drink:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaW1cp8cEXE?feature=oembed
This issue is so huge for flight attendants HuffPost actually reached out to Coca-Cola to get an official statement, but a Coke spokesperson wouldn’t confirm that Diet Coke does this in the air.
Instead, she said, “The amount of bubbles across different sparkling beverages is related to the specific recipe versus the altitude in which they are poured, Generally, when sparkling beverages are poured at room temperature from a can and over ice, the fizz is increased.”
And in case you were wondering, this problem doesn’t only happen with Diet Coke specifically. Southwest Airlines flight attendant Stephanie Mikel told HuffPost that it happens with all diet drinks, saying, “Any diet or zero-calorie soda fizzes more than the regular kind.”
She also added that while it’s kind of annoying, she doesn’t get angry when someone orders a diet soda. “Obviously, if it’s something someone wants, I would never get upset over that. You learn quickly which [sodas] you need to pour from a high angle and slowly.”
Basically, if you want a drink ASAP on your next flight, you might want to stay away from the diet options!