Why shouldn’t you order tea and coffee on the plane?
Drinks are indispensable on long flights, but it’s best not to order hot drinks made on the spot such as coffee or tea on the plane.
The higher you go, the less humidity in the air, the more your body loses water, which will make you feel uncomfortable and nauseous, so your body needs to be replenished with water promptly. Therefore, many people feel confused when they are advised not to order tea and coffee on the plane, when these are convenient drinks that bring alertness.
Why shouldn’t you order tea and coffee on the plane?
Many people often choose coffee and tea to maintain alertness during air travel. However, according to flight attendants, these are drinks that should not be ordered when flying.
Some studies have shown that drinking on airplanes has many potential serious problems. Tea and coffee were once warned that they were not hygienic. Many flight attendants also limit drinking these two dishes during the journey.
Why shouldn’t you order tea and coffee on the plane? The problem lies not with the tea and coffee but with the water source on the plane.
A 2019 study showed that many international airlines, including the US, use low quality or unhealthy tap water and in fact, water for tea or coffee on flights is taken from the tap. Not from bottled water.
Why shouldn’t you order tea and coffee on the plane? The problem lies in the water source. (Photo: Getty Images)
The US National Environmental Protection Agency tested airlines’ water in 2012 and found that 12% of tested samples tested positive for E.coli bacteria. If tea and coffee are brewed with this water source, users may suffer health effects during the flight.
Another reason why people advise passengers not to order tea and coffee on the plane is that coffee on the plane does not taste as good as on the ground. At high altitudes, low pressure in the passenger compartment will cause water to boil at 90 degrees Celsius rather than 100 degrees Celsius, making the brewed coffee quite difficult to drink. These types of ready-to-drink teas and coffees are usually not made to be used with water that has a fairly low temperature.
In fact, for many people, sipping a cup of coffee while flying at night is worthwhile because it helps their minds stay awake to catch up on some unfinished tasks. However, for passengers with weak immune systems and prone to airsickness, using drinks containing a lot of caffeine such as tea and coffee can affect sleep and cause fatigue. That’s why you shouldn’t order tea and coffee on the plane.
Drinks you should drink on the plane
Below are drinks that experts recommend to use on long-haul flights.
Water
Filtered water is the best drink for passengers when flying. You should drink to replenish water for your body. At an altitude of thousands of meters, the body will lose a lot of water because the humidity is only 10% to 20%. According to estimates, with a 10-hour flight, you can lose from 1.6 to 2 liters of water – about 4% of the water in your body.
If you don’t drink enough water, you will feel tired and have headaches. However, to ensure hygiene, you should choose bottled water instead of drinking available water or water from the tap on the plane.
Club Soda (carbonated water with added minerals)
Many people need carbonated drinks to overcome fatigue, discomfort or to stay alert when flying. However, carbonated drinks are the bane of passengers on long flights because they often cause dehydration. Therefore, instead of drinking normal carbonated water, you should drink Club Soda.
Drinks should be avoided when flying
You should limit or best not drink the following foods when you are traveling by plane.
Drinking water from the tap
As mentioned above, water taken directly from taps on the plane may not be hygienic. In 2019, New York University conducted a study on many airlines operating in the US and found that clean water samples taken from planes were not safe enough to use.
Sugary juices and sodas
Consuming a lot of sugary drinks like juice and coke, especially on long flights, can easily lead to headaches and nausea.
Acoholic drink
Experts always recommend that passengers avoid drinking too much alcohol while on the plane if they do not want their bodies to become dehydrated. If you crave too much, just use a little, don’t drink freely as if you were at home.
