Your 'Easy' Drink Order Is Slowing Down the Entire Plane's Beverage Service
Most frequent flyers — including the TPG team — get pretty excited about inflight beverages, whether it's Brian's go-to Dom Pérignon or the classic ginger ale. But there's one beverage that you might want to reconsider ordering next time the cart parks in your row: Diet Coke.
Apparently, Diet Coke can slow down the process of distributing drinks throughout the entire plane. And it all comes down to carbonation. The cabin pressure of planes increases the carbonation of sodas, forcing flight attendants to wait for the soda to defizz until the cup is filled. A study from Illinois State University has shown that Diet Coke is more carbonated than regular Coke (it has to do with the absence of sugar), which means the soft drink tends to be the biggest culprit.
While it seems like it shouldn't be so much of a nuisance, that extra carbonation can ultimately cut into flight attendants' time. So much so that, according to the blog These Gold Wings, pouring one Diet Coke takes the same amount of time as three other beverages.
Thankfully, though, there's a way for flight attendants to combat the annoyance. Instead of pouring the can into the cup in the typical way, flight attendant Jeff from These Gold Wings found a more efficient way to serve the beverage. In the demonstration video Jeff filmed below, he shows the difference in the speediness of his tactic and waiting out the carbonation from a regular pour.
As shown in the demonstration, Jeff places the cup over top of the can and then turns it a solid 180 degrees, pouring the beverage out of the can without an unnecessary amount of bubbles.
His explanation for why it works so well?
"Diet Coke doesn't come out of the can when flipped upside down until you lift it up and tilt it slightly ... because the air pressure is keeping the Coke in the can," he said.
H/T: Travel + Leisure
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.