Why You May Find Yourself Craving This Carbonated Beverage Mid-Flight
By Maddie Brown
VACATIONS
Many people specifically ask for ginger ale on a flight, even if they don't crave it in everyday life. As it turns out, science may play a role in your in-flight ginger ale cravings.
Food tastes different in flight. As Oxford University professor Charles Spence told BBC, this is because of "Lack of humidity, lower air pressure, and the background noise."
Being in the air makes sugar taste 15 to 20% less potent. So, while ginger ale may be too saccharine for some people, it tastes crisper and dryer on a plane.
Some also order ginger ale in hopes of curing their in-flight nausea. While ginger can alleviate nausea, commercial ginger ale has not been shown to offer such health benefits.
That said, a long-held belief about the soda's healing powers could serve as a helpful placebo, meaning ginger ale may provide nostalgic comfort during a turbulent flight.