Think Before Ordering These 5 Drinks On A Plane

It's perfectly safe to drink any of the offered in-flight beverages on an airplane. But each sip of liquor, cocktail, wine, soda, or coffee may affect you differently, especially depending on how you feel before the flight. Kathleen Benson, registered dietitian-nutritionist at Top Nutrition Coaching, walked Daily Meal through what to consider before your next in-flight drink.

"If you're well hydrated and have eaten beforehand, your body is typically in a better place to handle different beverages without discomfort," she said. However, boarding a flight when hungry or dehydrated can make certain elements of drinks like sugar, caffeine, or alcohol hit you like a ton of bricks at 35,000 feet.

The reason it can feel so different in the air, Benson explained, lies all around you. "The cabin environment is already dry and pressurized, which can increase the chances of dehydration and digestive discomfort, especially if you're already feeling tired or stressed before boarding." Similarly, boarding the plane while already feeling parched or bloated will also exacerbate those feelings.

Alcohol can certainly make a flight feel livelier, but pause to consider a moment. Kathleen Benson explained that "shots, for example, are higher in alcohol and consumed quickly, which can feel more intense due to the cabin environment." Downing a single-serve bottle of liquor from the beverage cart can hit you quicker in flight, and given the dry air, it can also rapidly worsen pre-existing dehydration. 

"If you choose to drink alcohol on a flight, pairing it with water and sipping slowly can help support hydration," Benson said. And although international travelers can shop for a range of duty-free spirits before or sometimes even during their flight, remember that it's against FAA regulations to drink duty-free alcohol in flight. Sipping a shot may not quite hit the same as throwing it back, but it's a safer bet for enjoying the spirit without feeling uncomfortably drunk in an airplane seat.

You might think mixing liquor into a cocktail would address some of these concerns at altitude, but that's not necessarily true. Kathleen Benson informed us that "heavily sweetened or high-sodium mixed drinks might also leave you feeling a bit more dehydrated or bloated, especially on longer flights where your body is already adjusting to limited movement and reduced airflow."

Avoiding alcohol altogether can be one of the easier secrets to enjoying a long flight, but for those who want a drink anyway, Benson recommended reducing the alcohol content. "Lower-alcohol options, like a wine spritzer or a small glass of Champagne or dry white wine, may be more supportive during travel since they're typically served in smaller portions and contain less alcohol and sugar than many cocktails." For a wine spritzer that's easy to make in flight, look no further than the humble Hungarian fröccs, a spritzer of just wine and sparkling water that couldn't be any simpler to assemble.

Red wine certainly has its devoted fans, but Kathleen Benson noted that a dry white wine or Champagne might be easier on the stomach due to their lower alcohol contents and, in some cases, smaller portions. "They also tend to contain fewer tannins, which some people find easier on digestion, especially in drier cabin air," she added.

On the other hand, red wine is loaded with tannins that can leave you feeling even more sluggish and heavy in the pressurized cabin, especially if you boarded the plane already thirsty. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't have a glass of red with or without food (so long as that food isn't one of these things you shouldn't eat on an airplane).

"It really comes down to personal preference and how your body typically responds," Benson said. And if the wine is sneaking up on you too quickly, as with all other alcohols, consider some water to go with it.

Some people reach for ginger ale when they have an upset stomach, but ginger ale and other sugary sodas might worsen that discomfort on an airplane. Kathleen Benson explained, "When you're sitting still and not expending much energy, the sugar isn't being used as quickly, and the quick rise and fall in energy that can sometimes come with sugary drinks might feel more noticeable."

For sensitive stomachs craving a fizzy drink, Benson recommended sparkling water with a dash of citrus, ideally a lime or lemon wedge if the airline has them available. The lack of added sugar makes them easier to digest — though sparkling water is still carbonated, so even this drink might cause bloating in some people. This can also contribute to acid reflux, causing a potential chain reaction of gastrointestinal discomfort.

If you like sodas, though, feel free to have one, Benson said. Just listen to your body when it tells you what it needs.

Many in-flight beverage services include coffee, especially after meals or on long hauls. When it comes to stomach comfort, Kathleen Benson reassured us that "whether or not to drink caffeine during a flight really depends on your needs and how your body handles it."

"There's no universal rule here," she explained. Instead, the warnings about in-flight coffee and other high-caffeine drinks are more related to what you want to do with your time, both during and after the flight. Habitual caffeinators can likely enjoy a cup of coffee on a brief flight with no real downsides, especially if they have something to do after landing.

"But on longer or overnight flights, or when crossing time zones, caffeine might make it harder to nap or adjust to a new schedule, which can worsen jet lag," Benson told us. Caffeine may also trigger digestion in some people, which can be either helpful or detrimental during long flights.