The Surprising Reason Ginger Ale Tastes Better On Planes

There are few drinks as crisp and refreshing as a can of ginger ale, specifically cracked as you cruise leisurely at 40,000 feet. I rarely drink the bubbly liquid in my day-to-day life, but when I’m on a plane, it calls to me out of nowhere as the treat I want the most. And believe it or not, there is a scientific reason ginger ale tastes better on a plane. 

Why Do People Order Ginger Ale on Airplanes?

For some, ginger ale is a staple reserved mostly for air travel. Maybe it harkens the feeling of going on vacation, or perhaps some nervous flyers reach for it as a salve for nausea.

It should be noted, though, that it might not provide nausea relief—experts warn that most ginger ales don’t actually contain natural ginger, or at least doesn’t contain enough to soothe your stomach. If you’re not feeling well, the drink’s sugar and carbonation could actually make things worse. Don’t say I never warned you.

But what if that doesn’t matter to you? What if you’re feeling great, and you’re about to order ginger ale simply for the love of the airplane beverage game?

Do Foods and Drinks Taste Different in the Air?

In the pressurized cabin, your sense of smell and taste are thrown out of whack, making you more sensitive to some flavors and less sensitive than others. According to Time, some airline caterers actually add up to 30 percent more sugar or salt to a meal to make up for this phenomenon.

“The altered low pressure in the passenger cabin under flight conditions changes the oxygen saturation in the blood,” Andrea Burdack-Freitag, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics in Germany, told Health. According to her, this means that salty, sweet, and citrusy flavors are dulled under these conditions while bitter, sour, and earthy tastes are less impacted.

So how is ginger ale specifically affected? While you’re in the air, ginger ale’s dry, sharp, crisp tones remain while the sweetness takes a backseat, making it a flavor you can’t quite get at any other time. 

So there you have it—confirmation that you’re not imagining that ginger ale tastes a bit better, and maybe some other foods taste worse. Next time you head on a jet-setting adventure, crack an extra fizzy one for me.