You probably think of yourself as a pretty decent airplane passenger. You keep your shoes on. You don’t recline aggressively. You use your inside voice. But there’s one area where even the most well-intentioned traveler keeps getting it wrong, and flight attendants have been quietly cringing about it for years. What you eat and drink at 35,000 feet matters far more than you think. Let’s dive in.
1. Corn Nuts: The Snack That Smells Like a Fire Emergency
Here’s the thing about corn nuts: nobody hates them on the ground. They’re crunchy, satisfying, and honestly pretty addictive. The problem is what happens the moment you tear that bag open in a pressurized metal tube with recycled air and zero ventilation.
An anonymous flight attendant told Delish that corn nuts specifically cause the most offence to the nostrils, noting that the roasted barbecue flavor is the worst: “When you open the bag, it smells like something is burning on the plane.” That’s not a minor annoyance. That’s a scenario where people genuinely start looking around for smoke.
Onion, garlic, barbecue and pickled onion flavored snacks could also kick up a lingering stink, so flight attendants suggest steering clear of those too. Think of it this way: the cabin is basically a shared office with no open windows, except you’re all stuck there for six hours. Choose your snacks accordingly.
2. In-Flight Coffee: A Cup With a Very Questionable Past
Honestly, this one might ruin your morning routine forever. Most travelers instinctively reach for a coffee on early flights, because what else are you supposed to do at 6 a.m. crammed into a middle seat? However, former flight attendant Alex Quigley explains that airplanes utilize “potable” water tanks where the water sits for a long time, and “there’s no telling how often or when the tank has been cleaned last,” adding that remaining brewed coffee was typically poured out into the toilet.
The holding tanks for water can be a breeding ground for bacteria and are typically not cleaned more than once a year. Even after making the cleaning and testing requirements more rigorous, roughly one in eight commercial airplanes still tested positive for coliform, a bacteria often found in feces. I know it sounds crazy, but that stat alone might be enough to make you pack your own thermos.
The Aircraft Drinking Water Rule of 2009 requires airlines to inspect their water transit systems for E. coli at least every five years, which leaves an uncomfortable amount of room for error. Five years. Let that sink in.
3. Alcohol at Altitude: One Drink Hits Like Three on the Ground
A glass of wine to take the edge off a flight sounds completely reasonable. It’s practically a travel tradition. The problem is that your body processes alcohol very differently once you’re airborne.
The combination of high altitude and alcohol can make you feel light-headed and cause you to feel more intoxicated than you would on the ground. When pressure is decreased in the airplane, the body cannot absorb oxygen as well. That’s not just a slight buzz amplification. It’s a full physiological shift.
Dehydration is also an issue for passengers who consume alcohol. Flight attendant Whytney noted that “alcohol affects your body negatively when in high altitude,” referring to a condition known as hypoxia, related to low levels of oxygen in body tissue. Add to that the fact that airplane cabins are also extremely low in humidity, with air that can be drier than most deserts, which already contributes to dehydration and can make the effects of alcohol even more pronounced.
4. The Bloody Mary: A Cabin Crew Eyebrow-Raiser
The Bloody Mary has become almost a cultural symbol of air travel. There’s even a well-known phenomenon where tomato juice tastes unusually good on a flight, which science actually backs up. Researchers have studied why so many people drink tomato-based drinks while up in the skies, while rarely touching such drinks while down on the ground.
Another flight attendant specifically calls out Bloody Marys, noting they tend to be super salty, which further dehydrates you on the plane. It’s also best to avoid anything mixed with orange juice, as it tends to be high in acidity, which can upset the stomach. So while the tomato element might actually hold up, the overall cocktail is a dehydration trap with extra steps.
Still, if you insist on a Bloody Mary mid-flight, drink a full glass of water alongside it. Hydration first, ritual second.
5. Meat Dishes: A Food Safety Gamble You Might Not Win
Ordering a steak or meat-heavy dish from an in-flight menu might feel indulgent, especially in business class. However, what actually ends up on your tray is a different story. Some flight attendants stay away from eating steaks and fillets while on the job because of how they’re prepared. Specifically, they’re almost always overcooked.
Beyond texture issues, there’s a genuine safety concern here. Former flight attendant Alex Quigley suggests avoiding any meat dish, explaining that delays and mechanical issues mean meals aren’t always being stored appropriately or may have exceeded the storing time allotted for the meal. That’s not fearmongering. Delays happen constantly, and temperature-controlled storage isn’t always as reliable as we’d like to imagine.
There’s a higher risk of spoilage or foodborne illness from eating fish on a plane, confirmed by a former flight attendant speaking to Fox News Digital. Fish on a flight is a double threat, combining both odor and safety concerns into one unfortunate entree choice.
6. Hard-Boiled Eggs and Canned Tuna: The Smelliest Protein Options
Let’s be real. No one wants to be that person. And yet, every single flight seems to have at least one passenger who opens a foil-wrapped hard-boiled egg three rows back and immediately becomes the most talked-about passenger of the journey.
Dishes made with eggs, like omelets or egg salad, are best avoided in-flight. Even when prepared fresh, they tend to give off a strong scent once reheated, which can quickly fill a confined cabin space. Not everyone is tolerant of that smell, especially on long-haul flights. It lingers and can make nearby passengers feel nauseated.
Strong-smelling foods fall into their own problematic category, and the list includes canned tuna or salmon, hard-boiled eggs, and garlic or onion-flavored snacks. Even if these items are nutritious, their persistent odors can fill a confined cabin quickly and make you the least popular person in your row. Flight attendant Laura Verch summed it up perfectly: strong-smelling food can be very unpleasant, and can even cause nausea in people sitting near you.
7. Salty Snacks and High-Sodium Foods: The Hidden Bloat Bomb
Pretzels, chips, instant noodles, processed deli sandwiches. These are probably the most commonly consumed snacks on flights worldwide. They’re convenient, they pack well, and they’re sold in every single airport terminal. They’re also doing your body real harm at altitude.
Consuming high-sodium foods can disrupt fluid balance and contribute to temporary spikes in blood pressure. Prolonged sitting and limited movement during a flight already set the stage for edema, a common issue where fluid accumulates in the hands, feet, or ankles, causing noticeable swelling. That puffy-feet feeling after landing isn’t just from sitting still. Your snack choices are making it considerably worse.
According to a German study commissioned by Lufthansa, factors like low pressure can cause certain foods to taste less intense among airline passengers, which is why aviation catering companies heavily salt their food to compensate. So the food was already oversalted before you added a bag of pretzels on top. A 2010 study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, also commissioned by Lufthansa, revealed that low pressure and dry air make salt taste up to roughly a third weaker. The cabin is essentially tricking you into craving more sodium than your body needs.
8. Fried and Fast Foods Brought Onboard: The Smell That Sticks to Everyone
Picture this: you’re boarding, bags stowed, seat belt clicked, and then the unmistakable scent of fast food hits you from two rows forward. Burger wrappers. Greasy fries. Maybe some onion rings for good measure. According to flight attendants, the smell of fast food sticks to your clothes and drives cabin crew nuts.
Fried foods such as onion rings, chicken nuggets, or anything with a breaded exterior should also be avoided on a plane. They go soggy quickly, don’t reheat well, and often release a greasy aroma that spreads fast in the cabin. By the time you’ve eaten a third of those fries, the whole plane has inhaled the other two thirds.
The issue got so significant that by late 2025, as airports filled with travelers and flights reached capacity, the U.S. Department of Transportation weighed in on the most divisive in-flight debate: bringing smelly food aboard. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy recently joined forces with an etiquette expert to tackle common courtesy issues that pop up during air travel. When a government body starts producing videos about your snack choices, it’s probably time to reconsider the airport burger before boarding.
