One of the worst places for impatience to set in is on an airplane. When your dry mouth hits at a high altitude, it’s like a perfect storm for grumpy behavior.
Some advice: don’t order a Diet Coke if you’re ever in this situation.
According to a flight attendant on flight blog These Gold Wings, Diet Coke takes the longest to pour. The flight attendant says the high altitude makes carbonated drinks foam up more, and Diet Coke is the worst. In fact, the soft drink is so slow, they can usually fulfill three other drink orders in the time that’s wasted waiting for the bubbles to go down on one Diet Coke.
This all might seem minor, but the flight attendant explains that on full-service flights, it can make a huge difference, writing: “Pouring Diet Coke is one of the biggest slow-downs in the bar service and on the shorter flights those precious seconds count!”
But the flight attendant does share a handy way of speeding up the Diet Coke pouring process. The method involves turning the can fully upside down and pouring carefully inside the cup.
“The Diet Coke doesn’t come out of the can when flipped upside down until you lift it up and tilt it slightly. This is because the air pressure is keeping the Coke in the can. It makes pouring the Diet Coke very controllable and reduces the chances of spilling or overflow,” the flight attendant writes.
Using this method means also rinsing or somehow disinfecting the surface of the can before pouring, so as not to contaminate the drink with any germs.
A study by Illinois State University also confirms that Diet Coke has higher levels of carbon dioxide than regular Coke, which means it is more fizzy.
Diet Coke drinkers will just have to be patient — or hope they’re on one of those magic flights where they get to keep the whole can.
