The two drinks you should always order on a flight – and the one to avoid

THERE’S more to think about when ordering a drink on a plane than you may initially realise.

Some drinks will dehydrate you, others will taste different to how they normally would and some are just plain bad for your health.

Getty - Contributor

Experts recommend drinking water and ginger ale while flying, while avoiding tomato juice[/caption]

However, there is one drink that experts suggest is the best beverage to order during a flight.

That is a ginger ale – and for a number of reasons.

Firstly, according to Travel + Leisure, ginger ale is the tastiest drink to have while flying.

Taste buds alter on a plane due to both the dry air and cabin pressure.

But ginger ale will retain its taste a lot more than other drinks, making it one of the better choices from the trolley.

Ginger ale is also good for medical reasons, as it is often drunk when feeling travel sick because ginger can reduce feelings of nausea.

Nutritionist Lauren Grosskopf told Travel + Leisure: “Ginger helps ease stomach upset with nervous flyers.”

Another drink that retains its flavour well in the air is tomato juice, which is why bloody marys are frequently drunk on flights.

However, the juice used to make the savoury cocktail won’t do you any good according to flight attendants, who say you should steer clear of the drink.

Andrea Song works as cabin crew for American Airlines and claims that the high salt content in tomato juice mixers can lead to swelling.

She said: “I always avoid high sodium foods in the days prior to travel as joints especially in the legs, feet and ankles tend to swell as a result of this food group.

“When flying, I also avoid this food group and advise to avoid tomato juice at all costs. I say this because a Bloody Mary Mix contains 12-times more sodium than a soft drink.”

She continued: “In addition to avoiding sodium, I also ensure that I am well hydrated in the days leading up to the flight and continue to do stay hydrated throughout the duration of the flight.”

Staying hydrated is very important, with cabin air dehydrating us much quicker than usual, which is why most experts recommend drinking just water.

This can not only stop you getting thirsty, it can also help avoid jet lag as well.

One flight attendant says you should drink a certain amount of water for every few hours spent in the air.

The crew member, who works for Air France told travel money specialist Equals: “As a flight attendant, the medical staff tell us we have to drink one litre of water for every four hours of flying.”

She added: “I would definitely tell passengers to drink lots of water.”

Meanwhile, this passenger revealed her hack for getting three drinks at once during a flight.

This passenger explained how many drinks passengers are permitted to have on planes.

Getty

Flight attendants are advised to drink water at regular intervals during flights[/caption]