PRESSURE AND AIR
Thin, dry air dulls flavour
Cabin pressure at cruise is usually like being at 6,000 to 8,000 ft, and humidity can drop to around 12%, which affects smell and so flavour.
Pick a taste
TASTE AT ALTITUDE
Same meal,
different sky.
Plenty of travellers say plane food tastes flat. Part of the reason is not the kitchen but the cabin.
Researchers point to three things working against your senses at cruising height: lower air pressure, very dry air and loud engine noise. Some tastes fade much more than others, and one even seems to get stronger.
SALT FADES MOST umami holds its own
Pick a taste- Lower pressure
- Desert-dry air
- Engine noise
- Three things a cabin does to flavour
THE SHORT ANSWER
It is the cabin,
not just the cook.
From a 2017 Oxford review of tasting in the air
and laboratory studies of noise and taste.
NOISE AND UMAMI
Tomato juice makes sense
In a lab test with 85 dB of aircraft noise, sweetness was rated weaker but savoury umami, found in tomato juice, was rated stronger.
See the numbers
WHAT STANDS UP
Spice, sauce and crunch
The review suggests spicy, crunchy and strongly aromatic dishes cope well at altitude, while fish and poultry need more seasoning.
Eat better in the air
ON YOUR NEXT FLIGHT
Small ways to
taste a bit more.
You cannot change the cabin, but the research suggests a few things that work with it rather than against it.
Choose bold flavours
Spicy and strongly aromatic dishes, such as many Asian-style meals, are reported to stand up well under cabin conditions.
Go for savoury and crunchy
Umami held up under engine noise in tests, and crunchy foods seemed crunchier. Tomato juice is popular for a reason.
Cut the noise
Engine noise is around 80-85 dB(A). The review suggests noise-cancelling headphones ought to help with taste.
Expect weaker tea
Water boils at around 89°C at cruising altitude, short of the 100°C usually wanted for black tea.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Less salt,
more tomato.
One figure on how much salt fades at altitude,
one on how many passengers order tomato drinks.
20–30% weaker
How much less intense salt was rated at low cabin pressure
From tests in a 16 m section of aircraft on the ground that can simulate cabin pressure, humidity, noise and vibration.
SALT · SIMULATED CABIN
≈ 1 in 4
Passengers who order a tomato-based drink on board
From a German survey of 1,000 passengers; 23% said they never drink tomato juice on the ground.
TOMATO · PASSENGER SURVEY
Rules for large passenger aircraft require a cabin pressure altitude of not more than 8,000 feet in normal operation, which is why the cabin feels like a mountain town, not sea level.
A QUICK TASTE CHECK
Which tastes
fade in the air?
Pick a taste or texture to see what the research found. The bar shows how much cabin conditions seem to dull it.
Based on a simulated-cabin study for Lufthansa and laboratory noise studies, as summarised in Spence (2017). Results are averages from small groups of tasters.
WHY IT HAPPENS
Flavour is more
than your tongue.
Flavour depends on smell as well as taste, and the review notes that low pressure and dry air both affect smell. Noise matters too: it is not just distraction, the review argues, because distraction would dull every taste equally, yet umami got stronger while sweetness faded.
Some fixes have not worked as hoped. In one study on the ground, nasal strips that increase nasal air flow did not make regular foods taste better, and ratings even went down a little.
Questions
Questions people ask
Why does plane food taste bland?
Researchers point to three cabin conditions: lower air pressure, very dry air and loud engine noise. Together they dull smell and some tastes, especially salt and sweetness.
How dry is the air on a plane?
A review of the research says humidity at 35,000 feet can be around 12%, much lower than on the ground, where indoor humidity tends to exceed 30%.
Why do people drink tomato juice on planes?
Tomato juice is rich in umami, and umami was rated stronger under aircraft noise. A German survey found about one in four passengers order a tomato-based drink.
Does noise really change taste?
In lab studies, loud noise lowered ratings for sweetness and saltiness and made foods seem crunchier. Under 85 dB of aircraft noise, umami was rated more intense.
What is the air pressure in a plane cabin?
Aircraft rules require a cabin pressure altitude of no more than 8,000 feet in normal operation, so the cabin is like being at 6,000 to 8,000 ft.
Sources
- Spence, C. (2017), Tasting in the air: A review, University of Oxford Research Archive
- Cornell Chronicle (2015): On planes, savory tomato becomes favored flavor
- Woods et al. (2011), Effect of background noise on food perception, Food Quality and Preference (Wageningen research portal)
- eCFR 14 CFR 25.841: Pressurized cabins
Updated