The common drink order flight attendants secretly wish you'd stop making

When you're sitting in your cramped airplane seat, seeing the cabin crew make their way down the aisle with the drinks cart can feel like the gates of heaven opening up.

There's nothing like sitting back and watching a movie with a cold glass of wine or a crisp ginger ale.

But there's one thing that maybe you should consider steering clear of on your next flight.

READ MORE: Six things that surprised me on my first trip to Perth

It turns out diet soft drinks are a major pain for flight attendants to pour.

According to publication The Takeout, at altitude, carbonated drinks without sugar are far more likely to foam up and create a mess when they're poured.

It's to do with the air pressure, writer Joe Hoeffner reports.

View gallery

Asian city named 'number one' destination for foodies

Because of the pressurisation in the cabin, all soft drinks will be more fizzy when they're cracked open.

"But the effect is especially pronounced with diet soda, thanks to the artificial sweeteners, which create a fizzier product," he writes.

READ MORE: You can now stay in the heart of Melbourne's laneways - without spending a fortune

This means that when flight attendants are pouring a Diet Coke, they "have to do the ol' pour-and-pause", which takes longer to serve, they say.

He recommends that if you're trying to keep your cabin crew happy, avoid ordering a diet drink.

Flight attendants have weighed in on this phenomenon in the past, too.

"I don't know the science behind it, but Diet Coke and Coke Zero are just way more fizzy to pour than other drinks and take forever to fizz down when pouring!" one wrote on Reddit.

"I usually just give the passenger the whole can if they ask because I could have served three more passengers by [the] time the cup is full."

How about tomato juice as an alternative? The Takeout has previously reported that it actually tastes way better on a plane, thanks to the cabin pressure making salty and umami flavours more pronounced on our tongues.

READ MORE: Big change coming for travellers to Bali, as island prioritises 'quality tourism'

Now, if you DO order a Diet Coke, and your flight attendant just hands you the can and an empty cup, there's a way to pour without having it foam up all over your tray table.

According to Joe, "open the can, turn it upside down into the dinky little plastic cup that airlines give you, and then carefully lift it up while tilting the can."

This gets the drink out of the can without giving it time for all the little bubbles to accumulate and overflow.

He also points out that you shouldn't feel guilty about ordering a diet drink - on the long list of crappy jobs which flight attendants have to do, this one's not too bad.

Just don't get mad if your foam overflows a little.

View gallery

One thing flight attendant would 'never ever' wear on a plane