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MIXED UP
The two popular drinks flight attendants are sick of passengers asking them for on planes
And which airlines have the best in-flight food options
WE'RE right in the middle of summer holidays at the moment, which means that we're dealing with a lot of people who don't really understand what our role as flight attendants is.
When it's the off season, our passengers tend to be people who fly much more regularly and know what to expect of their cabin crew.
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But during the summer months, that's when the more annoying requests come in.
And this year it seems to mainly be coming in the form of people expecting us to be able to work wonders with the drinks cart once again.
In this week's blog, I'll be explaining the drinks requests that we get from over-ambitious passengers, and why you need to cut back your expectations when you're on board our planes.
Firstly, this year and last I've seen a huge increase in the number of people trying to order an Aperol Spritz on board my planes.
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You're really asking a lot of us there, given that it typically will have Aperol, prosecco and soda water in it.
Most airlines don't have Aperol on their drinks trolleys, it's usually very basic stuff on board, like simple gins and vodkas, that type of thing.
So expecting us to be able to pull off a three-drink cocktail with our limited resources is generally asking a bit too much of us.
The rule you should stick to is, if it has more than two simple ingredients in it, then it's very unlikely to happen.
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Gin and tonic we can do, as well as vodka and orange, that type of thing, but an Aperol Spritz, or any other cocktail is really, generally, out of the question.
It's not the first time I've had to talk about this, but people seem to not understand what it is that we're there for.
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We're primarily on board for safety reasons and to help ensure everyone is alright if there's an emergency.
That's what we're mostly trained for, and drinks service comes after that.
We aren't mixologists, nor are we bar staff and we're a bit sick of people asking us for cocktails that we simply don't have the skills, nor the facilities, to make on board our planes.
Some budget airlines do canned cocktails now, while others will have very high-end services in their first and business class sections.
Airlines with the best plane food
Korean Air
Korean Air won best airline cuisine in last year's Global Traveler's awards.
Some of their popular dishes onboard include bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, and ssambap, Korean rice lettuce rolls.
It also made the top 10 for airlines with the best plane food in CN Travelers 2023 Readers' Choice Awards.
Japan Airlines
Coming in first place in the Reader's Choice Awards was Japan Airlines.
The airline has partnered with six Michelin-star chefs, each of whom have three stars - so you can expect it to be good.
Passengers can choose bento boxes and miso soups onboard.
Singapore Airlines
Often voted one of the best airlines in the world, it is no surprising Singapore Airlines is said to have some of the best plane food.
Chef Dennis Littley said: "Their gourmet meals rival those of ground-based restaurants."
Dishes include congee, a rice porridge, as well as Singaporean rice and curry options.
But generally speaking you can't get anything too complicated from the drinks trolley, so please just order your beer, or your gin and tonic, and wait until you're in the bar at your resort.
That's when it's time to get creative with your drinks orders, not when you're talking to someone who has three small drawers worth of options in a metal tube 30,000ft in the air.
We will do what we can to make your flight more enjoyable - of course that's still a big part of our job.
All that we ask is that you understand exactly what the limits are to that, and that an in-flight drinks service and a cocktail bar are very different things.
It's not just cocktails, mind. People have asked me for fancy coffees before too, including cappuccinos and espressos, which are also far beyond what we can ordinarily offer.
Milk and sugar are your only real variations when it comes to coffee.
Mealtimes are sometimes just as bad too, with people sometimes asking if we have "anything else" on board, as if we're a restaurant and have chefs in the galley.
Believe me, we cram in as much as we can and nothing more, so please reel back those expectations, or you'll only be disappointed.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Meanwhile, this is why flight attendants love it when passengers order drinks.
And this is how passengers can get free champagne and double spirits.
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