The Beverage Ordering Pet Peeve That Drives Flight Attendants Up The Wall

No matter who you are or where you're flying, like anyone, you want your flight to go as smoothly as possible. For some people, that means trying to make their flying experience just as comfy as their home living room. While we've all heard stories about the person who immediately takes off their shoes and props their naked toes up on the seat in front of them, a controversial passenger behavior that several airlines are putting to an end, that's certainly not the only thing that can annoy the cabin crew. It turns out that ordering several drinks at once can irk even the most pleasant and patient of flight attendants.

"When someone asks for a water, a coffee, and a Diet Coke, it slows down our service," Jennifer L., a flight attendant for a domestic U.S. airline, told Business Insider. "We have to get through the whole cabin. So instead, ask for one drink and we can always come back to give you something else after we've gotten through everyone."

It's understandable that someone might want to get all their drink orders in at once, like a pick-me-up coffee plus some backup beverages for later on in the flight, but it's not practical. Not only are you taking up the flight attendant's time when there are still hundreds of passengers to whom they need to cater, but then you have a tray of beverages. That's hardly an ideal situation if you need to get up to use the lavatory or quickly evacuate at any point. If you want several drinks to sip throughout the trip, buy them after you clear security and you can bring them onboard. 

Although it goes without saying that flight attendants would prefer that you not drink too much alcohol on the plane, as that's the kind of holiday traveler who frustrates flight attendants the most, believe or not, Diet Coke in itself can be a pretty annoying order too. While we may not think of it often, or ever, when Diet Coke is being poured, the flight attendant needs to wait for the bubbles to dissipate before they can continue pouring. That means your flight attendant is standing there pouring your Diet Coke, then waiting for the bubbles to dissipate, then pouring some more and waiting again. It takes up quite a bit of time. 

While some will argue that if you're spending several hundred or, in some cases, several thousand dollars on a flight, you should have every right to order whatever you want and as much as you want, it's also important to realize you're not the only one on the plane. You're one of hundreds, and if you can stand out for being one of the passengers who's doing their best to make the flight attendants' job easier, that's the route you want to take. So if you want to avoid doing the things that will garner a flight attendant's disdain for you, stop ordering multiple drinks at the same time and think twice about ordering that Diet Coke.