Why Does the Taste of Food Change on a Plane?

But really, why is this so? Let’s put aside for a moment the fact that food is packed, transported, and prepared under uncertain conditions, and that, overall, a plane is not a restaurant, not even in business class.

Have you noticed that your ears get plugged? That’s right, changes in pressure. The pressure in the aircraft’s cabin is maintained at 2500 meters above sea level.

Reduced air pressure, coupled with the dryness of the air in the plane, affects the taste buds and changes the perception of sweet and salty.

Add to this the noise and the conditions in which we eat in flight (hello, low-cost flights), and it becomes clear that even dishes from a Michelin-starred restaurant will taste like crap in flight.

Here’s a life hack to make airplane food taste better – try coupling it with Prosecco.