Most passengers try to minimize their requests on flights to avoid annoying the crew. They already have plenty to do, and what they can accommodate is limited at hundreds of feet in the air.
But one flight attendant is saying people should do the exact opposite—and she knows her colleagues won’t be happy about it.
Flight Attendant Says Get Creative With Your Drinks
In a viral video with more than 41,000 views, Chicago-based flight attendant Dani (@danimogo3) shared what she’s calling an “unpopular opinion” that might get her in trouble with fellow crew members.
“Flight attendants are gonna put me on their no fly list for this, but I have to speak my truth,” Dani says.
She said that on flights three hours or longer, she actually wants passengers to order whatever they want and get creative about it.
“If you are on a three-plus-hour flight and you’re sitting in my section and I am serving you, please order whatever you want,” Dani explains.
She’s not just talking about standard drink orders either. Dani encourages passengers to think outside the box and even provides examples of the kinds of creative combinations she’d love to make.
“In fact, get creative. Order the sparkling water with a splash of cranberry or a hot chocolate with rum. Like, come up,” she suggests.
The reason behind her unorthodox request is simple: boredom. Long flights can drag on, and Dani says keeping busy with interesting drink orders helps pass the time.
“Use your imagination and put me to work. Keep me entertained so I don’t lose my mind over boredom in the galley, please.”
She fully acknowledges this stance won’t win her any popularity contests in the crew lounge. “Flight attendants are gonna be mad at me for saying that, but unpopular opinion. Please, keep me busy so I don’t lose my mind,” she adds.
Flight Attendants Warn Don’t Drink This On Planes
While Dani encourages passengers to get creative with their drink orders, not all flight attendants recommend ordering everything on the menu. According to Travel + Leisure, experienced crew members have some strong opinions about what passengers should skip.
Tap water tops the list of beverages to avoid. And that includes coffee and tea made with it. One flight attendant said she never drank tap water on planes because it comes from the aircraft’s water tanks, which are notoriously difficult to clean. A 2004 EPA sample found that 13% of tested planes contained coliform, and two had dangerous E. coli levels.
Food & Wine reports that former flight attendant Kat Kamalani went viral warning passengers off anything requiring hot water. She claims water tanks “are never cleaned and they are disgusting.” Though airline mechanics have pushed back on this, noting that tanks are regularly flushed with cleaning products, and the water is heated to bacteria-killing temperatures.
Beyond water concerns, flight attendants recommend avoiding gas-inducing foods like beans, broccoli, and carbonated drinks due to cabin pressure changes. Despite Bloody Marys tasting better at altitude, their high sodium content can cause bloating and dehydration during flights.
What Do Passengers Actually Order?
Getting creative with drink orders might be fun, but it comes at a cost on most airlines.
According to AirfareWatchdog, prices vary significantly across carriers. Beer typically ranges from $7 to $10, wine from $8 to $12, and spirits from $9 to $11 on major U.S. airlines. Southwest offers the cheapest beer at $7, while Delta charges up to $12 for wine.
As for what passengers actually order, cola dominates. Thrillist found that Coca-Cola is Alaska Airlines’ top beverage with 2.4 million orders per year, while JetBlue passengers prefer Pepsi. United reports that cola is its most ordered soda, with wine being the top alcoholic choice in premium cabins and beer winning in economy.
Interestingly, when it comes to liquor, vodka reigns supreme across airlines. Alaska Airlines reported 1.4 million Tito’s orders, making it the airline’s most requested hard liquor. Some airlines treated their beverage data as confidential. Southwest cited “contractual obligations” for refusing to share what their passengers drink most.
Commenters React
“Honey, I’ve been flying for 47 years. Be careful what you ask for!! When you have that 30 minute flight they will NOW bombard you with all your special requests. Enjoy!!” a top comment read.
“Unfortunately paxs will ask this on a 30 min flight,” a person pointed out.
“Honestly same like why do so many FA’s hate their job and make everything negative/miserable. This is why I like working in first class!!” another wrote.
“They can ask, but I’m not doing it,” a commenter added.
@danimogo3 please don’t flame me in aft galley #fyp #flightattendant #flightcrew
BroBible reached out to Dani via Instagram and TikTok direct message.