Apparently, I’m just a statistic. Just another West Coast millennial who drives a Tesla, only uses Apple electronics, and drinks sparkling water on airplanes.
High Demand For Sparkling Water On West Coast Flights
Toward the end of my JetBlue flight from Boston to Los Angeles, which I reviewed earlier, I requested a glass of sparkling water.
The flight attendant smiled.
“Man, everyone wants sparkling water on LAX flights. We’re all out!”
We chatted for several minutes about his observation, working the route frequently, that there is never enough sparkling water loaded.
“You West Coast people don’t drink sodas. Y’all just like your sparkling water.”
I was a still water guy only for the first half of my life, but after living in Germany find that few things are as refreshing as a glass of sparkling water. We drink it all the time in my house, which is problematic in the USA because a bottle of sparkling water is like 6-8x the price of what you pay in Germany.
But I never noticed that it was not just me.
“California people don’t like all that sugar. They’re too conscious about their health,” explained the flight attendant. Guilty as charged.
As we should be, right? I can’t think of any redeeming qualities in a can of Coca-Cola or Sprite.
“I have written to JetBlue telling them we need more sparkling water loaded. Heck, I even brought my own case of LaCroix once and ended up sharing it with passengers because we ran out. They be like, ‘I’m just going to have one more can of your water, okay?’”
That was quite the kind gesture and I hope, as America faces a horrible obesity epidemic, that my generation will resist obesity in part by saying no to sugary drinks that undermine good health.
I’m going to be looking around more to see what people order on airplanes…is soda on the way out and water on the way in? That would be cause for celebration.
CONCLUSION
I enjoyed the conversation on water (of all things) and hope that JetBlue and other airlines will load more sparkling water, as travelers wise up to the benefits of staying hydrated with pure water rather than sugar water with a list of ingredients they cannot pronounce.
The flight attendant came back five minutes later with a smile on his face and a can of seltzer water.
“I found this in the back. It’s absolutely the last one on this plane!”
Mit gas, bitte
Aber bitte mit Sahne
Ohne gas fur mich, bitte.
Never got into the sparkling water, even after spending time in Deutschland. The carbonation just doesn’t refresh me/quench my thirst as well as flat water. Maybe I have to think about it as a soda/cocktail substitute?
It’s not just a West Coast thing, even guys that drive pickup trucks with QAnon stickers where I live in Texas have fallen in love with Topo Chico. I would imagine on most flights, sparkling water is one of the most popular beverages on offer.
I’ll take a Topo Chico but I all like my soda from time to time. Stop shamming us soda drinkers. That’s so mean. It’s really traumatizing me. 😉
Save some money: buy a Soda Stream machine, and carbonate your tap/filtered/bottled water.
Same carbonation, but way cheaper.
Its not the same!
YES! That’s me – I always order sparkling water and even I teach flight attendant how to sign in American Sign Language so they know how to sign to those Deaf passengers who requests sparking water.
same thing happened both of my jfk sfo jetblue flights last week lol
I haven’t touched soda in over 20 years and I find that sparkling water is the perfect substitute for that. I am a huge consumer of sparkling water from plain to flavored. Many times I ask for that on planes and they say they only have club soda or tonic water which is not sparkling water.
at home we buy private label big bottles of SELTZER (vs. Club Soda which traditionally has mineral or sodium added), pre-pandemic was commonly $0.79 per w liters, now runs about $1.19. That’s around pricing in Germany, maybe cheaper!
Yes, not just B6, on AA I’ve frequently seen them running short on JFK/LAX
I feel sprakling water is mostly marketing, Remember just setzer which can still be had for cents per bottle at the grocery store?
I love sparkling water and used to drink 6-7 soda stream bottles a day. And it was, as the Germans would say. “spritzig”. Sadly, it is very corrosive to your dental enamel- my dentist told me I needed to slow down or I’d have real problems.
Too natural or artificial enamel?
You can search that and it is very safe. Italians basically only drink sparkling water and I never heard of any issues. I have dentists in my family and they drink sparkling water themselves. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Citric acid is added with flavors. This isn’t good for tooth enamel.
Flavored ones might but not plain sparkling water. That is basically water and carbon dioxide (natural occurred or added). No citric acida on it.
Natural- it’s acidic, so lowers the pH in your mouth and slowly erodes enamel. That said, sparkling water (especially unflavored) is much less acidic than soda, so if you want to drink something sparkling, it’s the best choice.
I noticed AA is now loading liters of sparking water in transcon J. Which is great, seems like unnecessary waste to pour sparkling water from 12oz cans when half of the cabin is ordering it.
I really question the hydrating aspect of sparkling water. I know that many tout it is the same and I do prefer it. But going with my own body I never feel or show signs of the same level of hydration. Would be interested to hear others anecdotal or expert opinions as to why.
Yes Stuart! Carbonation (as I recall added more sodium). And that would be the enemy of hydration
I used to drink a can of Diet Coke a day (which I still love occasionally) but replaced it with sparkling water for health reasons. That’s my go-to for flights too.
@ Matthew – OMG, Apple and Tesla are possibly the most over-rated things ever.
I love water. But please still water is the most quenching & satisfying. End of story.
What is the difference between sparkling water, club soda, seltzer and just plain soda water?
I ordered it recently on a delta flight and the guy had no idea what i was asking. Can’t imagine he gets asked about it at all . The ones in the US are Tipo Chico and white claw.
For the most part, nothing. Each brand varies in mineral content, strength of carbonization, etc.
I don’t drink coffee, I drink Diet Coke for my caffeine hit, but that stops at 2pm, after 2pm it is either sparkling water/club soda/seltzer or still water.
I would drink Diet Coke after 2pm, but I have found that after 2pm the caffeine makes it harder for me to sleep at night.
For me it has nothing to do with trends, I am not a trendy person, for me it is about what works best for my life.
As to price, I find that Costco has the best deal on fizzy water, especially if you have a Costco Business Center.
What? People from LA are effete twats?
The hell you say!
So says “one inch from princess” Chuck. Thanks for your valuable insight.
What’s wrong with just plane water? I find it way more refreshing and satisfying without all those bubbles.
I agree, I can’t stand sparkling water. But I’d drink plain water, not plane water.
I love sparkling water. In France and australia they often offer table sparkling water which I assume comes from a soda stream. Incidentally I second the notion on getting a soda stream. They’re awesome.
My dentist also told me that I should cut down big time on sparkling. Drink it with a straw and rinse mouth after drinking. Same enamel issue.
In Germany they drink mineral water which also has CO2. Sparkling water provides no minerals–just an acidic pH to damage teeth. We are so dumb.
Interesting. It’s not just a west coast thing. Having worked at a major us carrier and knowing many of the people in catering/ onboard, it was always always always a thing that seltzer/ sparkling water was very popular on flights originating at NYC area airports. Very popular there too, not just on the west coast. Who drinks soda/Coke anymore?
I’ve noticed United often runs out of the AHA sparkling water on its transcons, too. Usually orange by the first service and blueberry during the second.
Definitely not a millennial but I always drink sparking water on planes simply because they leave you with the whole can as opposed to having a small glass filled with still and waiting ages for a top up.
Good point.
At least it’s HEALTHY. No SUGAR….. (regular sugar soda spikes your blood sugar and can cause diabetes in the long run and sugar can make you feel terrible in the short run).
Sparkling water is ok but still water is still so much better.