Here’s an excellent reminder that the perception of onboard flight service can vary greatly among passengers.
“I’m in first class, I shouldn’t be pouring the can.”
View from the Wing presents the argument for why he dislikes the practice of flight attendants providing passengers the can of their drink (along with the cup or glass, which may or may not already contain some beverage).
He contends that if you’re flying first class, pouring your own drink shouldn’t be necessary, as someone should be doing that for you. Conversely, if you’re in economy, he states that there may simply be insufficient space for the can, particularly if you need to work. As Gary articulates:
– “On a flight where a flight attendant left full cans of soda for first class passengers, I realized how much I dislike that practice. And it’s even worse in coach but for different reasons.”
– “As a first class passenger, why are you pouring your own drinks? That’s why I’ve never understood the Emirates first class in-seat minibar.”
– “When you’re sitting in the rear, giving out the entire can is generous because you might not see service again for a while. However, in coach, there’s just not much room to maneuver. The can occupies too much space on the tray.”
– “I’ll be using my laptop. I can fit a cup there, but I wouldn’t want to have both a cup and a can of soda on the tray next to my computer. Plus, I don’t want to consume a full can!”
Should flight attendants provide cans to passengers?
Personally, I prefer receiving the can in any cabin!
While I acknowledge Gary’s perspective, it’s intriguing how our viewpoints on the practice of offering cans onboard flights differ. The one point I align with him on is that the Emirates in-seat minibar is a gimmick, as most people prefer not to have a room temperature can of soda.
Aside from that, however, my perspective is quite distinct. Although first class is preferable to economy, we must also recognize the reality of domestic first class services, where a single flight attendant might serve drinks and meals to 20 passengers. They won’t be able to refill every drink every time it gets low, even if they are working diligently.
Whether traveling in first class or economy, I also enjoy being able to control how full my glass or cup is. Considering the potential for turbulence, I believe it’s far better to have the can and pour a little at a time into a glass to avoid spills (since liquid is less likely to spill from the top of a can than from the top of a cup).
When you fly domestic first class, you’re paying (ideally) a sensible premium for additional space, priority services, food, and beverages. You’re not dining at a Michelin three-star restaurant. It’s also important to mention that if I’m ordering a mixer, I naturally prefer managing the ratio, which entails having the can.
As Gary notes, in economy, I think the majority of passengers find it generous and prefer being given the can. Gary suggests that while he has space for a cup and a laptop, he doesn’t really want to allocate space for the can too.
All I can assert is that if I have my laptop open in economy, I absolutely never place an open cup on the same tray, as that gives me considerable anxiety (over the years, I’ve lost two laptops to liquid spills on flights). If I work on flights in economy, my approach is to simply request a cup of water with no ice, drink it quickly, and continue with my tasks.
I feel that if I were to work on my laptop while ordering a drink in economy, I’d still prefer to keep most of the drink in the can, as that would be less likely to spill on my keyboard.
So I value flight attendants who distribute the can, and if you don’t want it, it’s perfectly reasonable to inform them. Gary suggests that when he does this, it “irritates them because they aren’t collecting trash and they’re trying to complete service.” I would certainly hope that most flight attendants would not respond with annoyance in such scenarios…
I enjoy managing my drink proportions!
Bottom line
Our perceptions of inflight service are all unique, and I believe that distributing the can during drink service is a prime illustration of that. Personally, I appreciate being given the can, irrespective of the cabin I’m in (particularly on domestic flights, where my expectations of service are low). Nonetheless, others clearly have different feelings.
What’s your stance on flight attendants providing cans during drink service?