Drink Up

Of the many things I don't get, one of the more troublesome lies in the galley of a commercial jet (if in fact the kitchen area of a plane is called that). On every flight, you get a drink. You can order an alcoholic drink, as I seldom do, or you can get something else. I usually go with something else, being cheap and also concerned about what I might do with my inhibitions loosened in midair. Probably nothing more severe than being too loud, but that could be bad.

When you buy an alcoholic drink, they give you the whole can of beer. When you get something else, chances are excellent that they'll pass off less on you. I really don't get that. I assume there must be a reason to give me a small cup of soda that is in fact mostly ice, but I can't imagine what it is. Surely even a  jet of the size they use on short flights can contain enough twelve ounce soft drinks to allot each passenger one.

Evidently that is not the case, or there is some other reason. Could the bottom line be so severely impacted by giving each customer more than a third of a drink that is at its most expensive perhaps seventy-five cents? I would have said years ago that it could not, but now I don't know. The margins on air travel are pretty thin these days, so it could just be that whole sodas wreck the entire thing. I hate to bring the whole system down.

What's the answer here? Well, I for one don't insist on name brand sodas. Your typical store brand or 'third party' sodas are perfectly adequate for me, and perhaps I could even get two cans. This could put us in that rather dangerous area of needing the bathroom a lot. Could that be the reason? Could they be shorting us on the soda in hopes of easing the burden on the plane's bathroom? You know, that just might be something. If I get confirmation, I'll let you know.