Tomato juice seems to be a favorite drink for many travelers to have on board an airplane. I've seen this on almost every flight I've been on, but I have never noticed this same trend at ground-level.
What are the reasons for that? Is there an origin of this trend?
According to some studies, tomato juice, and many other foods, actually taste different (better in the case of tomato juice) under the low pressure conditions in an airplane than they do at home.
I used to drink tomato juice religiously on airplanes and never at home. As I started to fly more, I stopped ordering it but I still do occasionally for nostalgia. The reasons are:
I should point out that grocery stores do sell both large and small cans of tomato juice, and they get plenty of shelf space, so clearly some people are drinking it at home.
I'm astonished to see that nobody has posted the reason I drink tomato juice on planes -- they're an essential ingredient for a Bloody Mary!
(courtesy William Clifford, Wikimedia Commons)
Although I do usually reserve this indulgence for ass-crack-of-dawn flights on Monday mornings and/or last flights out on Fridays, and naturally this requires an airline that doesn't charge you up the wazoo for a minibottle of vodka.
When I worked as cabin crew, people who order tomato juice sometimes order it warm and they ask for salt and pepper, I guess it is the closest thing to tomato soup. I also think it is a rich juice which will help them if they are hungry, it is heavy and it will make them feel full.
I've also seen fellow flight attendants in their rest time on long haul flights heat it in the oven or microwave and put some lemon, salt, pepper and croutons and voila! Tomato soup is ready.
Personally, I hate it for other reasons, if it's spilled on clothes, you can't just wipe it off and continue, you have to change it or it will smell awful in no time.
Another hypothesis can be found in a Guardian article on how sound affects taste. The hypothesis is based on a previous study where it is found that a loud background noise suppresses the perception of sweetness and saltiness.
However, one researcher thinks that tomato juice has an umami taste, which might not be surpressed by the loud environment:
... Spence points out: "Have you ever noticed how many people ask for a bloody mary or tomato juice from the drinks trolley on aeroplanes? The air stewards have, and when you ask the people who order, they tell you that they rarely order such a drink at any other time." Spence reckons this is because umami may be immune to noise suppression.
Campbell's V8 drink is very popular and available throughout (convenience stores and such), while being basically a glorified tomato juice. And people do drink it at home. :)
One may also consider, that a typical long-haul flight carries people from very diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, tomato juice was a very popular beverage in former USSR, with vendors selling it by glass over the counter at every juice stand.
A further reason to those mentioned previously is that several sources have claimed tomato juice can prevent you from getting DVT (deep vein thrombosis).
According to, for example, the Daily Mail:
Eating tomatoes can help prevent airline passengers developing deep vein thrombosis, British scientists have proved.
The research has shown, however, that tomatoes contain a unique chemical which similarly thins blood[...]
So it's likely that it may not just be the taste, but people doing it for a safety reason.
For me, I have it only while flying domestic in the US. The reason is that out of the very limited selection of free stuff you can get from any US airline, tomato juice is the closest thing to some sort of savory, filling food-like substance.
This is especially true since these days they often don't even have peanuts or some of those mini pretzels or mini cookies for free.
In those other parts of the world where airlines actually serve you food and other good stuff, I have never asked for tomato juice. And outside of a plane, I have drunk it probably about once a year on average, throughout my lifetime.
Of all the drinks that are offered on board, other than water - tomato juice is the one that affects jet lag the least.
Coffee (and other drinks with caffeine, like tea and mountain dew/energy drinks) will dehydrate you, which causes eye irritation and increases the symptoms of jet lag. Alcohol does the same as above.
You are left then with natural fruit juices (difficult to find without added sugar); these tend to be too acidic as well.
Leaving you with humble tomato juice.
I have to say, outside the US I have not seen tomato juice offered (at least, I didn't spot it on the cart). Its usually some fruit cocktail, alcohol (if available), water, carbonated drinks and if you are lucky, ginger ale.
