BEFORE you start digging into that complimentary meal on a flight, you might want to leave it alone.
A flight attendant has shared his top tips on how to cope on a long-haul journey – and eating the food may not be the best idea.
Brit Kris Major has worked as a flight attendant for 24 years on both short and long flights.
He explains that when trying to sleep on the flight, skipping the plane food is often advised.
He told CNN Travel: "The seasoned travelers, after takeoff, you go down the cabin and you can see that they’re gone – they’ve covered themselves up and they’re asleep.
“Most airlines don’t particularly plan their [food] service around the passenger and acclimatization and time zones crossing."
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Kris advised prioritising sleep rather than "eating dinner at the equivalent of 3am".
If you really want to eat, then he said it was best to fill up on food at the airport, either at the restaurants or lounges, then wait for meals on the plane.
Not only that, but food on the plane can often taste much blander.
This is for two reasons – one being the low cabin pressure as it reduces the oxygen in your blood, making your sense of smell worse.
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The air on planes is also extremely dry, which can dry out your nasal passages and make your taste buds less perceptive.
This leads to passengers putting more salt on the food for flavour, and can make you even more dehydrated.
Wierdly, wearing headphones could help food taste better too.
Oxford professor Charles Spence, an expert on taste and food, said the noise of the engine can make food taste more bitter by up to 10 per cent, so headphones can block this out.
And food experts have revealed what you should never eat on the plane.
This includes pasta as it "doesn't reheat well" while the bread rolls are so carb heavy that they can make your jet lag much worse.
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