Why Food Tastes so Bad on an Airplane?

I have had a few meals over the years on my flights but I can’t think of anything memorable (except for my Air New Zealand flights)!

The blog the Kitchn has wrote an article on some technical reasons why food up in the air doesn’t taste as good:

Dryness Plays a Big Role in Taste and Smell

The science of taste and smell is complex, but in general, both senses require humidity to function optimally, and those senses are key to your eating experience. Depending on the flight’s altitude, the humidity levels can drop below 15 percent, which is less humid than a desert. With less moisture available and a low cabin pressure, taste buds are much less sensitive to salty and sweet. More importantly, odor receptors can’t do their job. Just like when you have a cold or a stuffy nose, if you have trouble smelling the food, your sense of taste is also dulled.

It Also Has to Do with Noise

The background noise of an airplane doesn’t help your in-flight eating experience either. Noise levels easily reach 85 decibels during a flight (and even higher during takeoff and landing), which can have a huge impact on how much you enjoy your food. Noise muffles or completely drowns out some sounds, while crunching sounds are oddly enhanced, which actually makes foods harder to identify and taste. Noise even affects our ability to taste sweet, muting some sweet flavors.

Here is a link to the article.