3 ms·

Why does it get hot at cruising altitudes?

• scheme271 2y ago
  I think it's already hot from being on the ground without air conditioning so the pressure inside the can is already elevated. And then when the plane gets to cruising altitude, the cabin is at the equivalent of 8000 ft (~2350m) so the pressure differential between the inside of the can causes it to burst.
• dredmorbius 2y ago
  The issue appears to be unique to Southwest, which handles in-flight beverages differently than other airlines. It does its own provisioning and doesn’t handle perishables, since it does not serve meals during flights. The company is now testing out trucks with air-conditioned cargo areas in Phoenix and Las Vegas. From TFA. That is: Southwest handles its own catering and uses un-chilled ground transport. The cans are getting hot on the ground, probably before being loaded onto aircraft, and burst as cabin pressure falls during ascent.