An airplane passenger has shared the moment he knew there was something off with a routine in-flight refreshment.
Seth Fritz, 25, was flying with his wife Christi on their way to a beauty event, where the couple was being featured as creators. Mid-flight, Fritz ordered a Diet Coke—but he immediately knew something was wrong.
“I took a sip and the Diet Coke tasted completely flat and off,” Fritz, from Ohio, told Newsweek. “We were honestly worried it might make me sick before the event.”
Sufficient_Lunch6569/Reddit
Concerned about the beverage’s quality, Fritz checked the can’s best-by date—which read “MAR2425″—and flagged a flight attendant on their Spirit Airlines flight. That’s when things took a strange turn.
“I called the flight attendant over, and he studied the can for about a minute, then confidently told me—with a chuckle—that it ‘doesn’t expire until the year 2425,'” Fritz said.
The label in question clearly shows a standard expiration code, March 24, 2025, but the flight attendant allegedly interpreted it as the 25th year of the 25th century.
“I was so baffled I didn’t even know what to say. Honestly, I felt kind of embarrassed that he said it so casually out loud and didn’t want to get into any kind of back-and-forth,” Fritz said.
A spokesperson for Spirit Airlines told Newsweek: “We want all our Guests to have a great experience while traveling with us, and we have protocols in place regarding the quality of our onboard food and beverage offerings. While this situation appears to be an anomaly, we take any feedback about our onboard offerings seriously and are looking into the complaint.”
Fritz later shared the story on Reddit‘s popular r/mildlyinfuriating community, where it quickly went viral, amassing more than 73,000 upvotes.
Alongside a photo of the can, Fritz wrote: “I called the flight attendant over and let him know it was expired (since today’s April 25, 2025), and he looks at the can for like a full minute… then goes, “This isn’t expired. It says 2425 — as in the year 2425. You’ve got so many years left.”
“Dude really thought my Diet Coke was good for another 400 years.”
While he added: “I’m not mad, I just think it’s hilarious that someone thought soda could survive the next four centuries.”
The post gained thousands of comments since being posted last week as people shared their reactions and thoughts, and many were split.
“I personally think all expiration dates should have the full year rather than shorthanding them,” said Redditor UnknownAccoun.
“At least it wasn’t the pilot that couldn’t figure that out?” wrote Bulky-Yogurt-1703.
While others defended the flight attendants. One Redditor said the drink’s taste could just be because it was in-flight. “Soda is flat in flight… it goes flat quickly.” they said Shadowfalx.
And others argued that “best by” dates aren’t the same as expiration dates. While it’s unclear whether Fritz would have gotten sick from drinking the can in question, debate has raged over the impact of fizzy drinks on the public health in general.
A paper published in the National Library of Medicine, entitled Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, examined 88 studies looking at the association between drinking soft drinks and health outcomes.
“We found clear associations of soft drink intake with increased energy intake and body weight,” the paper said.
The health implications have been debated publicly for some time, as the paper, published in 2007, noted: “The issue is not new. In 1942 the American Medical Association mentioned soft drinks specifically in a strong recommendation to limit intake of added sugar.”
For Fritz, while he insisted he isn’t angry, he said he hopes the humorous ordeal encourages airlines to pay more attention to their in-flight offerings. “Maybe if they saw the post, they’d actually get rid of expired food and drinks they’re still offering for purchase.”