A flight attendant has warned potential passengers of the ‘disgusting’ reason why they should avoid getting hot drinks like tea or coffee during a flight.
Anyone who’s had to get an early morning flight can attest to just how exhausting an experience it can be, so getting a cup of coffee to clear away any cobwebs can be essential, although you may want to consider getting your drink in the airport and not on the plane when you next fly.
Flight attendant warns you shouldn’t get hot drinks on a plane
Cierra Mistt, a flight attendant who claims to have worked for an airline in the US, posts about her experiences across her various social media channels and boasts almost four million followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
In one video, where Cierra reveals some of the secrets of being a flight attendant, she explains that she and her colleagues will avoid drinking tea and coffee on a plane “unless we’re super desperate.”
While a plane’s cabin is given a quick clean between flights, certain areas aren’t cleaned as often and according to the air hostess, the hot water tank for hot drinks such as tea and coffee “never gets cleaned.”
“While the airlines may tell passengers they do regular water quality tests, we’re told that it’s about six to nine months for even one test on one plane to happen,” she explains. “They’re not going to clean out that tank unless they find something.”
Study into airline water safety
In 2019, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center conducted a study of airline water quality and ranked 10 major airlines and 13 regional airlines by their water safety standards on a scale of 0-5, with a score of 3.0 or better indicating that the water is relatively safe.
However, of the 23 airlines featured in the research, only four had a score of 3.0 or above.
In response to their findings, Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center recommended that passengers should avoid drinking water onboard a flight unless it’s in a sealed bottle, avoid drinking tea or coffee onboard, and avoid using water in the plane’s bathroom to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer instead.
In the US, airlines are required by law to disinfect and flush each plane’s water tank and take samples from the water a certain amount of times each year.
For example, airlines can disinfect and flush the tanks four times a year and take just one sample of the water across those twelve months. Alternatively, airlines can disinfect and flush the tank just once a year but this then requires monthly tests to check the water for harmful microbes such as E. coli.
Social media reacts
It’s safe to say that Cierra’s warning to avoid drinking tea or coffee during a flight has sparked quite a reaction from viewers.
One commenter on YouTube ominously wrote: “So we’re drinking disgusting water…”
While a second added: “That’s why I buy the bottled water.”
“Thank goodness my parents are cheap enough to bring their own drinks,” said a third.
A fourth joked: “They do regular water quality tests… yep that’s water.”
Another commenter noted: “How often are y’all cleaning the water tank in your house? Or the pipes? I’m sure the airlines’ tanks are cleaner than our own.”
And finally, another viewer said: “What can be in the water that can still hurt you after being boiled? Unless it’s botulism or a few other extremely rare bacteria that survive boiling, or if its literally poison, coffee or tea won’t hurt anyone. It’s just something people repeat to gross each other out.”
