Study: Water Onboard Most U.S. Airlines is Unsafe, Refrain from Washing Hands

Do you opt drink coffee or hot tea while flying the friendly skies?

Well, you might want to reconsider that.

According to a recent study highlighted by People.com, many of the U.S.’s top airlines are not providing safe drinking water.

The 2019 Airline Water Study, which was conducted by DietDetective.com and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center investigated 11 major airlines and 12 regional carriers to see whether they provided clean water. They scored the companies using a 0 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best.

Airlines that scored 3 or higher were considered safe. The sad part, only three of the 11 major airlines and one of the 12 regional carriers reached that score.

Alaska Airlines and Allegiant took the top spot with a 3.3 score, and Hawaiian airlines took second place with a 3.1.

Spirit and Jet Blue tied for the lowest by earning a 1.

Piedmont Airlines stood atop the heap of regional carriers with a score of 4.33, while at the other end of the spectrum, Republic Airways received a 0.44. Republic operates United Express, Delta Connection and American Eagle flights.

The study warned that the airlines that received poor scores could have E. coli present in their water, which creates the possibility for passengers and crew to ingest disease-causing bacteria.

DietDectective.com and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center say passengers should never drink water served on a plane unless it is bottled and sealed. This includes coffee or tea served in-flight.

They also suggest that passengers bring their own hand sanitizer and refrain from washing their hands in airplane lavatories.

Samson X Horne is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Samson at 412-320-7845, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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