While complementary snacks and drinks on long haul flights can come as an absolute blessing, one flight attendant has explained that you should completely avoid certain beverages for sanitary reasons.
Flight attendant Cierra - who has worked for a US-based airline for a number of years - shared some of the brutal secrets with regards to the way that flight operators handle their business on her TikTok channel @cierra_mistt.
One of her more popular topics came in the form of food and drinks which are regularly served on airplanes, but the cabin crew member urged punters to avoid two drinks in particular.
Read more: Flight attendant reveals the 'weirdest' request she's had from a First Class passenger
The Express reports that she explained: "Unless we are super desperate, we will not drink the coffee or tea that's supplied on the plane. The water that we use for the coffee and the tea comes from the same water tank and guess what, it never gets cleaned."
The flight attendant also claimed that: "Although airlines may tell passengers they do 'regular' water tests, we are told that it's about six to nine months for one test on one plane to happen. And they are not going to clean up that tank unless they find something!"
American flight attendant Betty said that travellers should avoid ordering coffee and tea for the same reason. She explained: "Don’t drink the coffee on aeroplanes. It’s the same potable water that goes through the bathroom system."
The crew member then went on to claim that they once had "a test for E. coli in our water and it didn’t pass, and then maintenance came on and hit a couple of buttons and it passed".
Instead, she recommended "bottled water" and "ice is fine, of course" but "I would avoid any hot water or tea".
Travellers then went on to take to social media, sharing their thoughts with very different opinions. One TikTok user claimed that she got 'horrible food poisoning from aeroplane food in First Class on two flights in the last two years' adding: "No more food on aeroplanes for me."
Another, named Alyssa, commented: "Thanks for the water tip... definitely never drinking that d*** water again."
However, some airline workers and engineers claimed that "airline water tanks are monitored and disinfected regularly" adding that "the steel pots from coffee makers are changed after every flight by catering".
Another airport worker and social media user, @ifixplanes, added: "How do you know the water tanks are 'never' cleaned? I'm with aircraft maintenance and we have very strict task cards that are assigned to every aircraft," while user @allynagle259 commented: "I don’t understand why the water thing is an issue. When was the last time you cleaned your pipes/tank at home?"
In terms of food, flight attendant Amber, who is also based in the US, said that "airline meals are extremely unhealthy" and urged passengers to avoid them altogether. She said: "Typically, food is prepared more than 12 hours before and can be filled with many preservatives".
She added: "I typically bring my own food: light sandwiches or pasta salad.”
Passengers can do the same thing and bring their own food on the plane. For drinks, holidaymakers can always buy tea or coffee after airport security and bring it on board.
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