If the thought of ordering coffee or tea on a plane has ever crossed your mind, you might want to rethink that.
A new study looked at water quality onboard 10 major airlines — examining factors such as violations, contamination levels for bacteria like E. coli, and cleaning standards.
The research, conducted by the Center for Food Medicine and Longevity, ranked water quality on a scale from zero to five, with five being the highest quality.
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Delta Air Lines topped the list with the cleanest water, earning a perfect score. Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Allegiant Air also fared well.
Top scores:
- Delta: 5.0 (Grade A)
- Frontier: 4.80 (Grade A)
- Alaska: 3.85 (Grade B)
- Allegiant: 3.65 (Grade B)
Anything below a score of 3.5 was considered a poor water safety rating. According to the study, that includes Southwest Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, United, Spirit, JetBlue, and American Airlines.
Lower scores:
- Southwest: 3.30 (Grade C)
- Hawaiian: 3.15 (Grade C)
- United: 2.70 (Grade C)
- Spirit: 2.05 (Grade D)
- JetBlue: 1.80 (Grade D)
- American: 1.75 (Grade D)
In their recommendations, researchers urge travelers to:
- Never drink any water that isn't in a sealed bottle
- Don't drink coffee or tea
- Don't wash your hands in the bathroom — instead use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol
This story was originally published by Susan El Khoury with the Scripps News Group in Tampa.
