Aeroplane food is not exactly known for being five-star cuisine – but sometimes travelling makes you peckish and you may be in need of a bite to eat during your journey.
However, if you get thirsty after your meal there is one thing you supposedly should avoid drinking on board, a flight attendant has claimed. Kat Kamalani, who posts online under the same name, went viral after she issued a warning to passengers to make sure they don’t consume certain things mid-flight.
In the video, which has gained more than 550,000 likes, she explained: “Don’t you ever, ever, ever consume these products from an airplane, from a flight attendant! Rule number one never consume any liquid that is not in a can or a bottle.
“The reason being is because those water tanks are never cleaned and they are disgusting. Talk to a flight attendant.
“We rarely rarely drink the coffee or tea. They come from the same water tank. And so when you’re drinking that coffee and tea come from that hot water and it’s absolutely disgusting.”
She added: “These little coffee guys, they are rarely cleaned unless they are broken. These guys are taken out and cleaned in between flights, but the whole machine is never cleaned and they’re by the lavatories.”
But what if you are travelling long distances with an infant and need to heat up some water for a feed? Well, Kat believes she has a solution for that.
She continued: “Pro tip for all you parents: never ask for hot water and put it in your baby’s bottle. Ask for a bottle of water on the side and hot water in a cup.
“Then make your baby a bottle with the bottled water. Put it in the cup and heat it up.”
TikTok users were left stunned by the clip as they took to the comments to debate over whether they believed the warning. One user said: ” Ah that’s why my hot Chocolate was rank.”
Another added: “She has no idea what she is talking about. Water tanks are sterilized on a regular basis,” while someone else argued: “So clean the water tanks?” A fourth penned: “You guys should clean them. Seriously that’s messed up “
The tap water in an aeroplane comes from water stored in the aircraft’s tanks. These tanks are filled at various airports around the world. The safety of this water can vary depending on the cleanliness of the tank, the quality of the water that was loaded, and the maintenance practices of the airline.
There have been concerns and studies about the microbiological quality of tap water served on aeroplanes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has guidelines for water quality and the sanitization of aircraft water systems under the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR).
However, compliance with these regulations varies, and there have been occasions where onboard water has been found to contain contaminants, according to Time. For precautionary reasons, many travellers and health experts advise against drinking tap water from the lavatory sinks on aeroplanes, as well as avoiding coffee or tea made with such water unless it’s been brought to a full boil.