Flight attendant reveals why you should never drink tea or coffee on an airplane

An ex-flight attendant on TikTok has revealed in a viral video that drinking tea and coffee on flights can actually be detrimental to your health.

Kat Kamalani, a lifestyle TikToker who used to work for a ‘major airline’, went viral for spilling some secrets about what to do and not to do during a flight.

This video, initially posted back in 2021, reveals some shocking truths – and has been recently backed up by scientific research.

Kalamani claims that the water tanks on airplanes are never cleaned, ever. Because of this, she suggests that you should only drink liquids that come in bottles or cans on a plane.

“Those water tanks are DISGUSTING. Ask a flight attendant, we rarely drink the tea because that water comes from those same water tanks.”

She show the coffee machines on a plane and points to the portable containers that the flight attendants carry up the aisle when serving hot water. She says that these do get cleaned regularly, but the actual machine that drips the water into the caddy is never cleaned unless it’s broken.

She then reiterates that this is extra gross because the coffee machines are located next to the on-board toilet.

Viewers in the comments were horrified, with some saying that they had been drinking hot drinks on planes for years. Another took this as an opportunity to try another in-flight drink though, quipping, “More reason for me to just order wine!.”

Other viewers, however, pointed out that every airline has different rules and regulations, and some aircraft maintenance staff chimed in to say that they do, in fact, clean their tanks. Aside from that, others noted that you never clean the water pipes in your house and the water is perfectly fine.

However, a study concluded that major airlines’ (and some regional ones too) water quality was so bad, they should take steps to improve their onboard water quality immediately.

Leaders of the study even go as far as to say that you shouldn’t wash your hands on a flight and opt for hand sanitizer instead as the water you are washing your hands with could contain dangerous pathogens.

However, it is important to remember that this is just one study, and that most airlines do have procedures in place for cleaning water tanks. Also, boiling water typically sterilizes it, so you can enjoy that coffee on the red-eye without health concerns.

If that hasn’t already blown your mind, wait until you find out what flavor pink lemonade actually is.