There have been public concerns regarding coffee and tea on planes before, but flight attendant Jamila Hardwick has laid out exactly why ordering hot drinks when traveling is a bad idea. "You might want to think about something other than coffee or tea. ... The thing about the coffee and tea, the pipes are rarely cleaned," Hardwick toldInside Edition.
It has been indicated that airlines are only required to disinfect and clean out the water tanks on their planes four times a year, which means it's impossible to tell how stale the water might be. In fact, one flight attendant previously told Business Insider in February 2017, "Flight attendants will not drink hot water on the plane. They will not drink plain coffee, and they will not drink plain tea."
While in flight, the water used for hot beverages comes from the tap. A 2004 EPA sample of 158 planes showed that 13 percent of the aircraft tested were found positive to carry E. coli in the water, and a further study showed that one in eight planes failed to reach standards for water safety.
During her segment on Inside Edition, Hardwick also explained why flight attendants aren't too happy with Diet Coke. "I don't know what it is about the chemistry in Diet Coke and us being 40,000 feet in the air. By the time we pour it, we could have three other drinks poured," she added. The soda fizzes up more than other similar drinks on a flight, making it a time-consuming process.
She also revealed something something Naomi Campbell is already well aware of; disinfect your tray table.
Check out the full clip above.
