(NEXSTAR) – The findings from a recent study about the drinking water offered on major U.S. airlines might have you thinking twice about ordering a coffee or tea.
The three-year study, conducted by the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, ultimately found that the quality of the onboard water — which is used to make coffee or tea, and is supplied to the sinks in the lavatories — “varies significantly by airline.” The study also suggested that some carriers are potentially in violation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR), which mandates that safe, drinkable water be provided for passengers.
“While considerable attention has been devoted to aviation safety in terms of mechanical reliability and operational procedures, the quality and safety of drinking water available to passengers and crew during flight remains a less visible but important public health consideration,” reads a portion of the nonprofit organization’s findings.
Over the course of the study, the Center analyzed data from 10 major and 11 regional carriers operating in the U.S. This data, which was self-reported to the EPA by the airlines themselves, contained information concerning more than 35,600 water samples taken from aircraft water systems, which run to the plane’s galleys and lavatories. The data also included test results for coliform bacteria, including E. coli bacteria.
Each airline was then given a grade based on several weighted criteria, including the frequency of violations, the number of violations for E. coli contaminant levels, and the frequency that the aircraft’s water systems were flushed and disinfected.
Four of the major airlines scored high enough to earn A or B grades, while six earned C or D grades. The regional airlines fared a bit worse, with most graded as a D (and none earning an A).
Major Airlines
- Delta Air Lines: A
- Frontier Airlines: A
- Alaska Airlines: B
- Allegiant Air: B
- Southwest Airlines: C
- Hawaiian Airlines: C
- United Airlines: C
- Spirit Airlines: D
- JetBlue: D
- American Airlines: D
Regional Airlines
- GoJet Airlines: B
- Piedmont Airlines: C
- Sun Country Airlines: C
- Endeavor Air: C
- SkyWest Airlines: D
- Envoy Air: D
- PSA Airlines: D
- Air Wisconsin Airlines: D
- Republic Airways: D
- CommuteAir: D
- Mesa Airlines: F
The study identified E. coli contaminant level violations as the “strongest downward driver” of scores, with 32 violations observed (across all airlines) during the three-year period.
More information on each airline’s test results can be found at the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity’s website.
Several major airlines at the bottom of the Center’s rankings have since issued statements reiterating their commitment to providing clean drinking water to customers, and a few called the Center’s methodology into question. But Delta Airlines, which had the highest overall score of any airline, said its ranking “the Delta team’s commitment to ensuring clean, safe potable water and protecting the health and well-being of our customers and employees as we continue to operate at the highest standards.”
The brunt of the “shame” for other airlines’ poor performance, however, should be shouldered by the EPA, the study’s authors suggest.
“The study found that the Environmental Protection Agency — one of the federal agencies responsible for ensuring safe aircraft drinking water — rarely levied civil penalties to airlines in violation of the ADWR,” Dr. Charles Platkin, the executive director of the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, writes.
A representative for the EPA, in an email to Nexstar, explained that the agency must first issue a compliance order to airlines in violation of the ADWR before any “administrative penalties” can be levied. The rep said over two dozen such enforcement orders had already been sent to airlines in response to such violations, and the EPA is assessing compliance before issuing penalties.
“EPA is committed to ensuring all Americans have access to clean, safe drinking water, whether they’re on an airplane or in their homes, and the agency has a variety of tools to ensure that airlines are in compliance with the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule and the Safe Drinking Water Act,” the EPA spokesperson said.
In any case, Platkin and the data analysts at the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity offered “bottom-line advice” for passengers flying on the country’s major or regional airlines, recommending they “NEVER” drink water from unsealed bottles, refrain from ordering coffee or tea, and use alcohol-based sanitizers to clean their hands, instead of water from the lavatories.
In a statement shared with Nexstar, Platkin argued that some airlines need to take more action to protect passengers and treat them with “care.”
“What does care look like? It means passengers can drink a cup of coffee or tea without hesitation, wash their hands with confidence, and trust that clean, safe water is available throughout their flight,” Platkin said. “These aren’t luxuries; they’re basic expectations. And while getting someone safely from point A to point B is essential, how passengers are treated during that journey matters too.”