An ex-flight attendant has spilt the beans on why passengers should steer clear of in-flight coffee, revealing that the water tanks are seldom cleaned.
During her appearance on the ‘Should I Delete That?’ podcast, former air hostess and influencer Lorna Luxe dished out advice to hosts Em Clarkson and Alex Light, cautioning against consuming tea or coffee while flying.
Lorna dropped a bombshell when she confirmed fears about drinking hot water on planes, stating: “It is because they don’t clean the tank.”
She said: “Those tanks never get cleaned, so say the aircraft is like 15 years old, it’s up to you. I wouldn’t drink it. I wouldn’t even do a cup of soup on a flight. Just stick to the alcohol.”
Moreover, Lorna highlighted that tea was also off-limits, describing it as “quite watery as well”.
Lorna isn’t alone in her revelations; fellow flight attendant Ale Aka took to TikTok to share her own insider tips for a better flight experience.
Ale underscored the importance of timing when it comes to sleep, advising: “The first tip is to try not to fall asleep before take off. I know travelling can be exhausting and sometimes you just want to get on an airplane and go straight to sleep.”
She further explained the health and safety reasons behind this tip, adding: “So not only is it not good for your ears to fall asleep before take off, but you also want to remember that taxiing is one of the most crucial phases of flights so you want to make sure that you are completely aware and completely awake in case of an emergency, in case you have to evacuate.”
On the topic of in-flight alcohol consumption, Ale advised: “Do not consume your own alcohol. It is against federal regulations to consume your own alcohol because we do need to make sure you drink responsibly and if you are drinking your own alcohol we can’t really track that.”
Easyjet has clarified its policy for UK flights, stating: “You can bring alcohol bought in the airside departure lounge into the cabin, as long as it’s unopened. Alcohol must be lower than 70% abv, and packed either in an airport shopping bag or in your cabin bag.”
The airline also stressed: “It’s strictly forbidden to drink any alcohol that has not been purchased on board the aircraft and those found consuming their own alcohol may face prosecution.”
Ale concluded with a word of caution about onboard hygiene, recommending passengers never go barefoot because of the unknown cleanliness of the bathrooms on some aircraft that were “not always the cleanest”.