A university studied the water quality on planes. You may want to skip the coffee...

[orleans]

"The study was not a review of the bottled water that's often served in airplanes, but instead a look at the water used to make items like tea and coffee, as well as the water used in the bathrooms.

"A list of recommendations for air travelers from the study include warnings not to drink water onboard an aircraft unless it is in a sealed bottle or to drink any coffee or tea prepared on board.

"And instead of washing hands in the airplane's bathroom, the study encourages passengers to use hand sanitizer."

see link for airline ratings

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airline-water-study-wellness-trnd/index.html

[madaboutharry]

1. I once saw a flight attendant empty a coffee pot in the toilet.

I never drank coffee on a plane ever again. I will only drink something that comes in a sealed container.

Airplanes are teaming with bacteria. I have a friend who was a former flight attendant who told me to put whatever you are wearing during a flight right into the laundry as soon as you can.

[Baked Potato]

2. Mrs. Potato and I have the luxury of not flying anymore

We drive everywhere. Weight is weight, so they should use bottled water for anything consumed.

[DFW]

3. Consuming anything other than canned drinks or potato chips is a risk

Usually it turns out OK, though I turned down whatever it was they were offering on Algerian Airlines and Turkish Airlines (short hop, never taken them intercontinental). I didn't have much of a choice when taking Cubana (5 hour trip, after the third take-off attempt and a switch of planes), but I lived to tell the tale. Even Tarom (Romanian airlines) was halfway OK. I prefer tea, but only take hot drinks on Air France, where the drinks are so hot, I doubt any germ from this planet could have survived them.

As for the "do-not-drink" water you wash you hands with (at your own peril!), I fully agree--bring a hand sanitizer! You don't who was doing what in there before you. Actually, in one case, we got an idea. We were once delayed by over 3 hours from Paris to Moscow on Air France because a group of (certain ethnic group) had made such a mess in the lavatory on the flight coming in that they needed three hours to clean it up before the plane was deemed airworthy again. Air France was furious, and very apologetic, but they said there was NO WAY they were letting us on that plane until their disinfecting crew said it was OK.

But I fly a lot, both short and long distance, and there really isn't much alternative sometimes. IN two weeks, I have to run to Dallas and back, all in four days, and a boat wouldn't even get me from Bremerhaven to Boston in that time.