How Safe is the Water You Drink on Airplanes?

Airplane cabins are drier than the Sahara Desert and staying hydrated in the air is important. But, it turns out some airlines have safer drinking water than others, and when it comes to family travel, knowing what goes in your children’s bodies is important.

A recent report by the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity analyzed 21 major and regional airlines’ quality of water provided onboard flights over a three-year span from October 2022 to September 2025.

The airlines with the highest Water Safety Scores? Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines received top marks as having the safest water in the skies, with Alaska Airlines also named as having safe drinking water. Gojet was named the highest-rated regional carrier for safe drinking water.

As for the airlines with the worst drinking water, American Airlines and JetBlue showed the lowest scores. The study also revealed nearly all regional airlines have poor Water Safety scores, the lowest of which is Mesa Airlines and CommuteAir.

But what exactly constitutes safe drinking water? The study looked at maximum contaminant level violations for E. coli, violations per aircraft, indicator-positive rates, public notices, and disinfecting and flushing frequency.

The study also found the Environmental Protection Agency (one of the agencies responsible for ensuring safe aircraft drinking water) rarely imposes civil penalties to airlines in violation of the federal government’s Aircraft Drinking Water Rule.

For travelers wishing to stay safe and avoid any potential contaminants:

• Avoid drinking water onboard that isn’t in a sealed bottle
• Do not drink coffee or tea onboard
• Do not wash your hands in the bathroom; instead, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol

Find the full study here.