A new study on airline water quality delivers a surprising warning: never wash your hands on an airplane. The research, based on self-reported monthly water tests required by federal regulations, found concerning levels of bacteria in some airline water supplies.
The Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, a nonprofit organization, analyzed three years of Environmental Protection Agency data for the 2026 Airline Water Study. They assigned each airline a water quality safety score, with five being the highest.
Here is the list of airlines ranked from best to worst based on the study’s Water Safety Scores:
- Delta Air Lines – 5.00 (Grade A)
- Frontier Airlines – 4.80 (Grade A)
- Alaska Airlines – 3.85 (Grade B)
- GoJet Airlines (regional carrier) – 3.85 (Grade B)
At the lower end of the scale among major airlines:
- American Airlines – 1.75 (Grade D)
- JetBlue - 1.8 (Grade D)
Among regional carriers with poor scores:
- CommuteAir – 1.60 (Grade D)
- Mesa Airlines – 1.35 (Grade F)
The report revealed three instances of E. coli bacteria in American Airlines water samples and two positive E. coli tests from JetBlue samples. E. coli and coliform bacteria indicate the presence of disease-causing pathogens that can lead to serious stomach illnesses and even death.
Dr. Charles Platkin, executive director of the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity, emphasized the danger of E. coli contamination. “Which may not seem like a lot, but E. coli is very dangerous,” he said.
Platkin explained that airlines must flush their water tanks and retest when pathogens are detected. However, tracing the contamination source is challenging.
“Depending on where they’re filling up that water, there’s a lot of moving parts here,” he said. “It’s going into trucks, and then the trucks are going to fill up the tanks. So, there’s all these different moving parts that could be hazardous.”
Advice: Don’t drink the water, tea or coffee!
The study also advises passengers to avoid drinking coffee or tea made with airplane water and to refrain from washing hands in airplane bathrooms. Instead, travelers should use alcohol-based hand sanitizers to disinfect their hands.
Despite federal requirements for water testing, the Environmental Protection Agency rarely fines airlines for high contaminant levels, according to the report.
Passengers concerned about water quality on flights should consider these findings when deciding how to stay healthy during air travel.
Check out the full report here with a list of all airlines in the study.
American Airlines statement
American’s potable water program is fully in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR). A recent EPA audit showed there were no significant findings with our program, and we have not received any violations for any potable water cabinets or trucks that we use. Our team is closely reviewing the Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity’s analysis — including its methodology and whether it was peer reviewed — to determine any potential changes that would further enhance the safety and wellbeing of our customers and team.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• American regularly disinfects its aircraft potable water tanks with yearly sampling, in full compliance with ADWR.
JetBlue statement
Safety is our first responsibility to both our crewmembers and customers. We serve bottled purified drinking water on all of our flights.
For coffee and tea preparation, JetBlue follows processes outlined by the EPA, the FDA, and the FAA to ensure our water supply is safe. We perform routine water system sampling and cleaning procedures in accordance with regulatory guidelines so that water used onboard our aircraft is safe and reliable.
In the event of a water quality concern involving the water system, JetBlue immediately shuts the system down on the affected aircraft and performs mandatory cleaning in accordance with federal guidelines. The frequency of potential water quality events is extremely small compared to the number of aircraft and flights we operate per day.
JetBlue Corporate Communications