A coffee mug with whole coffee beans around it.
You Should Think Twice Before Ordering In-Flight Coffee

NEWS

By TONY COOPER
Coffee grounds in a bowl next to a sack of whole coffee beans.
The quality of airline coffee is less about the coffee beans and more about the water. The water used for your in-flight coffee comes from a tank that gets filled upon landing.
A flight attendant pouring coffee into a glass.
These water storage tanks are not regularly cleaned, which could result in bacterial growth. A 2019 study on select American airlines deemed onboard water as potentially unsafe.
A flight attendant serving a flier.
A flight attendant also took to TikTok to describe how their plane’s coffee makers are never cleaned, while the pots are emptied between flights — and only cleaned with hot water.
A cup of coffee with an airplane coffee art.
Meanwhile, the larger jugs used to hold coffee during the day are cleaned once per day, after multiple flights. To ensure safety, grab a coffee before take-off or after landing.