SOME passengers turn up to their flights like they’re preparing for a camping expedition into the wilderness.
It’s hilarious – you see them boarding with pretty much everything you could need for an arctic trek, instead of just a seven-hour transatlantic flight.
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But I can completely understand why they’re doing it, with flight attendants and so-called travel experts constantly weighing in on what people need to make their journeys more bearable.
The result is people boarding with special backpacks, chargers, travel pillows, special devices for entertainment, cup holders that wedge into the window, phone clips and of course water bottles.
In recent years, my colleagues have caused real panic about the state of the water on board the planes and it’s all been blown way out of proportion.
And now, once again, I’ve seen several new articles in recent weeks from cabin crew members insisting that passengers need to bring water bottles with them, or they’ll get ill.
The problem they seem to have with the water is that it’s kept in a tank that’s not cleaned as regularly as other parts of the plane. That’s it.
But there’s really absolutely nothing to worry about. The water is perfectly safe and more than good enough for your cup of tea or coffee.
That’s what we use the water in the tank for, making hot drinks. So it’s boiled before it’s served to you, killing any bacteria you may be worried about.
We all drink it regularly. Believe me, there’s no way we could finish a long-haul flight service without a cup of coffee or two, and we’re all absolutely fine.
If you just want a drink of water instead of a hot drink, we will serve you water from a large glass bottle, or a small plastic bottle, rather than getting it from the tank.
We always make sure we have enough to go around, so you won’t go thirsty, nor will you have to drink the water from the tank, so you can lighten your load and leave your bottle behind.
Granted, you might have environmental reasons for bringing your bottle and that’s fine, we can completely get behind that.
I always bring mine everywhere for that reason and it is great to have when you’re travelling anywhere.
What’s more, there’s plenty of refill places at most airports now too, which means you don’t have to spend airport prices on staying hydrated.
But if you run out of water on the plane and are worried about having to drink from the tank, honestly, you’ll be absolutely fine.
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We can’t expect you to bring them with you, especially when you can’t bring bottles of water through security gates, or when they’re an absolute fortune in the airport.
In fact, the tank is probably one of the best facilities on the plane, with enough hot water for all the tea and coffee needed on board the plane.
What’s more, if you’re the type of person who is likely to get hungry during your journey, bring a cup of instant noodles along and we can use the hot water to fill it up for you.
I’d be much more inclined to recommend you bring one of those along for your flight instead of your water bottle.
There’s plenty to drink on board already, but if it’s a shorter journey, snacks aren’t always guaranteed.
I’ve seen way more people get annoyed about the lack of snacks on board than the lack of water, which has never really happened before.
So embrace the water on board, rather than being worried about it, and use it to your advantage.
Meanwhile, this £1 kitchen item could prove to be helpful on board planes.
And you should never wear these three items of clothing when flying.
