The Disgusting Reason You Should Never Drink Coffee or Tea on a Plane You might just want to wait to get your caffeine fix. Research indicates that up to 15% of airplanewater samples contained coliform bacteria,which usually comes from fecal matter. Why would airplane water be so gross? Water piped into airplanetanks comes from delivery trucks. A 2015 study found that this water had highermicrobial rates than water from other sources. On an airplane, requirements for cleaningand replacing the water tanks are not asstringent as you might like. Airlines are required to "routinely disinfectand flush" their tanks, but how often is "routine"? The only regulations are "in accordancewith the manufacturer instructions,"which leaves a lot up to interpretation. You're better off with bottled water,or soda—anything but the coffee!