Flight Attendant Reveals: Why You Should Skip Ice On Planes

Experts are advising against adding ice cubes to drinks during flights, as it could expose you to harmful bacteria, according to a report by the New York Times.

Following this, a flight attendant decided to reveal some industry secrets on Reddit: "Don't add ice to your drink during a flight. The ice is served on trays that aren't cleaned often," she said.

"Every surface on the plane is touched by hundreds of people daily, surfaces that aren't disinfected frequently. We barely have a chance to wash our hands while serving drinks," she explained.

Her claim was supported in the past by Verna Montalvo, who works as a cleaner at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, in an interview with the Washington Post in 2022: "Some flight attendants get upset because it's not clean. Of course, it's not clean - because that's what we're always given," she said. Due to staff shortages, her team often has only five minutes to clean, and in some cases, she has had to clean the plane herself.

Moreover, even if the ice trays are clean, the ice cubes themselves might be harmful to your health. A 2017 study examined 60 ice cubes from domestic and industrial facilities. Researchers found that ice cubes had more than 50 different strains of bacteria. "A consistent percentage of the microorganisms identified in the ice are known pathogens of human infections, indicating environmental contamination," the researchers said.

If you still fancy some ice in your drink, experts recommended ordering soda or fizzy drinks. A 2019 study by Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center of the City University of New York found that bacterial risk decreases in drinks containing carbon dioxide (like soda and fizzy drinks) or with antibacterial ingredients such as vodka, peach tea, tonic water, and cola. However, the safest course of action, according to experts, is to bring your own bottled drinks.