If you've ever been on a Spirit Airlines flight, you know food and beverages are not free. But what if you just want a cup of tap water, not a disposable bottle or a can of soda?
One customer found out the answer in a viral TikTok. Dallas resident Kerman Kapoor (@kermanskapoor) filmed himself on a Spirit Airlines flight. He asks an attendant, "Is it OK if I can get a cup of water, not a bottle?"
The attendant responds that the airline only sells water by the bottle. So it'll be $4.29 (highway robbery, I know.) She then turns away from Kapoor briefly to address someone else before the video cuts and her attention returns to the TikToker. He asks one more time. And the woman says, "Yeah," before the clip cuts her off. In an on-screen caption, Kapoor writes, "*Mission failed*."
"Girl, we had the same issue," another passenger tells Kapoor. They joke about the fact that he's just asking for a cup and what he should do to get free water before the video comes to a close.
In the comments section, viewers are divided. Some said Kapoor chose a budget airline. So they believe he shouldn't expect any perks and should just cough up the money.
Others said water is a human right that shouldn't be commodified. But, they argued, corporate greed has brainwashed people into thinking it's normal.
Some viewers, especially European ones, simply couldn't believe any airline wouldn't offer free water.
One wrote, "Everyone calling him crazy is the one that's crazy, the US has y'all brainwashed, in Europe you can buy a bottle or get a FREE cup of coffee, tea or water with most airlines I've flown with."
A second said, "Everyone in the comments acting like the CEO of Nestle right now and we know for a fact they don't have dollars to their name ... they love bootlicking so much they do it for freeeeee."
Their comment refers to the belief that former Nestlé chairman and CEO Peter Brabeck said water is not a human right in a 2005 documentary. He and Nestlé have since tried to clarify that stance. They have stated that clean water needed for survival is obviously a human right, but the majority of clean water -- which is used for things like golf courses and carwashes -- is not.
One viewer advised, "As a nurse next time say you faint easily due to dehydration and make them give you a cup of water."
Another said, "Ask for a cup of ice and let it melt." Kapoor admits he has done before. This is actually a hack that went viral after a Spirit Airlines flight attendant advised a passenger to do this so they wouldn't have to pay for water.
However, another flight attendant in the comments section advised just going for bottled water. "Flight attendant here: trust me, you do NOT want to drink the tap water on a plane..." they wrote.
According to articles by Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure, no, you should not.
Food & Wine quotes a flight attendant of six years who says you should never drink anything on a plane that doesn't come in a bottle or can because "those water tanks [on the aircraft] are never cleaned and they are disgusting."
A Redditor claiming to be a flight attendant issued a similar warning in a viral thread. They wrote, "Don't get ice in your drink, don't drink coffee, tea, or hot water on the plane, and don't touch anything in the lavatory with your bare skin."
As reasoning, they add, "The ice is put in a tray with a scoop, and the trays don't get cleaned very often. Every surface on the plane is touched by hundreds of people daily and not often disinfected. We don't have the opportunity to wash our hands at all during the beverage service."
If you're desperate to have ice on a plane, you can always bring your own container of ice through TSA as long as it is completely frozen. You can also order certain beverages that have been known to decrease the bacterial risk of the in-flight ice. Researchers found a "consistent reduction of bacterial risk due to alcohol, CO2, pH and antibacterial ingredients of vodka, whisky, Martini, peach tea, tonic water, and Coke," Travel + Leisure notes.
Yes and no. A 2024 Jacobin article notes, "Currently, airlines are only required to provide passengers with water when there is a tarmac delay of more than two hours, but not on a cross-country flight, contrary to recommendations by the Aerospace Medical Association, which suggests passengers 'drink about 8 ounces of water each hour.'"
A 2023 bipartisan House bill on the FAA attempted to secure passengers the right to drinking water on flights longer than an hour. But the provision was removed from the 2024 final draft.
According to the Daily Dot, "While an airline would likely not turn down a traveler water in the event of a medical emergency, those with medical conditions are expected to bring their own medically necessary liquids, like water, with them."
Fliers can bring water through TSA if it's deemed medically necessary and the amount is "reasonable." The flier is responsible for reporting any medically necessary liquids, aerosols, or gels to a TSA agent.
You can bring an empty bottle or cup (or one filled with ice, as previously stated) through TSA and fill it up at a fountain or dining establishment when you pass through security. From there, you can bring it on the plane without issue.
BroBible contacted Kapoor via TikTok comment and direct message. It contacted Spirit via press email.