More than half UK international airports lack free drinking water fountains
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
More than half UK international airports lack free drinking water fountains
No suprises.
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...ater-fountains
Travellers are left to buy expensive and wasteful plastic bottles of water after passing through security, says consumer website MoneySavingExpert.com
MSE asked 30 UK international airports if passengers can fill up free of charge at a water fountain after going through security. While many of the bigger airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted, do have fountains on the airside, 18 said they did not.
MSE asked 30 UK international airports if passengers can fill up free of charge at a water fountain after going through security. While many of the bigger airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted, do have fountains on the airside, 18 said they did not.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: London
Age: 64
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You can always just ask in a bar to fill up your bottle, I've never been refused.
Licensed venues that supply alcohol have a legal obligation to supply drinking water free.
Licensed venues that supply alcohol have a legal obligation to supply drinking water free.
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: London
Posts: 611
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
More than half UK international airports lack free drinking water fountains
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
If i recall correctly, many of the US airports are owned and run by their local State? That is, not commercial?
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica
Age: 68
Posts: 2,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Take your empty water bottle through security. If nowhere else convenient go to the loos and fill up your bottle from the sink faucet. Same water that the drinking fountain, or the bars, would give you.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Wor Yerm
Age: 68
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
...or fly with someone who includes water as part of the package. But I agree, British airports are a disgrace. Their pernicious greed starts before you enter. Every single square foot is considered to be an opportunity for them to screw you out of a few quid and these filth don't care how they do it. They will use anti-terrorism legislation to get your car registration so they can fine you for parking in restricted zones. But everywhere is restricted except for their paid car parks. So, if ever you have the chance, make sure you get one in.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: London
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
They may well give water but they are not obligated to do so.
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: London
Posts: 611
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ExXB
The problem with that is that at all the UK airports I can think of, the faucet outputs are mixed (hot and cold stream) so not certain I'd like to drink the warm stuff as it's most likely supplied from a tank. That in addition to them being automatically activated - it's hard enough sometimes getting the things to dispense water to rinse hands and I suspect attempting to fill a water bottle would be quite tedious.
PAXboy
Quite, or by the city or municipality served in the case of a number of large US airports hence my comment about civic mindedness; I'm not a huge fan of most large US airports but there is something about them that makes them a little warmer than most UK ones.
One thing that I find particularly irksome, and especially at LHR is the cash only National Express hotel shuttles; I have occasional need to use airport hotels around Heathrow outside of work and seldom carry cash or change around these days. I can't think of any hotel I have used in recent years elsewhere in the EU that charges for transfer from or to the airport yet I must pay up to GBP7 to travel in a bus that usually makes multiple stops to reach my destination; I'm a local but how many visitors who have just stepped off of an aircraft from outside of the UK have cash to pay for this service? The busses are normally packed so the answer must be that they are much better prepared than I am
If nowhere else convenient go to the loos and fill up your bottle from the sink faucet. Same water that the drinking fountain, or the bars, would give you.
PAXboy
If i recall correctly, many of the US airports are owned and run by their local State?
One thing that I find particularly irksome, and especially at LHR is the cash only National Express hotel shuttles; I have occasional need to use airport hotels around Heathrow outside of work and seldom carry cash or change around these days. I can't think of any hotel I have used in recent years elsewhere in the EU that charges for transfer from or to the airport yet I must pay up to GBP7 to travel in a bus that usually makes multiple stops to reach my destination; I'm a local but how many visitors who have just stepped off of an aircraft from outside of the UK have cash to pay for this service? The busses are normally packed so the answer must be that they are much better prepared than I am
Last edited by Reverserbucket; 28th Jul 2017 at 10:30.
Heathrow's terminal maps on their website indicate the location of water fountains (usually adjacent to the loos), but in my experience (of T5 at least) they aren't there when you look for them.
One thing that I find particularly irksome, and especially at LHR is the cash only National Express hotel shuttles;
I know I am going off topic and I'm I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir regarding LHR but if there's more than 2 of you in a group it is often cheaper to book a "private" taxi than use a Hopper ...and of course if you are "brave" enough to use public transport and not encumbered by too much baggage you can easily get to a lot of the LHR hotels for free using the buses that stay within the TfL free travel zone (roughly the "perimeter road", including the Bath Road along the north side, as far east as Harlington corner and then towards Hatton Cross.)
http://www.heathrow.com/file_source/...d_Heathrow.pdf
Its a pet peeve of mine, culprits include LCY & SEN. Totally agree about mixed taps although it takes a while for the water to heat up and you can add a purification tablet (although you are not likely to carry them on a business trip).
No frills carriers try and charge you for water (and try getting served in turbulence).
That said I saw a bottle filling up station in LHR T4. They should be everywhere. Could you include it in an airport operating licence? (OK unlikely.)
No frills carriers try and charge you for water (and try getting served in turbulence).
That said I saw a bottle filling up station in LHR T4. They should be everywhere. Could you include it in an airport operating licence? (OK unlikely.)
I don't know about free water at drinking fountains, but Dublin has "Plane Water" at €1 per 0.5 litre bottle. It's available at or near information desks and payment is on an honour basis. Apparently 92% of travellers are honourable people.
I presume it has put some pressure on other airport outlets to moderate their prices
I presume it has put some pressure on other airport outlets to moderate their prices
N4790P
Its a pet peeve of mine, culprits include LCY & SEN. Totally agree about mixed taps although it takes a while for the water to heat up and you can add a purification tablet (although you are not likely to carry them on a business trip).
No frills carriers try and charge you for water (and try getting served in turbulence).
That said I saw a bottle filling up station in LHR T4. They should be everywhere. Could you include it in an airport operating licence? (OK unlikely.)
No frills carriers try and charge you for water (and try getting served in turbulence).
That said I saw a bottle filling up station in LHR T4. They should be everywhere. Could you include it in an airport operating licence? (OK unlikely.)
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: .
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Can't do that if your water bottle is over 100ml. Carry on liquid rules apply to container size. Doesn't say they have to have liquid in them.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica
Age: 68
Posts: 2,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Are you certain? An empty container carries no liquid, hence the rules applicable to liquids do not apply. Of course a 250ml bottle with about 10% left will fail, as no one at security could estimate what 10% of 250 is.
P.S we regularly take empty bottles in our hand luggage at Swiss airports and some UK airports. They go through in the carry-on and never heard a peep.
P.S we regularly take empty bottles in our hand luggage at Swiss airports and some UK airports. They go through in the carry-on and never heard a peep.
