TLDR: Hi WOW Air. Stop not providing free safe drinking water in airplanes. This is a cruel practice, driven by greed. You are endangering your passengers. I endorse your frugal policies to charge for extra baggage and food, but not providing safe water is a crime in my opinion.
Right now I am in an airplane of WOW Air. I’ve had a pleasant flight up until 20 minutes ago when I woke up from a nap. I get dehydrated quickly, so I finished the 24oz bottle of water that I brought with me, from the airport. This is at three and a half hour within an eight hour flight.
I went to the crew in the back of the airplane to request water. The stewardess told me they only have water for sale. If I want free water, she said, there is only airplane water from the toilets which is not safe to drink. A single half-liter bottle sells for $3.
They said that they would only give free water if someone desperately needs water. I told them I feel dehydrated, but they said they won’t give me water, because I am obviously not in a desperate need.
It is not acceptable for airlines to not provide a free drinking water. Nope. It is dangerous, and cruel.
I admire how cheap airlines reduce the cost by optimizing their cabin to be lighter and to have smaller seats. I even fully endorse them imposing strict limits to carry-on sizes and charging for checked luggage. I also agree that they charge for food. I think these decisions come from frugality, and they encourage passengers to be more frugal. Frugality helps those people and it helps the environment.
In flight entertainment, food, large seat cushions, and free checked luggage are not absolute human needs. We can all survive without them and purchase these extra comfort on our own, or bring our own solutions in the flight.
But water is a basic human need. Dehydration creeps in before “desperate” symptoms are visible. The air inside airplanes is dryer than average to reduce corrosion. Passengers have no other option to get water. It is not acceptable to starve passengers into dehydration.
Stop it, WOW. Stop it now. I bought my water because I could afford it and wanted clear mind to write this. I will dispute the transaction because it is illegal in my opinion. But another person might decide to wait it out and get dehydrated and die. If that happens, you’ll be a murderer.
I’m surprized that there is no regulation requiring free water. Or maybe there is one and you are breaking it.