If American Airlines asked me to pee in a bottle or hold it…I would pee in a bottle.
After experiencing lavatory malfunctions on an AA flight from Phoenix to Kona, passengers were asked to urinate in bags or bottles. All lavatories aboard the aircraft overflowed.
I’d start by watching this video:
Crosstalk includes:
Flight Attendant: We overflowed. Whoever was on the ground, they overflowed. So when people started using the bathroom, it was so full anyways that it just shut up. And the water – everything goes in the same tank.
Passengers: That’s outrageous! I’m in pain, I think I’m gonna have a UTI and it’s not sanitary right now for me to use the bags..
Flight Attendant: There’s a little space. Why is it not sanitary to go in a bag? I know it’s gross, but…
AA locked two restrooms onboard, leaving only the front lavatory. That one, however, was also overflowing.
One passenger who declined to be be named in an interview by KPNX stated:
There was one lady who, unfortunately, she had a toddler that needed to use the restroom, and the same thing. She was told she had to use a bag. She opened the door to the toilet, and the grimace on her face…you could tell she was going to get sick to her stomach because of the sight and the smell.
Forgive me for laughing, what a horrible matter. Oh how I would have hated to be on the flight! And easy for me to say as a man, isn’t it. I’m not sure my wife (or baby) would have the same reaction…
Blame the Diaper
American claims the lavatories were working fine after takeoff, but backed up after someone flushed a diaper down the toilet. Maybe it was the mother mentioned above…?
We are very sorry for the trouble this caused the 187 passengers on flight 663. Our customer relations team will be reaching out to all of the passengers on this flight to extend our apologies.
At American, lavatories must be working properly prior to departure. If an American flight is in the air, and all lavatories become inoperative, the flight will divert to the nearest suitable airport in order for maintenance to rectify the situation. Due to the location of the aircraft, the flight continued to its intended destination. The issue was subsequently rectified upon arrival in Kona, and our flight returned to Phoenix as scheduled.
What else was AA supposed to do? It is not like it could divert over the Pacific.
The lady in the video above was offered $240 in vouchers plus 17,500 miles. She declined, saying it was not enough. You’ve got to love her reason:
I grew up in a communist country. And I’ve never experienced anything like this.
God Bless America.
CONCLUSION
Who the heck flushes a diaper down the toilet? Isn’t that Parenting 101? If the diaper was the reason for the issue, I don’t blame AA at all here. The FAs initial analysis suggests otherwise, but why would AA lie about this? If I were a passenger on this flight you can bet I would have urinated in a bottle or bag before holding it for six hours or having an accident in the seat…
The voucher is worthless in my book. Just refund me a percentage and give me the miles!!!
“If I were a passenger on this flight you can bet I would have urinated in a bottle or bag before holding it for six hours or having an accident in the seat”
As a guy I get where your coming from but come on man have some sensitivity for women. You laugh and make it seem so simple but go ahead and tell your wife to squat in a moving disgusting closet and tell her to pee in a BAG with out feeling degraded or getting dirty, then having to clean your self up in a dirty bathroom? Instruct your kid to go do that without issue or are you holding the bottle for him? lol not so easy huh,
Oh also as for making it seem so simple, second question. Your an hour and a half into that flight, you have to pee in a bottle just to make it simple for you, now what, your asking the FA to take it? your putting it in your bag with your stuff? your leaving it out so everyone knows your the guy who peed? let alone having to do more than urinate lol.
and don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to be super serious. I’m just saying maybe have a little more consideration. Overall I agree with you it would be a sh*tty situation lol.
**I’m just saying maybe have a little more consideration.**
What difference does it make? All the consideration in the world wouldn’t have unclogged the toilet or found a suitable airport to divert to.
Where did the empty bottles turned urinals come from? Enough bags and bottles were stocked by the airline for 167 pax?
This post really pisses me off…
That compensation actually sounds not bad. People are so dramatic. Sure it sucks but shit happens… and the person bitching was probably the cause, They should fine her to pay for other pax reimbursements.
Give me a break on the UTI… if you’re that sensitive, you know about it and pee beforehand just in case something goes awry. And if you don’t, you’re stupid and now you’ll learn.
Only a man could write such a reply….
Who flushes a diaper down the toilet? Should be hanged.
Now this is a horror story, unlike the other article that was labeled as one.
“Who the heck flushes a diaper down the toilet?” People are pigs. I own rental properties. Believe me, I know.
Would someone flush a diaper down the toilet in their own homes? I don’t think so. And there are signs all over the toilet seats about smoking and even flushing paper towels down the loo.
If plane was 1.5hrs into the flight, then they should have turned back instead of going another 4.5hrs.
I know that it is easier for a man to pee in a bottle (done that in a concert where there were 70,000 others and you’re somewhere in the middle) than a woman. But, according to that vid, the only remaining toilet was close to being full so one could have peed in a bag and washed their hands. I do honestly find it abit exergerrated/dramatic for the lady to say that she was in pain and would get a UTI.
You bet she she’s already contacted a lawyer and they’ll try to get the most out of AA. There’s something fishy about this whole story.
And Matthew, please stop being overdramatic with your headlines!
sounds like no matter which option they gave her she would of been upset with it. go use the overflowing toilet cry about that, plane turned arounda and head to LA cry about that.
It’s hard to find fault with the airline. As for the diaper flusher: ” I’m alright, screw the rest of you” attitude, fortunately still relatively uncommon. One wonders if (s)he has been doing some self-reflecting , given the inconvenience caused to others.
Maybe they could have placed some containers on the lavatory floor and made a communal ‘thing’ out of it; it strikes me that many men seem to have a problem with aim when using aircraft facilities, given the state of the area around the toilet and the floor, so maybe not a huge difference.
Afaik, flight path is not shortest distance between two points. It was designed that you can always divert in case of emergency. The fact that the said flight didn’t divert, implied that the Pilot decided (whether by himself or after consulting AA’s policy) that it was not emergency, however AA announced afterwards.
The FA’s response however, brings doubt tonthe claim that they were there for passengers safety or they were college educated or they have the sense of urgency on matters at hand. It simply showed the mentality of “not my problem, don’t care”.
Even as a man I’d be embarrised to pee in a bottle on a plane because everyone will know you peed in a bottle and what are you supposed to use it for a hot water bottle?
I’m also curious as to what type of bags they expected people to use since most plastic bags leak and things like handbags are unlikely to have been used if so is AA going to pay to replace an expenxive bag?
It sounds funny at first but it is a serious problem especially if you had to hold it for hours as that’s agony and potential harmful.