I witnessed an interesting exchange recently when a man rose up to use the lavatory during moderately heavy turbulence, putting himself and others at risk. How boldly would you violate the fasten seat belt light when nature calls?
Man Violates Fasten Seat Belt Light During Turbulence When Nature Calls – What Is Your Limit?
You know that the plane is going to start rocking violently when you hear the captain say, “Flight attendants, take your jump seats.” That command usually comes when an aircraft hits unexpected turbulence or when the flight deck receives a report of heavy turbulence ahead. Flight attendants will remain in their jump seats until the captain says, “Flight attendants, check in.”
During that time, the aircraft can shake violently and without notice. This is the part of the flight you want to be seated.
But on a recent flight, we were in the midst of this type of turbulence and an older man pulled himself out of his chair by clasping the seat in front of him and then holding onto the aisle seats for support, made his way to the front lavatory.
The flight attendant told him he had to sit down immediately, but he shook his head and went into the restroom.
A few moments later he came out, so it must not have been the fish, and returned to his seat.
Part of me admired the man’s brazenness – I suppose when nature truly calls, putting yourself and others at risk beats sitting in your own urine. But part of me thought that he might have been better off with an accident. Certainly had the turbulence been severe enough that would have been the case.
I’ll never forget my first Lufthansa longhaul flight. It was September 2006 and I was flying in business class from Frankfurt to Los Angeles. After a bottle of water and tea in the lounge and a pre-departure beverage onboard, I suddenly had to go…and bad.
So just a moment out of the climb, I scampered out of my seat toward the lavatory. A flight attendant, seated in a jump seat next to the lavatory, looked at me like he had seen a ghost and yelled out at me in English (because obviously no German would disobey the fasten seat belt rule) that I needed to sit down. I did…and am thankful I have a bladder of steel, but it was pure misery for the next 7-8 minutes.
CONCLUSION
A man defied the seat belt light during heavy turbulence because he simply had to use the lavatory. I’m thankful for my strong bladder and cast no aspersions about the man’s need to go, but that was a pretty ballsy move to put so many at risk.
What would you do? Violate the seatbelt to avoid an accident at all costs or always respect the seat belt light during times of turbulence?
The boldest one I have seen was this older lady on a US domestic red eye. Seconds before touching down at O’Hare, she got up and strolled into the bathroom. The purser got on the PA screaming at her to remain in there as we touched down. After we taxied off the runway she came out, went back to her seat like nothing had happened.
I always violate the seatbelt sign, especially seeing it is rarely turned off–at least on most of the domestic flights that I’ve been on. If I hear the chime that we are at 10,000 feet and there is no specific turbulence warning and nature calls, then it calls. The best is when I make it into the lav without any FA encounter and then all of a sudden they make an announcement as soon as I lock the bathroom door that the seatbelt sign is still on.. Like yeah duh, so sorry. I drink 1-2 gallons of water per day and have a functioning urinary system. It is what it is.
CX F several years ago I had connected the prior day from Bangkok and picked up food poisoning my last day. I was in 1A and just as we were in final taxi and rounding onto the runway with Capt gaving final FA instruction for takeoff, my stomach/bowels started going crazy. I felt I almost had to jump up to run to the lav, but figured worst case that may have resulted in an abort. Got up 7-8 minutes later while seatbelt sign still active and pursuer just told me to be careful, but its a pretty short journey from 1A to forward galley lav.
I’m bold. How bold? Very bold.
Santastico > Fantastico
You could be a bit more innovative in picking your own name than using mine.
and/or at least make the comments comical lol
Tough one. I’m not at an age where this is a problem, but I know it can be. I know and know of older people who have wet themselves and their seat on buses and in cars. But, as you note, it’s a safety issue – as we see every time people without seat belts fastened get injured in turbulence. And there’s a risk to others.
But can you ask one person to give up their dignity (and rest assured, they will see it that way) with 100% certainty against the statistical improbability of being injured or causing injuries?
That would be very un-American — we prize the rights of the individual over the rights of the community!
Key & Peele covered this:
https://youtu.be/kH6QJzmLYtw
I love K&P! They’re always funny and this one is great!!! LOL!
soo extra lol but to their initial interaction, it do be like that sometimes. One FA who kept verbally admonishing me once for using the lav kept saying the light was on repeatedly, too lol
I have had to, during climb, and tell the crew as I pass that I understand the risk. I have a friend who is an attorney (who used to work for an airline) that has a printed piece of paper he dates/signs and hands to the F/A saying he relieves the airline of liability for turbulence related injuries related to him using the lavatory. I think that’s overboard….
I was on a flight early this year with fairly bad turbulence on approach…. crew sat down a good half hour to landing… a few people were ill. One passenger ran into the forward lavatory as the landing gear came down. The flight attendant reached behind her knocking on the door and telling her to get back to her seat…. then about a minute later told her we were landing and she should stay in there and “hold on to the handle.”
This is all a situation I think pretty unique to flying. On the ground, I guess worst case you use the side of the road or go around the corner. And whoever said it above is right – people have a choice to make sometimes of making a mess of themselves and the seat/surrounding or taking their chances with the lavatory. I’ve had to assist a passenger where somebody ahead of them had an accident in their seat and they realized when deplaning that their bag under that seat had liquid feces on it. That’s just an awful situation all around… and we had to take the seat and the one next to it out of service and bump somebody from the next couple of flight segments.
Older gentlemen need to take Pycnogenol. My father is 95 and sleeps thru the night. Really does work.
Perhaps not younger men though. I’d need to look into it more but at first glance:
Pycnogenol has been found to offer significant benefits to women in perimenopause and menopause, including easing feelings of anxiousness and fatigue as well as discomfort and nighttime disturbances.
Sounds like black cohosh, which is also helpful for women around menopause, just not sure if any influence on estrogen for men.
Here’s a study that explains how Pycnogenol helps older men with frequency and other issues. Dad is 95 and no longer gets up at night at all.
https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/pycnogenol-alleviates-symptoms-benign-prostatic-hypertrophy-according-new-research
There are lots of other benefits too, like the one u found.
Thanks for the info, the link does not work for me but I did see other reviews of it being positive for people. Had not heard of it previously and never know if it could be helpful, so thanks 🙂
Love the fish reference from Airplane.
If an older person, usually men, feel they are capable of getting there safely, and can’t hold it, then go ahead. Some people have other than bladder problems and can’t wait, please give them the courtesy of releasing them self’s and saving the passengers around them the courtesy of fresh air.
It happens to everyone though, men women young old. I admire people who can hold it forever without having a panic attack.
I recall on a recent LAX-EWR on UA, seatbelt sign on (we were still on our climb phase), a gentleman stood up to use the lavatory, FA yelled at him to sit down, he asked if he could use the lavatory, and she replied “Sir, I am required to tell you that the seatbelt sign is on, and that you must sit down”, which him (and I included) interpreted it as it being a requirement to ask you to sit down, but if you REALLY have to go, then you go… keep in mind this all happened post 10,000FT
Now for a fun story flying Volaris, gear had just gone down for landing, a mom and her son were rushing to use the lavatory, FA told them “Hurry, we are about to land”… so yeah…
Post 10k is not a safety critical phase of flight but UNC School of Government Blog does say it’s a civil violation. Learn something new every day:
I was on a plane recently, listening to the usual safety briefing, when I heard the flight attendant say that “it is a violation of federal law” to ignore illuminated safety signs, such as the “fasten seat belt” sign. I was surprised because, on another flight, I had overheard a flight attendant tell a passenger who wanted to use the bathroom while the “fasten seat belt” sign was illuminated that she couldn’t authorize him to get out of his seat but that she wouldn’t stop him either. The sense I got from that previous exchange was that the sign was essentially a recommendation. So, I decided to look into it.
It is a violation of federal law to ignore the sign. 14 C.F.R. 121.317(f) states that an airplane passenger “shall fasten his or her safety belt about him or her and keep it fastened while the ‘Fasten Seat Belt’ sign is lighted.” The statutory basis for the rule is 49 U.S.C. § 44701, which allows the FAA to issue “regulations and minimum standards for . . . practices, methods, and procedure the Administrator finds necessary for safety in air commerce.”
The violation is civil, not criminal. The applicable penalty provision is 49 U.S.C. § 46301(a)(5)(A), which authorizes “a civil penalty of not more than $10,000” for violations of “a regulation prescribed . . . under” 49 U.S.C. § 44701.
Enforcement is extremely uncommon. This Slate article reports that “in the last five years, the [FAA] hasn’t taken any legal enforcement action against a passenger who was solely and allegedly in violation of 14 CFR 121.317(f),” but it “did issue four warning letters outlining the penalties for this kind of infraction over the same period.”
https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/can-airplane-passenger-ignore-fasten-seat-belt-sign
Interesting, having taken a few law classes, I am sure they only say that to keep themselves out of any liability should turbulence happen, and a passenger attempts to sue due to injury, sorta like a “we told you, and we warned you”. Hence why in safety videos and announcements they will always mention to keep your seatbelt fastened when you are seated.
Now, when it comes to pilots asking FAs to take their jumpseats at any point during the flight, that IMO is a strict “don’t even think about getting up”. And I’ve seen FAs strictly enforce that much more.
That makes sense and true, liability is mentioned here, as I was checking to see why US flights leave the light on seemingly for so much longer. When reading other flight reviews writers will say “the seatbelt sign was turned off 10 minutes after takeoff” in review after review, but has not been my experience.
https://crankyflier.com/2014/11/06/why-do-us-airlines-leave-seat-belt-signs-on-for-so-long-ask-cranky
Had to do this a while back ago when United had International First Class on their 67’s. I had a few too many drinks in the lounge as one does sometimes. Used the restroom before boarding and again after boarding just to make sure. We ran into a ground delay due to weather during taxi. So we sat out on the tarmac waiting for the weather to clear and our takeoff clearance. Got to the point where I could no longer hold it. I made the flight attendant aware and she just said hurry up and do it just in case we start rolling towards the runway. A bit different situation than being airborne, but still, the seatbelt sign was on.
At least a few takeoffs in history must have occurred with the lavs occupied lol
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the infamous case of Gérard Depardieu’s mess on an Air France flight. It was widely reported he “peed on the floor” but what really happened was that the flight was waiting for takeoff and the seatbelt sign was on and someone handed him a coke bottle to urinate into (covered the scene with his jacket) and… of course that small bottle didn’t do much good and he overflowed it hence the mess. The captain returned the plane to the gate to have a cleaning crew clean it up (it happened in first class, I suppose in economy they would have lived with it?)
It’s a biohazard either way 🙁
One of the very few positives COVID: it got people to wash their hands. I hope they are still washing them 🙂
It’s a call only the person concerned can make. We all know the risks of moving around during turbulence but we dn’t all understand the effects of something like IBS. I was recently on a YYZ-LHR flight which was bad for most of the way – seat belt signs on for about 4.5 hours continuously. Of course people got up but with care and there could have been a major mess at the end of that time had they not done.
As a woman of a certain age who has birthed multiple children and who certainly does NOT have a bladder of steel – I have absolutely used the facilities when the “fasten seat belt” light is lit. I consider it a medical emergency in the cases that I have disregarded the direction of the light. Aside from most assuredly having accident (I never have but know I would have had I stayed in my seat until we landed and disembarked) and the medical complications of waiting in that situation, it is a risk I will continue to take. I do not expect the flight crew to rush to my aid should I find myself in “rough air” while in the lavatory, I accept the risks.
On a side note, I have been on three flights in the last five days and many, many people have used the facilities when the “fasten seat belt” light was on, as well as one person who went in less than 10 minutes before landing. When nature screams, people listen!
When you gotta go you gotta go. If passengers are not allowed to get up to go they might just make a big stink about it. Literally.