First Class Bathrooms

Posted in FAQ Friday | 3 comments

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I was on a flight where the flight attendant  allowed a coach passenger to use the reserved lav for first class which he stayed in for over 10 minutes and the stench following his use was so bad nobody else could use it (thank god it was near the end of the flight) The flight crew tried to dissipate the odor by fanning the door to no avail.

So my question is: Are bathrooms reserved for first class only? Can the flight attendant allow this?

A. of New York

Hi A,

This answer varies from airline to airline. However, more often than not, no, flight attendants cannot “restrict” use to the bathrooms.

Sure, the airline might require that a flight attendant say in their announcements that the front bathroom is “reserved” for first class. But as flight attendants, the only time we truly have to enforce this is on international flights. If an elderly or disabled passenger is on board and seated in the first rows of main cabin, we are to allow them to use the front restroom instead of asking that they walk to the back of the aircraft.

Further, if there are carts in the aisle during the initial or subsequent inflight food and beverage service, and the only restroom that is reachable is in the front, passengers may use it.

My airline asks that we “reserve” the lav as well, but there are times when people sneak into it, or we allow people to use it. I personally try my best to keep it reserved, but it doesn’t always happen.

Bobby

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