Editorial StaffTalk about getting stuck with the worst seat on the plane! A woman was recently trapped in a bathroom as a British Airways plane sped down the runway and took off.
The woman in question had paid for a real seat on the plane that was traveling from Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport to Gatwick Airport. It turns out that the flight had already been delayed for 30 minutes. The young woman thought she had enough time to visit the restroom before they took off. Not so – the flight crew was in a rush and in their hurry, forgot to check to see that everyone was in their seat and buckled in. In fact, some of the passengers were still putting luggage into the overhead storage as it pulled away.
When she realized what was happening, the female passenger tried to get out of the bathroom and back to her seat. But the flight attendants yelled at her to stay put as she opened the door, saying that it was extremely dangerous. She was finally allowed to sheepishly slink back her seat when the plane reached cruising altitude.
The crew made sure not to make the same mistake twice on that flight. Just before landing, the pilot told passengers to get back to their seats and not to use the bathrooms.
If you’re going to have the crap scared out of you, we guess that she was in the perfect spot for it to happen. Do you think that she should be compensated for the flight or should airplane toilets be fitted for seatbelts? Who was at fault – the woman who couldn’t hold it or the impatient flight crew? Let us know in the comment section below.
Photo Credit: eatmorechips / flickr.com
Article by Amy Tokic
The crew wishes you a nice flight, muahaha))))
Before push back, the cabin needs to be secured and this fact reported to the cockpit. Only once the cabin is secure push back / taxiing may commence.
It would appear that the cabin secure report had been given before the delay occurred. At this point, the seatbelts sign will be on and you should not be moving around the plane–the toilet will normally have been locked (from the outside). Understandably, during a long ground delay nature may call (of course, you should have relieved yourself before boarding anyway). In this event, be sure to make it known to the cabin crew that you are popping into the loo.
And yes, trying to walk down the aisle during the take off roll is a remarkably stupid idea. Not only you are putting yourself at risk, but also your fellow passengers who will be hit by your 70-90kg mass travelling at speed in the event of an aborted take-off–a high speed abort is an impressively violent manoeuvre. Although the cabin crew may have missed that the cabin was no longer secured, they made the correct decision in ordering the pax back into the toilet. This was the safest place to be in the circumstances.
Regarding “compensation”: seatbelt signs would have been on, so the passenger in question disobeyed a lawful order from the commander, which is an offence under the ANO (Air Navigation Order), art. 77. She is more than welcome to go to court if she deems it appropriate, and see what form of “compensation” she may obtain.
Obviously written by a member of the aviation industry or even cabin crew maybe.
While the seat belt sign may still have been on the passenger was required to remain in her seat when needing the toilet? Typical industry trying to absolve itself for any blame.
The fact remains the airline and crew were responsible for the safety of the passengers, and should have ensured the toilet was empty and secured before the flight took off.
It may not seem sensible for the passenger to attempt to regain her seat, but it seems reasonable to assume most would have attempted to in the same circumstances.
Typical that the industry spokesperson commenting above is attempting to use scare tactics, quoting regulations rather than accept that the airline and crew have any responsibility. Which regulation is the toilet being left open and push back taking place just prior to taxing has been broken incidentally?