To travel smoothly and safely, you need to be prepared and follow the rules that are both spoken and unspoken. There are many things that can ruin your travel experience including the airplane bathroom. It is one of the scariest place but it is the only place you can use to relieve yourself when you are thousands feet above the ground. When using airplane bathroom, there are also rules you need to follow to avoid unnecessary troubles for yourself and the others.
How to use airplane bathroom with courtesy during your flight
Here are some bathroom behavior tips to make your travel experience more enjoyable:
Do not leave a mess after using airplane bathroom (and any bathroom). it doesn’t take hours to simply put away the paper towels in the trash can or flush the toilet. You might get surprised of how many times air travelers found something gross in the toilet after it use by previous air travelers. You don’t want to find those gross things as well so flush the toilet after finishing your business. It only takes few seconds to do. And you should also wipe down the sink after use.
If you travel with your kids or babies and need to go to the bathroom, do not ask your seatmate or other fellow passengers to babysit. If you have recently born baby with you, bring your baby with you to the toilet. Or if you are concerned about the sanitary, you can ask flight attendant to watch over your child for a minute or two while you are in the toilet.
Be considerate to your seatmate if you happen to have an aisle seat because they will need to go to the toilet. As long as they do it politely without walking all over you or bumping their body here and there, give them space to move. Also, it is considered normal if your seatmate wants to to go the toilet twice for a six hour flight. Or, your seatmate might need to go to to the toilet more often due to medical issue. If it is, then, you can offer to exchange seat so they can go wherever they want without disturbing your peace. Always be a good human and don’t easily judge other people.
Treat airplane lavatory like a drive-through. Do not take longer than necessary to use the airplane toilet because the other passengers might need to do it as well. Do not take forever to use the bathroom and cause a long line in the cabin. Do your business as efficient and quick as possible but remember not to leave a mess behind.
If it is possible, choose the right time to have your toilet visit. Do not go to the toilet when you are instructed to fasten your seatbelt. Wait until you can take it off. Also, try avoid lavatory trips during meal time when the flight attendants walking with big, boxy meal cart. It will be uncomfortable to squeeze your way around to pass the tight space.
