Airplane lavatory question

[Dave Hess]

I was on a flight today and noticed 5 passengers in wheelchairs boarding B737 aircraft.

I was wondering how do these passengers use a very small lavatory and not try to sue the airline for a non ADA size restroom you see at a retail store ?

I know it’s a silly question….. but if passenger had an accident they would try to blame the airline / aircraft manufacturer for non ADA size restroom like you see at a retail store and sue for embarrassment.

 

[ls1mike]

That is an interesting question. I fly pretty often and never really thought about it.
I am not a big guy 5 foot 7 inches 180ish and those bathrooms are small.

 

[y_p_w]

Aircraft aren't subject to the ADA, but rather the Air Carrier Act of 1986, which preceded the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, new US aircraft will eventually have better access under new DOT rules.

https://www.transportation.gov/brie...equires-airline-lavatories-be-more-accessible​

WASHINGTON – On the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced a new rule which requires airline lavatories to be more accessible. This rulemaking, authorized by the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), would require airlines to make lavatories on new single-aisle aircraft large enough to permit a passenger with a disability and attendant, both equivalent in size to a 95th percentile male, to approach, enter, and maneuver within as necessary to use the aircraft lavatory.​

However, as a regulation (and not a law), there could be the possibility that the rulemaking is modified.

 

[doitmyself]

A Google search (DOT airplane restroom requirements ) answers your question, but it is not perfectly clear. I.e., this article: https://blog.wheeltheworld.com/airplane-lavatory-tips-wheelchair-users/

It seems that they are in catch up mode and there are rules about single aisle vs multiple aisle planes, on-board wheel chairs etc.. The article I linked suggests that wheelchair bound passengers bear some responsibility to plan ahead to accommodate special needs.

 

[skyactiv]

Some people are faking the need for a courtesy wheelchair and when the plane lands, they no longer need it.

 

[Astro14]

Big international airliners have wheelchair accessible lavatories.

Small domestic airliners do not.

Some passengers need a wheelchair to get to their seat - known in the industry as an aisle chair - a very narrow chair that is maneuvered by an assistant. Those chairs aren't available in flight. How that passenger handles their affairs in this regard on a flight lasting a few hours is up to them.

Some passengers need a wheelchair to board but are able to walk the aisle, and ostensibly, use the lavatory. The bathrooms are still small, but they do have grab handles and the like.

I have my doubts about the new 737 lavatories meeting the "95th percentile male" standard - I am not quite that big and I can barely turn inside one. They're incredibly tight.

 

[Astro14]

Some people are faking the need for a courtesy wheelchair and when the plane lands, they no longer need it.

Yeah... I landed in Lima last week with 28 wheelchair passengers, out of a total of 150. Pretty high percentage.

Wheelchairs get preferential treatment at Peruvian customs...so...

https://viewfromthewing.com/outrage...ssengers-fake-disabilities-for-airport-perks/

 

[Nessism1]

A few years back, the B737 lavatory was reconfigured in such a way that an extra row of seats could be added. I don't know all the specifics, but it's hard to imagine that the lavatory had as much space afterward.

 

[Leo99]

Yeah... I landed in Lima last week with 28 wheelchair passengers, out of a total of 150. Pretty high percentage.

Wheelchairs get preferential treatment at Peruvian customs...so...

https://viewfromthewing.com/outrage...ssengers-fake-disabilities-for-airport-perks/

My mother was extremely superstitious about anything like that. Her thinking was if you faked some ailment or disability, fate might give you that ailment or disability for real.

My peeve is people that need wheelchairs not staying in their seats and waiting patiently for the wheelchair to arrive per the crew's instructions. Instead they hobble into the aisle and block people from exiting the plane.

I've been in business class and snuck up to first class to use the large lavatory. It was everything that I imagined it to be.

 

[Dave Hess]

A Google search (DOT airplane restroom requirements ) answers your question, but it is not perfectly clear. I.e., this article: https://blog.wheeltheworld.com/airplane-lavatory-tips-wheelchair-users/

It seems that they are in catch up mode and there are rules about single aisle vs multiple aisle planes, on-board wheel chairs etc.. The article I linked suggests that wheelchair bound passengers bear some responsibility to plan ahead to accommodate special needs.

Understood but sometimes accidents happen. A person really needing a wheelchair might have trouble getting to lavatory in time.

I saw on news a few months ago a plane had to land sooner than planned because of biohazard mess from passenger.

 

[Dave Hess]

Some people are faking the need for a courtesy wheelchair and when the plane lands, they no longer need it.

I was in Dallas and noticed this…


There was another passenger getting priority boarding but he had an igloo type cooler with donor human kidney inside.

 

[bdcardinal]

There was another passenger getting priority boarding but he had an igloo type cooler with donor human kidney inside.

I'm surprised they didn't use a service like CAPLOT.

 

[Leo99]

I was in Dallas and noticed this…


There was another passenger getting priority boarding but he had an igloo type cooler with donor human kidney inside.

I sat next to a guy wearing a lanyard in business class returning from Europe who had a human lung in a cooler up above us. When we landed, we were instructed to remain in our seats. Some official looking guy came on the plane and escorted the lung man off. It was a cool retirement gig for him.

 

[PWMDMD]

At 6'5" and 270lbs, I can relate to the difficulty of using airplane bathrooms. To pee, I usually have bend at the knees to get close enough to not pee on floor, I can't just stand there and go. If I ever had to go #2, well, I've been on plenty of planes where it would not be possible to shut the door with knees. When I fly, I limit liquids and solids the day before and the day of for this reason. I'm fine on a 777 but even an A330 can be super cramped.

 

[eljefino]

Depends.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

At a stocky 5'10" and 300 lbs, airplane bathrooms are not an option. I tried to use it on a smaller plane (an A320 or similar I think) just for a #1 and it wasn't happening. My shoulders were touching the walls. Nope.

 

[Sumboodie]

How often are people use plane toilets? I fly every few weeks, last one I used was around 2001.

My dog can hold it for 10-12hrs, so can I.

 

[fdcg27]

A greater concern to me is what might happen to truly disabled passengers as well as the rest aboard in the event of an emergency evacuation with the aircraft on fire where time really is of the essence.
Or what if an airliner had a really bad landing and ended up on its back, not that that would ever happen?

 

[y_p_w]

How often are people use plane toilets? I fly every few weeks, last one I used was around 2001.

My dog can hold it for 10-12hrs, so can I.

Proper hydration is supposed to be a key to handling air travel because it tends to dehydrate people. But drinking fluids also means expelling fluids. On a 14 hour flight I will go maybe twice after drinking enough water. I'm sure pilots make sure that they have plenty of water. I"ve heard that even fighter pilots flying for a couple of hours (tops) will properly hydrate and might want to use their "piddle packs".

I suppose there might be enough room for an ADA sized lav, like I've seen on trains. It would take up a lot of space that might go into seating though.

 

[Dave Hess]

How often are people use plane toilets? I fly every few weeks, last one I used was around 2001.

My dog can hold it for 10-12hrs, so can I.

I don’t take my BP med before catching a flight because I would have to run to lavatory every 30 minutes if I did.