I was flying a CRJ200 the other day on a short hop into ORD. I was in 1D as I recall (or whatever the letter is for the window seat on the right side of the plane). Now I always make it a point to "go" before getting on a plane and also don't drink a lot before getting on the plane.

So the pilot says something like "we'll be landing in 15 minutes." Well, 20 minutes later we are still up in the air flying around. Now visibility, so the pilot said, was about .5 miles (snowy day in ORD area), so basically we were in the clouds and I had NO idea how close we were to landing and how much longer we might be circling...5 minutes? 30 minutes? an hour?

Now, I am a 2P so I do fly somewhat regularly and always try to abide by the rules if for no other reasons: a) safety and b) to make FA's life easier...too many idiots up in the air not abiding by the rules.

Anyway, all of a sudden I felt like I REALLY had to go, so feeling a little sense of "panic", I undid my seatbelt because I could not get the FAs attention from where I was sitting. I did NOT go into the aisle, but just leaned forward in front of the guy next to me , kind of half-standing, to ask the FA how much longer before landing and if there was anyway I could use the lavatory.

Well, she kind of freaked out...which in retrospect I understand. After all, if we are coming in for a landing and I'm getting up she has no idea what my intentions were. So, I finally was able to convey to her the nature of my question. I sat back down and she attempted to contact the pilot/co-pilot to see how much longer we would be in the air.

As it turns out, after a minute or so the landing gear came down and we were on the ground in just a few more minutes and "crisis" averted.

So, the question is...
What, technically, is the law/rule about getting up when the "fasten seatbelt" sign is on. As mentioned previously I always try to be obedient to the pilot's wishes, but once in a blue moon despite my best efforts I just need to go. (This as the first time when it was so close to landing. As mentioned, the big problem being that we were in the clouds. If it was a clear day I could have seen that we would have been landing any minute.)

What have others done when the "fasten seatbelt" light is on and nature calls?

Cheers,