So I get on an AE flight early this morning from STL-Bos only to find someone sitting in our seats. The GA apologizes and gives us different seats.

We get back on the plane and find the new seats are taken. Back to the GA. That's when I used the PLT card and trumped the people in those seats. GA comes back with us and politely moves the people.

Then they had a problem with the hydraulics, had to wait for repairs. We were 50 min late in taking off. Minor compared to my flight Friday night to STL. That was 2 hours late.

When we were finally ready to take off, they made what has become a standard announcement asking 2-4 passengers in the front to move to the back so the plane can be balanced. It would be a lot easier if they just didn't let those seats be assigned until the back is full, but that would make too much sense.

Then I went to the bathroom (the purpose of this thread) and the lock jammed. I was locked in for more than 15 minutes.

What transpired then was like a comedy routine. Here I am stuck in the bathroom, trying to unlock the door. I ring the bell for the FA. She comes to the door asks if there's a problem. I tell her its stuck. She tells me to try and open the lock. I tell her I have, it's jammed. Then she says "move away from the door." I do then she proceeds to try and giggle the lock. That doesn't work. She tells me the lock is stuck. I'm laughing and say, "Yes I know." Then she says "I need to get some help, don't go anywhere!!" At that point I couldn't stop laughing, where was I supposed to go, my seat.

Then the pilot come back with her, works on the door for another period of time, and with some magical screwdriver like tool manages to open the lock. Then walks back to the cockpit. Rest of the flight was uneventful although when I went to the bathroom again (too much coffee) I did not lock the door, just closed it. I asked a woman who was seated right in front to be my sentry and she agreed. Somehow without locking the door I still got the light to come on. Must've been bathroom magic.

This was my first experience ever being locked in a bathroom of an airplane. All I could think of was I needed to finish my presentation before I landed. If I was claustrophobic, I would've been in trouble.