I was on my way to the bathroom on a RJ today when the seatbelt light came on. I’d already been waiting quite a while for the beverage cart to clear the aisle, so I was in a bad way, and did duck in and take care of business real quick.

When I opened the door 60-90 seconds later, the FA had pulled out and sat in her seat (which apparently slides in front of the bathroom door), completely trapping me in. With a roll of her eyes and a huge sigh, she got up and let me out. She said “Next time listen to the announcement. We will lock you in there.”

I know the arguments could go on for days about the appropriate action when the seatbelt sign comes on and you are in (or almost in) the restroom. I’m not interested in starting that back up. I just want to know if they actually can/will lock you in the bathroom during turbulence. That seems like a huge legal issue if anybody got hurt. I’m assuming she was just unhappy about having to get back up out of her seat, and having another FA catch her not having checked whether the door was locked before she covered it with her seat.

Skywest

Relevant K&P sketch:

This FA is just one of many ignorant adults who think the way their kindergarten teachers enforced behavior is an appropriate model of interaction with other adults in society.

Simply nod your head, say tersely “I understand,” and return to your seat without further ado. Trash the ratings on the post-flight survey if you get one.

Bless her heart and move on.....not worth your blood pressure.

If US carriers treated the seatbelt sign like international carriers do, this wouldn’t be much of an issue. Most flyers in the US have become immune to the seatbelt sign as it stays illuminated during large periods of clear skies. Case in point, on my IAD-LAX flight the other day, the sign was on the entire flight without the slightest bump.

Was she humorous during the flight? Maybe she thought she was being funny. If not, I would have nodded when she had said that and given her a fake smile and rolled by eyes as I walked back to my seat. When I sat down I would have typed up a letter to AA and Skywest (and CC the other). Then when I disembarked (assuming that she was at the forward entry door) I would have told her that her comment was extremely inappropriate and I already had contacted both AA and Skywest corporate about the incident.