dilpat84

Can First passengers on A380's pop upstairs to use (read: gawp at) the large CW toilets at the front of the plane?

I know that generally the stairs are roped off during flights, but I have an upcoming trip in F and it'll be my first A380 flight in a cabin other than Y. Having heard about the extra large loos, I was hoping to be able to pop up at some point to check them out.

Of course, a loo is a loo, but I'm curious to see them! Will I be allowed to? Do I need to ask first, or can I make my own way up? Thanks!

Can I help you

Officially no, you could ask to see them but they may ask you to go up via the rear stairs.

corporate-wage-slave

They can do so, indeed in the test flights this was very much mentioned by the "Inflight Customer Experience" persona to be encouraged. I've never seen it happen other than as part of a guided tour by the CSD / CSM in the early days - the crew don't like the front stairs being used. I think those stairs are now mainly reserved for photo shoots.

francismc

The front stairs are roped off for the duration of the flight and not in use for passengers.

In fact, staff use is kept to a minimum also. You will not be able to use the upstairs loo.

This was my experience on the A380 sitting in 2A going to Singapore and from Hong Kong

Caleklika

@ 2:30 this CSM/CSD seems more than happy to let F pax go up and all the way around.

orbitmic

Well, whoever filmed that is a complete *** I would be absolutely furious if I were one of the people whose face is filmed only to be put on youtube by that triple idiot without my consent and discovered by chance that I was indeed featuring on that impromptu little film.

And I'm afraid that the cabin crew showing him around is an equally complete *** seeing that passenger film other passengers without telling him that this is frankly unacceptable and that he should stop.

I can't believe that this is going on, but this is frankly unacceptable on both the passenger and crew member's part and both could certainly get into trouble for that.

On the original question, my understanding as discussed by others is that the front staircase is not in use because of the noise in F, and having experienced it on other airlines and particularly enjoying 1A/K, I would prefer that it stays that way.

Land-of-Miles

I have just skipped over the rope and used the loo upstairs. In practical terms nothing stops you doing this since the crew are based in the galley behind the F cabin.

mikeyfly

I used upstairs loos to change into PJs before take off ^ crew said it was fine

Also later in the flight before landing - to re-dress, but also skipped the rope this time

Ernie the Milkfloat driver

I to, admit to being a rope skipper

I'll be a marked man, now I have admitted my dreadful sin

Lovecraft

What would be the big deal? Honestly, I'm asking because I don't see the issue.
It's not that he's focusing the camera on one or more particular person, he's just moving around in a place where there happen to be more people.
Would be also a problem to film in the T5 departures hall? In a bus? In the street?
A believe a plane is a semi-public place, and as long as there's no particular focus on someone, don't really see the problem.

noFODplease

On my flight to IAD in April I used the front stairs and larger toilets with complete liberty - there are no crew based in the 'First lobby ' and the toilets themselves are separated, in semi-darkness, from the upper deck Club cabin.

I suppose the only justifiable reason for doing so is to change in and out of your pyjamas - however I used them several times mid-flight for the sheer novelty of using the staircase and having all that space. I never saw a Club World passenger - if I had i would have given way: after all, I do have two downstairs for my use..

orbitmic

You can't just film people without their consent and broadcast image of them publically, or if you do, you should effectively blank their face so that they are not recognisable. In this case, people are filmed very clearly and perfectly recognisable and the fact that plenty of them are filmed one after the other makes no difference.

In fact, this is an extremely clear breach of youtube terms and conditions on privacy as the individuals shown are clearly identifiable: https://www.youtube.com/t/privacy_guidelines To make things worse, nobody can do anything about it unless one of them happens to see the video, presumably by chance, because youtube would not accept a privacy request not made by the person appearing in the video or their legitimate representative.

There could be many reasons why it might be a big deal for a passenger. Maybe they are travelling with a certain person and do not want everyone to know, or maybe they are feeling self-conscious about travelling in a certain travel class, or maybe their aunt Sally lives in DC and they didn't tell them they were going there because they didn't want to see her, who knows. Bottom line is that the very basics of privacy is that nobody should show images of you on youtube without your being ok with it.

And yes, the exact same rules would apply for T5, a bus, or a street, it makes absolutely no difference. I am ok with people filming scenes where other people appear if it is for their own personal private consumption, but not to broadcast publically without their consent if they are clearly recognisable under any circumstances.

bafan

It's hardly fair on the CW pax who have to share the limited number of loos with far more people.

If you want to use the CW loos, fly CW rather than First...

orbitmic

"We are sorry that it has come to our attention that for a short period of time an obvious loo mistake occurred in the assignment of First Class loos on one of our aircraft types!"

Caleklika

To be honest, I don't have an issue with the video. I do have an issue with their being very loose rules with the stairs. IE, LHR-HKG-LHR. First leg, the CSM says its fine and the return leg (and we all know what HKG-LHR crews are like) the CSM says no or has a fit or whatever. I rather it was a firm no or a firm yes. Not the standard BA 'it depends on the crew'...

As for the video, I don't think aunt Sally is really watching BA A380 first videos... None the less I just find the video cringeworthy.