Awtas

Today on CO448 during the FA announcement after the take off, I'm pretty sure I heard FA saying that there's a new TSA directive that passengers must use the lavatory in their cabin.
Is that a real rule?

KSinNYC

AFAIK, the TSA rule was for international flights. But the rule on domestic flights was made by the airlines. This was information I got many moons ago from a United FA looking through her rulebook. So YMMV.

buckeyefanflyer

Since when does TSA make rules for what goes on in the airplane. There usually is announcement that the F Lav is for FC only but I always see passengers who sit in the front of coach use it. A 737-500 only has 8 FC seats so the Lav is not real busy. A 737-900 has 20 FC seats so it's is more occupied by FC passengers. Also you will see the pilots use the FC lav and they have security precautions in place to handle this.

mulieri

It's just a matter of time before TSA starts demanding urine samples to get through security.

jadenus

Less than 100 mL, though. Or else you have to throw it away.

mulieri

That's more than enough volume to run a series of tests...




"OK, Ms. Jones your urine sample has been cleared, you may go to your depature gate...oh, and congratulations you're pregnant."

Steph3n

I know in the last week the capt made the F class lav is for F class only announcement on 2 of the mainline flights, not the FA, so that was an oddity.

Now if it is TSA, or CO doing this I am not sure.

Maybe it is CO as they don't want the riffraff in F getting a whiff of those pomtinis that they serve the luxury HFCS customers in Y.

mulieri

CO should add windows to the lav like they have on AC; it makes the lav seem so spacious...

Steph3n

If you could open the window in flight you could piss in the wind too. What point does this topic have to lav usage and TSA?

bocastephen

There is no such directive on domestic flights - just some FA making things up to try and make her rule sound important.

Making up security rules or blaming an order on security is a pet peeve of mine - I'd sent a comment note in so the crew member can be reminded to follow the appropriate announcement script.

Syzygies

How about, one way or another we each spent something to sit in first, the seat is good, the food indifferent, and we don't want the riff-raff using our loo?

bocastephen

I don't want Y passengers using the F lav - I've been pretty outspoken about that. I want the cabin rules enforced, but not blamed on a non-existent security rule that even if it existed, is based on nonsensical stupidity.

I want the announcement tightened up abit (please respect this arrangement is still pretty weak), and for FAs to turn Y customers around and send them back instead of smiling and pointing at the F lav door to show them where it is.

When I'm sitting in Y, I use the Y lav and the Y overheads - I'm not sure why that continues to be a challenge for some people.

tiev

I am not sure if this is a TSA policy or not, but in the past few weeks I have been flying US Airways to visit some family and they make a similar announcement on every mainline flight I have been on. I rarely fly US Airways so I am not sure if this is new or previous policy, but in the four flights I have flown with them in the past week they have all made a similar announcement about the F lav.

OnePass Since 87

I am really surprised that this subject keeps surfacing. The rule about restricting the F lav to F pax only has nothing to do with elitism or cabin "integrity", it supposedly has everything to do with security.

The point of the rule is to minimize or eliminate folks congregating around the cockpit door waiting to use the forward head. It has been perceived (right or wrong) that that is a security risk. I suppose the concept is that if the forward head is restricted to F, then there will be less chance of a mob hanging around waiting for it.

I think it is an FAA rule imposed after 9/11, not a TSA rule. I have no idea if it is an international rule only, or applies to domestic flights as well. Based on experience and observation it certainly is in the standard FA pre flight announcement script on CO for domestic flights, and has been for many years.

bocastephen

Congregating around the forward lav is one thing - restricting access to the J or F cabin is another thing. And no, it has not been the standard announcement script for many years. The standard announcement script makes no mention of lav use for security purposes.

The script states (slight paraphrase, although I should have it memorized by now)....

"This aircraft is equipped with x lavatories which are located throughout the cabin. However, the lavatory in the forward cabin is reserved for our First Class customers only, and please respect this arrangement"

As a 'OnePass member since 87', you should have it memorized too