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Here’s A New One “the bathrooms do not work until 16,000 feet”

Here’s A New One “the bathrooms do not work until 16,000 feet”

Old Feb 15, 2018, 12:19 pm
  #46  
 
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Originally Posted by ATOBTTR
What aircraft do you fly? As I noted above, we’re having the same issue on a DL 737-800 today.
Same restriction on the 737 when the lavatory vacuum blower is inoperative. The MEL requires that all lavatories remain secured closed on the ground and below 16,000'.
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Old Feb 15, 2018, 1:20 pm
  #47  
 
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Originally Posted by vincentharris
GA today kept saying the lavatories do not work until you are in the air so go no. I laughed at it and figured it’s a way for people to not swim upstream during boarding.

After boarding i made made a joke to the FA’s about it and they looked at me dead serious (one did the other looked perplexed) saying it came straight from the captain not working until 16,000 feet.

I guess this is he is he one of a kind A319 with non functioning bathrooms?
Edit to my original story when I asked why I was told by the crew “this is on all planes” so I attempted to inquire and was dismissed
I heard the same announcement on a Boeing 717 by the captain(:
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Old Feb 15, 2018, 2:27 pm
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But all these years EVERYONE will tell you that sh*t rolls downhill.

So even if you're a few feet above the ground, you'd think....
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Old Feb 15, 2018, 3:01 pm
  #49  
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Originally Posted by rickg523
I didn't think the OP was expecting a dissertation.
I didn't think the issue was the operational constraints of the toilet flushing system on the Airbus.
I think the reason the OP posted was because he felt he was being treated like a child. "Oh, honey, don't fret, it's like that on all the airplanes."
I also agree with an earlier poster that the crew infantalized their response to a simple question because they are under no delusion that if they offhandedly admit an equipment failure and as a result some passenger makes a compensation claim (almost a certainty in 2018), it'll be their butt in a sling with their supervisor.
In the end, though, it was interesting to learn how these things operate. But I personally prefer to avoid airplane lavs if possible and always use the terminal facilities before boarding.
Thank you, what you said is exactly what I was trying to convey and nothing else.
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Old Feb 16, 2018, 2:37 am
  #50  
 
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Originally Posted by ATOBTTR

What aircraft do you fly? As I noted above, we’re having the same issue on a DL 737-800 today.
Currently flying a Dash 8. Prior to that I flew a CRJ200. On the Dash the Lav motor is entirely electric (had to pull a circuit breaker a few months back to stop the motor from running the entire flight!). On the RJ I do not recall from systems training anything about vacuum or differential air pressure. When I have time I'll try and look back through my systems notes. I'm curious now about the reasonings behind which system it is.
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Old Feb 16, 2018, 6:44 am
  #51  
 
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Originally Posted by GagaPilot
Currently flying a Dash 8. Prior to that I flew a CRJ200. On the Dash the Lav motor is entirely electric (had to pull a circuit breaker a few months back to stop the motor from running the entire flight!).
I was thinking more along the lines of something like this, that it may be possible for it not to be turned on, either by itself, or as part of a larger system. That also fits in alongside the vacuum pump inoperable, as perhaps all these vacuum pumps are not inoperable because they are broken, but some are inoperable because they are not turned on, as in not turned on to keep people from getting up when they should not.

This is like the boy who cried wolf syndrome. The problem is that sometimes crew will give an inaccurate, but expedient justification. Once a person has caught one of these, then every time the crew says something questionable, the person might assume it is the same.
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Old Feb 16, 2018, 11:44 am
  #52  
 
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Um how about just admitting that a part that is SUPPOSED to be functional on the ground, is not, and now you'll have to wait until 16k' to use the lav? Unbelievable that PAX expects the bathroom to actually work ALL THE TIME on a properly functioning aircraft that's about to be in the air. And the fact that the FAs said it was on all planes? Seriously? Blame whomever you want in the chain of command for a non-working part, but what's not to understand about the incredulity of the PAX? So what he blamed the FAs for treating him like a child. He got a BS story from them and you mean to tell me the FAs BELIEVE the 16k' miles for operational lav to be true of ALL airplanes? Wow.
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Old Feb 16, 2018, 8:22 pm
  #53  
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Originally Posted by GagaPilot
Currently flying a Dash 8. Prior to that I flew a CRJ200. On the Dash the Lav motor is entirely electric (had to pull a circuit breaker a few months back to stop the motor from running the entire flight!). On the RJ I do not recall from systems training anything about vacuum or differential air pressure. When I have time I'll try and look back through my systems notes. I'm curious now about the reasonings behind which system it is.
Ah nice. Always interesting to see how different systems work from airframe to airframe, considering from the pax perspective, how similar much of it looks. But I did find it kinda coincidental that in all my years of flying I'd never heard such an announcement. Then I read a thread on FT about such an announcement on someone's flight and then just a day or two later, I have the same experience.
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Old Feb 16, 2018, 8:30 pm
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Originally Posted by noralawrence
Um how about just admitting that a part that is SUPPOSED to be functional on the ground, is not, and now you'll have to wait until 16k' to use the lav? Unbelievable that PAX expects the bathroom to actually work ALL THE TIME on a properly functioning aircraft that's about to be in the air. And the fact that the FAs said it was on all planes? Seriously? Blame whomever you want in the chain of command for a non-working part, but what's not to understand about the incredulity of the PAX? So what he blamed the FAs for treating him like a child. He got a BS story from them and you mean to tell me the FAs BELIEVE the 16k' miles for operational lav to be true of ALL airplanes? Wow.
The flight attendant probably meant it is that way on all planes in which the lavatory vacuum generator is inoperative. This condition isn't exactly rare.
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Old Feb 17, 2018, 6:36 am
  #55  
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Originally Posted by telloh
The flight attendant probably meant it is that way on all planes in which the lavatory vacuum generator is inoperative. This condition isn't exactly rare.
i would agree with you but since it took pilots on flyertalk to tell me the reason the lav was broken I can’t agree with that. The FA was trying to tell me that nobody can use the lav on the ground or until 16,000 feet on ALL planes.
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Old Feb 17, 2018, 9:02 am
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Originally Posted by vincentharris
The FA was trying to tell me that nobody can use the lav on the ground or until 16,000 feet on ALL planes.
I don't think so. More likely, it was just poor communication. I can't imagine that any FA would think that not using the lavs on the ground is routine.

Last edited by LarryJ; Feb 18, 2018 at 5:06 pm
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Old Feb 17, 2018, 2:35 pm
  #57  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
I don't think so. More likely, it was just poor communication. I can't imagine that any FA would think that as using the lavs on the ground is routine.
I agree it was very poor communication when they told me that.
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Old Feb 23, 2018, 8:04 am
  #58  
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So as a comment to this on a DL flight this week the pilot came on and said verbatim “folks the auxiliary power unit on this flight is broken. It’s sole purpose is for us to getting power going faster as such we are starting the engines at the gate today”

would i I have noticed this? Probably not but the fact he did not treat us like children was quite nice and apparently was not afraid people would complain about broken equipment. He didn’t have to give us a full lesson but took 10 seconds which whether he knows it or not was really nice to do.
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Old Feb 23, 2018, 9:07 am
  #59  
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Originally Posted by 18sas
So...speaking of go-go and lavs. Where does it "go" when you flush after you "go"? In a tank? Dispersed in the air?

Is this how contrails are formed?
This whole discussion is reminding me of the old European trains where you're not supposed to use the toilet in a station. Flushing means that a little trap door in the toilet is opened and you can see the track bed go flying by when the train is moving.

OT, but this might have been a better solution for the emotional support hamster than was flushed down an airport toilet recently, although I realize that domestic rodents (including lab rats) don't survive long in the wild..
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Old Feb 23, 2018, 2:32 pm
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Thanks OP and everyone who participated, I can tick off my "learnt sumthin' new box" today!
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