I must confess that I almost never pay to fly FC ( only upgrades ). I have often wondered what the FC passengers think of someone from Row 6 using 'their" lavatory. What are the rules of etiquette in this regard? Personally, if I am in Row 6, I would rather use the lavatories in the main cabin than go into FC. Only an emergency would change that. I am eager to hear your views.

If one or more service carts are blocking the aisle(s), I don't think it is a big deal.

I do, however, get annoyed when pax from Y use the F restroom at other times as it can interfere with the FA service. Also, I really hate it when pax from Y start lining up in the F class cabin, waiting their turn. At this point, service becomes virtually impossible and the cabin starts to feel a bit claustrophobic.

Unless there's a meal service on in Y, a lower passenger-to-lav ratio is one of the benefits of flying F and Economy passengers should not breach the curtain.

Good topic! I've had many discussions on this exact topic with friends/ff over the past few weeks. Since I recently made GM on Delta,and consequently have spent a bit more time in FC lately, I've begun to notice this "issue" more and more. In my opinion, the FC lavatory is solely for the convienience of FC passengers. When I'm in coach I always use the lavatory in the main cabin. The curtain is there for a reason.

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"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you"-- Trotsky

I totally agree with this one! Now, how does the message get passed to coach passengers (especially the once-a-year flyers) without really p*ssing them off!

Of course, do we care??

Perhaps this is where the FC FAs can help by being assertive to coach pax that they should remain in the coach cabin at all times.

FewMiles..

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Unofficial Guide to AAdvantage: http://home.webflyer.com/fewmiles/AA/
oneworld comparison chart 2001: coming soon

The FAs on one of our flights last week announced to the coach pax that as 2 of their lavs weren't working (764 a/c), they should use the FC ones. I was actually surprised to see how few of them came up - but the flight was < 1.5 hrs.

I guess there are exceptional circumstances.

Like many situations in our society, I think this is one where we should rely on self-policing and common sense.

We'd all agree there are circumstances where someone from coach has a pretty good reason for breaching the curtain (blocked aisle, broken lav in back, length of line combined with desperation, FA told 'em to). And we'd all agree that there are a few fuggheads who'll try it just to prove they can get away with it.

So? Creating rules and enforcement mechanisms will just diminish everyone's experience in the long run. (Personally, I think most of the rulebreakers do it hoping to be challenged, to make a scene. When they're not, all they did was cheat & get away with it; if they enjoy that, they deserve to live with themselves.)

I suppose how much it affects FC pax depends a lot on how many fuggheads there are, and how assertive they are.

Compare it to a closed lane on the freeway. (We drive a lot, too.) In some parts of the country, a sign two or three miles ahead leads 98 % of the drivers to line up in the unrestricted lane well in advance. You may slow up a little, but the few idiots who try to horn in at the merge point don't cause much trouble. Everybody gets through okay.

In other places, 20-25% of the traffic tries to take advantage of the "faster" lane, and everything comes to a screeching halt a mile or so before the merge point. There are too many cheaters to absorb, so everybody gets punished.

The rules are the same in each situation, but the behavior of the drivers is different, leading to different outcomes. I don't think stricter rule enforcement on the plane would help in most cases, but maybe some of you are on flights where this could be an issue.

Just hope you never get on one of those flights where the food is "off". The lav situation has no class boundaries then!

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"Service" should be a noun, not a verb.

In moderation for good reason, I have no problem with a few coach passengers using the FC head. When, however, a line of coach passengers forms in FC, I ring for the FA and ask that they clear the aisle to allow the FC passengers to use the restrooms first.

I am not trying to be imperious or condescending, but a quiet, relaxed, civilized atmosphere is the main reason I always do my level best to fly first class and I feel my miles, certs, whatever, have purchased that privilege.

It seems on every flight I see one or two passengers try and use the FC lav. The FAs always quickly and quietly steer the person back to, well, steerage.
Since I usually fly coach I have no problems with this. As we said in the Army RHIP (rank has its privleges). This is one.

wow, you guys are tough. we beat this one to death on the united side.

my position is the same. any can use the lav in F if the cart is blocking the isle. anyone who makes a mess and doesnt clean it up should be ejected from the plane at once.

by the way, how do you guys feel about coach passengers putting luggage in the f overheads???

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f

FPARKER,

Luggage? NO WAY... it is bad enough when the crew puts all their stuff in the first class overheads...

William

For any medical or serious hygiene situation there seems to be a strong consensus that the breech of the curtain is fine. In most other situations it is merely distracting or at worst annoying. I strongly agree with what LexPassenger stated, rules would only confound all of us in the long run. I imagine that the problem happens mainly on flights where the curtain is not snapped to the dividing bulkhead.

If someone is simply inconsiderate or angry b/c of the seat they have well, we should collectively hunt them down in their area of comfort and take our relief there.:P

I mostly agree with Lex. I will say however that smaller bathroom queues is one of the ebnefits of premium class, as should be priority embarkation/disembarkation (which no US carriers do on the arrival end).

Forget egalitarianism, we either pay more and/or fly more and are entitled to these perks.

One habit which has really pissed me off lately are mothers who insist on walking their small childrem up and down the entire plane several times, worse, when they let them run the entire length of the cabin, and the seem to ram into me each time they pass by. Flight attendants will do something about this, however genererally only when asked...

I think that even if there is a meal service going on in once cabin, you should use the lavs. in your own cabin.

If I find passengers using lavs in my section from another one - and that means First coming back to Business too (!) - I usually say something. Make it sound helpful ' You know there are more lavatories at the back ', if they're waiting.

Personally I only ever have a few problems as I try to plan my visits around the meals - you can usually hear the staff getting ready to send out the carts, and so I try and go before they get in the aisles.