A request for the gentlemen re in-flight lavs.
 

About an hour into MEX-IAD, exactly 3 people had used the front cabin restroom - one F passenger, the captain, and the first officer. I was the unlucky #4 (and the only female).

The bathroom floor had puddles and smelled worse than a back alley in Mumbai.

I can understand there are challenges with moving targets (although there was no turbulence at the time), but please gentlemen.... if aiming is difficult, sit down.

This issue is actually a pet peeve of mine as a male. For whatever reason, most airline restrooms are designed to conduct any "near miss" into a puddle on the floor rather than into the toilet. Maybe there's some reason for this design preference, but it's infuriating because a little turbulence or unsteadiness suddenly turns you into "that guy."

Then again, when that happens, I try to clean up after myself.

Or it could be, as it was for me in a recent flyer, a problem in the system and after each flush a small puddle appeared. The FAs were placing absorptive materials in the floor and into the cabin for much of the flight. The alternative would been to lock the lav.

Related peeve, the toilet seats on 73x seem to be designed not to stay up.

I find the two-handed approach to work well. One hand to aim and the other braced against the "bulkhead" above the toilet. The real mystery for me is the puddle in front of the urinal in airport restrooms.

A request for the gentlemen
 

Some airlines have dedicated male female lavs which wouldn't work on narrow body aircraft.

A request for the gentlemen
 

Or really, anyone using the potty should just make sure they clean up after themselves. Once I was trying to wait for the sink to drain, only to see impatient / concerned PAX who needed the bathroom. You know how some sinks drain more slowly than others...

A request for the gentlemen
 

Knowing this happens frequently I'm absolutely amazed at the number of passengers going to the restroom in their bare feet or just socks, This seems to happen more on internationals the later the flight gets. :eek:

Let's be realistic too. Yes, I've had my share of blind aiming, but some women aren't all that innocent either. No one want's to sit on a strange toilet seat, and a few of the ladies bend over and take some wild shots themselves.

Either way, people have to clean up after themselves. And yes, I've stopped and reminded countless people heading to the lav in their socks.

I have a few times idly wondered (after trips to particularly gross lavs) whether it's an explicit part of the FAs' job to keep the lavs in somewhat respectable condition during flights. Do they check for puddles/trash every so often? Are they supposed to? I don't expect a full-on cleaning, but if there's an issue with the condition of the lav, who else is going to address it during the flight?

+1

Ah, yes, barefootedness on long-haul flights. I cringe whenever I see it, doubly so if the barefooted one is headed for the loo... Ick.

I guess no more than paper refill. Never seen a FA actively cleaning the lavs, and I'd say rightfully so. Their task is different.

I've seen people go barefoot to the lav. I try not to look.

But then again I see people do the oddest things on planes. Top of my list was the guy who clipped his toenails in BF on a EWR-HKG flight two minutes before dinner was served.

I am not particularly squirmish, but I do expect adults to clean up after themselves. Something spills (whatever it is), you mop it up. I expect it from a passenger AND from the crew. Remember, in this instance the last two occupants of the lav were from the cockpit.

I agree, but as I came out of the lav, one of the FAs was just outside so I told her "watch out, the gentlemen don't have very good aim today, it's awful in there".

She thanked me for the warning, and instead of going straight in she pulled a blue bag from the cabinet first. I don't know if she cleaned up in there or not, but I feel bad if she did, definitely not her job.

Sorry to gross out any of the ladies, but sometimes, guys do get the dreaded "split stream." Sometimes, it is pretty innocuous and just hits the floor, but you have to watch out for the ones that can hit your shoes or pants.

Maybe they should put up a sign like the the one the janitorial staff did in my college dorm:
"We aim to please. Won't you aim, too, please?" :D

Reminds me of the scene in Me, Myself and Irene.

The lavs on planes are pretty much flying outhouses.

That is particularly true for those who are taller than 5'6" as one can hardly standup straight in many lavs. Half the time I feel like I am trying to do the limbo while aiming.

In my office we had that problem. I half jokingly put up a sign saying:

I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for the challenges of peeing-while-male. Probably still preferable to having to sit all of the time, but still.

I laughed at this. My husband said something similar when I told him about my flight. I guess a certain distance is helpful. Who knew.

I actually appreciate being a female when using plane lavatories, especially when there's turbulence.

Also valuable when one is horribly drunk. Or so I hear :p

on some Asian airlines they do (premium class presumed)

i have in the past taken it on myself to "tidy" up the restroom before leaving it, even if the mess isn't mine, per se. and i will say from those experiences, that in the process of thoroughly washing my hands that "puddles" re-appear....leaving me to realize that sometimes (thankfully) the wet floor is just a function of a small, poorly designed sink.

forgive me if this is obvious, but why is there a requirement that one has to stand to urinate?

No requirement to stand, but there is one to sit for sitzpinklers.

BTW I know several women who are quite proficient at peeing whilst standing. ^

I have, but on non-US airlines. I've seen them continually checking the lavs and going to such lengths as wiping down the area where people push to open the door.

90% of urinals I see in N.Am have splash issues. Its the simplest of design solution I don't see why better urinals aren't more prevalent

While its nice its also a bit embarrassing to have someone immediately come in to clean up your immediate mess....

Minimal body-to-foreign-surface contact if can be avoided

I thought the premium toilets were cleaned after each passenger. I've never had a messy one. Many times when I have gotten up to go to the toilet a FA has scurried ahead of me to check the loo and hold open the door for me.

Guys If you do pee on the floor... clean it up. Yuck.

There isn't, but being a female I try to stand as much as possible in public restrooms when there isn't a disposable seat cover available. Also acquired some practice after many trips to Japan, where often the only toilets available are "traditional" ceramic holes on the floor, requiring one to squat always. It's great toning for the legs ;)

Unfortunately, the issue here was not the toilet seat but the entire floor of the lav. I can pee standing up, but I can't levitate.

Or in the middle of the night. I find sitting to be much simpler than trying to aim in the dark while barely even half awake. My wife also appreciates it ;)

Would love this, no more lines to use the lav. :D

Indeed. Reminded me of this.

+1

Although not pleasant, we can all foresee circumstances - turbulence, 'split stream'(!), etc. in which pee hits the floor. It's the pee on the toilet seats (in the air and on the ground) that I find more baffling!

Weirdly I've noticed this on all Boeing aircraft on any airline.

Umm, you cannot blame this on males.

Many females hover over --instead of sitting on-- the seat.

people who pee on the floor in from of urinals must have small wangs.

In this case yes, I can absolutely blame it on males, since only 3 people used the lav before me. They were all men (or very convincing).

To those who admonish others for going to the lav barefoot or in socks ... OMG, just stop that. Unless they are your actual children, you don't need to be their mother. Feel free to sit there in judgment of them, however, if it makes you feel better.

This coming from one who does wear socks to the lav - but only the throwaway socks provided by the airline in business or first on long-haul flights. Pretty much everyone does, and the lavs are generally pretty clean up front anyway.

Do people actually do that? Lecture complete strangers on aircraft about what they wear on their feet to use the lav? :confused:

Wonder how often they are told to MYOFB?

I think there is a big difference between cringing when seeing someone walk into the lav in bare feet, and actually saying something to them. I do the first, never witnessed the latter.

And a sign for the ladies
 

Some of it may be that airplanes induce anxiety peeing.

1) I am in the window seat, everyone else got up to go, this is my only chance. I must go now.
2) The food cart is going to prevent me from using the restroom for next 12 days. I must go now.
3) The plane is going to land and it will take six hours to deplane. I must go now.

In these situations, one may not really HAVE to go so the pressure behind the stream may not be in full force. I don't think this can be avoided.