Locked in the Bathroom of EMB - A comedy of Errors
 

So I get on an AE flight early this morning from STL-Bos only to find someone sitting in our seats. The GA apologizes and gives us different seats.

We get back on the plane and find the new seats are taken. Back to the GA. That's when I used the PLT card and trumped the people in those seats. GA comes back with us and politely moves the people.

Then they had a problem with the hydraulics, had to wait for repairs. We were 50 min late in taking off. Minor compared to my flight Friday night to STL. That was 2 hours late.

When we were finally ready to take off, they made what has become a standard announcement asking 2-4 passengers in the front to move to the back so the plane can be balanced. It would be a lot easier if they just didn't let those seats be assigned until the back is full, but that would make too much sense.

Then I went to the bathroom (the purpose of this thread) and the lock jammed. I was locked in for more than 15 minutes.

What transpired then was like a comedy routine. Here I am stuck in the bathroom, trying to unlock the door. I ring the bell for the FA. She comes to the door asks if there's a problem. I tell her its stuck. She tells me to try and open the lock. I tell her I have, it's jammed. Then she says "move away from the door." I do then she proceeds to try and giggle the lock. That doesn't work. She tells me the lock is stuck. I'm laughing and say, "Yes I know." Then she says "I need to get some help, don't go anywhere!!" At that point I couldn't stop laughing, where was I supposed to go, my seat.

Then the pilot come back with her, works on the door for another period of time, and with some magical screwdriver like tool manages to open the lock. Then walks back to the cockpit. Rest of the flight was uneventful although when I went to the bathroom again (too much coffee) I did not lock the door, just closed it. I asked a woman who was seated right in front to be my sentry and she agreed. Somehow without locking the door I still got the light to come on. Must've been bathroom magic.

This was my first experience ever being locked in a bathroom of an airplane. All I could think of was I needed to finish my presentation before I landed. If I was claustrophobic, I would've been in trouble.

Great attitude! ^

I wish more people could laugh things like this off.

I think I may have stayed put. Best seat on the plane :D

If you don't mind the odor :D

I've 'freed a couple people' from those loos.
 

It takes a little magic. Boy are they grateful!

Back 20 or so years ago, when my mother was a pilot for Service Merchandise, they put seat belts on the lav seat. It seems that they could save some taxes by registering the plane with the extra seat. :)

What are you going to demand as compensation?! Think of the children! ;)

Great story. Who says IFE is dead?

So you were laughing and the lock was giggling? It must be catching. :D

haha.
I've never had a hilarious lav experience, but did once get hit by the bathroom door on a US Dash-8. Ouch. (It slides, the whole cabin saw me get hit).

Good attitude from everyone though!!

ROTFLMAO! :D The flight where nothing could go wrong nothing could go wrong nothing could go wrong... That was a GREAT story - and great attitude. ^ Thanks for sharing - both!

"I'd like 8 VIPs for being locked in the lav." AH, well, in the old says on SU, that actualy was a passenger seat sometimes...

This exact same thing happened to me one one of the AUS-DAL mileage runs on the ERJ. I went to the restroom and when I tried to get out, the door was jammed. I was able to get the lock unlocked, but the door wouldn't slide open. I could see about 2 centimeters through the door and rang the bell.

The FA came back there and died laughing saying she had gotten stuck earlier in the same lav while nobody else was on the plane. We both started pulling from each side of the door and finally the door ripped open.

I walked out laughing and told everybody else on the plane they better just hold it or else get comfortable with the rest of us and leave the door open. :)

What's funny, I also thought about how uncomfortable it would have been if I was clostrophobic. Luckly for us, we aren't!

I was recently locken in the lav during an AE flight. The door handle was not attached so the FA had to get me out. Not fun.

Maybe they needed to trap someone in there for rebalancing on the landing :D

Whoa, that is quite a story. Think I might have had a panic attack if it were me bc I am quite claustrophobic.

About 20 years ago I was locked in the lav of a newish QF 747-300. Fortunately my sister was right outside and summoned the crew. A screwdriver was used to unjam the lock.