Slimline Lavatory - How usable if you are disabled, of size or need changing table?
 

I hope this remains a separate thread for at least a while...

I thought the slimline lavatory on the 737-900 was only for the mid cabin but it seems the lavatory in F, mid cabin and the 2 in the back are all the new small kind.

Some questions:

1 - I wonder why the F lav is shrunk. It is before the door so it won't produce more space for seating. Is it more of a commonality reason rather than space?

2 - I am 5'10" 155 lbs. Even I feel crammed in there. I really wonder how people who are wider or handicapped can use the lav. Any experiences?

3 - I don't have children but the baby changing table seems sort of short too (since the whole lav is narrow). I can see it working for really small babies but if the baby is slightly older/taller, would the baby fit?

Thanks.

At 6'6" I am way too tall for any of the 737 lavs. In urgent need there is always the wash basin. ;)

Common equipment, lighter overall weight. Both keep the OpEx numbers down.

Ugh, if it's smaller than the prior F lavs, that's going to be horrid. At 6'4", I have always had issues using the front lavs due to the curvature of the plane meaning I can't stand up. So now they're making the lav smaller, too?

I'm 6'1" and I have plenty of practice using the E145 lavs. The 737 slimline lav is a piece of cake. :D

BRING IT ON JEFFIE

In some respects, not being able to stand up actually works to the benefit of fellow passengers, as it means that it is less likely that urine gets splashed around the seating area or on the floor.

Surely not caused by the posters here, but I have been on too many longhaul flights where there was urine on the lavatory floor from the stand-up guys...

Don't be so sure. There are some who are in fear of death should they come in contact with a toilet seat used by others, and there are no toilet seat liners or whatever they're called.

When will the Japanese toilet seats be installed, like on ANA?

The forward and rear lavs are always different due to the curvature of the fuselage and can't be fully common.

Many of the interior components will match, even with the different exterior shell.

These things are almost comically tiny. Even washing one's hands results in water all over the floor - the sink can't be more than about 4" wide.

Except in horrified FT worry land, As I understand it the slimmed lavatories have basically the same interior apparent to the passenger.

They'll match even if the rear/mid lavs are slimline.

The airlines have promised this to customers. IME they failed to deliver on that promise. The smaller interior space is noticeable to me.

This really concerns me as I have several 737 flights coming up. Currently I am in a wheelchair with two broken legs.

According to the ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act) the following are the only requirements for accessible lavatories:

* New widebody (twin-aisle) aircraft must have accessible lavatories. DOT is continuing to seek more data on accessible lavatories for smaller aircraft.

* Aircraft with more than 60 seats and an accessible lavatory must have an on-board wheelchair, regardless of when the aircraft was ordered or delivered. For flights on aircraft with more than 60 seats that do not have an accessible lavatory, carriers must place an on-board wheelchair on the flight if a handicapped passenger gives the airline 48 hours' notice that he or she can use an inaccessible lavatory but needs an on-board wheelchair to reach the lavatory.

I guess the question is whether I "can" use an inaccessible lavatory. I can require UA to have an on-board wheelchair to get me to the lavatory door, but no clue as to how they would shoehorn me into the lav. :(