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Old Mar 6, 2024, 6:49 am
  #106  
 
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Originally Posted by halls120
The first time I board a 737 without a mid-cabin lav, and the front lav is closed for selfish crew reasons, is probably the last time I fly UA domestically.
As a ten-year UA 737 pilot I can assure you that never happens. It would not be accepted by anyone on the crew. When a lav is closed it is due to a maintenance restriction as described earlier in the thread. We do not need to lock the lav in between pilots because, we're not augmented, and, unlike the 767-400, we block off the front galley with a cart.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 8:39 am
  #107  
 
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
As a ten-year UA 737 pilot I can assure you that never happens. It would not be accepted by anyone on the crew. When a lav is closed it is due to a maintenance restriction as described earlier in the thread. We do not need to lock the lav in between pilots because, we're not augmented, and, unlike the 767-400, we block off the front galley with a cart.

Pick your battles here Larry. We both understand how rediculous this claim is yet here we are at 100+ posts.

Never has any pilot (or FA) Ive flown with even remotely sugggested to permanently block a lavatory for non-maintenance related reasons. Any crewmember that intends to do anything like that would be shut down immediately.

I just cant believe how this thread continues to have legs.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 11:09 am
  #108  
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Originally Posted by clubord
Pick your battles here Larry. We both understand how rediculous this claim is yet here we are at 100+ posts.

Never has any pilot (or FA) Ive flown with even remotely sugggested to permanently block a lavatory for non-maintenance related reasons. Any crewmember that intends to do anything like that would be shut down immediately.

I just cant believe how this thread continues to have legs.
So 100 posts later were assuming the experience of the OP and a few others with similar observations to be fabricated?

Its obviously an issue, if not widespread, but if it should not be happening, then United needs to address it with a policy and proper communication to both employees and customers so expectations are set accordingly.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 11:55 am
  #109  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
So 100 posts later were assuming the experience of the OP and a few others with similar observations to be fabricated?
What would be fabricated? I don't see anyone discounting their experiences--just their conclusions. It is perfectly common for a lav to be legal for crew use and out of service for passengers. It's the weird conspiracy theories that they're discounting.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 1:31 pm
  #110  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
As a ten-year UA 737 pilot I can assure you that never happens. It would not be accepted by anyone on the crew. When a lav is closed it is due to a maintenance restriction as described earlier in the thread. We do not need to lock the lav in between pilots because, we're not augmented, and, unlike the 767-400, we block off the front galley with a cart.
Glad to hear it, that has always been my experience. This whole thread makes me remember a miserable USAir flight on a 762 FRA-PIT in 1995, when half way to PIT the Captain came on the PA to announce to all passengers that all but one lav would be locked for the duration of the flight.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 2:24 pm
  #111  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
So 100 posts later were assuming the experience of the OP and a few others with similar observations to be fabricated?

Its obviously an issue, if not widespread, but if it should not be happening, then United needs to address it with a policy and proper communication to both employees and customers so expectations are set accordingly.
The OPs aircraft in question had a deferred lavatory per MEL. There was never any pilot commandeering the bathroom for themselves.

If we want to entertain the conversation about the rates of lavatories being deferred by maintenance, thats completely fair. Still dont think even that is a rampant problem, but yes - it does happen.

However to suggest that there is a widespread issue of pilots reserving the lavatory solely for themselvesthat is just flagrantly inaccurate.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 3:20 pm
  #112  
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Originally Posted by clubord
The OPs aircraft in question had a deferred lavatory per MEL. There was never any pilot commandeering the bathroom for themselves.

If we want to entertain the conversation about the rates of lavatories being deferred by maintenance, thats completely fair. Still dont think even that is a rampant problem, but yes - it does happen.

However to suggest that there is a widespread issue of pilots reserving the lavatory solely for themselvesthat is just flagrantly inaccurate.
The OP was told by the pilot the lavatory was theirs "for security purposes" - even if the lavatory was under deferred maintenance, that form of threatening communication from the pilot is unacceptable. The only correct response would be to make sure the lavatory was properly placarded, and the pilot's response should have been professional and transparent, explaining the lavatory was under maintenance and not available to passengers, but crew would be able to use it.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 4:00 pm
  #113  
 
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Not sure if all these anecdotes of crew-locked lavs are true or not. I highly doubt it though.

If this practice exists, it's almost certainly not widespread, IMO.
Although, simply because I never saw/noticed anything like this myself, this conclusion is more based on the theory of law-of-averages as opposed to empirical evidence.

What's really fascinating, however, is that the mistrust and disconnect between passengers and UA crew is apparently so profound, that such stories are often readily believed by quite a few, and many times on hearsay only.

"Us" vs. "them", what a real shame.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 5:20 pm
  #114  
 
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Originally Posted by narvik
Not sure if all these anecdotes of crew-locked lavs are true or not. I highly doubt it though.

If this practice exists, it's almost certainly not widespread, IMO.
Although, simply because I never saw/noticed anything like this myself, this conclusion is more based on the theory of law-of-averages as opposed to empirical evidence.

What's really fascinating, however, is that the mistrust and disconnect between passengers and UA crew is apparently so profound, that such stories are often readily believed by quite a few, and many times on hearsay only.

"Us" vs. "them", what a real shame.
Sometimes we all forget here on FT that we are literally the 1% -- we travel WAY more than most -- and the great pilots like @clubord and @LarryJ are likely also the 1% and have contributed greatly to this forum's knowledge -- and headed off many misunderstandings to say the least...

The average travelling public would see something like this perhaps, well, not "never" - but damn close to it!
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 5:32 pm
  #115  
 
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The first two lockers in F-class are for crew bags, too. It's their plane, I guess. I merely rent some time on iut.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 8:11 pm
  #116  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
So 100 posts later were assuming the experience of the OP and a few others with similar observations to be fabricated?

Its obviously an issue, if not widespread, but if it should not be happening, then United needs to address it with a policy and proper communication to both employees and customers so expectations are set accordingly.
Well said and totally agreed.
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Old Mar 11, 2024, 10:49 am
  #117  
 
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Today on UA2327 ORD-SAV, captain said forward lav inoperable because the trash receptacle isn't functioning. On a 737-800 with no midcabin lav. Not a big deal, but was following this thread and it's actually the first time it's happened to me (only a Plat this year, but 14 segments so far this year), so thought it was interesting.
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Old Mar 11, 2024, 11:43 am
  #118  
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Originally Posted by Sie625
Today on UA2327 ORD-SAV, captain said forward lav inoperable because the trash receptacle isn't functioning. On a 737-800 with no midcabin lav. Not a big deal, but was following this thread and it's actually the first time it's happened to me (only a Plat this year, but 14 segments so far this year), so thought it was interesting.
The trash can is part of the MEL for the lavatory? I didn't scan the entire MEL document linked way above, but certainly they could have hung a plastic trash bag somewhere beside the sink?
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Old Mar 11, 2024, 11:48 am
  #119  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
The trash can is part of the MEL for the lavatory? I didn't scan the entire MEL document linked way above, but certainly they could have hung a plastic trash bag somewhere beside the sink?
The trash receptable in the lav must have an automatic fire suppression system. When that system is inoperative, the lav can not be used by passengers.
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Old Mar 11, 2024, 11:53 am
  #120  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
The trash receptable in the lav must have an automatic fire suppression system. When that system is inoperative, the lav can not be used by passengers.
Very interesting and good to know!
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