BoeingBoy

And you'd be pretty correct. The post 911 advisory - which may have come out before the TSA existed - does exist and is primarily concerned about having groups of people congregating in the front of the cabin next to the cockpit door on most planes (xcept 747 primarily). Unfortunately, before it got to the airlines some bureaucrat in DC decided to easiest thing to do was tell people to only use the lav in their section of the plane - ignoring the obvious exceptions listed in the advisory. After all, those FAs don't have anything better to do than keep little Johnny or aunt Matilda with her daily diuretics from peeing till "their" proper lav is unoccupied...right.

So the FAs do what they do - make the PA as required but don't make an issue of our little Johnny or aunt Matilda from using an unoccupied FC lav. Then basic human nature kicks in - 2 other coach passengers notice Johnny or Matilda using the FC lav so they just assume that they're free to do the same. And as of when I retired once in a while the FAs would have to break up the line gathering in the FC aisle, especially on longer flights.

The short version is that there is in fact no strict prohibition against people using an open lav outside "their" class of service cabin, any more than there is about using an open lav at the opposite end of the plane if the aisle is blocked, despite the threatening sounding PA.

Jim

Flyer69

man I got a laugh out of reading this thread.
Some of y'all who are indignant that someone from coach is using "your" bathroom need a reality check.
I gotta tell ya, I fly coach, I fly first class, and I fly private aviation on some REALLY nice PJ's. Copping an attitude because you paid extra for first, and thinking that makes you something special .. well, if it bothers you that much then you should pony up the big bucks and go buy a PJ. If you aren't that flush, you can rent via netjets if you really are offended by the hoipolloi using your toilette.
Otherwise ... get over yourselves.

whimike

When I am in Y the rule is fully enforced... by me. I never use the F lav when I am flying in Y. When I fly in F it is a bit of an annoyance that people can't follow the rules clearly stated to them. But, I really don't let it bother me too much. If there was a line of Y pax queueing up for the F lav, meaning I have to wait an inordinate amount of time to use it, then I would get more upset, but that never happens since the FAs are quick to disperse any line.

roberino

The airline won't listen to one person "whining". Get a bunch of people together to be signatories to a group letter to the airline, including real names and FF status, reminding them that they are obliged to keep pax in their ticketed cabins and say that you'll report it to the FAA if it continues. If nothing changes then vote with your feet.

Some airlines are good with this BTW. A LH purser wouldn't let me pass back into the J cabin to go to the bathroom on a 737 during boarding while the Y aisle was full of pax. I only wanted a tissue (obvious, by the way my hand was held over my face post-apocalyptic sneeze). He did at least go and get tissues for me though.

ffI

http://www.flyertalk.com/the-gate/bl...-use-them.html
Just now on FT

ffI

Did you forget Curb Your Enthusiasm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeIKMAdZ9bY

ffI

Thanks I remember that now

ffI

So True

jimd60

For what it's worth - most times the rule is enforced. I really think that if you fly enough and get upgraded enough you can start to think you (we) are somehow special. Even if one can justify that due to the amount of travel that one is special - when you got to go you got to go! 180 people with two bathrooms and 1 for F just can't always cut it. I would sneak up front too.

The only time I was bothered by this was when a line formed about 3 feet or so apart with about 4 people leaning up against the F seats. I noticed this because it woke me up. Clearly the FA was in the back since nothing was said. The worst part was that this was a single isle plane and the smell was bad.

I can only imagine what it was like sitting in the back by those restrooms.

irockfm2

+1

PWMTrav

That's mostly why I don't care. I'm not paying for F. If I were paying 4x the fare of a coach pax, I guess I could see the issue because it's a benefit you paid for that others did not, but even then as long as people don't line up in the aisle or lean on my seat, it's not an issue to me at all. Those last two things bother me in coach, too so I try not to sit near the back.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

always an interesting topic.

I often buy first class in the states, and as part of that service I appreciate a little peace and quiet, and better access to amenities such as the WC and overhead bin space.

there are some obvious exceptions, but in general, I think coach should use their bathrooms and first should use theirs.

the exceptions? the elderly, disabled, or sick. feel free to use the closest available convenience. but able bodies? nah.

service carts in the aisle? I don't buy into that excuse too easily. frequent flyers know there is a period before and after service carts being in the aisle. use the bathroom then. Why not plan your bathroom use just as you do when you're driving, or commuting to work on the bus. you can't just 'go immediately' if you're on public transport. why is a plane any different? you might have to wait five minutes.

as for taking a private jet... small planes and me don't agree with each other. I avoid the original ERJs and CRJs... and can just about manage with the E-175/190s. I certainly don't have the means the charter a BBJ... and nor should I have to.

maybe it's a little bit of a uniquely American thing? you'd get short change trying to walk through a curtain on a foreign airline... classes and the accompanying amenities are enforced.

and does it make a difference? it sure does. the more people that use a WC the dirtier it gets... urine on the floor, bits of wet tissue on bench tops, puddles of water and soap on the bench top, . cut the number of people and you cut the mess.

(while this post is partly in jest I should point out that I do fly coach when needs dictate and when I do, it's because I've made the decision to save money. accordingly, I don't use the services or facilities up front. and I plan my WC breaks!! )

tommyleo

Pot, meet kettle...

BoeingBoy

Which is really the intent of the advisory and PA. In general, most passengers probably accept the minor restriction.

This is where human nature too often rears it's ugly head - see someone else allowed to use the lav up front and assume that you can or should be able to do the same.

Unfortunately it's often the occasional leisure passenger that gets blocked by the cart, and the longer the plane the longer the problem lasts.

To me the bottom line is this: this is a security precaution, not elites having "their own" lav thing. What's wrong with accepting it as that - a way to keep people, especially a group with ill intentions, from congregating in the forward cabin area? I mean really...you're not getting gold fixtures in the forward lav of a single aisle plane while the peons make do with stainless steel, no shower or floral arrangements, no scented soap or lotions. All the lavs are gonna be basically the same - plastic and stainless to serve the same basic needs everyone has.

Jim

scottsam66

Can I say, "plus ten million"!