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A Delta passenger said he was kicked off a plane for using the restroom

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Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
When a plane is sitting on the tarmac it's considered taxi'ing and "waiting in line," so to speak. My understanding is that once you're given the all-clear for takeoff, that sumbitch is in the sky within 30 seconds - 1 minute. The pilot doesn't know when they're going to be given clearance. General rule of thumb is that if a plane has departed from the gate and is sitting on the tarmac, you're officially in line for takeoff.

And if you have someone go in there and then attempt to take a shit, your schedule is super fucked.
 

rpmurphy

Member
Is it allowed by federal regulations to piss yourself on the seat of an airplane during takeoff because you weren't allowed to use the restroom?
 

Nafai1123

Banned
If there is some strict rule about passengers not being able to use the bathroom prior to takeoff, it should've been made abundantly clear to this passenger prior to him using the bathroom.
 
There is no bathroom!

Not really surprised about this. My dad practically had a diabetic attack on a southwest flight once and ran for the bathroom, same time as the guy in the story, and nearly got kicked off the flight for it.
 

Mesoian

Member
Thus does every jackass who gets kicked off a plane for disobeying the simplest of rules get a new story. Hell yeah.

Bullshit.

I've done this very thing on a flight before, using the lavatory while the plane was parked, and there were no issues.
 

Kite

Member
It’s happened to us all: You’re on a plane, and the seatbelt sign is on—but you really, REALLY need to go to the bathroom. Obviously you’re not supposed to leave your seat until the sign is off. But is it actually illegal to go to the bathroom?

Technically, yes. By the letter and number of the law, in this case 14 CFR 121.317(f), it’s illegal.

But in real life, there’s clearly some flexibility in how the rule is applied, since many of us have seen fellow passengers sneak off to a bathroom before the sign is off with no consequence. What follows is a guide to that gray area.

There are times when you absolutely should not ignore the seatbelt sign. Don’t get up if there’s obvious turbulence or if a pilot asks flight attendants to take a seat and prepare for a bumpy ride. And if your plane is taxiing, taking off, or landing, never, ever, remove your seatbelt or attempt to go to the bathroom. Most airline accidents happen during this critical phase of flight, and your actions may endanger everyone’s safety. This includes the time immediately before a landing begins—it’s possible that your overlong bathroom break could force the pilot to abort the approach. A useful rule of thumb: If you don’t see any flight attendants moving about the cabin, you shouldn’t be up either. Stay seated with your belt fastened.

But what if the seatbelt sign remains illuminated long after the plane has reached its cruising altitude? If you decide to risk a surreptitious mission to the lavatory, don’t ask a flight attendant for permission. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, distinguishes between flight attendants’ duty to inform and their duty to enforce. In general, the FAA emphasizes what information flight attendants must provide to passengers about federal regulations and when they must provide it. But the FAA is much less prescriptive in describing how diligent flight attendants must be in enforcing regulations—they don’t require flight attendants, for example, to lock the lavatory door anytime the seatbelt sign is on. Because of these incongruous expectations, flight attendants have evolved a kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” detente: It would be negligent for a flight attendant to grant you permission to use the bathroom if the seatbelt sign is illuminated, but many of them aren’t likely to stop you unless they judge the conditions to be truly unsafe
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/...it_ever_all_right_to_ignore_the_seatbelt.html
 

ItIsOkBro

Member
Was on a flight just yesterday (Air Canada) and people were using the bathroom before we were even moving and when the seatbelt sign was on in air).
 

Jackpot

Banned
It's irrelevant and if this sort of thing gets a news story every time it happens, people are likely to pay less and less attention to actual things that need to be addressed. So, yeah. It's kinda shitty that a total nothing story got picked up by the WaPo. You are straight up told to not use the restroom while the plane is on the tarmac. He broke a rule and was calmly asked to leave the plane. What's the big deal?

You are the reason why airlines treating people like shit is seen as normal.
 

Sylas

Member
You are the reason why airlines treating people like shit is seen as normal.

It's the law my dude. Not saying it's right or wrong, I'm just saying he broke the rule (and thus the law) and this particular crew was acting under the letter of it. They can get fined a shitload of money if they were reported or had an auditor on the plane. Like damn, get off my nuts.
 

Skux

Member
What is the reason the plane can't take off? Now I'm going to be all paranoid about this next time.

Safety. The plane must have all passengers seated before takeoff and landing as they are the times when the likelihood of disaster is the highest.

A passenger standing at this time would delay the plane's takeoff for possibly a very long time (runways have extremely tight schedules, you can't afford to have a plane held back by one guy).

Travellers, piss before you get on the plane.
 

rpmurphy

Member
It's the law my dude. Not saying it's right or wrong, I'm just saying he broke the rule (and thus the law) and this particular crew was acting under the letter of it. They can get fined a shitload of money if they were reported or had an auditor on the plane. Like damn, get off my nuts.
I personally don't wish to live in a society authored by Kafka, but different strokes for different folks.
 
Thus does every jackass who gets kicked off a plane for disobeying the simplest of rules get a new story. Hell yeah.
472087.jpg
 

Trouble

Banned
Was on a flight just yesterday (Air Canada) and people were using the bathroom before we were even moving and when the seatbelt sign was on in air).

If they haven't closed the door and pulled away from the gate there's no rule against it. They just can't pull away until everyone is seated.
 

Skux

Member
If there is some strict rule about passengers not being able to use the bathroom prior to takeoff, it should've been made abundantly clear to this passenger prior to him using the bathroom.

It is. Every single time during the safety briefing.
 

akira28

Member
so glad that everyone could cite a seatbelt rule to me.

it still seems sort of vague how breaking that rule, especially in particular context, under these particular circumstances leads to them turning the plane around and getting a flight security agent to coax the man off of the plane...that immediately takes off without him.

Yes I know, follow rules and you won't cause trouble. Yes I know, we have rules for a reason. But so much of what is accepted seems counter to any true purpose and people just do them out of ritual or regulation in place of reason or responsibility.

ie, what is wrong with the world today.

https://s24.postimg.org/fobwjsdnp/14-13-things-your-pilot-wont-tell-you-turbulence.jpg

yes, the little light pretty much says it all.
 

Volimar

Member
Policy should never be so rigid that you can't work within the confines of reasonable accommodation. Stop treating passengers like cattle.
 
Policy should never be so rigid that you can't work within the confines of reasonable accommodation. Stop treating passengers like cattle.
I agree for the most part but when you are working within a government regulated industry sometimes there is no leeway.
 

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I'd would just piss myself right there in the seat if they wouldn't let me go. Sometimes you just can't hold it.

They'd probably kick you off, charge you a ridiculous cleaning bill and ban you.
 

rpmurphy

Member
Or in the vomit bag.
Some day, on a Delta flight:
"Attention all passengers: during taxing, please put on your Depend® diaper that is provided in front of you, in order to ensure a smooth takeoff process. Please put on your Depend® diaper first before assisting others."
 

mrkgoo

Member
While I understand his predicament, I guess airline flights and especially takeoffs are considered an area where it's basically crucial to follow regulations. Deviation from a routine means making exceptions.

Don't get why they need to kick him off though. Like maybe delay the flight so the routine can be begun again or something, considering he's already done it.
 

dskillzhtown

keep your strippers out of my American football
so he went to pee prior takeoff? I don't get it.

tripple check you pee before you board.

I am insane, I force pee 2 or 3 times BEFORE boarding to make sure that the first hour I am peeless on the plane

I have waited at the gate after boarding for over an hour before. If you gotta go, you gotta go. I have seen people get up and go to the bathroom and the crew just told them to hurry. Kicking them off the plane is a bit excessive.

I am paranoid about having to pee or crap on board as well, but it happens.
 

mrkgoo

Member
Policy should never be so rigid that you can't work within the confines of reasonable accommodation. Stop treating passengers like cattle.
Sure but what if that policy is about safety of hundreds of people?

What if the regulations say that a particular order of events needs to be carried out during takeoff, including, say, checking the toilets before strapping in (like they check all over head compartments are closed properly) etc and then a guy breaks that routine? And that's the one time something happens and theyndidnt follow regulations?

I don't think it necessary to kick him off if it was
Truly urgent, but they probably did need to restart a series of regulated routines when it was broken.
 

Mesousa

Banned
Policy should never be so rigid that you can't work within the confines of reasonable accommodation. Stop treating passengers like cattle.

Or maybe pax can realize the airlines are under direct orders of the government with what people can do during that time. All they really were gonna do was bring him to the front, tell him not to do it again, and brought him back. He made it a big issue, and he gave people crap who had no say in the rules established by the higher ups.

His selfishness screwed everybody over.
 

akira28

Member
under die-wreck orders from the gov-ern-ment.

yeah when they satirize that statement it still sounds just as ridiculous.
 

alejob

Member
Pee before you get on the plane.

If they didn't have this rules we would have people going to the bathroom all the time, making a mess of takeoff schedules.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
If the plane was on an active taxiway it's on him. If it was disconnected from the gate, it's on him. If he disobeyed a flight attendant or a flight officer it's on him.
 

Lucini

Banned
Checked to see if anyone has mentioned that the man was black yet...

I find it a little hard to believe that it would have happened to almost anyone else. A pregnant woman gets up to pee, likely no issue. An elderly person, likely no issue. But a fairly young adult man? Issue. I'd like to to think that maybe his appearance played no part in his exit, but rationality simply suggests otherwise.
 

Deepwater

Member
Pee before you get on the plane.

If they didn't have this rules we would have people going to the bathroom all the time, making a mess of takeoff schedules.

nobody is advocating that they get rid of the rule, they're saying it wasn't a measured response to force him off the plane.
 

akira28

Member
If the plane was on an active taxiway it's on him. If it was disconnected from the gate, it's on him. If he disobeyed a flight attendant or a flight officer it's on him.

I believe there was a moment when he could have gone, but he went back to his chair to wait. Then while waiting on the taxiway, he had an emergency situation. Which happens. My grandad used to carry around a plastic device because of incontinence, which doesn't care much about FAA rules or Airline departure delays.
He should have just said initially before they disconnected "you know, I'm going to affirm myself here and not be polite, as I may cause the plane to lose its place, but I won't be breaking any regulations. unhand me woman, for I am going to urinate! Fie!"
 

Mesousa

Banned
under die-wreck orders from the gov-ern-ment.

yeah when they satirize that statement it still sounds just as ridiculous.

Its the truth though. All airlines in this country have to follow those rules. Anybody gets up when the pilot isnt notified is a safety risk.



Checked to see if anyone has mentioned that the man was black yet...

I find it a little hard to believe that it would have happened to almost anyone else. A pregnant woman gets up to pee, likely no issue. An elderly person, likely no issue. But a fairly young adult man? Issue. I'd like to to think that maybe his appearance played no part in his exit, but rationality simply suggests otherwise.

He got up multiple times after the Attendant told him no.
 
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