A 28-year-old Saudi passenger was arrested in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday after attacking two flight attendants who wouldn’t let him use the bathroom while the plane was landing.
- SriLankan Airlines flight 266 from Riyadh was in its final minutes. The Airbus A330-300 was in its descent into the Colombo airport just after 6 a.m.
- The man tried to use the lavatory. Cabin crew pointed out not just that the seat belt sign was on but that they were about to land.
- And that’s when the man turned violent. Crew members and passengers subdued him, but not before he landed blows. He was arrested at 6:32 a.m. when the aircraft’s doors opened – instead of making his connection to Malaysia.
Specific injuries suffered by the flight attendants haven’t been reported, but they did receive medical attention on arrival. The passenger faced criminal charges today at the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court No. 1.
Generally speaking you need to follow flight attendant instructions and obey the seat belt sign. However, on U.S. airlines and outside of the most critical phases of flight you can still use the lavatory if you really must. Flight attendants will generally tell you that the seat belt sign is on, not that you cannot use the lavatory.
- Many passengers take it to mean they’re being scolded for trying to use the lav, and that they shouldn’t
- When flight attendants are being quite literal. They’ve informed you of the risk. Now it’s on you.
Colombo Airport
Colombo Airport
United flight attendants may lock the lavatories for descent especially when turbulence is expected. (This is somewhat common for Denver.) There you really will need to express the urgency of your needs and ask (or unlock the lav yourself, which escalates matters).
Either way, you’re weighing the risk of getting written up, or even speaking to authorities after the flight, against the likelihood you can make it onto the ground, and taxi to the gate, before reaching a bathroom (either the airplane’s lavatory prior to deplaning or the time it takes to get into the terminal).
It’s far better and usually effective to just go when the seat belt sign is off, prior to descent. That doesn’t always work. Things can come on suddenly. But you should plan when you can. And as bad as not making it to the bathroom would be, the consequences for punching flight attendants over it are actually much worse.
For a flavor-forward, curated dining experience in the sky, please consider Delta.
“Things can come on suddenly.” –Gary Leff. 10/10.
The airlines should have a “hard” seat belt sign and a “soft” one.
The hard one would mean this is really bad turbulence, you should stay in your seat as there is real danger to you if you walk around.
The soft one is the ride will be a bit choppy, but not all that bad.
The one type of sign for all situations means the passengers don’t really have a way of assessing the danger, resulting in people just ignoring the sign.
When you gotta go, you gotta go.
(Just put seat belts on the toilets. Problem solved.)
I am super uncomfortable reading this post without 1990’s comment. I really enjoy hearing how they/them spend foodstamps to buy tickets and how they think the age of consent should be abolished.
I mean, most people would say 1990 should be in prison for life, but I say we live and let live.
As Churchill said, “Never pass up a chance to sit down or go to the bathroom”.
@L737 — Matt’s still got it!
@EuropeanTraveler — The roast master, EuroTra(sh), has arrived. More spice, sir or madam. Feed me!
When the Sri Lankan police boarded the aircraft to assist the crew members and passengers on SriLankan Airlines flight 266 to subdue [beat the crap out of] a violent passenger attempting to jettison his load in the loo, this newly crapless and feces-free wayfarer now has no urgent necessity to use a lavatory.
Isn’t there some rule about passengers moving around while on final?