After 9/11, the cockpit gets blocked off when the door is opened. A pilot goes to the lavatory, and no one can approach the front of the aircraft. That makes sense, but the flipside is that this should be reserved only for the pilot’s important needs. Here, a Southwest Airlines pilot flying from Dallas Love Field to Los Angeles reportedly spends a part of the flight chatting up a flight attendant, while passengers are forced to wait to use the lavatory. That seems like bad judgment to me – and actually illegal!
@SouthwestAir fly attendant sent elderly woman in row 6 to the lavatory in the back so the pilot could continue to just yuck it up with her. No one in the lavatory. They talked for a good 10 mins. Awful flt 3756 pic.twitter.com/WDTksOCrea
— Jeffrey F (@jeffreyfields) December 1, 2024
Federal Aviation Regulation 121.543 requires pilots to be in the cockpit at all times except:
- “Necessary for performance of duties” to check something in the aircraft
- “In connection with physiological needs” using the lav
- Crew rest, when another pilot takes their place
There’s no time limit on these exceptions. Was flirting a “physiological need” – perhaps!
Several years ago on an American Airlines flight from Washington National to Dallas-Fort Worth my flight’s captain spent 20 minutes in the galley flirting as part of his lavatory trip.
This came right after the meal service, and passengers up front were visibly squirming in their seats, while a service cart in the aisle in coach meant it wasn’t possible for passengers to go to the lavatories in back either.
My view is that a few pleasantries as part of a bathroom trip is fine, but that a pilot shouldn’t be out of the cockpit for 10 – 20 minutes on non-bathroom business while they’re on duty.
This sounds like looking for something to be upset about.
Does this person have any idea exactly what they were talking about?
Flight crew pro tip. Send the first officer to the lavatory, then have the flight attendant who fulfills your physiological needs keep you company on the flight deck while the first officer is taking an extended poop or making his bladder gladder.
Seems to me the El captain would be docked accordingly for not bring on the job and not in their work area just like many American businesses do. No worky, worky no pay.
corrected….El Captain should be docked pay for the time they are not on the job and not in their work space. Most businesses dock workers pay for bathroom and smoke breaks. Pilots are no exception.
Seems to me to be something about nothing. Do you like to sit in one place for hours without getting up and moving a bit? Pilot’s work environment set them up for DVR and back issues. Ask me how I know.
Breaking up 3 hours of sitting with 10 minutes of standing is not a bad idea.
DVT is a real problem with sitting professions.
His spouse will take care of it.
We need to timing the bathroom break these pilots take.
Or stretching is a physiological need on a long flight and being cordial with a coworker is common courtesy. This article is really reaching
Wow people are stupid sometimes. Karens everywhere these days. Never underestimate the stupidity of the general public. Posters here included.
Waaaa F-ing waaaaaa, he came out and stretched his legs for 10 minutes on a 3 hour flight, and those POOR people couldn’t use the forward lav for that whole 10 minutes, call me an F-ing WAAAAAMBULANCE!!!!!
In the good old days (pre911) the captains, during routine flight conditions, would walk back thru the cabin to visit with passengers as part of the flight PR. Nowadays with the door restrictions I understand the need to limit those forays into the cabin. Albeit the fallout from 911 with TSA security precautions, it is possibly an overkill precaution. To assume it was flirting is presumptuous, could just be old friends who don’t see each other often due to flight schedules. Cabin and cockpit crews often change to different aircraft as flight’s progress along a route.
Yes. Bring a Federal lawsuit to the nearest applicable jurisdiction. Post haste. Supreme court time.
Love Field to L.A… an old Jet Blue premium route I used to take, back when JB was entirely first class and the smell of chocolate chip cookies permeated the cabin… And my wife and I were in our late 20s with no kids….
Ill be right back for that lawsuit….45 minutes or so…
Wondering if The Premium Airline allows this kind of behavior?
Have seen this numerous times. It’s annoying AF watching some old dude working to get some when you need to piss.
He knocks down north of a half mil a year. He doesn’t get his “pay docked”.
You guys seriously need a hobby other than inventing things to be upset about.
“Physiological needs” is more than just lavatory use — it includes standing up for a bit and moving around to prevent DVT. The pilot making polite conversation with a coworker while he does it is not “flirting.”
As someone who spends my time in the VERY cramped cockpit of a 737, yeah sometimes I take a 10 minute break to stretch my legs on a 3.5 hour flight. Maybe a doctor or a physical therapist can chime in and let me know if I need longer breaks or if 10 minutes is sufficient? Source: 35 years in the airlines and 35 years of being married to the same woman.
Difference between a passenger & a pilot, former can get up anytime they want in flight. Sitting more than 4 hours drastically increases chances of blood clot (CDC). What do pilots do most of during flights?
How well do pilots operate aircraft when they have blood clots?
Is stretching & getting blood flowing a physiological need?
3hr 25 min flight. Long time to be in a cramped, ergonomic nightmare 737 seat.
But hey if you just absolutely have to whine about something…
In all seriousness, are we looking for something to get aggravated about? Get a life saver grow up! Petty petty petty.
In all seriousness, are we looking for something to get aggravated about? Get a life and grow up! Petty petty petty.
The crew are a team and 10 min is completely reasonable to stretch your legs and chat with crew. Mega eyeroll at this article. What a scandal!!
Xoxo
To guy stating pilots should be docked when not in seat, should we also be paid for all the “hours on call” for an airline, so you can get where u wanna go? Or when we’re doing walk arounds & spending 3-5 days away from home not getting paid?
Name another profession (other than FA) that only gets paid when the doors shut. Aircrew works for free much of the time to ensure planes go out on time. & passengers who don’t understand what it takes to get an airplane off the ground (let alone on time) should do a little research on the life of the people they care so little about
The flying Public sits for their flight moving about when needed, Flight Attendants, and Pilots work 8 to 12 hours a day 3 to 4 times a week needing to move and chat about work things. Pilots sit for extended periods of time and need to circulate their blood to avoid DVT and a 10 to 15 minute break to stretch, use the bathroom, and circulate blood on a longer flight doesn’t seem odd. What is odd, filming someone without their consent or knowledge and posting on Social Media then passing judgment. I get Grandma having to wait or go to the back bathroom. If she wasn’t able to walk that far I’m sure accommodates could or would have been made.
Even though it’s less likely, there have been events when a pilot left the flight deck and the remaining pilot sabotaged the flight. In this scenario if the remaining pilot wanted to sabotage the plane the amount of time the copilot was gone would have been irrelevant. It’s a safety rule for a reason though. Especially considering that something pressing could occur immediately and all hands on deck required. I’ve seen enough (and not enough) Mayday to know sh*t can get real, real quick.
Petty! I fly Southwest every week. They’re great. The 737 has one bathroom upfront and two in the rear. If you have to go that badly, use one of the two in back.
Did anyone actually go up and ask to use the lavatory? Don’t suffer in silence. This usually low-key reminds the crew of their duties. It works for me…
This site used to point out legitimate things. Now they’ll do anything for “views”. No one knows what they were talking about. The original tweet had a whopping 4 replies! Obviously no one took it as a real concern. Your site has become what you’re allegedly against, petty, self-absorbed crybabies. Even if it was 10 minutes, which can’t be verified, is it really that bad? Maybe he had a replacement and he was taking a break, maybe they were on the ground, etc. those reasons are just as realistic as the OPs allegation. Next time at least “try” to verify something before you post it as fact.
This is stupid and not news worthy. Here’s a shocker…THERE ARE 3 LAVS ON A 737…go use one of the other 2! LMAO! ♂️
I sit back in coach so this is not something I can see. I would rather be aggravated about the seat hurting my back.
Look at some of these whack job commenters, they’re taking what you posted as factual and there’s no way you could possibly know. You should apologize and you NEED to do better!
So dumb. Flirting? Maybe he’s been sitting all day on extended flights and needs to stretch his legs to help prevent blood clots. If so, he has to stand in silence? SWA doesn’t have beverage carts. Lavs in the back are accessible. You were just desperate for something to publish and hopped on this turd. Pretty pathetic, man.
I’m glad you posted it. Too much disregard for passengers these days. Hope someone in management notices the post.
Seriously? F U. You should sit your ass in a seat for 3.5 hours and not get up and stretch. Posting shit without any context or actual information. Gary, you’re a real pro publishing this crap.
And of course if a poor soul were to complain and ask to go to the bathroom they would have called the cops upon landing.
Anyone ever think that this pilot may have been riding the unseat in the cockpit?? He may not even have been the captain or 1st officer of this flight. It is custom for pilots to fly jumpstart to there next flight. I highly doubt this was the captain or pilot of thus flight. People use your brain. It’s obvious that 99% of these people complaining have no aviation knowledge at all !!!
Union scum being Union scum, being defended here by bootlicker scum.
Yall need to get a life. The guy was just stretching his legs. There’s two or three lavs on the airplane. Stay in your lane and don’t try to tell the pilots how to do their job.
I come here just to read the idiots trashing Gary. Go start your own blog, folks.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the same thing. Pilots should be allowed to exit the cockpit to use the bathroom, but they should also be courteous to the other passengers. Maybe he was giving the copilot some privacy with the other flight attendant.
Better than the Avianca pilot who literally brought a woman up into the cockpit on one of my flights from MEX to south america!
I have SERIOUS bladder and neurological problems where I cannot hold my urine. If I were to actually need access to a restroom, and I were to see actual BS like this going on, pee in a cup and hand it to the next flight attendant to pass.
If the pilot is looking for love he should simply sit in the middle seat 😉
Had this happen before on an overseas AA flight. My wife and I were flying up front. The flight crew blocked the lavatories behind the cockpit with drink carts while a pilot used the lavatory. After he was done, he and an attendant gossipped for at least 20 minutes while still blocking access to the front. I couldn’t use the restroom towards the back of the plane because the drink cart was making its rounds towards the rear. I finally asked the attendant how long it was going to be before I could use the lavatory and she got snippy with me, like I was out of line for asking. I said in lieu of access to a lavatory, she might want to bring me a coffee pot to pee in if they’re not going to allow use of the facilities. Good times. Typical American Airlines customer treatment.
@Vito44 – yes, they did, as noted in the piece
They have bathrooms in the back. Or doesn’t this person even know that?
From a 737 captain – get back in the flight deck and do your stretching there. You don’t want to have a single pilot in the seat if there’s a rapid decompression or an engine fire.
I’ve flown all over the world for the past 40 years or so on business, and since much of that has been business of first class, I have had a front-row seat to this type of behavior. I can guarantee you that this happens fairly often on long flights. No rules or laws will fix it – the crew has to have a customer-service mindset, and realize that a few moments of chit-chat comes at the expense of inconvenience to the paying customers. Now, since airplanes are largely 100% full these days, why should the crew actually care? It doesn’t reduce revenue in any tangible way; it just pisses (pun intended) people off, but they are still going to fly just as much. You can treat captive people like cattle, or like fellow human beings. It is the airlines’ choice, and this seems to be the sort of choice that they are oblivious to.
I just wasted a few minutes of my day reading a senseless article. Just another “all about me”’ rant.
I am a 737 capt since 1995. There is no room to stretch in there. This is such a nothing sandwich I really hope that capt sues Mr Leif and the OP. Picture taker. Deep vein thrombosis is a thing.
I’m all for Southwest Bashing, but please, someone, put a stopwatch on Gary’s bathroom breaks, unless that is where he writes posts like this while others wait….
The worst part is that if anyone had actually spoken up (as in talking directly to the pulot or lD/A they would have probably been black listed/arrested on arrival.
The stupidity of current regulations in the USA in particular nees to be looked at
Are you guys nuts? Half of yall as passengers can’t even stay in your seat for 2 minutes, walking through cabin while seatbelt signs on, sometimes in significant turbulence etc and you expect the pilots to sit in a confined flight deck for hours on end without getting up to stretch their legs. I mean God forbid they spend 5 even 10 minutes having a conversation while they are up! Do you all have jobs?!?!? Do you sit at your desk for 5 hours straight without getting up or taking a break, or speaking to anyone else? You all are absolutely RIDICULOUS! There is more than one bathroom in the plane
WALK TO THE BACK! So small minded to think “flirting” is what the conversation is about. Is that what yall do with your coworkers when you het up from your mundane desk jobs to speak with others? I’m sure there are a myriad of topics they talk about besides “flirting”
The fact that so many are throwing out negative comments but not one can relate the content of the conversation between the Captain and F/A speaks volumes for the credibility of those complaining!
Southwest is a peasant airline for peasant passengers. I’m not surprised they scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to flight crew. If you don’t like the service you get in cattle class, perhaps don’t fly Cattle Airlines then.
Drink cart? Those don’t exist on SWA.
Disregard. I read it wrong.
LMAO, you people are true idiots !
@ME, In too many cases the seatbelt sign stays on for much or even all of the flight so there’s not a lot of (or any) opportunities for passengers to legally use the lavatory. (Many non-US airlines turn the seatbelt sign on much less often.)
Incredible waste of time and print. I can guarantee that no one was “Forced” to wait while one of the Cockpit Crew conversed with a Flight Attendant. There are at least 2 restrooms on the aircraft. Also, when one of the Pilots needs to use the restroom, one FA stands at the front of the cabin to assure the safety of the Cockpit. Another FA enters the Cockpit to assure the remaining Pilot has someone there in case of emergency. Then another FA remains in the Galley and is available should there be a need in the cabin. May we suggest that whoever made this ridiculous complaint, grow up and pay attention.
We could also do without the juvenile remarks from the immature members of this group/
The regulations are not about whether or not it’s ok to chat up a flight attendant.
It’s because if something goes wrong on the flight deck, the second pilot is in position.
Any pilots replying to this article need to keep in mind that if it’s ok to be out of the seat for 10-20 minutes, then maybe we only need 1 pilot in the flight deck going forward and they can install an easy button and the plane can land itself in an emergency.
How’s that sound to you guys?
Otherwise, stay in the seat unless you have a legit reason to be out of it
If you can’t hold your water on a 2.5 hour flight, maybe you should talk to the flight surgeon.
Southwest is the best airline in the US, hospitality is till a value for them, best economy pitch, 2 bags for free, no other compares. There are two lavatories in the airplane, everyone could have used the one in the back, what are y’all even talking about? Do you know what they were talking about? How do you know they were flirting? You should all get a life, my Lord
Hes just trying to get laid and yes that’s a physiological need!
It happens on other airlines.. I experienced the same thing on an American Airlines. The seatbelt sign had been on for an hour and the Captain came out and used toilet as soon as the sign went off. He must have needed to use it.like the rest of us. He then spent 10 minutes chatting.up the stewardess, who interrupted her giggling to bark at those who needed to use the same facility. People even said that they needed to go, but she was too busy enjoying her authority to tell the Captain that others needed to go. He knew as well, just didn’t care.
What was wrong with the aft lav? Blows my mind the author of this article knows where to find FAA regulations to quote but couldn’t find a blueprint for the most popular airplane of all time…
For starters there’s bathrooms in the back of the plane. I fly 40 to 50 times a year, get over yourself. By a long shot Southwest employees are much friendlier than other airlines employees.You may run into an occasional unhappy employee,but those are few and far between.
The usual trash complaints from this author. Don’t YOU get up to stretch your legs on a multi-hour flight? Pilots are not robots. Do you want them cramping up while they’re trying to fly the plane? Stop being such heartless a-holes.
I’ve seen the same thing more than a few times on UA, where it’s even more annoying because they block the F class lav.
You really must have nothing else to complain about today… standing up for 10 minutes on a long flight is not only reasonable but it’s healthy. (Yes streaching your legs is indeed a physiological need) Talking to a coworker well on break is also not illegal.
The pilot must be a high-school student I think
Were they dei hires?
Let the man stretch his legs. For those who are that important, fly private.
Poster ME is correct.
The OP doesn’t state the flight route but haviing routinly flown Paris to LAX (called the Polar) which is 12.5 hours after engine start and another hour of cockpit preflight (for which we are not paid) and at least :20 minutes post flight because tjhe stairs are blocked by exiting PAX all 400+ of them
i would often take physiological breaks by walking the lenth of the cabin.
That was pre 911. Now the flight crew is locked in the cockpit. I can’t image spending hours in it without a break outside of it.
Idiots in the comments talking about stretching your legs but don’t acknowledge FAA regulations. I bet you complain when the construction workers block your exit, but you simp for pilots taking 10 mins to flirt on a 3 hour flight. It’s so sad.
SWA should suspend the employees.
You have no idea what’s actually going on here.The FA could have been telling the pilot something pertinent to the safety of the flight, or “10 minutes” was actually 2 (time is warped a little bit when you have to pee). This is a trash article that’s clearly written by someone who has never been a pilot or a flight attendant at an airline before.
Articles like this is the reason I made the decision to stop visiting this site. Unfortunately my poor decision prevailed today and I’m all the more dumber for it.
Seriously with all the news going on this is what you choose to write about?
My only comment is that some people are too elderly, infirm, or incontinent to walk very far or wait very long.
The video is seconds long with a view from a seat and no one walked up there to ask to use the bathroom. Lies.
There are 3 restrooms on every swa plane 1 in the front and 2 in the back. This passenger is totally reaching. Clearly thinks yhey are too special to use back Lavs. The Cap has every right to get out and converse with flight crew and stretch his legs for some time.
Really good to read!
I’m in a wheelchair, you think waiting 10 minutes to use the toilet is bad, try waiting for a full 6 hours. That, after I was left outside the plane waiting for help, then humiliated while boarding, having one flight attendant claim it was my size that prevented them from getting me to my seat, when it was clearly metal on metal that was getting the isle chair stuck, the isle armrests didn’t raise making it hard to get into the seat that they made some poor guy move from for me. Then I was ignored the entire flight until the last 30 minutes.
This happened to me on and AA flight from SJO to DFW a few months back. In this instance the pilot chatted with the FA, drinking a cup of coffee, for at least 20 minutes AFTER using the bathroom and then he used it again before going back to the flight deck! All the while there was a line ~10 deep waiting to the aft lav.