With air travel being the mess it is now, travelers have adjusted to the current environment. Whether it’s getting to the airport extra early, enrolling for TSA Precheck and CLEAR, not checking luggage or even booking backup reservations in case your flight is canceled, all of these are part of the current status quo.
However, what about when you manage to get to your gate and are waiting for your flight? You might not be able to get into the airport lounge like you’re accustomed to because the line stretched into the terminal. So you’re stuck at the gate waiting for the endless rolling delays until your flight boards. Eventually, the boarding process begins and you’re on the plane.
There’s one last thing you need to do before settling into your seat. Make sure you’ve gone to the bathroom. Even if you made a stop when you got to the gate area, that could be over 90 minutes ago. If the airport is suffering delays due to ATC limits, you could be sitting on the plane for over 1 hour before you even get in the air.
If you haven’t gone in a while, your last chance is immediately after boarding the plane before they close the door. Once the plane leaves the gate, passengers are not allowed to get up from their seats. This means you’re stuck in your chair waiting to get clearance to take off for who knows how long. Then you’ll have to wait to taxi to the runway before finally taking off. Then once you’re in the air, it could be a while before the captain turns off the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign.
In fact, the best time to use the lavatory is immediately after boarding. It’s just been cleaned by the ground crew and you might not get another chance for a while.
So if you need to make frequent bathroom breaks, add a post-boarding, pre-departure trip to the lavatory to your mental checklist.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
I’ll have to disagree with this – having people use the restroom after boarding often delays departure, since everyone has to be seated before pushing back from the gate. In addition, it can be inconvenient for others still boarding as they are trying push through a line of people headed the opposite direction. Perhaps there is a magic moment between when everyone is boarded and when the pilot is ready to go that would work out well, but that will be tough for most people to time correctly.