Airplane lavatories have never been a bargain. They're claustrophobic, they frequently trap and retain odors in between passenger visits, and they're often
occupado at the most inopportune times. As anyone who has flown on a regular basis well knows, it's best to relieve yourself (whether #1 or #2) before boarding to avoid dealing with these inadequate facilities. Still, it's nice to know the lavatories are there when you need them.
Except when they're not. On March 7th, James Whipple boarded a SkyWest Airlines flight from Boise to Salt Lake City with a couple of hefty mugs of beer in his system. But although he had relieved himself before boarding, nature urgently called him again during the one-hour flight. The problem was that the pilot had deemed the restroom off-limits due to the fact that "a light wasn't working." So, seeing no other recourse, Whipple discreetly urinated into an air sickness bag.
The act was not witnessed by any of the other passengers. A flight attendant saw it, though, and she reported Whipple's conduct to the pilot, who then radioed ahead to the Salt Lake City Airport police. Whipple was detained for questioning.
And then he was sent home in a taxi. SkyWest Airlines later issued an apology to Whipple along with a voucher for a free flight.
In this story of airplane bathroom folly, I find both the airline and the passenger equally culpable. It's not that I begrudge the man his couple of beers. And he even took the precaution of relieving himself before departure. But the last thing I'd do, given the reality of airline facilities, would be to tempt fate the way he did. In his case, before peeing into a bag, I might have taken the flight attendant into my urgent confidence, asking if he or she would mind accompanying me to the back of the plane and then turning away to screen my activity from any possible prying eyes.
But by tattling on the passenger, I'm not sure the attendant exercised the sort of discretion and compassion they are trained to routinely demonstrate. And wasn't the pilot being a bit anal retentive about "a light not working" as a reason for restricting lavatory use? I'm assuming this wasn't a situation that threatened the safety of the passengers or the crew. So why be so militant?
In any case, SkyWest Airlines' apology certainly seems appropriate, considering that no passengers were subjected to anything X-rated. Sometimes, it seems, the skies just aren't all that friendly.
