One Mans Blog
Specialization is for Insects.
Posted on Dec 18, 2007 - 12:59am by John P. in Travel
Man, have you ever been stuck on an airplane anywhere near the lavatory? It can be a downright miserable experience. And the attached PDF is a scanned copy of a customer letter sent to Continental Airlines by a passenger seated directly beside the toilet on a nice long flight.
Here is a choice quote from the letter, but I’m telling you - you’ve got to read it yourself. It brought tears to my eyes!
I constructed a stink-shield by shoving one end of a blanket into the overhead compartment - while effective in blocking at least some of the smell, and offering a small bit of privacy, the ass-on-my-body factor has increased, as without my evil glare passengers feel free to lean up against what they think is some kind of blanketed wall!
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Over $400??? I would be so completely and utterly livid!! Icky - icky - icky! I think I would probably chuck on the floor, and then the flight attendant would have to move me. There would be no way my queasy-weasy self could sit through that! Funny letter, though - it’s awesome that he wrote it while he was ‘in the moment’! Good thinking on his part!
Wow, that’s the plus of flying Southwest when I fly to California, I get to pick the seat…
I would hate to be assigned that kind of seat! Especially at 400 bucks like Lisa said..
I’ve sat near a lavatory (granted not within arm’s reach of it), and it is indeed quite horrible. I don’t think that I ever realized it until I actually sat there, but the whole experience was a tremendous turn-off towards flying. Of course I was also sitting next to a guy who was sick…
I once sat for 15 hours on a plane designed for 5 hour flights (international flights normally have better seats) but luckily I had a book that described the torture of Christian pastors by the communists. Sitting in a cramped seat with flimsy blanket never felt so comfortable. Our perspective on travel makes it easy or hard. Imagine if you had to travel by covered wagon across country instead of sitting in seat 29E.
Tom,
You are totally right. Sometimes I sit at home in my big leather recliner watching my 1080p high definition television while drinking an ice cold coke and think, “Its about 2 degrees too warm in here, dammit!” Then I’m upset that I have to actually get up and go turn down the air conditioning.
Frankly we are spoiled.
Of course, the airlines have done their best to glamorize travel for many, many years now - and they are constantly telling us how much they love carting us around and how good they will take care of us when they are doing so. As a result I think they are gonna get hammered any time a customer has to revel in the sweet smell of urine for an entire trip.
But, either way, you gotta admit that is one funny letter… hehe.
John
the standard of living is different so you dont need a wagon the seat next to the lav in a plane is the worst seat…. also in a wagon you dont smell other peoples fecies or have others in your face so dont compare to a wagon
Give me the wagon! Even being within a few rows of “john” are unpleasant
I’ll be riding midwest the first of the year, I hear all seats are good seats.
I’d hate to be sitting right next to the restroom, especially for a 400$ ticket.
Well, any seat close to the kitchen can be pretty smelly too. If you suffer from from fear of flying, any smell can make you ill.
I have a funny story regarding a flight near a “lav” (on a different blog), but since I don’t know anyone here yet, I’ll avoid putting up the URL.
The newer planes have better control over lav odor. I used to be an engineer for Air Canada, and we had hundreds of weird lav stories.
Brent
Brent,
better provide the link to your blog, the stories might be interesting, entertaining and disgusting… so perfect for me.
take this comment as a personal “you-know-me-now” certificate
cheers
Rhoody
Well I can tell you we had “very large lady” on an Airbus that had too much suction during flush mode (computer system lav) the crew heard a cry for help, and she had been sucked down and stuck. They helped her by breaking the bead with some tongs or something.
How about being stuck in winter on the tarmac for 6 hours next to the lav, on an un-scheduled stop, of 3 stops total; making it 24 hours to get home rather than the 11 hours scheduled??????? On the same plane?????? W/out food, water, movies, zero, nothing. OF COURSE UNITED OFFERED US STUFF, I THREW MINE ON THE FLOOR OF THE AIRPORT. And will never fly them ever again!!!!!!