Why aren’t people allowed to use the bathroom when the plane is fueling?
In: Other
I mean have you been around me after a bowl of chili?
Better question is why do people want to go to the plane bathroom immediately after boarding? Go in the airport where the stall is a decent size and you won’t get a concussion when you wipe 😂
Any other reason aside, the last thing I would want is a bunch of people stinking up the plane before it gets moving and the main air exchange and conditioning system comes online.
I’ve been an airline pilot for 15+ years and I’ve never heard of passengers not being allowed to use the lavatory while fuelling.
This is from our Standard Operating Procedures Manual. Note that there is no restriction regarding the use of the lavs.
**Refuelling (either pressure or gravity) with passengers on board is permitted only if:**
1. At least one pilot is in the flight deck;
2. The minimum number of cabin crew is on board;
3. The cabin crew have been advised that fueling will take place by switching the seat belt sign OFF;
4. The no smoking sign is ON. The no smoking rule shall be enforced. No striking of matches or use of
flame-producing devices is permitted;
5. Photographic equipment is not used within 10 feet of the fueling trucks or the fill or vent points of the
aircraft fuel system;
6. For all aircraft, the designated evacuation exits during fueling are the 1L door and the 2L door. The
escape routes through and from these exits must be unobstructed during fueling;
7. The pilots and the cabin crew must be informed of any situation endangering the safety of the aircraft
and its occupants;
8. The 1L door shall remain open with a jet bridge or appropriate air stair connected during refuelling
with passengers on board. All other exits must be unobstructed and a cabin crew complement
appropriate to the number of passengers on the aircraft must be on board and positioned at or near
each designated evacuation exit during fueling;
9. Refuelling personnel are be promptly notified if fuel vapours or any other hazards are detected in the
cabin. If such conditions occur, the fueling shall be discontinued;
10. Emergency lighting is ARMED or ON;
11. Fueling is suspended when there are lightning discharges within 8 kilometres of the aerodrome;
12. Aircraft ground power generators or other electrical ground power supplies are not being connected
or disconnected;
13. Other combustion heaters used in the vicinity of the aircraft are manufactured to CSA or ULC
standards and approved in accordance with the Fire Commissioner of Canada for use in hazardous
atmosphere;
14. Known high energy equipment such as High Frequency (HF) radios are not operated, unless in
accordance with the aircraft manufacturer’s approved flight manual where the manual contains
procedures for the use of this equipment during fuelling;
15. Aircraft batteries are not being removed or installed;
16. External battery chargers are not being connected, operated or disconnected; and
17. Electric tools or similar tools likely to produce sparks or arcs are not being used.
We don’t have rule at my airline. People can use the lav while we refuel whenever they want.
First time I’ve ever heard of any airline restricting access to lava while refueling, and I’ve been flying airplanes for 30 years.
We can’t close all the entry doors while refueling- that’s a thing.
You’ve just spent a few hours inside an airport. The toilet is the first place where you can at least try to sneak a cigarette in. You really don’t want to even think about mixing cigarettes and kerosene fumes.
If you have to go to the bathroom within 2 minutes of getting on a plane, you should have used the rest rooms 10 minutes ago.
Well there are countries such as the USA where passengers aren’t even allowed to be on board when the plane is fueling.
But for the countries that allow it, they have precautions in case a fire occurs during fueling. Sure you could just run out of the bathroom mid-pee or mid-shit, but the airline doesn’t really want that, so they just say no using the bathroom during fueling.
What airline and in what country are you not allowed to use the lav while fueling?
Neither airline I have flown for had any rule against using the lav during fueling. The flight attendants (who would be enforcing this rule) don’t even know when we are fueling.
It’s not the fueling; it’s probably the ground servicing of water and waste. The airplane has a potable water tank for things like the sinks in the lavs, coffee maker, etc., as well as a waste tank the lav toilets flush into. During ground servicing, they fill the water tank and empty the waste tank. It would be bad for the systems to be actively using them during servicing, so the systems are deactivated during this service. If a passenger used a lavatory during servicing, they wouldn’t be able to flush the toilet or wash their hands until servicing is over.
Edit to add source: I’m a pilot on the Airbus 320
Latest Answers