{"id":3024,"date":"2019-07-16T10:45:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T14:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/?p=3024"},"modified":"2019-07-16T10:45:54","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T14:45:54","slug":"wheelchair-user-airplane-bathroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/2019\/07\/16\/wheelchair-user-airplane-bathroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: Everything Wheelchair Users Need to Know About Airplane Bathrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Nobody likes talking about using the bathroom, except maybe my two adolescent sons. But for wheelchair users planning trips involving flights, the ability (or lack thereof) to use an airplane bathroom (a.k.a. lavatory) can make or break their travel plans. While this post is intended for wheelchair users who haven’t flown yet as such, I consider myself a very seasoned traveler and *I* definitely learned something. Here’s a guide in Q&A format to airplane bathrooms to help you determine how they fit (or don’t fit) into your travel plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does an airplane bathroom look like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The first thing you will notice about airplane lavatories is that they are small. Very, very small. And in order to fit more passengers on planes, they are getting even smaller. On some of the newer planes flown by American, Delta, and United, the bathrooms in coach are just 24 inches wide. Somehow in that space, they managed to contain a toilet, a tiny sink, a mirror, and a small cabinet that contains toilet paper and paper towels. Some of these bathrooms contain changing tables for infants as well, if you can believe that. All the doors for airplane lavatories are bifold, meaning they fold in half and slide open and shut, with the fold going inwards towards the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSmaller airplane lavatories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Does an airplane bathroom work differently than a regular bathroom?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes. Regular bathrooms use gravity and siphon action to empty a toilet bowl, as well as water in a sink. You can’t do that in an airplane because of all the motion. Airplane toilets use an active vacuum instead. When you flush, it opens the valve in the sewer line, and the vacuum in the line sucks the contents out of the bowl and into a tank. This requires very little water or sanitizing liquid to clean the bowl for the next person. When you wash your hands in the sink, you will notice that the water does not freely go down the drain. The bowl will fill with the water you have used, and then you have to lift up the stopper to let the vacuum empty the contents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where can I find the bathroom on an airplane?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It totally depends on the type and size of the plane. On North American aircraft, the normally accepted minimum ratio of lavatories to passengers is approximately one bathroom for every 50 passengers. However, in premium and business cabins, passengers may have access to multiple lavatories reserved primarily for their use. Many of the larger long-haul airlines choose to equip their aircraft with the larger lavatories in the upper class cabins. Smaller commuter planes and regional aircraft designed for very short flights may not have bathrooms at all. So depending on the layout of the airplane, you may have only one lavatory in the rear, a pair in the front and in the rear, or a third pair in the middle of the aircraft, sometimes more if it is a long-haul wide-bodied jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are airplane bathrooms wheelchair accessible?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
New- construction wide-body aircraft with two aisles are required to have at least one supposedly accessible airplane bathroom. However, the level of accessibility for these lavatories is not what you would expect in a bathroom on land. Generally speaking, they open the doors of two regular airplane bathrooms and combine them into one space. The grab bars are often not in a convenient spot, and the space is still small and difficult to maneuver. However, there is more space for a partner or caregiver to assist a wheelchair user in transferring to the toilet. There is also more space for the aisle wheelchair to actually enter the bathroom space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Why aren’t there more wheelchair accessible airplane bathrooms?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Money, plain and simple. The airline industry says that it is not economically feasible for them to retrofit existing aircraft with accessible toilets. Ultimately, by making their toilets bigger, it takes away from the space where a paying passenger could sit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can I use my walker or cane to get to the bathroom?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can certainly use a cane, but there is no way that a standard walker would fit in the aisle of an airplane. Aircraft aisles are typically only 18 inches wide. Also, only folding walkers can be stored inside the cabin of an aircraft, and there really is no room to take them out and use them inside the cabin. Rollators usually have to be checked at the door of the plane like a stroller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do I get to the airplane bathroom if I can’t walk?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Virtually all wide-body jets for international flights have an onboard aisle wheelchair. These are folding wheelchairs that are tiny, and usually have a seat and back made out of a flimsy synthetic material. Some have velcro straps and some don’t. The quality of the footrests on these chairs also varies. However, these are your only options for getting wheeled to the airplane bathroom if you can’t walk. Flight attendants can help you transfer to the aisle chair as best they can, but you need to have enough upper body control to maintain upright posture in the chair. Flight attendants will then wheel you to and from the lavatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Do all airplanes have an on-board aisle chair?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_0474.jpg?resize=750%2C746&ssl=1\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_0479.jpg?resize=750%2C563&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_0477.jpg?resize=300%2C260&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spintheglobe.net\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_0475.jpg?resize=384%2C512&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n