Stay seated, buckle up, tables up, devices away: the safety regulations for airplane passengers before landing are always the same – regardless of the airline. Of course, the request not to leave the seat also excludes visiting the toilets. But what if a person on a flight cannot leave the privy in time? Will you still land? A British Airways flight from London to Amsterdam recently showed what happens then.
The flight tracker from “Flight Aware” is actually hardly worth a look for short trips. Flight BA438 is one of the particularly despicable flights. It starts at London Heathrow, down again at Amsterdam Schiphol. Average flight time: around one hour. Distance: average 450 kilometers. However, a strange outlier on August 3, 2022 raises questions: why did the Airbus A319 take almost half an hour longer and fly more than 500 kilometers, despite departing on time?
The map clearly shows that the plane had to make a loop before Amsterdam. The reason is given by a passenger who calls himself “QVAlfa33” on Twitter. According to his statement, a passenger was in the toilet at the beginning of the landing approach, and the plane had to abort the landing.
The consequences of the person are not yet known. A query from the star to the airline has so far remained unanswered. The reason why passengers are not allowed to use the toilet to get to their destination is clear: since there is no seat belt in the toilet, you would be vulnerable to sudden movements of the aircraft. In the worst case, this could lead to injuries – or a considerable mess in the cabin.
A United flight in 2010 showed just how serious the turbulence can be. As “ABC” reported at the time, more than 20 unbelted people were injured after being thrown through the plane during the turbulence.
