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Passengers keep indulging in this nasty plane bathroom behavior — here's why airlines are afraid to call out the icky offenders

Passengers keep indulging in this nasty plane bathroom behavior — here's why airlines are afraid to call out the icky offenders

Yahoo5 days ago
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
Airplane etiquette is going down the potty — but there's one particularly stinky behavior that airlines are hesitant to call out.
A veteran flight attendant claims that carriers are declining to educate unfamiliar passengers on how to use Western-style toilets — over concerns they'll take offense.
The confounding concession to cultural sensitivity means things can get pretty messy at 30,000 feet, according to Marcus Daniels, who retired in 2019 after working the friendly skies for over five years in Australia and the Middle East.
'All of us are trying to be accepting of all cultures,' said Daniels. 'However, there needs to be some kind of video or visual guide about using and keeping the toilets clean.' Yurii Zushchyk – stock.adobe.com
'Passengers will defecate on the floor and you just do your best to smile and not say anything,' the inflight insider told the Daily Mail. 'You get used to it after a while and can start mentally preparing yourself for those flights.'
In fact, the crew member said he could recall dozens of stories of airplane 'accidents,' the lion's share of which occur in developing countries, where many aren't privy to the doo's and doo not do's of modern lavatory use.
'As cabin crew, you notice it happens on specific flights to specific destinations,' said Daniels. 'We'll chat and find other crew picked up on the trend too.'
And while he declined to specify the routes where this issue is most common, he said it's 'not really a problem in first-world countries because we know how to use western toilets.'
According to Mobility International USA, four billion people worldwide use squat pots, which require the goer to hunker down over a hole in the ground — and use a bucket or hose for heinie hygiene in lieu of TP.
Crew members have noticed the trend is concentrated in certain regions. Krakenimages.com – stock.adobe.com
Meanwhile, a whopping 420 million of earth's inhabitants still defecate in the street, per a World Bank Blog from 2023.
This can pose problems when nature calls high above certain parts of the world.
'On these routes, we're having to constantly check the toilets to make sure they're clean and the toilet rolls aren't stuffed down the bin,' lamented Daniels. 'On one flight I had a passenger who kept peeing on the floor. I tried to show her how to use the toilet, and she would nod and agree, then do it again.'
Billions of people still use squat toilets (pictured). zirong – stock.adobe.com
He added that things got so unsanitary on one trip that he 'had to lock off the toilet for the rest of the flight.'
Daniels chalked up the inability to master the game of thrones to a lack of 'education,' declaring, 'If they knew how to use the toilets, they would.'
'Most of the confused passengers don't speak English as their first language so we can't really explain how to use the toilet,' the former FA lamented. 'It would be great if there were visual guides showing how to use the toilet properly, rather than just guides for flushing.'
Despite the abundance of inflight brownouts, this change likely isn't in the pipeline, per Daniels.
'Airlines are very particular about how they communicate with customers because they don't want to offend anyone,' the ex-crewmember claimed. 'All of us are trying to be accepting of all cultures. However, there needs to be some kind of video or visual guide about using and keeping the toilets clean.'
He added, 'It would be a dream come true. I have friends who are still working these routes and, nine years later, it's still an issue.'
A lack of bathroom etiquette isn't just revolting — a catastrophic trip to the lavatory can also jeopardize flights as well.
In March, Air India implored passengers to use the lavatories for their intended purpose after passengers clogged airplane toilets with clothing, diverting an international flight.
A so-called lavatory backup might seem trivial, but just one clogged toilet can prompt the pilots ground a flight due to the limited number of facilities in the air.
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Joby Aviation Stock Soars to an All-Time High: My Prediction for What Comes Next
Joby Aviation Stock Soars to an All-Time High: My Prediction for What Comes Next

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Joby Aviation Stock Soars to an All-Time High: My Prediction for What Comes Next

Key Points Joby Aviation stock is soaring on optimism for its electric air taxi network. The company is aiming to ramp up manufacturing and finish its FAA certification. The stock trades at an expensive price versus any reasonable expectations for future revenue. 10 stocks we like better than Joby Aviation › Nobody enjoys sitting in traffic. And yet, the average American will sit in over two weeks of traffic each year. One company believes it has paved a way to help alleviate the traffic pressure in cities around the globe: Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY). It is manufacturing and testing electric air taxis, which can go point-to-point over cities more quietly than traditional helicopters, saving people time and frustration. Joby's air taxis are not operational yet, but the stock recently burst through to an all-time high of $17.50 a share on investor enthusiasm for its manufacturing progress and partnerships with large transportation players. 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I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn't Stop Me From Becoming the World's First Licensed Armless Pilot
I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn't Stop Me From Becoming the World's First Licensed Armless Pilot

Travel + Leisure

time6 hours ago

  • Travel + Leisure

I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn't Stop Me From Becoming the World's First Licensed Armless Pilot

For Travel + Leisure's column Traveling As, we're talking to travelers about what it's like to explore the world through their unique perspectives. We chatted with Jessica Cox, the world's first licensed armless pilot, who is now working on building the first exclusively foot-controlled plane with the Experimental Aircraft Association , called The Impossible Airplane . She also travels the world as a motivational speaker, encouraging people to not look at disabilities as inabilities. Here's her story… I was born without both my arms for no medical reason. They never developed in utero, and it's still a mystery to this day as to what exactly caused it—it was just one of those fluke things. But because it was from birth, I had my whole life to figure it out. In a sense, that was a gift because if you're born a certain way, and it's all you've ever known, you start with a clean slate. From the beginning, I made the connection that if there are no arms, why not use my feet? Our toes and feet have the same type of bones as our hands and fingers, so it was a normal transition for replacement. Quite frankly, I didn't even realize how different I was until I left my community. But the moment I did, I was constantly reminded I was different. That was hard and took some getting used to, especially dealing with the stares and reactions. I did everything to satisfy that norm, trying to blend in with prosthetic limbs for 11 years. But I never connected with them, so I said, why not just let them go? I made that decision as a 14 year old. I decided to give up the arms and figure out how to stand tall as someone who's different. It wasn't overnight, and it wasn't always easy. Jessica, at age 14 with her prosthetics. Travel was my love from a very early age. I got that from my mom. She's Filipino and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s. She was a well-established nurse there, so they invited her to come when there was a need for nurses here. She fell in love with being in the U.S., and met my father at an international party. He's rooted in the Deep South, so they couldn't be more different. But then they had this wonderful family with three children, and instilled in me the best of both worlds and a love for both worlds. I took my first big international trip to the Philippines when I was 8. It was life-changing to know there's a different world, and it never stopped. I've now spoken in 28 countries around the world and traveled to even more. Now, I will say, the difficulty for someone without arms to travel is magnified. Universal design—that is, designing products and environments to be usable by all—is something most people are aware of, but every person with a disability has individual needs and preferences. For example, I don't need an ADA-compliant hotel room. The benefit is that everything is lower down, so I can reach things more easily with my feet. But there are aspects that don't work for me. A roll-under sink, for example, is actually a disservice because if I'm using my feet as my hands, I have to be seated on the countertop. There's an assumption I need an ADA room, and I have to tell them, that depends on the room. We need to treat each person we encounter with the mindset that everyone's different. I've been speaking for 18 years now and it's a message that resonates with everyone: think outside the shoe. The exterior of Jessicas Ercoupe airplane. While I love travel, it has also meant conquering something anxiety-provoking for me: flying. When I flew commercially as a child, I would get so much tension from the experience, I'd have to take some medication. For many people, the fear comes from not having control. For me, it was the fear of the unknown. When you don't understand flying, and you take Hollywood as your example of what happens if a flight isn't smooth, it sparks fear. When I was 21 and straight out of college, I was approached to fly in a small plane. 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I grabbed a hold of it between my big toe and second toe. I looked over at Bill to my left and he had his hands off the controls. He said, 'You're flying the airplane!' It hit me at that moment—I wanted to do everything I could to become a pilot. When you overcome your fears, you get everything you've ever wanted on the other side of that—and so I became the first licensed pilot to fly a plane with her feet. I have a sport pilot certification to fly light sport aircraft, so I can take one passenger up to an altitude of 10,000 feet in the daylight. They call it the "$100 hamburger" because it means flying to a little neighboring airport, going in for breakfast, and then flying back. My most exciting flight was my first solo journey. My instructor stepped out of the airplane and said, 'Take her up, fly it around.' Knowing I was doing this myself was incredible. It gives you a sense of empowerment, like I have my life in my own feet. 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Solo travel is a celebration of these moments. When you have a physical disability, people often feel like they don't have the luxury of travel, but it's not true. I encourage people to not shy away from the things that scare them, and instead embrace them and see they can be great experiences. Face your fears and it can change your life.

Finn Russell's redemption at the heart of different Scottish Lions story
Finn Russell's redemption at the heart of different Scottish Lions story

Yahoo

time15 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Finn Russell's redemption at the heart of different Scottish Lions story

Any Welsh fans seeking solace in their current British and Irish Lions plight need only look eight years into the past and a few hundred miles north for something like succour. For the first time since 1899, a Lions Test team has been named without a constituent from Wales; Jac Morgan, the last remaining representative on tour, out by a nose despite being one of the form horses since arriving in Australia. There is a natural hand-wringing that will come with a perceived slight of a nation but even the most ardent of Welsh fans will accept that this is a reflection of their wretched form. An 18-match losing streak may just have been ended in Japan but Wales remain without coach or positive direction, with the slightly frightening sight of back-to-back meetings with New Zealand and South Africa to come in November. But the wheel of fortune can spin quickly. While an eight-strong Irish contingent in the starting XV is evidence of Andy Farrell trusting in those he knows have been there and done it before, the deployment of Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones as an all-Scottish midfield – for the first time in Lions Test history – was recognition of how far Scotland have come. Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have thrived together in the Scottish midfield (Getty Images) Flash back to the 2017 tour and it was Scots feeling a lack of love from the tourists. While strides had been made under Vern Cotter, Scotland were in a state of regime change with Gregor Townsend stepping up to the top job from Glasgow. In his initial squad for the trip to New Zealand, Warren Gatland included just two players from the nation; while Greig Laidlaw and – to much controversy and criticism – Allan Dell and Finn Russell were later summoned, not a single Scot featured in the Tests against the All Blacks. In truth, after Stuart Hogg fractured his cheekbone, they didn't really have a proper contender, however much support Tommy Seymour garnered back home. The total snub followed trips in 2005, 2009 and 2013 where the only Scottish Test involvement had come off the bench. It was, like for Wales now, a reflection of a tough time in a proud nation's rugby history – yet a Lions concept that thrives on the bringing together of four unions was losing some of its lustre. "I think that is a danger, if you continually don't select Scottish players, Scottish people will become disenchanted with the Lions," two-time tourist John Beattie said at the time. "There's no doubt about it.' Russell, Tuipulotu and Jones may be the only three involved in Brisbane this weekend but stand as evidence of the progress made. If not for injury, Blair Kinghorn would likely have joined the trio in the starting side; with Ben White and Darcy Graham now with the squad in Australia, the Lions could conceivably name an entire Scottish backline were they to so choose, a distinction not enjoyed by any other nation. For Russell, there has been a sense of redemption about this entire trip. As early as last August, the Scottish fly half was talking about what making this tour would mean and how keen he was to rip in, his two previous Lions experiences tainted by the Geography Six scandal (2017), and the twin troubles of the pandemic and an Achilles injury (2021). His third Test cameo in the third Test in South Africa left plenty wanting more. Finn Russell last two Lions trips have been disrupted (Getty Images) Russell has looked at total ease in Australia, taking ownership of the group. He can look laid-back but the fly half is meticulous in his preparation and, coming off a fine season with Bath, he has led the Lions well. Scotland's struggles against Ireland in recent years has led to an inaccurate perception of Russell within the Irish squad, voiced to some extent by Johnny Sexton last November, but Farrell was effusive in his praise after naming him at No 10 on Thursday. 'I've thoroughly enjoyed working with him,' the head coach said. 'He is what he says on the tin. He's a chilled-out character that just enjoys playing rugby, and training as well. He's been great as far as leadership is concerned as well. You can tell that it means a lot to him.' So, too, the Scottish centres, known by the sobriquet 'Huwipulotu'. The pair marry nicely having taken slightly sinuous paths into a Scottish shirt: Tuipulotu is back in his native land during this tour but proud of his heritage and his now famous 'Greenock Granny', while Edinburgh-born Jones is Welsh by name, English by schooling and spent his formative professional rugby days in South Africa. It may have been that Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose were pencilled in by Farrell before the latter's injury but there is confidence in what a midfield already highly familiar with each other can do behind a pack expected to provide front foot ball. 'We've seen [Tuipulotu] perform many times in big games,' Farrell said. 'He seems to be that type of player that when he gets over the whitewash, he's just being himself. His energy that he gives off to his teammates is certainly infectious. Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones have complementary skillsets (Getty Images) 'I've enjoyed watching him and Huw get to own the plan, but also be comfortable enough over the last couple of weeks to be themselves as well, understanding what they can bring to the team individually. Both of them have got pretty freakish ability in terms of individual athleticism. We want to see that come out from them.'

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