The thrill of travel, whether on a short hop or an international journey, is undeniable.
From the frantic rush through security to locating your gate and finally settling into your plane seat for some well-deserved rest. Yet, with the emphasis on safety comes a host of rules, such as fastening your seatbelt and refraining from smoking.
For those with a pressing need to use the restroom, the wait for the seatbelt sign to be turned off can seem endless. However, an American Airlines pilot with a hefty TikTok following of 239,000 revealed what to do when you’re desperate and the sign is lit.
In his viral post, Captain Steve begins: “What if the fasten seatbelt sign is on, can you get up and go to the bathroom? Well Mrs Captain Steve is an absolute rule keeper, if that sign is on, she will not get up, no matter how bad she has to go the bathroom.
“And I’m here to tell you, yeah I want you to be a rule keeper.”
But he offers a lifeline for those who are “bursting” as he states: “But if we’re up at altitude, cruising along and it’s not too bumpy then you really need to go, yes you can get up and use that bathroom.”
Captain Steve does caution, however, that passengers must heed the crew’s instructions: “Now if the flight attendants tell you to take a seat, you’ve got to follow what they say.
“You’ve got to take a seat because you might be preparing for landing, after take-off, or might be at some critical phase of the flight, so if they tell you to sit down, sit down.”
He also claims sometimes the pilot can forget to keep it on as he adds: “It’s okay to get up, the flight attendants are probably going to say this to you ‘do you know the seatbelt sign is on,’ they’re obligated to remind you about that.
“Once they get that out of the way, you’re free to go up and do your business. Come back to your seat, do me a favour, always put that seatbelt on when you’re in your seat whether the seatbelt sign is on or off. Now you know.”
The post quickly went viral, amassing 15,700 likes and over 350 comments. One user responded: “I always leave my seatbelt on,” while another praised: “Great advice captain Steve.”
