We know you’ve been waiting for this for a long time, probably ever since our feature on World Toilet Day back in November last year. Well here it is…
Are you ready? Take a seat, settle in and get comfortable.
1. You can get stuck on the toilet if you flush whilst sitting down.
Believe it or not, but if your body forms a perfect air-tight seal on the toilet seat, you can actually get stuck on the toilet.
Talk about an uncomfortable flight.
2. Working toilets are not mandatory on planes.
That’s right folks.
Although preferential, working toilets do not have to be installed on commercial airplanes, according to the FAA.
It’s true.
In fact, back in 2015, a two-and-a-half hour flight from Westchester to Chicago took off without a single working toilet on board.
3. Waste is not dumped mid-flight.
That suction sound you hear when you flush the toilet on a plane isn’t the sound of your waste getting airborne.
Waste isn’t dumped during the flight but is actually stored in a tank and then sucked out by a vacuum.
4. Although smoking is banned, toilets must have ashtrays.
According to the FAA:
“Regardless of whether smoking is allowed in any other part of the aeroplane, lavatories must have self-contained, removable ashtrays located conspicuously on or near the entry side of each lavatory door…”
This is because passengers that succumb to temptation during their flight must have somewhere to safely dispose of their cigarette butt.
5. Flushing the toilet at 30,000ft can block your ears.
Did you know that flushing a toilet mid-flight can cause a change in cabin pressure which can block your ears?
Yep.
The cabin pressure inside the loo is normally at the same pressure as the air inside the rest of the plane. But when you flush the toilet, the pressure inside the toilet cubicle can jump between five to 20 metres, causing your ears to feel blocked.
Save that one for the next pub quiz.