Could you tolerate 1 hour in a confined space w/o access to restroom, reading material, etc..

[Liberal_in_LA]

Poll question: Could you tolerate 1 hour in a confined space w/o access to restroom, reading material, etc..

What's your tolerance for the new airline rules? Could you withstand one hours in a contained space, no restroom access, can't stand up or walk around, no access to reading materials, blanket or pillow?

[supernova]

1. I could do it

pretty easily.

But then again, I'm one of those wierd loners who actually enjoys solitude.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. It's hard for me to answer my own poll because it totally depends on my bladder!

[pitohui]

81. there is no solitude on a commercial airliner, are you sure you read the question?

the airline industry is not profitable, and it has responded by repeated cutbacks in service

planes fly out full or they don't fly at all

there is no solitude, you will be sitting there, and the old man next to you, who was denied the right to use the lav, has just pissed his pants

the young woman across the aisle will be vomiting in the sick bag (actually i've had this happen on more than one flight)

if you call this solitude, you have an interesting idea of the concept

[el_bryanto]

2. No reading materials?

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. News is reporting some flights are requiring reading materials,EVERYTHING put away for last hour of

flight. Passengers can't have anything in their laps

[droidamus2]

40. Pretty stupid

So any 'terrorists' can have the bomb in their lap (under a blanket) until 1 hour before landing. Gee I wonder how long it will take them to figure out that if you are going to blowup the plane do it 1 hour and 5 minutes before the damn thing lands. Sometimes peoples is sooooo stooopid!

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. Arthur C. Clarke...

...refused to learn how to drive because he was opposed to any form of vehicular transportation he couldn't use while reading.

[KansDem]

13. I wondered the same thing...

What does "no reading materials" have to do with the latest policy change?

I read about the no toilet runs during the last hour, but no reading materials? :shrug: What's up with that?

[Davis_X_Machina]

20. I dunno. I always take something to read to the john...

...in fact, my first bachelor apartment was next to a used book store and it got so bad that if I were heading john-wards and nothing in the flat caught my eye, I'd take $.50 from the change can and go next door and get an old Penguin, and then head to the bathroom.

So I must fit the profile.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. Saw it on my TV news today.. Certain airlines said no reading materials for last hour

People were sitting, hands in laps doing nothing. Just staring straight ahead.

[KansDem]

33. "People were sitting, hands in laps doing nothing. Just staring straight ahead. "

Sounds like some dates I've had. Guess I could do it (again).

[HillWilliam]

94. Or Lutheran school

The recovery is coming along nicely, thanks :rofl:

[Posteritatis]

72. Nope. Not allowed to have anything that could cover your lap

Blankets, laptops, magazines, etc.

Canada took it a step further today and just banned any carryon that isn't medication or something similar. Even that still has to be stowed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

115. Depends on the crew

the one I was on, they allowed PAPER books, SMALL paper books, not even the airline magazine.

All electronics to be put away.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. Teenagers do it standing on their heads...

...otherwise there'd be no recidivism problem in detention.

[htuttle]

5. Sounds like 'study hall' in high school

I used to skip out of that...

[Davis_X_Machina]

So soul-corroding a prospect....

...for teachers and students that I teach an extra class with an extra prep (for no extra money, BTW), rather than do study hall supervision.

[htuttle]

78. I got suspended 3 times when I was a senior...

..for skipping out of study hall and sneaking in to the library without a pass. I had all my work done, and had nothing to read.

I was a recidivist book-user, I guess...

:D

[goldcanyonaz]

6. Of course, but I don't have any medical conditions that would prevent me.

[JuniperLea]

8. On an international flight? Sure...

No problem. I've done it every time anyway... I like to be ready for the landing after being in the air for 12 - 15 hours! I take care of business, tidy up, read or watch a movie... no problem. I haven't been fidgety since I was 12.

[MineralMan]

18. I always book a window seat, so there's always something

to look at. I tend to stare out the window most of the flight, anyhow.

[JuniperLea]

37. Me too!

It's beautiful... no matter the time of day, weather, country... the Earth is a thing of beauty from the air.

Even if they make me put the book away, the window is fine with me... daydreaming is a lost art! If kids today learned to daydream properly, they would increase their attention span exponentially.

[MineralMan]

38. I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in that.

I play a lot of "what is that?" looking out the window, except for familiar routes.

On one flight, the plane took a different route than it usually did, and flew over Flagstaff, AZ. Out the left window was the famous Meteor Crater site. I informed a couple of people in rows near me, and pretty soon it was all over the plane. Even the flight attendants wanted a look. I'm amazed the pilot didn't announce it.

I'm a geology/geography freak, so it's always entertaining. When there are clouds, that's fine, too. Especially at night, flying over the midwest. There are always lightning flashes, etc. Wonderful stuff.

[JuniperLea]

43. I'm going to San Francisco on the 31st...

And I plan on looking for all the familiar places... Mammoth Lakes... Mojave... the cinder cones between Mojave and Mammoth... the San Andreas Fault is always interesting... and the flight back (SFO - Long Beach) usually goes over Huntington Beach, the first couple of miles is Dog Beach... I'm there a lot, and it will be fun to see it from the air! Catalina is pretty awesome too.

I really like flights to Great Britain... the polar route is so killer!

[MineralMan]

44. Sounds great!

[Blue_In_AK]

48. The Yukon River from the air.

I like window seats, too.

[JuniperLea]

49. Breathtaking!

Now, that's what I call scenery!

[Arctic Dave]

50. Awesome pic. I get to see it two times a month. :)

[Blue_In_AK]

51. Lucky you.

We're looking to get out that way again in March. The flight between here and Nome is just awe-inspiring.

Are you in Prudhoe?

[Arctic Dave]

57. Nope. I'm at home for another week.

I have all the holidays off this year. Lucky me. :)

[hyphenate]

71. Very nice!

But I can't look at it for too long--it's going down to 4 degrees tonight, and I'm already freezing, at 5:30!

[Hekate]

65. I used to love sitting by the window until flight-before-last when I got squished...

There were three seats, they were narrower than usual (though how the airline managed that, I don't know), and for some reason the "wall" curved inward more than I remembered. I could scarcely breathe, the only place for my arms was crossed, I practically fell into my seatemates' laps as I tried to get out -- it was pretty bad. I vowed to book aisle seats henceforth, but I am sorry to miss the view. I always enjoyed the view more than the movie.

Hekate

[WolverineDG]

135. I used to take the window seat until

I got trapped on an international flight by a guy who fell asleep before the flight took off. When he *finally* woke up, I ran to the bathroom. Never again.

dg

[Mojorabbit]

9. I am claustrophobic

so without a distraction no way.

[dysfunctional press]

85. so you probably shouldn't be getting on an airplane in the first place...

if your claustrophobia is so bad. so it wouldn't really apply to you. :shrug:

[Mojorabbit]

108. I have no problem when flying

I do have a problem when they land and turn of the air circulation and sit on the tarmac for a couple of hours. I can read, watch a movie, etc to distract myself and I am fine while flying otherwise.

[Extend a Hand]

147. me too!

I got to feeling panicky on an air tran flight stuck on the tarmac, and I must say the flight attendants were very sweet to me.

[HuckleB]

11. I can do it.

It's getting the young ones through that time without as much as a card game that will be a challenge.

We'll just have to play "I spy," and some other similar games.

[Greyhound]

12. Easily.

On Edit; The question I would ask is, why should I?

[Luminous Animal]

14. It is going to be difficult.

It will no doubt enhance a feeling of claustrophobia. Without distractions, it highlight the fact that I am in a confined space. In fact, I am feeling a little shaky just thinking about it!

[MineralMan]

15. Sounds like any church service or classroom to me.

I've done it a million times. At least.

[donheld]

144. Not to mention a movie

[bigwillq]

16. No

Which I why I don't fly.

[lunatica]

17. Why the fuck should I not go to the bathroom if I need to?

I have no tolerance. What if I had a two year old who has to pee? Should I tell him/her to just hold it? Fuck.

[MadHound]

19. I could do it, that's not the point

The point is with all these new rules, they aren't designed to actually catch terrorists, or prevent a terrorist attack from happening. They are simply designed to make it look like TSA is doing something while continuing to inconvenience and humiliate their passengers.

If a person wants to blow up a plane, making them stay in place for the last hour won't stop them. A bomb can be set off just as well in a seat as in the restroom.

But the sheeple in this country will go along with this shit. Me, I haven't flown since 911 for this very reason, I refuse to be degraded in such ways. I did have a rule that I would fly overseas and in case of emergency, but I'm in the process of rethinking that.

[Jkid]

62. It's called security theater.

The instant the TSA tries to draw up rules that are designed to actually catch terrorists, the airplane companies would be opposed to it due to the costs.

[truebrit71]

21. No problem...but wouldn't the cabin crew by telling you that you were an hour away from landing..

..also contravene the new "we can't tell you where we are" rule?

Brilliant knee-jerk plan, right?

[Posteritatis]

73. Wait, what? They're not allowed to say where the plane is? (nt)

[StarfarerBill]

22. Yes, as long as I had someone to talk to, a book, or music. Otherwise, I'd try to nap.

[Aristus]

23. I was able to tolerate that sort of thing for thirty days at a stretch.

Of course, every once in a while, one would need to take a piss over the side and stuff. But yeah, just about anything's tolerable if you're prepared for it...

[Liberal_in_LA]

26. Well... looks like the new rules are made for you.

:hi:

[Uncle Joe]

24. I believe this will cut down on the sale of alcohol at airport lounges.

People getting inebriated to overcome their fear of flying will need to come up with a new method to cope.

Thanks for the thread, Liberal_in_La.

[Aristus]

29. Okay, that one would be a deal breaker. Ever since my wife passed her fear of flying on to me,

(never used to be afraid of flying before I got married), I need two or three stiff drinks just to get on board...

[Speck Tater]

27. You mean like when I take a 50 mile drive somewhere?

Anybody who can't sit behind the wheel of their car for an hour-long drive must have some serious physical or psychological problems. Try riding a train through central India some time. Then tell us all about being confined in "cramped spaces". What a bunch of wimps Americans have become.

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. but you have control in that situation. n/t

[Speck Tater]

42. Control is not important to me. In an airplane I'd close my eyes and meditate for an hour...

... and be thankful for the opportunity to do so.

As a rule, however, when I have to travel more than a few hundred miles, I travel by Amtrak or Greyhound bus.

[Hekate]

74. I take it you don't have prostate problems or pregnant or post-menopausal bladder. Lucky you...

Or that you're not escorting small children with tiny bladders.

Lucky, lucky you.

Hekate

[MindPilot]

30. Spent the last week and half commuting to TJ for work.

Average wait at the border 2-3 hours. So yeah.

On edit, I generally limit my intake of fluids before flying anyway because I prefer a window seat and I don't like to have to make the other people get up.

[pitohui]

82. it's dangerous to limit your intake of liquids while flying more than 6 hours

too bad if you make people get up, they need to get up anyway, sitting in a confined space on an international flight without moving or drinking water is a risk factor for DVT, which could result in death within 48 to 72 hours after the flight

you should drink sufficient water and if you have to get up and pee, well, that's good for everyone

women are esp. vulnerable, most of the younger people i've met who have DVT near death events from clotting have been women, maybe all of them, which is why i guess men think it doesn't affect them but i have heard of it happening to men

there was some reporter who was in a confined tank in iraq some years back, after several hours, he got a clot and died shortly thereafter and he was what? about 36? so it does affect men too

sitting "quietly" is not safe or natural, it is not like lying down with your feet at the same level of your head

we're not talking abt short flights here, we're talking abt international flights, some of which can be longer than 10 hrs...

[snagglepuss]

31. What I couldn't tolerate is all the people around me who couldn't tolerate it.

Me I could tolerate all the above but don't want to be close to those who couldn't, 95% of the population.

[Richard D]

32. I couldn't

I have a really bad back. Sitting for long periods is excruciating. I need to get up and walk around or to stay standing. I can tolerate the 20 minutes of so after take-off or before landing, but an hour in a small seat, unable to move, would probably have me screaming in pain.

What really comes to mind with this new rule is simply "soiled seats". Weak bladders, digestive disorders, gastroenteritis, acute or chronic diarrhea, etc., can all necessitate a quick trip to the bathroom. If the choice becomes do it in your seat or go to jail? Flying, already unpleasant would become quite a stinky and squishy proposition.

Just what are those idiots thinking, anyway?

[Wapsie B]

34. I think I'll buy stock in Depends.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

35. As long as I can pee and/or deficate in my seat. Maybe they should have Depends dispensers so you

can buy them before boarding...

[Warpy]

36. The problem wasn't because he went to the bathroom

and the problem wasn't because his lap was covered.

The problem was because the dumb fucks UNBANNED LIGHTERS.

Make people put the stupid things in their luggage. It's not like they're going to be able to smoke on the plane, anyway.

(of course, it's also because they dropped the ball in Nigeria and let a guy flying multiple red flags (no passport, no luggage, one way ticket) onto the plane.)

[FunkyLeprechaun]

100. He didn't use a lighter

He used a syringe with chemicals in it to react with the package he had hidden under his clothes.

[n2doc]

39. When I read the title I thought you were talking about the Texas Tech Coach... n/t

[RoadRage]

55. +1

That's what I thought too. :)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

41. No

[Iggo]

45. My god, we're a country of cowards.

jeezusaychkeeryst!

[gmoney]

66. +300 million, approximately...

This is redeculuz...

[azmouse]

46. I won't get on an airplane any more.

I can drive wherever I need to go. Fuck the airlines and their insane regulations.

[Blue_In_AK]

47. I could tolerate it,

but I would be bored as hell, especially if I was traveling alone. I never go to the bathroom on planes anyway since I always get a window seat and it's just too much of an issue to get everyone to move out of the way.

We almost always deplane and transfer flights in Seattle, and it's only 3-1/2 hours down there from here.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

52. I don't see the big deal about no restroom access. Just go anyways.

I do all the time.

[Obamanaut]

53. many people sleep for more than an hour every night, without going

to the bathroom, not walking around, not reading - but they do have a blanket and pillow.

[The Straight Story]

54. I would just stand up and pee in the aisle

problem solved :evilgrin:

[Ms. Toad]

56. I would probably be fine - but my daughter

and others with IBD (crohns or ulcerative colitis) or irritable bowel syndrome may not be able to manage for medical reasons - when you have to go, you REALLY have to go.

[greenbriar]

58. yup, I have Crohn's and right now it is severe

I couldn't do it

[Hekate]

59. No reading materials?!! Books are how I "shut down" under stress! OTT, if my bladder was empty--okay

Like many women AND men over 50, being denied access to a bathroom is painful if not disastrous.

The airlines already make it very difficult to access the toilets during the flight itself, because the flight attendants make it clear that they don't want you walking around the aisles. Also, if you are squished into an inside seat it may be nearly impossible to get out.

It's not just me -- my husband has prostate problems.

As for the reading materials, surely they aren't going to collect the in-flight magazines? They must be referring to electronic books.

I don't know about other people, but for myself the written word is how I shut out the outside world when under stress. Airports are stressful -- full of noise and motion and blinking lights and people who want to infringe on your basic rights as a human being because they think you might be a murderous criminal. Really, really stressful. Airplanes are stressful too -- very claustrophobic these days.

If I must, I can wear a pad in case I have a fit of coughing -- but they can have my books when they pry them from my cold, panic-attacked, hands.

Can TSA get any stupider?

I voted "Other".

Hekate

[pitohui]

84. there was a flight where angry pax reported that in flight magazines were removed

and those things aren't even interesting

sheesh

[JFN1]

60. It's just like an apartment I once had...!

:D

[bobbolink]

61. For homeless people, this would be very easy.

Life is much tougher than that for us.

Does it matter?

[Name removed]

91. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nadinbrzezinski]

119. And you have no clue what you speak off

while some people who are in the streets are mentally ill, you are harassing them because you are a true progressive :sarcasm: who surely knows mental health is a large issue.

Nor do you know that many of the newly homeless are there because of our current economic issues.

I know, the poor are easy targets, and the homeless are even easier.

You sure you are on the right board?

by the way, alerted on your bile.

Oh and before you tell me otherwise, I have actually worked with these population as a medic. And some of the sweetest people happen to live in the streets for many complex reasons, and most not out of choice either. Oh and spare me the, but if they wanted... because the services are NOT there.

[asdjrocky]

126. You show a total lack of understanding of the homelessness situation-

or homeless people in general. It's really sad the way you have seemed to fall for every single right wing myth out there about homelessness.

I've known mothers sleeping with children in cars, simply because they have lost a job. Would it surprise you to know there are people here at DU who are homeless or have know homelessness? It's true. They are not drunk, or drugged or mentally ill, and a person who has spent any time at all working with the homeless would never make such a backward, bigoted and insulting statement. I recommend you do yourself a favor, do some research and then come back to DU and retract that statement.

Attitudes like yours really can hurt. It goes beyond being woefully uninformed, it's malicious.

[Nikki Stone1]

128. pitohui, there are many homeless who are women and children and living in their cars

You may not see these people. Many women have been hit hard by the economic recession and many were having problems before that, like domestic abuse. I understand that some of the homeless that you see may appear a certain way to you. I lived in the city of LA and there were many homeless around. Most of these were mentally ill and really needed care, but there was no funding for it (thanks in great part to Ronald Reagan.) But the homeless around on the streets were nothing compared to the homeless you didn't see. I remember hiring people in the 80s for odd jobs (my company placed people) and we had a number of women, in particular, with no fixed address who were living in their cars. There were also women in domestic violence shelters, fleeing with their kids from violent husbands.

There are all kinds of reasons people end up homeless, and many of them are not the stereotype.

[Desertrose]

132. "more whiny and intolerable"... are you serious?

That is not cynicism...that is prejudice.

Wow. Look down on others much or do you save this crap for the homeless. And yeah, I'm sure everyone chooses to be homeless,right?

Get some compassion to go with that clue.

[hyphenate]

63. Claustrophobic already

That certainly wouldn't help. It might say it's an hour, but I wouldn't bet on it. As a diabetic, I wouldn't be able to be separated for a very long time from a bathroom, water and medication.

[Brickbat]

64. I could do it, but it would piss me off mightily that I was paying for the privilege to do so, and

was forced to do so with dozens of other people I don't get to choose.

[Desertrose]

67. Exactly!

[Desertrose]

69. dupe- sorry

[LostInAnomie]

68. Pretty easily.

Why can't anyone seem to tolerate any inconvenience anymore?

[HipChick]

70. Easy...bad turbulence

turbulence was so bad, no getting up for about 90mins..

[TheKentuckian]

75. Other: Utterly disinterested in paying money for sensory deprivation

while piled in with a bunch other cranky and bored people in steerage in order to make a bunch of unrealistic cowards feel an illusion of safety.

If you have a free society facing terrorism you either give up on the free society and maybe still take your licks or at some point some innocent folks will get blown up but you retain the ideals that generations have fought and died to secure.

[RedCappedBandit]

76. Yes

Doesn't mean I expect the same out of everyone else, though.

Stupid concept anyway. What's preventing something from happening throughout the rest of the damn flight?

[indigo32]

77. I have some health issues

which would make the no restroom thing very iffy. Otherwise I would be OK

[cbdo2007]

79. Everyone here could and does do it all the time.....but when you tell them they can't do that stuff

people start freaking out.

One time they shut off the water main near an old workplace of mine so we were told that the next day the drinking fountains wouldn't work. The guy next to me FREAKED OUT!!!! Like he literally freaked out bad and when they gave out water bottles at the door the next day he took 6 of them because he was so freaked out about the drinking fountains not working. Before that day and those 6 water bottles I had never seen him drink water at work before, he would always drink 2 bottles of pop throughout the day.

See, it's just when you tell people they can't do something, they want to do it more.

[pitohui]

80. let me add something to the question

if it was truly "just for an hour" it would be OK but there's no guarantee that the last hour of flight will be just an hour, as i can tell you from experience -- here's a story from personal experience where the "last hour" turned into a five hour nightmare

i was on a flight from AMS recently that was struck by lightning, after which we circled for one hour, were finallyr refused the right to land, diverted to a smaller airport which took another hour, then because the small airport had no international customs staff on hand, we were refused to be allowed to leave the plane for ANOTHER three hours

i'm a middle-aged female at that time of life, nope, i can't "hold it" for 5 waking hours, not any more than small children can, than babies can, than pregnant women can, than middle-aged and older men can -- pretty much there aren't too many people who go 5 hours awake without releasing some liquid


i have also been on MANY international flights where crews try to control pax by keeping on the "seat belt" sign, supposedly because of turbulence, but really because they want everyone to stay in their seat and not be staying awake, requesting service, etc. -- i've been on flights where the seat belt sign was on virtually the entire flight and at some point i had no choice but to either get up, beg for mercy, or piss in my seat -- one time i actually had to cry but when you gotta go, you gotta go

the whole concept is unworkable in the practical world

it's one of those ideas that sound OK until you realize that it's a commercial aircraft

the plane is scheduled to land in an hour is a nice idea that USUALLY works -- until it doesn't

people basically need to be able to pee unless there's truly an overwhelming reason why not

by the way, my five hour nightmare was esp. bad for a young woman near me, because she was not allowed to use the toilet and had no option except to vomit in her seat -- just an awful awful experience esp. for her and the dude sitting next to her...

the lav isn't just for liquids, air sickness is common and people are often literally losing their lunch in there

[bobbolink]

130. Its hard to feel sympathy for you after your very hateful attack on homeless people.

Maybe if you suffered more, you might find more compassion for others.

Then again, maybe you enjoy being hateful.

[dysfunctional press]

83. the only thing(s) more STUPID than that question are the people who answered "no".

:eyes:

[pitohui]

86. really one of the posters mentioned crone's disease as the reason they couldn't hold it

still stupid?

i mentioned how "one hour" became "five hours" and didn't i enjoy the unfortunate young lady forced to sit there the whole time vomiting in her seat for those lovely five hours

still stupid?

if you don't fly a lot and truly don't understand how unworkable this concept is, maybe it does sound stupid

if you actually fly, you know first hand "one hour" without rest room quickly becomes multiple hours during any kind of irregular ops or turbulence -- and irregular ops/turbulence are NOT rare events that would never, ever occur, they're pretty routine

if you don't fly, why post just to laugh at other people's suffering?

[dysfunctional press]

88. how do they sleep at night? in 50-minute increments?

anybody who "can't" sit for an hour undisturbed has no business being on an airplane in the first place.

[pitohui]

92. do you know what crohn's disease is? and did you know that five hours is more than 50 minutes?

i spent quite a lot of time describing just ONE situation i've been in, where that last hour of a 10 hour flight turned into an additional FIVE hours

i guess if you never fly, you don't understand that weather, air traffic control, etc. HAPPENS and there is no guarantee that a flight is going to be all finished and off-loaded and you can use that big restroom in the airport at the other end

[dysfunctional press]

103. yes and yes

i won't even ask if you're able to understand the VERY BASIC 'poll question' posed in the subject line of the op, because you obviously can't.

let's revisit it, shall we?

Poll question: Could you tolerate 1 hour in a confined space w/o access to restroom, reading material, etc..

anybody for whom the answer to THAT question is "no" has absolutely no business being on an airplane. or in a car, commuting in 'rush hour' traffic. or any one of a number of places throughout ones life where that situation arises. god forbid they ever had study hall or detention in high school...and they certainly never attended many college classes.

and btw- they sell 'depends' undergarments for a reason.

:eyes:

[pipi_k]

95. As a matter of fact, yes!

Sometimes I'm awake within an hour of falling asleep, having to use the toilet.

If I'm lucky enough to sleep for two hours, those few steps to the bathroom are very unpleasant because I've peed myself on the way there. I can't count the times I've had to change my underwear and pajamas.

And there are times when my anxiety causes me to have to pee every 20 minutes.


If I'm having IBS issues, I can also find myself in the bathroom four times in the same hour with diarrhea.

Since I'll never get on an airplane, I won't have to deal with their stupid rules regarding the bathroom, but I do have a whole lot of empathy with people whose bladders or bowels are sensitive and over-reactive.

Another thing that keeps people getting up multiple times is RLS...restless legs syndrome. The only thing that relieves the torture is getting up and walking around. Someone with severe RLS can literally be up all night moving around. Mine is only moderate, so I feel fortunate....

Try telling someone with RLS they can't get up and move around so as to relieve the symptoms...

[dysfunctional press]

101. then as you already know- you have no business being on an airplane.

even he new 'passenger's bill of rights' regarding waits on the tarmac allow the airlines to wait two hours before doing any kind of food/beverage service, or allow passengers out of their seats to use the facilities.

so in that sense- anyone who can't sit undisturbed for TWO hours really has no business getting on an airplane.

and yes, i do know what it's like, because i have an extremely painful spinal condition called 'ankylosing spondylitis'- but i know my body's limitations, and i don't put myself into potentially intolerable situations.

[pipi_k]

105. I think I already admitted that I will never ever be on an airplane

for that, and other, reasons.

[Ms. Toad]

121. Actually - yes. At times.

Overnight bowel incontinence is one of the classic symptoms for IBD. Changed the bed overnight many times overnight - sometimes several times a night until we got my daughter's IBD under control. At the time she was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (the sister disease to Crohns), she was about to head into kindergarten wearing diapers because there were times she would have been unable to make it from her chair to the bathroom which was in her classroom. Fortunately, we were able to get hers into remission, something which is impossible for many people - and yes many people with IBD or irritable bowel syndrome limit their lives severely because the urgent and uncontrollable need to go can hit at any time, without any warning.

Just because many choose to limit their lives does not mean they should be forced to.

[dysfunctional press]

133. chronic diseases do force you to limit your life in one way or another.

it may not be 'fair'- it just is.

i have a nasty autoimmune disorder, ankylosing spondylitis, that causes me to make life choices i probably wouldn't make otherwise. a lot of times, i don't like it- but that's just how it is. :shrug:

there are times in life when a person has no choice but to sit for an hour...maybe more...talk to people who got caught on an interstate in a blizzard about sitting in your car for hours, and moving 1/2 mile...i've gone to concerts where it's literally taken close to two hours just to get out of the parking lot(alpine valley, anyone?)...sometimes airline bathrooms break down, and they aren't available at all...and lots of other scenarios where it's out of anyone's control, and people with incontinence problems, like anyone else, have to be prepared to deal with it. what happens if the plane is sitting on the tarmac waiting for take off for almost two hours(or more)? passengers aren't allowed out of their seats in those situations, either- and it definitely happens. my brother-in-law was on a flight at dfw that sat for 6 hours like that.

[Ms. Toad]

140. In those situations - at least in the US - the ADA requires

the airline to accommodate your disability and to permit you to use the restroom.

The entire point of the Americans with Disabilities Act is that you choose how your disability limits your life, not that others get to limit your life in ways that make it convenient for them - if the accommodation requested is reasonable the public facility is required to provide it.

Many people with IBD or irritable bowel syndrome do choose not to travel by airplane (or at all) - that is their choice. If they choose to travel by airplane, however, the airline is required to accommodate their need to use the bathroom as an accommodation for their disability except in situations except when doing so would create a danger to themselves or others. The generalized concern, not particular to her, that the bathroom might be used as part of a terrorist plot is not one of those situations - any more than my daughter's schools were permitted to restrict her bathroom privileges because of a generalized suspicion that students might be using that privilege as an excuse to cut class, smoke, or do other mischief). Courts mangled the interpretation of ADA so it was virtually useless, but within the last two years Congress rewrote the provisions the courts misinterpreted to make it clear that it really did mean that public entities are required to accommodate people with disabilities, except in very limited circumstances.

[dysfunctional press]

142. how does the ada apply to the situation of being in a car in heavy traffic?

are cops required to escort your car to the nearest bathroom?

or how about when the airplane bathroom is broken?

as someone with a disabling condition myself, i would never even contemplate requesting that other people make special accommodations for me to live my day-to-day life. i don't even get the handicapped parking placard that i'm 'entitled' to, and i get by just fine.

[Ms. Toad]

145. Your own car is not a public accommodation - it is not

applicable at all. I don't believe a plane would be allowed to take off without a functional bathroom. If it breaks in flight the law doesn't require the airline to perform magic to make it functional (or to make an emergency landing - which would require costs beyond what the law requires for providing accommodations). Those are things that anyone with IBD will need to take into account when making the choice about whether they are able to travel by plane. What they are not required to take into account are routine restrictions which generally bar the use of restrooms for everyone solely because of suspicions that are not particularly directed at the person with IBD.

Whether you choose to access the accommodations to which you are entitled is your choice. Just because the law requires public entities to accommodate you does not mean you are required to ask for or use those accommodations. The point is that airlines don't get to make that choice for you by arbitrarily making the bathroom unavailable to you when you have a disability which requires access to it, without some particularized suspicion that you intend to use it for nefarious purposes.

[EFerrari]

87. This is why I don't like marriage.

[TrogL]

89. No, I have regular potty emergencies

I'm on a medication that causes *interesting* side effects. I get about two minutes warning.

[Hello_Kitty]

90. When passengers with the runs start crapping themselves they'll get rid of that rule real quick.

Stupid, stupid idea to not let people use the bathroom.

[pitohui]

93. well i think that happened the very next day, actually!

there was the businessman from nigeria on the next day's flight AMS-DTW who was having, let's say, GI issues on the flight -- he got "detained" by federal marshalls in detroit before they figured, hey, this dude picked a really bad time to have problems with the internal plumbing

can you imagine?

what a time to have the sour apple trots, unfortunately, it's a reality that some people will pick up the runs on their travels to various third or fourth world destinations

[dysfunctional press]

104. they sell depends undergarments for a reason.

even the new 'passengers bill of rights' allows the airlines to wait TWO hours on the tarmac prior to take off before allowing passengers out of their seats.

[Hello_Kitty]

107. Great, so now the body scanners will see your diaper and think you have a bomb! eom

[dysfunctional press]

112. well- if you've already dropped a dook, you might want to don a fresh pair....

before the security checkpoint. :shrug:

[pipi_k]

109. So if a person has a bowel accident into his Depends just five minutes

into the 60 minute ban on using the bathroom, he's got to sit there for 55 minutes (or possibly longer) stewing in his own diarrhea


Hey...no skin off my nose...I'll never fly.


But I do wonder how this stupidity will affect the already floundering airline industry.


Although there will always be people willing to undergo the most humiliating things in the totally false belief that it will make them "safer".

[dysfunctional press]

111. flying isn't for everyone.

but, a-HA! -what's to stop a would-be terrorist from shitting himself 5 minutes into the ban so that he can be allowed to get up and use the bathroom to blow up the plane over american soil?

you have to stay one step ahead of the terra-ists at ALL times.

eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. :patriot:

(and please don't make me use the :sarcasm: smilie)

[gleaner]

96. No I couldn't .......

I have MS which causes bladder spasms and you have to go yesterday. I also have a lot of difficulty sitting in one position, particularly if it is cramped like airplane seating without experiencing a great deal of pain which requires painkilling drugs. A lot of people with disabilities could not do that, so I guess if that is what they are going to do we have add something else to our lists of things we are no longer able to do. Travel by air.

[Hawkowl]

97. As an airline pilot

It is a matter of routine. A hellish routine, but I do it all the time.

[WyLoochka]

98. I know I'm missing out on a lot by

not flying. Haven't been overseas in over two decades, and will likely never go again due to claustrophobia that strikes only on a plane, and in the back seat of a two door car.

Have taken two short round trip flights in the last ten years. Wouldn't have been able to tolerate them if I hadn't been able to read.

So I had to answer no. Call me a wimp - I don't care.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

99. My parents flew on Sunday

And they were allowed reading material. Couldn't go to the loo for the last hour and had their blankets and pillows taken away as well.

Hopefully it's temporary... I would need my flight attendant to remind me it's the last hour of the flight as I cannot hear the announcements!

[Unvanguard]

102. I almost never go to the restroom on planes and trains anyway.

And could easily forgo getting up for an hour or longer.

[lightningandsnow]

106. It's kind of like being in the hospital if you say you're suicidal.

They let you use the pisspot, but you can't do much. Oh, and the security guard watches you the whole time.

Don't worry, folks, I'm fine now. I just have low tolerance for complaining. Yeah, it's annoying, but it's not that bad. I don't really care.

So yeah. I could.

[Raine]

110. No I couldn't, I have panic attacks

claustrophobia and a small bladder. Flying is pretty much out for me under the best of circumstances except for an emergency but with these no rules ... no way no matter what.

[Kablooie]

113. I'd probably get so frustrated I'd have to pull the PETN out of my pants and blow up the plane.

[pink-o]

114. That has been rescinded...

I work for the airlines, and although I'm on vacation this week, I'm keeping up with the security directives. Now it's at the Flight Attendants' DISCRETION, whether the passengers are allowed to get out of their seats during the last hour of an international flight. Personally, I love to travel and I hate to fly; as a 6'1" woman, sitting in that horrible seat for a 12 hour flight is tantamount to a torture device. Also, to just sit there with no reading material and no entertainment would really challenge my sanity!

But it's not about people like me: it's really about the families with young children, or the elderly people who gotta go when they gotta go--whomever came up with this particular security directive wasn't thinking, just reacting. Luckily, cooler heads have prevailed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

116. I had to

But I know the kids around me were more than just fidgety.

[ecstatic]

117. I'd rather sit down when in a closed confined space than try to brush past

a million people to get into an ever smaller space (the restroom). So the rule won't make a difference to me either way. I'm not surprised so many people here wouldn't be able to do it though.

[jeffrey_X]

118. Yes...people do it every flight.

Can't believe this is a serious question.

[Blasphemer]

120. My only issue would be needing to forego the water I normally drink

As long as my bladder is empty, I'd have no problems. I don't think the lack of bathroom access would work for passengers with medical conditions or pregnant women so I'm assuming they make allowances. I have to imagine that even if one had a bladder emergency, they'd allow you bathroom access.

[katkat]

124. Blas

You haven't had to argue with a flight attendant when they've had the damn seat belt sign on for three hours for no apparent reason.

[Blasphemer]

129. That's true... I usually ignore it...

;-). If we're comfortably at cruising altitude and I have to go, I just ignore it if they have seat belt sign on. Sometimes they leave it on for the whole flight! I suppose I've been lucky to not to have had to tangle with a particularly disagreeable flight attendant.

[katkat]

122. no blankets

It's the no blanket rule that worries me. I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets abdominal cramps from being chilled. I guess I'll just shit all over the seat and be sure to bring a change of clothes in the carryon so I can change before boarding connecting flights. That's assuming I get to have a carryon.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

123. Sounds like a nice time for a nap.

[quaker bill]

125. Quakers

meditate in silence sitting on hard chairs for an hour every week. I have been doing this weekly for 25 years. I have attended silent retreats where the meditation went on for 8 hours with one short break for the restroom food and drink, and wondered why it ended so soon.

Piece of cake. In an aircraft, you can look out the window.

[mrs_p]

127. i'm claustrophobic

and would go apeshit crazy. honestly...

on edit -- i thought this referred to the texas tech issue. on a plane, i would be OK as long as i wasn't confined to a bathroom or closet.

[bertman]

131. We're just guinea pigs in their big social experimentation program. Somebody is trying

to see EXACTLY how much bullshit the average American will take. This could get ugly when Grandma's peanut-sized bladder starts demanding relief.

[aikoaiko]

134. Sure, I might hit the can before the 1 hour countdown, but otherwise I am fine sitting in a chair.

and my thoughts.

[Hekate]

136. A shocking number of "progressives" at DU lack both imagination and compassion for those...

... whose needs are different from their own.

It always just kind of staggers me, and I wonder that they can even go so far as to understand the need for Universal Health Care, because supporting UHC itself requires a leap of imagination ("That could be me") and compassion ("My fellow human needs help").

Hekate

[Harry Monroe]

137. Absolutely!! Just give me a pair of Depends and I'll be fine!!

[jillan]

138. Not being able to go to the bathroom is BULLshit.

Sorry - when I gotta go - i gotta go.

And what about the elderly? These seems a little extreme to me.

[SeattleGirl]

139. Having been stuck on a runway for the relatively "short" time of

three hours, having to stay in my seat, with stuffy air, no access to food or water, I would have to say no. I have a bit of claustrophobia, and it was very difficult for me to get through that time. I was able to do it with the help of my seat-mate, but it's not something I would want to do as a regular course.

[LWolf]

141. No.

I want access to a restroom. I may or may not need it in that hour, but if I do, I want the access.

[Shagbark Hickory]

143. Are we allowed to play with ourselves?

[mnhtnbb]

146. I suspect the airlines will change the 'no bathroom' rule after they've

had to replace some seats due to bladder/bowel accidents.