Empty bladder before flying ANA!

By: Ben Schlappig

Published: October 3, 2009

15 comments

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) is asking its passengers to go to the toilet before boarding so it can reduce aircraft weight.

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The unusual request is part of an experiment by the airline to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Japan’s NHK television is reporting that ANA began the one-month experiment today on 42 international and domestic flights.

The airline will place staff near boarding gates to ask passengers waiting for flights to go and use the restroom.

I wonder whether this applies to first and business class passengers as well. 😉

(Tip of the hat to Flying With Fish)

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John Guest

August 15, 2014, 9:36 pm

When you get to be my age, you pee several times before you get on the plane, then several times on the plane, then as soon as you get off the plane. ANA would not be happy with me.

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lucky New Member

October 5, 2009, 5:59 pm

Now that I think about this again, I remembered a story I meant to tell from my trip a couple of weeks ago. I was flying from Tampa to Washington and then Washington to San Diego. Tampa to Washington was in first class, and for some reason the flight attendants assumed I was a non-rev employee, so as we're taxiing out they give me a 35 oz. bottle of water to keep. I'm always happy about that, since I like to stay hydrated when I fly. I put it in my bag and figured I'd save it for my Washington to San Diego flight. I board Washington to San Diego and sit down in 6D on an A319. I take the bottle of water out of my bag, and out of complete boredom drink the whole thing during the boarding process. HUGE mistake. We have a rather long taxi out, but I'm still fine. I figure at worst the seatbelt sign will be off in about 20 minutes at which point I would use the lav. Of course with my luck this happened to be one of the bumpiest climb outs of my life, and also the first 30 minutes at cruise level were bumpy. I decided to obey the seatbelt sign (because it really was bumpy), but it was one of the more unpleasant hours of my life.... So the moral of the story is that I don't think ANA would approve and DON'T drink water just because you're bored. :)

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mre5765 Guest

October 5, 2009, 5:42 pm

Hilarious. I am flying ANA next month. I am giddy anticipating the chuckle I'll have when they announce this at SFO.

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Oliver Guest

October 4, 2009, 2:32 pm

Don't forget: less pee, less flushing, less water in the tanks. And fewer people climbing over others, cleaner lavs, ... :)

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gluedtothewindow Guest

October 4, 2009, 11:43 am

Hold the phone....EVERYONE poops!? My calculations, they're all wrong! On a more serious note, what if the airlines created a weight offsetting market similar to carbon offsetting? Lighter passengers could sell their "weight credits" to heavier passengers via the airline as middle man. It would lead to some pretty interesting last-minute weight cutting a-la high school wrestling.

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