A politician in India is calling on aviation regulators in the country to require airlines to offer gender segregated bathrooms onboard flights. Maybe it’s a hot take, but I don’t actually disagree with where she’s coming from. However, there’s no way this will actually become a reality.
In this post:
Should airplanes have separate toilets for men & women?
Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, a Member of Parliament for Mumbai North Central, has asked India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation to require airlines to reserve at least one lavatory on each aircraft exclusively for female passengers. The letter frames the request as follows:
I am writing to bring your kind attention to a pressing concern regarding passenger hygiene, privacy, and dignity aboard commercial flights operating in India.
With the rapid expansion of Indian aviation and increasing air travel, passenger comfort and sanitation standards require continuous improvement. Currently, most narrow-body and regional aircraft operated by domestic airlines feature gender-neutral lavatories shared by all passengers.
Due to high passenger turnover, short turnaround times, and heavy inflight usage, maintaining optimal sanitation standards in shared lavatories often poses a challenge. This creates significant discomfort and hygiene concerns, particularly for female passengers, elderly travelers, pregnant women, and mothers traveling with young children.
The ask is that planes offer gender-segregated lavatories, and for regulators to require airlines to introduce hygiene and sanitation guidelines, to ensure that lavatories are maintained and cleaned throughout flights.
This isn’t happening, but I sympathize with the issue
I’ve gotta say, I very much sympathize with anyone who has to actually sit down on an airplane toilet, especially when traveling in economy on a long haul flight, on an airline that isn’t great about cleaning lavatories. They can be absolutely disgusting, to the point that some people may prefer to just “hold it in” until they get on the ground.
I’ve been in some premium cabin lavatories where I was almost too disgusted to use the facilities while standing up, and I can’t even imagine what it’s like for others. Now, I am a little confused about the discussion of “privacy,” since lavatories on planes are all intended for individuals, but the points about hygiene are fair.
That being said, this comes down to two questions:
- Is this really something the government should regulate?
- Is this a policy that airlines can realistically implement?
I think the second topic is the more interesting point. We have to be honest, airlines put a ton of thought into their cabin layouts, and the goal is always to cram in as many seats as possible. For example, IndiGo’s A321neos have 232 seats, and just three lavatories, so that’s an average of one lavatory per 77 passengers. That’s a really bad ratio.
Unless airlines are willing to voluntarily install more lavatories, the concept of gender segregating restrooms would complicate things significantly. It would create an inefficiency in terms of “gap” in lavatory use, when there’s almost always a queue to use them. For that matter, the aisle and galley spaces are so small that managing two separate queues would be challenging.
I get the frustration over how disgusting airplane lavatories are. I do wish airlines would put more effort into that in general. I’m not sure that the government regulating this, or even introducing gender segregated bathrooms, is the solution, though.
Bottom line
A politician in India is demanding that airlines be required to have at least one separate lavatory on each flight for women, in order to preserve the “hygiene, privacy, and dignity” for passengers. I totally get that lavatories are disgusting, and most airlines do a poor job addressing this problem.
At the same time, given the absolute bare minimum number of lavatories installed on so many aircraft, this seems like it will lead to more issues than solutions.
What do you make of this lavatory proposal in India?
Not getting urinated upon enough on Flights to India? Try Air India!
The (now defunct) Mexican Airline Interjet had a toilet reserved for female passengers. It was at the back of their A320s.
Not sure how effective these are on planes where there is so little space to begin with.
Also the fact that bathrooms are becoming smaller and smaller doesn't help.
Interesting idea and one that has been tried over the years. It's interesting how many norms on the ground simply cease to exist once in the air - mostly due to the practicality of the matter. I am not sure that people need to police anything - no one is really policing gender segregated restrooms on the ground either, but we conform to it as a socially accepted thing to do. Culturally, I can understand...
Interesting idea and one that has been tried over the years. It's interesting how many norms on the ground simply cease to exist once in the air - mostly due to the practicality of the matter. I am not sure that people need to police anything - no one is really policing gender segregated restrooms on the ground either, but we conform to it as a socially accepted thing to do. Culturally, I can understand the reason behind this initiative, since many cultures frown upon shared washrooms, including in vast majority of the US. I guess supply vs. demand is really the factor here.
Am I the only one who does't like seeing photos of airplane toilet bowls?
The "privacy" point the politician talks about refers to cultural norms in India (& neighboring countries). It is culturally common for females to not announce or advertize that they are using the restroom, and how whatever females do in the restroom is not advertized to others (meaning men shouldn't see what females do in the lavatory, and vice versa). This centers around privacy and the concept about keeping a curtain between genders.
this is goofy af.
@henare. So is your name.
Not really. Most Eastern cultures avoid announcing what a woman is doing in the privacy of the washroom. In Japan, toilets play a tune to mask any embarrassing noises. It's about as "goofy af" as having to pay out of pocket for healthcare in the US.
I once had a job that required me to clean bathrooms. Without fail, the women's bathroom was always dirtier than the men's.
Say no more, the conversation is now over, you've provided irrefutable proof that womens are filthy, mens are roses. Brilliant. You've added much to the conversation because you once cleaned bathrooms.
Q.E.D.
Yeah, Airplane lavs can be gross for any gender. However for many operational reasons gender specific lavs are not practical. However, regulations on the sanitation of the lavs both between flights and during flight are definitely possible and likely needed. US airline FAs would HATE this but requiring crew to sanitize the lavs at certain intervals on flights longer than 3 hours would go a long way to making the experience better, not perfect, but better.
I undestand the hygiene part but female toilets can be as disgusting as male. Ask professionals so gender segregation does not solve this.
And what gender will the single loo for business class be?
Crazy idea
This is addressing symptoms not root causes. They tried this with the women only Ubers and then all of a sudden the actual degens and creeps targeted those drivers because they knew it would be women.
This just gives more targeted opportunities for those bad actors.
A common smaller restaurant scenario is to have two identically equipped, one-user-at-a-time bathrooms: one designated "female" and one "male." I always thought that inefficient. Why not have two common-use bathrooms? OK, let's say we have common-use bathrooms and someone argue to have gender-specific instead? OK, fair enough stance. But what if the request is to have one specific to [fill in females or males] and the other common use? Sounds selfish to me. And, since...
A common smaller restaurant scenario is to have two identically equipped, one-user-at-a-time bathrooms: one designated "female" and one "male." I always thought that inefficient. Why not have two common-use bathrooms? OK, let's say we have common-use bathrooms and someone argue to have gender-specific instead? OK, fair enough stance. But what if the request is to have one specific to [fill in females or males] and the other common use? Sounds selfish to me. And, since having two nearby bathrooms are female and male works OK for restaurants. How do you do that with one forward and one aft and be fair?
BTW, how would a request for a men-only lav from a male politician be received?
Someone in my neighborhood has an official personalized Maryland license plate. PB4WEGO. I think they have 5 children.
Best practice to follow! Problem solved!
Part of the hygiene issue is that some men do not like/want to lift the lid to pee therefore wetting the lid one sits on thus making it more gross and difficult to clean. Airlines should install urinals at least in wide-body aircraft, like Lufthansa did.
And women never hover...
The tiny 737MAX and 321neo lavs are not helping the cause.
Does airline even care about hygiene?
Anyone can tell just from how they clean their cabins.
Those newer 'slimline' lavs are insane (24 inches wide).
Even the CRJ lavs are at least 30 inches wide (not as tall though).
How could it even be implemented realistically? If she is asking for one reserved lavatory for women only but which cabin should it be applied to? First cabin, business cabin, premium economy cabin or economy cabin?
If it is only applied to one cabin and not the other then how could it considered fair to all women? Also, no matter how you look at it, it would be considered sexist by some if not...
How could it even be implemented realistically? If she is asking for one reserved lavatory for women only but which cabin should it be applied to? First cabin, business cabin, premium economy cabin or economy cabin?
If it is only applied to one cabin and not the other then how could it considered fair to all women? Also, no matter how you look at it, it would be considered sexist by some if not more. Furthermore, does it apply to only domestic flights or international flights as well? How could it even be regulated well on foreign carriers? Like if you do not have a plane with a women only lavatory you are not allowed to fly to and from India? As Neo has pointed out, it may be better and more realistic to try to get airlines to do a better job by keeping the cabin and lavatory clean.
I'm just wondering what happened to Ben. It seems that, no matter how gross, outrageous, discriminating or racist an issue is, he seems to refuse to condemn it or to point out how ridiculous it is. Because this issue is quite ridiculous.
I bet this politician hasn't flown before, or has flown but assumes his voter base hasn't, and wants to make headlines with creating a non-issue. You know what the easiest way is to...
I'm just wondering what happened to Ben. It seems that, no matter how gross, outrageous, discriminating or racist an issue is, he seems to refuse to condemn it or to point out how ridiculous it is. Because this issue is quite ridiculous.
I bet this politician hasn't flown before, or has flown but assumes his voter base hasn't, and wants to make headlines with creating a non-issue. You know what the easiest way is to make separate toilets for men and women? Not by 'engineering' a whole new type of toilet, but just by slapping a sticker on the door. Because, lo and behold, a porcelain throne looks equal for whatever gender uses it. And that issue can be taken directly with the airlines, no need to involve an airplane manufacturer.
The politician is a woman in this instance.
I don't see how a segregate lavatories resolves the hygene issue. Surely men's lavatory tends to be more disgusting than women's, but they are not that far behind. So the hygene issue is still there. Realistically, segregating the lavatories still has the same hygene issue.
The only two options is to train/change culture to be more respectful of the space being shared, or have the flight crew clean the lavatories through out the flight.
I recall that Virgin Atlantic did do this at one point - one of the two forward toilets had a sticker on the door to make it women-only. Evidently the trial was not a success, as it was discontinued, perhaps becuase the gender split in a VA Upper Class cabin was usually skewed male, meaning the remaining lavatory was overcrowded.
The gender that brings in the most revenue, has the most bathrooms.
This is such a toxic comment section. The amount of misogyny here is eye opening.
Eve, 'welcome to the internet, have a look around...'
For real, though. Call it out when you see it.
(Pee) the change you want to see in the world...
News flash: women are filthier creatures than men. And they miss the trash can 67% of the time with their used feminine products.
LOVE the fake statistic!
You do realize that it makes you sound unreliable and dishonest (not to mention misogynist)?
Prove the statistic isn't real, otherwise you are unreliable.
Crash out Willy back on the prowl.
The burden is on you to prove the statistic is correct, which is preposterously easy for you to do: cite your source. Unless you made it up, and you don't have a source, but of *course* you wouldn't ever do that, because you are a font of reliability.
It is not on anyone else to prove that your assertion is BS.
And the "used feminine products" comment? EW! NASTY! WoMeNs ArE dIsGuStInG! Cute dog whistle for the incels.
Sounds like Tim Dunn with TAMPONS stats instead of RASM stats.
Are they more accurate on the A350-1000?
Are they filthier from ATL fortress?
Does UA loses more checked TP than other airline?
"Are they more accurate on the A350-1000?
Are they filthier from ATL fortress?
Does UA loses more checked TP than other airline?"
Alonzo will make up...er, "research" those numbers here and post them for everyone. Then everyone who doesn't agree will need to prove him wrong, because that's how it works is AlonzoWorld, such as it is.
Bow down to the King you filthy animal. You shall talk no more and spew such filthy rhetoric.
More like "News flush"....
ANA or JAL tried this years ago. I never found the "ladies lav " or if I did, it likely had been used by men anyway as the floor and will were urine soaked. I get it guys,, most of you all don't want to get closer BUT if we all just sat down to pee using a seat cover, we wouldn't have this problem. Remember masculinity is not lost by practicing the " sit".
ANA did actually implement it. But I had not realised that it went away again. It was never really a problem from a usage perspective, not did I see men use them.
Should be pretty easy to implement on Air India since men can just pee in the business class cabin and dont need lavatories.
I don't understand why Ben doesn't disagree with this, as it is stupid and sexist? Whats next, toilets for white people as well?
There are two things in here: segregating bathrooms will lead to a worsening of quality, the chance they are used evenly is low, so the gender with more represenatives on board will always be at a disadvantage. Mandatory cleanlyness rules on the other hand sound like a good topic, and definitely...
I don't understand why Ben doesn't disagree with this, as it is stupid and sexist? Whats next, toilets for white people as well?
There are two things in here: segregating bathrooms will lead to a worsening of quality, the chance they are used evenly is low, so the gender with more represenatives on board will always be at a disadvantage. Mandatory cleanlyness rules on the other hand sound like a good topic, and definitely something goverments should regulate. Why shouldn't they?
Your comparisons are so outlandish. Race v hygiene is not related at all. It is clear you are not a women. Imagine to sit in other people’s urine, that’s what we face every flight. Off course a segregated lav will not happen with the manner aircraft cabins are designed but just like Ben, at least show some decorum and respect, and try to sympathize with what we have to face.
Do you think that men like to sit in other people's urine? We attend the restroom in sitting position under certain conditions as well. Or do you think that men only pee aboard a plane?
Outstanding idea . The 2 women's must be in the front . The 2 men's must be in the back .
Girl food .