Europeans Pissed Off About Airline Bathrooms

Potty Policy Has Air Travelers Holding It In
Tony Deconinck/AOL News

(April 9) -- If there's anything more miserable than being forced to hold it in, it's being forced to hold it in at 30,000 feet in a cramped airplane.

When Ryanair Airlines announced plans to begin charging to use the airline's in-flight lavatory, the response was immediate.

"Are the stewardesses now giving out change or tokens? It's terribly ill-conceived," says, Dr. Steven Soifer, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

"The whole idea of making people pay for a bodily function is crazy. There are easier ways to make an extra Euro."

Soifer is the co-founder of the American Restroom Association and Shy Bladder Center. He said that Ryanair floated the idea months ago, but it did not seem like a serious proposal at the time.

He was shocked when Ryanair announced its partnership with Boeing to reduce the number of bathrooms from three to one, and plans to investigate coin-operated locks in their planes' bathroom doors.

Soifer believes that Ryanair's decision could be in violation of the new amendments to the American with Disabilities Act.

"Whether it's shy bladder or incontinence, it's a medical condition that affects tens of millions of people in the U.S.," Soifer said. "Consequently, given that difficulty, any proposal like this is ludicrous and may be illegal. One of our members is going through ADA amendments passed in 2009. Those state that [one] cannot discriminate against people who have conditions like bladder issues."

Soifer also believes Ryanair may be running afoul of international laws by violating the human rights of its passengers.

"It is a human right to freely eliminate yourself," said Soifer, "It's conceivable that people could be stuck on an airline for 15 to 20 hours. The idea of having only one bathroom in a situation like that is ... strange."

My reaction to this story may surprise you. I'm certainly made about what I read here but I'm not actually made about having to pay to use the bathroom in a plane. That I can handle. It's capitalism at its extreme and I'm actually shocked it didn't originiate in the U.S. What angered me was that Boeing was going along with the idea to cut the number of bathrooms in the plane. That I can't handle. When I've got to make water it's a dire situation. I can't be waiting around for 30 minutes while some kid dilly dallies around in there. There's already too short of a window of opportunity for urination on short flights.

So my solution is for Southwest to charge me to use the bathroom but that in turn allows me to use at at any time I choose. Screw FAA and airline safety rules. If I want to take a leak during our 30 minute descent I should get to do so.