Australia's Qantas says toilet queues banned on flights to US

[Sequoia]

Australia's Qantas Airways said Wednesday that U.S. authorities are now banning passengers from gathering near restrooms and other places on flights to America -- an order the Australian government thinks might be impractical.

Commercial flights across the Pacific Ocean from Australia to the United States' west coast are among the world's longest.

"The U.S. Transport Security Administration are now requiring that passengers on flights to the U.S. are not to congregate in groups in any areas of the aircraft, especially around the lavatories," a Qantas spokeswoman said.

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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/a/2004/01/07/international0612EST0489.DTL

[bobbieinok]

1. do you think people who dream up stuff like this

have only flown on company jets????? never on commercial flights????

[Ilsa]

2. I guess passengers can expect to be catherized

for the long flights or pee in their pants. No drinks will be served. Or they have to be assigned a number for when they can go potty.

[GabysPoppy]

3. Maybe it's something in the beer over there?

:shrug:

[Caution]

4. The next step is simple

Fighter escorts on all commercial flights. Travel safely with the knowledge that at the slightest sign of trouble your plane can and will be shot down. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if our government hasn't gone completely and totally insane.

[northzax]

5. fighter escorts? I 'll see your fighters and raise you

internal self destruct mechanisms. it's the only practical solution, actualy. We place enough c-4 on each plane to destroy the plane in case of trouble. it can be detonated only by direct radio link from der kommissar of Homeland Security. Cheaper than fighter escort, I'm sure.

I flew quantas from Sydney to La last year. 15 hours. 200 people in coach and four bathrooms, you really don't think there'll be lines? maybe you should have toi get a reservation fro the john, and one of those little beepers you get in restaurants? they can beep you when you can pee. And they stress, given deep vein thrombosis, that you should get up and walk around to avoid DYING.

on edit: I have another idea! right before takeoff, they can pipe in some laughing gas, put everyone to sleep.

[AndyTiedye]

6. People DIE on Those Flights from Sitting Down Too Long

That will get a lot more common if people are forbidden to get up at all,
which they have effectively done for people in the middle rows
(since the people sitting near the bathrooms will ALWAYS get there first.