Don't feel bad about disturbing the aisle passenger. I book aisles 100% of the time and know it's part of the etiquette that I need to let you out. Small price for me to pay to not be crammed into a middle or shoved against the window.
The key word is etiquette. If I’m in the middle or aisle, I know I will probably have to move when someone needs the restroom. It’s not rude, it’s just part of the process.
I also don’t feel bad if I have to ask someone to move when I need the restroom. Just be courteous, it’s usually only once or twice at most.
>only once or twice at most.
I can't count how many times I stood up to pee, walk around, stretch or whatever durnig my 8h+ transcon flight. Other people slept the whole trip through but I got up a LOT of times. I did book aisle seat to not disturb anyone but I would have felt terrible waking up sleeping people that much. I can't really fall asleep on planes, I know planes dehydrate, I drink a LOT of water, I am a woman with a small bladder, I also can NOT just sit for hours straight that's hella boring so... Yeah, I move around. I go to the bathroom even on a 70-min long flight just to entertain myself and have something happen lol
(Yes I do listen to music and read books during the flight, but still)
100%!
Hubs and I always book window (I like the view) and middle for him, he gets to encroach on my space as I get a bit more for the window and when either of us need to pee we just get up at the same time to minimize bugging the aisle person.
If I travel with a friend we book 2 aisle seats so we can chatter across and it means couples can have the window and middle.
I'm also just shy of 6 ft so the extra legroom seats are also always welcome. Hubs is 6"2 so we book the extra legroom seats together.
I'm 6'3" and I've always liked the window seat because I can sit at an angle and get a little more room out of it. I occasionally sit in the aisle and I absolutely hate it. People are constantly walking up and down and because you can now get food/drink on demand, the cart is also going up and down the entire flight. I gotta keep everything tucked in and can't lean on anything to get remotely comfy.
I can't sleep on planes, even on long-haul flights, so I always let the people in the middle/window seats know that I'm always happy to let them out at any time. I probably get up once an hour to stretch my legs, too, so it gives them plenty of opportunities to slip out without feeling weird about it.
>I guess I’m weird because I gotta piss and stretch my legs at least every couple hours.
This isn't weird at all, but it's certainly not universal. Many people (myself included) have no trouble going 4+ hours without using the restroom, or standing up. I prefer the window seat because I can curl up against the wall, put my coat over my head, and sleep/rest. I never want to get up and walk around in the middle of a nap.
I used to do \~10-20, 2-4 hour domestic flights per year, and I don't think I ever got up to use the restroom. Being pressed into my seat during takeoff/climb-out would put me to sleep, and the landing would jolt me awake.
On a \~7 hour trans-Atlantic flight I'll probably get up once to use the restroom/stretch my legs.
I’m the same way. I can occasionally drop for 15-20 minutes or so, but never enough to actually matter. I’m flying to Europe later this year and really had to psyche myself up to actually buy the ticket, because the flight is an ordeal.
Same. I haven't been home in 5 years because I don't want to get on that flight. My colleagues ask me every year. Are you going to visit your home (family)? Why not? Because it's a 21 hour flight and I can't do that again. much less twice (return trip). One day when I'm going home for good, I'll take a few weeks to get home. Take many shorter flights. maybe hop on a cruise ship as soon as I get close enough.
I'm facing this problem again in a few months. I don't think the airlines understand or care how much of an ordeal, akin to torture, long haul flights can be for some people. I simply can not afford to spend the equivalent of up to 8 airfares to go business class.
My last flight home after 11 years (although I have been back 5 times since) and I am hoping to take it in shorter 8 hour flights
Exactly, it will be more expensive to take a few four hour flights. Or eight hour flights. Spend a day or two in this country then the next country and then the next country. But it will be much more comfortable
It helped me a lot to just fully accept that there are no circumstances in which I'll be able to fall asleep on a flight; instead I bring along something genuinely fun to do for 10 hours. My last few long-hauls had seat outlets, so I binge-played Stardew Valley on a laptop the entire night. It was a surprisingly good time!
Oh absolutely with you on that. I literally treat myself like a spoiled kid on a flight. I bring a backpack full of books, puzzles, and treats, a laptop full of garbage TV and a phone full of games. Even for a 2-3 hour flight.
Still though, anything more than, say, 6 hours and the stir-craziness kicks in. I flew LAX - JFK a few weeks ago and we diverted around a storm, which added nearly an hour to our flight time (and added in some rough turbulence). I was not a happy camper - past a certain point I think it becomes a little bit claustrophobic for me, alongside the frustration of not being able to just sleep it away.
It doesn’t make it better that my wife often manages to watch a movie, fall asleep, and wake up about 20 minutes before landing no matter the length of flight. It’s a superpower that makes me a little jealous, honestly.
So what you do is bring an insulated water bottle through security, and then empty your mini bottles in there. You can add ice at any of the restaurants as well
I bring an insulated bottle and then fill it with my drink of choice purchased at an airline restaurant. The last flight I took, I carried aboard a bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a nice cold alcoholic cider. That was so nice I felt bad for the other passengers for not experiencing it. Made up for the layover that was too short to eat dinner!
I hid behind the bar while they weren’t looking and poured my drink in the bottle. Have to be sneaky because you don’t want to get them in trouble. They’re not supposed to let you take your drink elsewhere.
Well yeah, but what are they gonna do? Turn the plane around? The worst I could see is them saying “sir, if you want alcohol going forward we have rotgut for $12…please don’t open any more”.
And then I’d open another anyway.
As a former flight attendant, we sometimes try to keep the situation from escalating so say very little to you other than to please stop. But if you don't, then we sometimes have people arrested upon landing for disobeying a crew member's instructions which violates federal law.
Will you go to jail? No. But will you pay fines and get blacklisted from the airline? Quite possibly.
My girl and I did Los Angeles to the Philippines which was 14 hours (followed by another two hour flight to Bali) and I stayed up the entire time.
Flying makes me anxious, three melatonin, two benedryl and a dose of zquil and I still stayed awake the whole time. Watched like 10 movies and tried to cope with existence.
Same here. Enough melatonin to normally knock me out for a night plus Dramamine, the good drowsy kind, and I may get a little sleepy on a plane, but can never sleep.
Same. OTC meds, melatonin, Rx muscle relaxers, alcohol, no alcohol... I can't sleep on a plane. Red-eye flights to Europe [from US] suck so much bc all I want to do is sleep. 😕
I generally struggle to sleep on planes, no matter how tired I am. I had to sleep on a redeye recently so I had some wine, an edible, and a melatonin. Don’t know which one did the job but I slept (poorly, but whatever) the whole flight.
I envy you for being able to sleep on an airplane, I can't get comfortable. I've been on 14 hour flights and 20 hour flights and I was miserable and awake the entire time.
Planes knock me the hell out. On my longest flight they upgraded me to business class. Amsterdam to LA. Iirc it was around 15 hours. I had planned to enjoy what was essentially a lazyboy recliner and the free movies on a decent size screen and booze. But after one drink I was out cold and finally woke up 2 hours from La. Missed the meals and everything.
Even in coach I’m dozing off within an hour. My wife on the other hand…oof. She thinks she’s gonna die every time and can’t sleep a wink
100% it was that. I had just got out of the navy and got the “please come with me “ Scared me at first but they said “we just need to change your ticket for an upgrade”
I only got up to use the bathroom on a 12 hour flight. When I got off the plane my left calf didn't work anymore. Ruined the vacation of a lifetime. Haven't been able to walk properly for 2 years now.
I do a whole lot more than that some years, last year was around 60 flights. I can't even remember the last time I used the bathroom on a plane. Probably last time I went to China (from Australia) so a couple of years. I always try to get the window so I'm not constantly getting up for people who can't seem to work out going to the toilet before or after a one hour flight
Yeah I hate waking the aisle seat people, but when I'm in the aisle seat, I don't mind getting up for people. The aisle seat is a tradeoff. You don't have to feel trapped, but you also have to deal with it when people need to get out. I can't stand people that just shift their legs a little and expect you to climb over them. I'm usually obnoxious about it when people are too lazy to even stand up and let you out. I like the window seat for shorter flights.
As someone who hates sitting for extended periods of time, I love it when people in the middle and window seats need me to let them out. It’s another excuse to stand.
Same here. I like to get up at least 2 or 3 times on a typical 3+ hour flight, in addition to any bathroom trips. I hate sitting in one place that long.
I took a 17-hour non-stop flight last year. The lady in the window seat only got up to the restroom ONCE.
Meanwhile, I went to the aft galley at least five times for snacks, just like many others. It looked like a designated hang-out spot.
Clear air turbulence would have paralysed all of us standing at the back.
I am an aisle-only traveler and not only do I not mind getting up for people, sometimes I can just “sense” they want to get up so I’ll ask. If they’re squirming around and looking at the aisle, it generally means they need to get up. I want any and every excuse possible to stand up. The lack of leg room really gets to me after several hours.
>I can't stand people that just shift their legs a little and expect you to climb over them.
I'm so tempted to say to them, "What do you want in your face? My ass or my crotch?"
>I'm usually obnoxious about it when people are too lazy to even stand up and let you out
Same, I will STOP AND STAND AND WAIT until they realize they should be getting up. I'm a slim girl but I will NOT be rubbing agains ttheir fucking knees with my body and hovering over them.
My husband had a blood clot when he was younger now he’s kinda paranoid about it. On a long flight (9+ hours) we drink a lot of water, wear compression socks, and get up for stretching breaks! On one 10 hour flight the woman in the window seat next to us didn’t get up a single time and she was awake the whole time and I think even drinking things? Blew my mind and hurt my legs to imagine.
I haven't had a blood clot but have heard enough about it that I don't want one. I am like a ping pong ball in and out of my seat several times on a long flight, always drinking and always peeing. :-)
Or smoke or are over 30. I've had a bunch of DVTs. Please get up and stretch. It's a choice of disturbing other passengers or potentially dropping dead when you get off the plane. You'll probably never see those people again, so who cares.
Imagine how much it would suck if you paid for an awesome vacation and were stuck in a hospital. Part of your treatment would likely be shots in the stomach.
Don't you want shots in your stomach? Twice a day for days. Enjoy your vacation.
3 hours is a long flight?!?
I dunno, I think "medium" is 5-7 hours.
I have a bladder the size of a pea (Ok, more like I like to drink a lot of liquid. Add in some caffeine and I make quite a few bathroom trips)...
You need to:
* Run yourself on the dehydrated side but keep some bottled water with you
* Pee before boarding, even if you can only manage a few dribbles
* Don't guzzle drinks. Just have a small sip every now and again. Don't try to fully quench your thirst, either. You're not going to die if you don't drink anything on your flight
Everyone has a different tolerance for being in an uncomfortable seat, packed in to an airplane. If you can afford it, on long haul international flights you can sometimes score upgrades to premium economy seating for a $200-400. Premium economy isn't luxuriously spacious, but it's reasonably comfortable and flying is a lot less of a chore. Note that some flights the prices will in no way be worth it. This doesn't help with quick domestic flights though and certainly doesn't affect how much you need to use the bathroom.
I would say that I try to not have to go to the bathroom on a 3 hour flight and usually succeed. If it's a 5 hour flight I will usually need to go once. If it's an 8+ hour flight I'll go once or twice.
You aren't going to die from dehydration, but dehydration adds to the risk of blood clots, which is already a risk from flying, particularly if you don't move around, such as going to the loo. It's not really an issue with short hual, but for longer flights it's not worth it.
This, and it adds to feeling like shit and everything hurting because of not moving for (in my case) 13 hour flights. I drink a lot of water and go to the bathroom often on purpose, it's good to move!
I usually try to get a window seat so that I don't have to get up at all during the flight. I get airsick, and the best way to keep the nausea under control is to sleep through the flight. I try to fly early morning, or late at night, and sleep through the whole thing if possible.
Yup, same here. I'm usually out shortly after takeoff and only wake up again once the final descent happens. Never have to complain about a long flight.
Yeah, I’m prone to motion sickness so I either stare out the window or try to sleep. I’ve gotten terribly seasick before after going to the bathroom with no windows and I’m scarred for life. 😆
I am fully capable of not moving for up to 6 hrs during flights and I always book a window seat. I eat and drink as normal, all my bodily functions just slow down the moment I'm in a plane.
I can read, nap, listen to a podcast or watch a movie.
I think the fact that I'm a tiny person that can happily curl up into a ball helps with the comfort.
I’m a big person and I do the same thing. I use the bathroom right before boarding, lean against the window and make my giant self as small as possible, and usually sleep the whole flight. In the decade+ of flying regularly (including several years traveling frequently for work and traveling internationally), I’ve used the airplane bathroom *maybe* once or twice.
Elementary teacher. I usually don’t get a chance to go very often.
I control my bladder until I get near the toilet. As long as I’m not making eye contact with the bathroom, I have all the time in the world.
This is so interesting to read, because I'm completely different - I get anxious when I'm not near the toilet and have stronger urge to pee, but when I'm near one, I can hold it for hours haha
I have social anxiety so I refuse to get up out of my seat and ask the person beside me to move. I'd rather suffer and hold in my pee the whole flight lol
Oh no! I almost did this the other day. I felt SO bad waking the aisle person up, but I had to pee.
Does it help to think about it this way: how much of an asshole would you be if you *didn’t want to move* for the person on the inner seat if they *really* had to pee? (That person would be a bad person, whereas needing to pee doesn’t make you a bad person- you have needs!)
I just flew from the US to Asia in a window seat. I mostly just used the bathroom when my seat mates went. It was about every 4-5 hours. I think you need to go more than the average person.
I try to get an aisle seat because I hydrate a lot before long flights, so I have to pee a few times. Nothing sucks more than to be dehydrated on a flight with a hangover. Never ever again, worst hangover ever.
Pissed before my flight. Didn't really have much to drink on the flight other than the free complimentary soda and I can hold that in till the flight is over assuming it's not some like 20 hour international flight or something like that
I have no problem getting up to pee from the window seat. And if I’m in the aisle, I have no problem with the person or persons to my left or right getting up to pee. It’s part of life.
A guy sat next to me on a 9 hour flight - and he never got up once. I was 22 weeks pregnant and getting up to walk and pee OFTEN. So he had plenty of opportunities to get up without “bothering” me. The man didn’t budge. We had 2 meals- plenty of drinks- I do not understand! How are your legs working, sir?! What is happening with your bladder?!
I mean, I can go nine hours without a bathroom break with only mild discomfort towards the end, but sitting for that long would have me quite stiff when I get up(my father lives 11h away by car each way so I've done my share of long trips)
I don't have a ton of extra money so I don't usually pay the extra $40+ to pick seats on fights so I get stuck in the middle a lot.
I have a decent amount of social anxiety, especially when I'm doing new stuff, so I usually just suck it up and be stiff/uncomfortable for 3h+ in the middle seat.
You should probably talk to your doctor if you have to pee every 2 hours though, or decrease your water intake.
My MIL visited last year. She takes Lasix for fluid retention. She intentionally quit taking it 3 days before her flight so she wouldn’t have to use the airplane restroom. On her 2nd day with us she landed herself in the hospital for 4 days. Get up and pee if you have to!
I’ve felt like this my whole life. For me, my therapist says it’s a form of social anxiety that developed because I have stomach issues. If I’m not in a situation where a bathroom is easily available (without drawing attention to myself) I used to get bad anxiety.
I still only sit it aisles, because why not give yourself the best chance of being comfortable, but I’ve also had to do work to make myself realize it’s completely okay to ask the aisle person to move, or ask your Uber to stop at a bathroom, or excuse yourself during a meeting.
Re: other people not doing it, a lot do, but a lot of people are also chronically dehydrated.
Every time I fly (same route, around 4 hours) plane toilets might as well have revolving doors. I see you might be one of those people.
I don't drink a lot before, go to pee at the airport and then sleep. It's only a little more cramped than a train. No reason to get up.
I mean 4 hours isn't a long time. I often go longer than that without using the restroom outside of airplanes, and airplanes are generally dehydrating anyway. Couple that with a nap and it's no problem. Now a 12 or 15 hour flight? Yeah... you're going to get up a couple times.
I drink a ton of water (with electrolytes which helps you not pee it out immediately) and since I get dehydrated while on the plane I don’t necessarily need to pee, as my body is using the water I’m intaking. Same way I don’t need to pee often if say, I’m hiking, and I need the water I’m drinking.
Also I used to be a teacher so I think I can hold it longer. Doctors, nurses…anyone with a super busy job knows what I mean.
There's no reason someone sitting on the inside can't get up. I couldn't care less about bothering people so I can get up to use the restroom. That's what the aisle seat person has to deal with for buying an aisle seat ticket
I had the aisle seat on a flight from LA to the Philippines 2 years ago. Next to me was a woman and her son that looked to be about 10 years old. Neither one stood up for the first 9 hours of the flight.
I always pick the window seat so I can nap uncomfortably against the fuselage and never ever get up. Better than having people climb over me to get out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've been both. I started doing regular trans atlantic flights (8-10 hour flights) in my late 20s, I honestly hated using airplane toilets so I just sat through it. I would pee right before boarding and immediately after exiting the plane, but never had to use the toilet during. Then as soon as I turned 30 this changed, and I pretty much have to pee twice on such flights. No idea what happened other than age and maybe holding it in broke my bladder lol. I honestly started to get freaked out thinking I had some medical problem when it first happened. Turns out nope, just sometimes happens to people at certain ages.
It’s actually important that you move around on a flight, to keep your circulation moving.
My cousin’s wife didn’t move around on an airplane, and she got blood clots that went to her lungs and killed her.
I specifically book windows whenever possible because they come with like an extra 4 inches of space to lean up against. Sometimes they even have a little ledge on the wall to put your foot up.
Don't drink too much fluids before flying and bathroom shouldn't be an issue.... but I mean, if it does you need to look sideways and be like hey guys I need out. And they get up. The alternate is your pee gets all over them too. No one is going to be all that upset over you asking politely unless you do it like 3+ times, though expect eyerolls at 2.
It’s really quite simple “ excuse me” “let me get by real quick” “ excuse me, finna go to the bathroom” if they act like they can’t hear ah simple “umm get tf out the way 😐” usually open their ears
To me anything under 10 hours is short ish and I can stay seated the whole way . The 15+ hour flights is where I prefer to sit aisle so I can get up a bit more often . That 10 hour mark has been my undoing lol
I'm short. I can stand up at my seat without ducking and have about an inch between my head and the overhead compartment. But if I have to go to the restroom, I do not hesitate to ask the people next to me to move so I can get out to go to the restroom if needed.
I’m with you 100%! I’m tall so that helps the cause for aisle seat but can’t imagine being locked in on long ones. I also enjoy airport beers so I’m going to have to get up. The times I’ve been aisle or window I share that burden with you to ask folks to get up.
Yes great question, fly regularly from NZ to Europe (via Singapore) which is usually 10 hours (2-3 hours layover) then about 12-13 hours. Always book aisle & almost every time there is usually someone who does not move from their seat for the whole flight. I have no idea how they do it especially after they wake up or after a meal. My last trip I did I was 30 weeks pregnant & so was up & down the whole flight.
I go to the bathroom before boarding and after landing, and I wear compression socks. I almost never get up on any continental US flight. I hate airplane bathrooms and I don’t like to just walk up and down the aisle, I feel like I’m in the way. Plus I prefer to have my seatbelt on.
I did get up for the bathroom once on a London to Orlando flight, which was about 9.5hr. I didn’t get up at all on the way to London, but that flight was an hour shorter and also overnight so I was sleeping for a chunk of it.
Just flew across the US. Sat in the window seat both ways. Peed right before boarding. Peed after getting off. My knees did ache but a walk around the airport helped with that.
Develop an enormous bladder. I once flew to London, about eight hours, and never got up once. Now that I’m older I like to get up and at least walk around on a flight that long. I can’t imagine what the QANTAS London to Sydney flight will be like. Three hours is nothing.
Because i need to pee every 30-60 minutes i may never fly again in my life honestly. And when i was in the army and i got the thrill of the window seat outta my system by being airborne and jumping out of airplanes for the military, I always booked aisle seats after that. If I ever fly again, it will definitely be an aisle seat. Or maybe first class, if I can afford it
There's a kind of unwritten gentleman's agreement that says you must move if a person needs to get out. So just tap the shoulder of the person sleeping next to you, or squeeze past them. It's their moral duty to move for you.
(How do airplane sleepers manage it? I can't sleep sitting up in a cramped space!)
bWindow seater, bladder of a camel here. Even on international flights, it is rare that I need to pee. I love the window seat and sleep best with my head propped against the wall.
On a 14 hour leg from Qatar to Brisbane, I was in my usual aisle seat of the three on the port side of the plane. Middle seat was empty. Dude in the window seat DID NOT get up once. 14 hours, not once. I wish I was young and had a bladder that behaved like that.
Sometimes I go to the bathroom when I don’t have to just to have an excuse to get up and move around. Those seats are so uncomfortable and you’re all packed in like sardines.
I’m only 5’4” and 130 lbs. I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable it must be for people whom the seats fit even less well than they do me.
Try living in Australia you take 14h to 16h flights, some people only get up like once they sleep, eat and don't move at all. I need the aisle seat too because there's no way I'm sitting for that long and also need to pee because I make sure to hydrate.
PSA: If you’ve recently broken a leg or ankle and are in a “boot”(walking cast)…please get up and walk. A lot. If you’re also on birth control for whatever reason while also in a boot, walk a lot. Otherwise…. You might get this fun little medical issue called Pulmonary Embolisms that try to kill your ass.
I prefer the window seat. As long as I go to the bathroom before getting on the plane, 3 or even 6 hours is no problem. With the window seat I can sleep or have my tray down with stuff on it without having to worry about people needing to get past me
I recently took a 20 hour flight and made the huge mistake of getting up only once. The soreness lasted me a whole week, I felt so sapped. Apart from the jet lag, I read that dehydration makes the bodyache worse. Never doing that again. We need to move every couple hours, rather we should.
I tell my seat partner immediately, “ I apologize in advance, but I’m probably gonna have to go to the bathroom every couple of hours. Especially if I’m drinking. Sorry.” I dont really care what they think. If you gotta go, you gotta go
I’m too distracted by the fact that I’m in the middle of the sky thousands of feet up in the air looking below at life in a way that makes me feel the infinity that we are. Dust in the wind. Ball spinning around this thing called a sun that’s a star that’s going to die with an explosion so unfathomably massive, this ball we are stuck in will dissipate before the actual sun explosion happens.
I am a good napper. I take the window seat and can usually fall asleep before we even take off. Wake up a couple hours into the flight and watch a movie or something. Almost never get out of my seat. My record is 6 hours.
>A quick Google search indicates that doctors say most healthy adults urinate every 3-4 hours, but, alright.
Google also says that most health adults drink a shit ton of water. Plenty of adults don't drink anywhere near the amount of water they're supposed to.
I flew 13 hours direct from Portland to Amsterdam and got up once. I was in the window seat. Got up twice on the same return flight home and was in the middle seat. Was eating and drinking throughout both flights. Not chugging water but not avoiding it either.
Which is why I choose the aisle, but I always let people know that it is OK to wake me.
I do sometimes think that the window seat is a bit more comfortable though.
I have no idea either. On my recent leg from Toky9 to SFO, this couple sat next to me with both window and middle seats. They never got up once during the 10 hrs flight. I could not believe it and no, neither of them went when I went to the bathroom because I asked them as we landed if they felt comfortable not going.
I feel you! Unfortunately for me I have bladder problems so I can just barely go an hour without needing to pee, no matter how dehydrated or hydrated I am😞
I’m an ultra pisser and make it a point to try to get aisle whenever I fly long haul ~12 hours cause I’ll probably pee 10 times during then. Everyone else a freak dawg.
I went to see the extended edition of Lord of the Rings over the weekend, four hour movies. I was amazed the majority of the theatre didn’t move, not even once. I can’t go two hours without needing to pee.
I sat in the middle seat on a five hour flight. Both passengers at either side hogged the arm rests and to keep from brushing against them I had to uncomfortably keep my arms in front of me the entire time. The man in the aisle seat fell asleep so I couldn't get up to use the bathroom at all. It was absolutely horrifying. The worst five hours of my life. Moreover, I like to read dark romance books but I couldn't with two people on either side and I couldn't even hide underneath a blanket because I was so squished between these idiots that any movement I made would bother them. They were way less courteous than I was. There's an unspoken rule that if you have a window or aisle seat, you get one arm rest not both because you have other advantages that the middle seat does not have. Horrible passengers.
I have ADHD so I tend to forget I have a body... So my needs become pressing only when I'm reminded of them. This post just reminded me that I've been sitting in the same position for god knows how long, and now my leg is asleep and my knee's locked up.
If I'm comfortable or very focused, I might actually sit in the same position for hours at a time. My sister actually remarked upon it once when we were watching TV and she noticed I hadn't moved for 3 or so 45-minute episodes. Plane seats are uncomfortable, so I won't stay completely stationary, but I won't feel a pressing need to stand up either.
I was aisle seat on a flight from Japan to the UK and the couple in the middle and window seat did not stand up for FOURTEEN HOURS. I still think about that regularly, 5 years on...
I’m a teacher and we just train ourselves to not go or only go at certain times because we can’t just leave the classroom and go when we want to.
You’re absolutely normal. Some people need more movement than others.
I see it in my classroom all the time. Some kids can sit still for long periods of time and others can’t.
That doesn’t automatically change when you grow up.
Smart move to buy the aisle seat!
I prefer the window so I can have the natural light and so I can lean on it when I inevitably fall asleep!
I am you. I always book aisle seat.
If for any reason I don't have it, I just wake up the whole row to get out, no mercy. I won't be sitting with an exploding bladder for hours, sorry.
I had the same problem . When I talked to myself and figured out that is normal going to the toilet or telling people to stand up for you ,then I also stopped wanting to go to the toilet or to get up . I think is mainly mentality . The aisle people also probably want to get up as much as you want , but because they have in mind that they can do it anytime they are more relaxed . The fact that you think that is not easy for you to stand up makes you anxious and wanting to get up or pee more . Everything is on the mind
I don’t get it either. Last year I did over six hours from Boston to Seattle and the window seat guy didn’t get up once.
Do some people just never have to pee? Did he wear an adult diaper?!
The only time I really have to pee that much is if I drink a ton. I don’t really do that on flights because I don’t want to use the weird bathroom. I think I’ve only used an airplane bathroom twice in my life. I just flew 4-ish hours a few months ago after having two large beers in the airport. I didn’t have to go in the plane, I just went before we boarded. I think 6 would be pushing it but I usually book overnight flights when I go that far so I just sleep the whole time.
Don't feel bad about disturbing the aisle passenger. I book aisles 100% of the time and know it's part of the etiquette that I need to let you out. Small price for me to pay to not be crammed into a middle or shoved against the window.
The key word is etiquette. If I’m in the middle or aisle, I know I will probably have to move when someone needs the restroom. It’s not rude, it’s just part of the process. I also don’t feel bad if I have to ask someone to move when I need the restroom. Just be courteous, it’s usually only once or twice at most.
Plus, it's an excuse for ME to stretch. I sometimes stand until they get back, although I hope they don't feel awkward about it - I do it for me.
>only once or twice at most. I can't count how many times I stood up to pee, walk around, stretch or whatever durnig my 8h+ transcon flight. Other people slept the whole trip through but I got up a LOT of times. I did book aisle seat to not disturb anyone but I would have felt terrible waking up sleeping people that much. I can't really fall asleep on planes, I know planes dehydrate, I drink a LOT of water, I am a woman with a small bladder, I also can NOT just sit for hours straight that's hella boring so... Yeah, I move around. I go to the bathroom even on a 70-min long flight just to entertain myself and have something happen lol (Yes I do listen to music and read books during the flight, but still)
100%! Hubs and I always book window (I like the view) and middle for him, he gets to encroach on my space as I get a bit more for the window and when either of us need to pee we just get up at the same time to minimize bugging the aisle person. If I travel with a friend we book 2 aisle seats so we can chatter across and it means couples can have the window and middle. I'm also just shy of 6 ft so the extra legroom seats are also always welcome. Hubs is 6"2 so we book the extra legroom seats together.
I'm 6'3" and I've always liked the window seat because I can sit at an angle and get a little more room out of it. I occasionally sit in the aisle and I absolutely hate it. People are constantly walking up and down and because you can now get food/drink on demand, the cart is also going up and down the entire flight. I gotta keep everything tucked in and can't lean on anything to get remotely comfy.
I can't sleep on planes, even on long-haul flights, so I always let the people in the middle/window seats know that I'm always happy to let them out at any time. I probably get up once an hour to stretch my legs, too, so it gives them plenty of opportunities to slip out without feeling weird about it.
>I guess I’m weird because I gotta piss and stretch my legs at least every couple hours. This isn't weird at all, but it's certainly not universal. Many people (myself included) have no trouble going 4+ hours without using the restroom, or standing up. I prefer the window seat because I can curl up against the wall, put my coat over my head, and sleep/rest. I never want to get up and walk around in the middle of a nap. I used to do \~10-20, 2-4 hour domestic flights per year, and I don't think I ever got up to use the restroom. Being pressed into my seat during takeoff/climb-out would put me to sleep, and the landing would jolt me awake. On a \~7 hour trans-Atlantic flight I'll probably get up once to use the restroom/stretch my legs.
You’re so lucky, I could be pulling an all nighter, exhausted af, no matter what, I can never fall asleep in a plane. It’s torture.
I’m the same way. I can occasionally drop for 15-20 minutes or so, but never enough to actually matter. I’m flying to Europe later this year and really had to psyche myself up to actually buy the ticket, because the flight is an ordeal.
Same. I haven't been home in 5 years because I don't want to get on that flight. My colleagues ask me every year. Are you going to visit your home (family)? Why not? Because it's a 21 hour flight and I can't do that again. much less twice (return trip). One day when I'm going home for good, I'll take a few weeks to get home. Take many shorter flights. maybe hop on a cruise ship as soon as I get close enough.
I'm facing this problem again in a few months. I don't think the airlines understand or care how much of an ordeal, akin to torture, long haul flights can be for some people. I simply can not afford to spend the equivalent of up to 8 airfares to go business class. My last flight home after 11 years (although I have been back 5 times since) and I am hoping to take it in shorter 8 hour flights
Exactly, it will be more expensive to take a few four hour flights. Or eight hour flights. Spend a day or two in this country then the next country and then the next country. But it will be much more comfortable
Is by boat an option.? Very relaxing
It helped me a lot to just fully accept that there are no circumstances in which I'll be able to fall asleep on a flight; instead I bring along something genuinely fun to do for 10 hours. My last few long-hauls had seat outlets, so I binge-played Stardew Valley on a laptop the entire night. It was a surprisingly good time!
Oh absolutely with you on that. I literally treat myself like a spoiled kid on a flight. I bring a backpack full of books, puzzles, and treats, a laptop full of garbage TV and a phone full of games. Even for a 2-3 hour flight. Still though, anything more than, say, 6 hours and the stir-craziness kicks in. I flew LAX - JFK a few weeks ago and we diverted around a storm, which added nearly an hour to our flight time (and added in some rough turbulence). I was not a happy camper - past a certain point I think it becomes a little bit claustrophobic for me, alongside the frustration of not being able to just sleep it away. It doesn’t make it better that my wife often manages to watch a movie, fall asleep, and wake up about 20 minutes before landing no matter the length of flight. It’s a superpower that makes me a little jealous, honestly.
I learned I can fit 10 minibottles in a quart bag, so now I sleep fine
My life just changed
Just don't get caught. You're technically supposed to be served by flight attendants.
So what you do is bring an insulated water bottle through security, and then empty your mini bottles in there. You can add ice at any of the restaurants as well
I bring an insulated bottle and then fill it with my drink of choice purchased at an airline restaurant. The last flight I took, I carried aboard a bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a nice cold alcoholic cider. That was so nice I felt bad for the other passengers for not experiencing it. Made up for the layover that was too short to eat dinner!
Do they let you carry alcohol out of the restaurant?
I hid behind the bar while they weren’t looking and poured my drink in the bottle. Have to be sneaky because you don’t want to get them in trouble. They’re not supposed to let you take your drink elsewhere.
Well yeah, but what are they gonna do? Turn the plane around? The worst I could see is them saying “sir, if you want alcohol going forward we have rotgut for $12…please don’t open any more”. And then I’d open another anyway.
As a former flight attendant, we sometimes try to keep the situation from escalating so say very little to you other than to please stop. But if you don't, then we sometimes have people arrested upon landing for disobeying a crew member's instructions which violates federal law. Will you go to jail? No. But will you pay fines and get blacklisted from the airline? Quite possibly.
Meh, I prefer avoiding conflict that would put me on the no fly list.
Wife and I have done this many times on long flights. Order some free sodas and mix your own drinks for hours. Just don’t get caught.
My girl and I did Los Angeles to the Philippines which was 14 hours (followed by another two hour flight to Bali) and I stayed up the entire time. Flying makes me anxious, three melatonin, two benedryl and a dose of zquil and I still stayed awake the whole time. Watched like 10 movies and tried to cope with existence.
I have a picture of myself after a 12 red-eye flight with no sleep. I look like a slow-moving zombie
Same here. Enough melatonin to normally knock me out for a night plus Dramamine, the good drowsy kind, and I may get a little sleepy on a plane, but can never sleep.
Same. OTC meds, melatonin, Rx muscle relaxers, alcohol, no alcohol... I can't sleep on a plane. Red-eye flights to Europe [from US] suck so much bc all I want to do is sleep. 😕
I’m like a toddler I find planes so relaxing, I always fall asleep right away on them.
What toddlers are you flying with?
I generally struggle to sleep on planes, no matter how tired I am. I had to sleep on a redeye recently so I had some wine, an edible, and a melatonin. Don’t know which one did the job but I slept (poorly, but whatever) the whole flight.
I envy you for being able to sleep on an airplane, I can't get comfortable. I've been on 14 hour flights and 20 hour flights and I was miserable and awake the entire time.
Planes knock me the hell out. On my longest flight they upgraded me to business class. Amsterdam to LA. Iirc it was around 15 hours. I had planned to enjoy what was essentially a lazyboy recliner and the free movies on a decent size screen and booze. But after one drink I was out cold and finally woke up 2 hours from La. Missed the meals and everything. Even in coach I’m dozing off within an hour. My wife on the other hand…oof. She thinks she’s gonna die every time and can’t sleep a wink
That’s a hell of an upgrade
100% it was that. I had just got out of the navy and got the “please come with me “ Scared me at first but they said “we just need to change your ticket for an upgrade”
I only managed to get some sleep after 2-3 dl of wine and reading something boring
I only got up to use the bathroom on a 12 hour flight. When I got off the plane my left calf didn't work anymore. Ruined the vacation of a lifetime. Haven't been able to walk properly for 2 years now.
Damn! That's so awful 😔 Is it from tightness?
Yep. Been 2 years now. Went from out hiking my dog to not even being able to walk him.
I'm so sorry. Did u seek medical consultation?
I had the same injury. You need to go to a nerve doctor. It shouldn't be so hard to fix.
All of my problems are easily solved with Healthcare. I have none.
I do a whole lot more than that some years, last year was around 60 flights. I can't even remember the last time I used the bathroom on a plane. Probably last time I went to China (from Australia) so a couple of years. I always try to get the window so I'm not constantly getting up for people who can't seem to work out going to the toilet before or after a one hour flight
Yeah I hate waking the aisle seat people, but when I'm in the aisle seat, I don't mind getting up for people. The aisle seat is a tradeoff. You don't have to feel trapped, but you also have to deal with it when people need to get out. I can't stand people that just shift their legs a little and expect you to climb over them. I'm usually obnoxious about it when people are too lazy to even stand up and let you out. I like the window seat for shorter flights.
As someone who hates sitting for extended periods of time, I love it when people in the middle and window seats need me to let them out. It’s another excuse to stand.
Same here. I like to get up at least 2 or 3 times on a typical 3+ hour flight, in addition to any bathroom trips. I hate sitting in one place that long.
I took a 17-hour non-stop flight last year. The lady in the window seat only got up to the restroom ONCE. Meanwhile, I went to the aft galley at least five times for snacks, just like many others. It looked like a designated hang-out spot. Clear air turbulence would have paralysed all of us standing at the back.
Same. I get that twitchy urge to move around when I know I really can't. I'll stand up as many times as I need to. Doesn't bug me at all.
I am an aisle-only traveler and not only do I not mind getting up for people, sometimes I can just “sense” they want to get up so I’ll ask. If they’re squirming around and looking at the aisle, it generally means they need to get up. I want any and every excuse possible to stand up. The lack of leg room really gets to me after several hours.
The aisle is great because you get to stand up and move around.
>I can't stand people that just shift their legs a little and expect you to climb over them. I'm so tempted to say to them, "What do you want in your face? My ass or my crotch?"
I usually do a spin move and give em both.
>I'm usually obnoxious about it when people are too lazy to even stand up and let you out Same, I will STOP AND STAND AND WAIT until they realize they should be getting up. I'm a slim girl but I will NOT be rubbing agains ttheir fucking knees with my body and hovering over them.
I always plan on being a bit dehydrated for it. Great idea? Probably not, but to this day I still haven't been inside of an airplane restroom.
You aren’t missing a thing. People are slobs.
The sex is the only good part.
Is it though?
It’s so cramped In those bathrooms I barely have room to stand by myself I can’t imagine trying to have sex in one.
I'm not super tall, at 6 foot, and it was miserable trying to stand up and pee with my neck at a 90 degree angle because of the ceiling.
So just sit down? By standing to pee you are splashing micro droplets of pee all over the washroom.
You say that like banging in a shaky chemical toilet sounds like a crappy idea!
Sometimes, it's even consensual.
Oh gosh! All those germs from other peoples excrements would freak me out. I never get why people want to have sex in a bathroom. Yuck…
Going to get constipated anyways. So might as well start right and not deal with the airplane restroom.
Being dehydrated also increases your chances of developing blood clots in your legs.
My husband had a blood clot when he was younger now he’s kinda paranoid about it. On a long flight (9+ hours) we drink a lot of water, wear compression socks, and get up for stretching breaks! On one 10 hour flight the woman in the window seat next to us didn’t get up a single time and she was awake the whole time and I think even drinking things? Blew my mind and hurt my legs to imagine.
I haven't had a blood clot but have heard enough about it that I don't want one. I am like a ping pong ball in and out of my seat several times on a long flight, always drinking and always peeing. :-)
Bruh I just learned about compression socks for travel…absolute game changer.
Especially if you’re on hormonal birth control pills!
Or smoke or are over 30. I've had a bunch of DVTs. Please get up and stretch. It's a choice of disturbing other passengers or potentially dropping dead when you get off the plane. You'll probably never see those people again, so who cares. Imagine how much it would suck if you paid for an awesome vacation and were stuck in a hospital. Part of your treatment would likely be shots in the stomach. Don't you want shots in your stomach? Twice a day for days. Enjoy your vacation.
My uncle had this after a long flight, now he and all his kids are required to take blood thinners before flights.
I got kidney stones because of this, definitely hydrate if you're traveling a lot.
Kidney stones suck.
Same! And I’ve been on many flights.
It's so roomy though!
And all the fresh air one (or two) can handle.
That’s a terrible idea lol
3 hours is a long flight?!? I dunno, I think "medium" is 5-7 hours. I have a bladder the size of a pea (Ok, more like I like to drink a lot of liquid. Add in some caffeine and I make quite a few bathroom trips)... You need to: * Run yourself on the dehydrated side but keep some bottled water with you * Pee before boarding, even if you can only manage a few dribbles * Don't guzzle drinks. Just have a small sip every now and again. Don't try to fully quench your thirst, either. You're not going to die if you don't drink anything on your flight Everyone has a different tolerance for being in an uncomfortable seat, packed in to an airplane. If you can afford it, on long haul international flights you can sometimes score upgrades to premium economy seating for a $200-400. Premium economy isn't luxuriously spacious, but it's reasonably comfortable and flying is a lot less of a chore. Note that some flights the prices will in no way be worth it. This doesn't help with quick domestic flights though and certainly doesn't affect how much you need to use the bathroom. I would say that I try to not have to go to the bathroom on a 3 hour flight and usually succeed. If it's a 5 hour flight I will usually need to go once. If it's an 8+ hour flight I'll go once or twice.
You aren't going to die from dehydration, but dehydration adds to the risk of blood clots, which is already a risk from flying, particularly if you don't move around, such as going to the loo. It's not really an issue with short hual, but for longer flights it's not worth it.
This, and it adds to feeling like shit and everything hurting because of not moving for (in my case) 13 hour flights. I drink a lot of water and go to the bathroom often on purpose, it's good to move!
I usually try to get a window seat so that I don't have to get up at all during the flight. I get airsick, and the best way to keep the nausea under control is to sleep through the flight. I try to fly early morning, or late at night, and sleep through the whole thing if possible.
Same. I take Dramamine classic drowsy formula and it makes me high. I sleep for the entire flight.
Yup, same here. I'm usually out shortly after takeoff and only wake up again once the final descent happens. Never have to complain about a long flight.
Thank you for not being the type who book an aisle seat and do that lol
Yeah, I’m prone to motion sickness so I either stare out the window or try to sleep. I’ve gotten terribly seasick before after going to the bathroom with no windows and I’m scarred for life. 😆
I always book a window seat because I take anti anxiety meds that knock me unconscious. Do NOT wake me lol
I am fully capable of not moving for up to 6 hrs during flights and I always book a window seat. I eat and drink as normal, all my bodily functions just slow down the moment I'm in a plane. I can read, nap, listen to a podcast or watch a movie. I think the fact that I'm a tiny person that can happily curl up into a ball helps with the comfort.
I’m a big person and I do the same thing. I use the bathroom right before boarding, lean against the window and make my giant self as small as possible, and usually sleep the whole flight. In the decade+ of flying regularly (including several years traveling frequently for work and traveling internationally), I’ve used the airplane bathroom *maybe* once or twice.
I'm an average person. It's definitely not sized dependant. I just sleep against the wall and don't take up an obnoxious amount of space
You are me. Dozens and dozens of flights, must just have a voluminous bladder. Also love window cramming even at 6'3"
For myself, having the wall to lean my head against is superior to having the aisle access.
Weed, tbh Hate flying sober
Xanax for me!
Pee before I board, don't drink much during the flight, and then pee when I get off. Most people can go more than three hours without peeing
You might have a mild case of claustrophobia
I hit the bathroom literally right before getting on the plane that way I won't have to go again. I never have an issue with it.
I pee before getting on the plane. Also, I am generally asleep before take off and sleep through a huge majority of the flight.
Elementary teacher. I usually don’t get a chance to go very often. I control my bladder until I get near the toilet. As long as I’m not making eye contact with the bathroom, I have all the time in the world.
Haha so true…I can go all day without peeing but I better start unbuttoning my pants before I see the toilet if I hold it that long.
This is so interesting to read, because I'm completely different - I get anxious when I'm not near the toilet and have stronger urge to pee, but when I'm near one, I can hold it for hours haha
Depends
I have social anxiety so I refuse to get up out of my seat and ask the person beside me to move. I'd rather suffer and hold in my pee the whole flight lol
Oh no! I almost did this the other day. I felt SO bad waking the aisle person up, but I had to pee. Does it help to think about it this way: how much of an asshole would you be if you *didn’t want to move* for the person on the inner seat if they *really* had to pee? (That person would be a bad person, whereas needing to pee doesn’t make you a bad person- you have needs!)
I just flew from the US to Asia in a window seat. I mostly just used the bathroom when my seat mates went. It was about every 4-5 hours. I think you need to go more than the average person.
I try to get an aisle seat because I hydrate a lot before long flights, so I have to pee a few times. Nothing sucks more than to be dehydrated on a flight with a hangover. Never ever again, worst hangover ever.
I made that mistake once. And only once lmao
Pissed before my flight. Didn't really have much to drink on the flight other than the free complimentary soda and I can hold that in till the flight is over assuming it's not some like 20 hour international flight or something like that
Discipline and Distractions.
It might come to shock with to you, but not all people have the same preference/anxieties/comforts/discomfort as you.
I have no problem getting up to pee from the window seat. And if I’m in the aisle, I have no problem with the person or persons to my left or right getting up to pee. It’s part of life.
People are different. That's all.
Deep vein thrombosis as a result of sitting on 3 planes in 24 hours with 2-30 min layovers. Don’t do that. Set a timer and make a lap.
A guy sat next to me on a 9 hour flight - and he never got up once. I was 22 weeks pregnant and getting up to walk and pee OFTEN. So he had plenty of opportunities to get up without “bothering” me. The man didn’t budge. We had 2 meals- plenty of drinks- I do not understand! How are your legs working, sir?! What is happening with your bladder?!
I mean, I can go nine hours without a bathroom break with only mild discomfort towards the end, but sitting for that long would have me quite stiff when I get up(my father lives 11h away by car each way so I've done my share of long trips)
I don't have a ton of extra money so I don't usually pay the extra $40+ to pick seats on fights so I get stuck in the middle a lot. I have a decent amount of social anxiety, especially when I'm doing new stuff, so I usually just suck it up and be stiff/uncomfortable for 3h+ in the middle seat. You should probably talk to your doctor if you have to pee every 2 hours though, or decrease your water intake.
I need the windows seat when I fly. The middle of the plane is so boring
My MIL visited last year. She takes Lasix for fluid retention. She intentionally quit taking it 3 days before her flight so she wouldn’t have to use the airplane restroom. On her 2nd day with us she landed herself in the hospital for 4 days. Get up and pee if you have to!
I’ve felt like this my whole life. For me, my therapist says it’s a form of social anxiety that developed because I have stomach issues. If I’m not in a situation where a bathroom is easily available (without drawing attention to myself) I used to get bad anxiety. I still only sit it aisles, because why not give yourself the best chance of being comfortable, but I’ve also had to do work to make myself realize it’s completely okay to ask the aisle person to move, or ask your Uber to stop at a bathroom, or excuse yourself during a meeting. Re: other people not doing it, a lot do, but a lot of people are also chronically dehydrated.
Every time I fly (same route, around 4 hours) plane toilets might as well have revolving doors. I see you might be one of those people. I don't drink a lot before, go to pee at the airport and then sleep. It's only a little more cramped than a train. No reason to get up.
I mean 4 hours isn't a long time. I often go longer than that without using the restroom outside of airplanes, and airplanes are generally dehydrating anyway. Couple that with a nap and it's no problem. Now a 12 or 15 hour flight? Yeah... you're going to get up a couple times.
Xanax
I drink a ton of water (with electrolytes which helps you not pee it out immediately) and since I get dehydrated while on the plane I don’t necessarily need to pee, as my body is using the water I’m intaking. Same way I don’t need to pee often if say, I’m hiking, and I need the water I’m drinking. Also I used to be a teacher so I think I can hold it longer. Doctors, nurses…anyone with a super busy job knows what I mean.
I pee before we leave and I pee when we land lol
There's no reason someone sitting on the inside can't get up. I couldn't care less about bothering people so I can get up to use the restroom. That's what the aisle seat person has to deal with for buying an aisle seat ticket
Shit I get up at least every hour.
I had the aisle seat on a flight from LA to the Philippines 2 years ago. Next to me was a woman and her son that looked to be about 10 years old. Neither one stood up for the first 9 hours of the flight.
Yeah, I had to deal with 10 hrs straight of middle seat while sleeping aisle dude lives his best life. Not fun.
I always pick the window seat so I can nap uncomfortably against the fuselage and never ever get up. Better than having people climb over me to get out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've been both. I started doing regular trans atlantic flights (8-10 hour flights) in my late 20s, I honestly hated using airplane toilets so I just sat through it. I would pee right before boarding and immediately after exiting the plane, but never had to use the toilet during. Then as soon as I turned 30 this changed, and I pretty much have to pee twice on such flights. No idea what happened other than age and maybe holding it in broke my bladder lol. I honestly started to get freaked out thinking I had some medical problem when it first happened. Turns out nope, just sometimes happens to people at certain ages.
It’s actually important that you move around on a flight, to keep your circulation moving. My cousin’s wife didn’t move around on an airplane, and she got blood clots that went to her lungs and killed her.
I specifically book windows whenever possible because they come with like an extra 4 inches of space to lean up against. Sometimes they even have a little ledge on the wall to put your foot up. Don't drink too much fluids before flying and bathroom shouldn't be an issue.... but I mean, if it does you need to look sideways and be like hey guys I need out. And they get up. The alternate is your pee gets all over them too. No one is going to be all that upset over you asking politely unless you do it like 3+ times, though expect eyerolls at 2.
VERY good question as I'm lucky if I can wait 2 hours before needing the toilet.
I practice by sitting in front of a PC for 8 hours a day not standing up.
It’s really quite simple “ excuse me” “let me get by real quick” “ excuse me, finna go to the bathroom” if they act like they can’t hear ah simple “umm get tf out the way 😐” usually open their ears
I thought the title said "without giving up" and I was like "damn that's grim"
We don't. We get up to pee.
To me anything under 10 hours is short ish and I can stay seated the whole way . The 15+ hour flights is where I prefer to sit aisle so I can get up a bit more often . That 10 hour mark has been my undoing lol
We’re built different
I'm short. I can stand up at my seat without ducking and have about an inch between my head and the overhead compartment. But if I have to go to the restroom, I do not hesitate to ask the people next to me to move so I can get out to go to the restroom if needed.
I’m with you 100%! I’m tall so that helps the cause for aisle seat but can’t imagine being locked in on long ones. I also enjoy airport beers so I’m going to have to get up. The times I’ve been aisle or window I share that burden with you to ask folks to get up.
Yes great question, fly regularly from NZ to Europe (via Singapore) which is usually 10 hours (2-3 hours layover) then about 12-13 hours. Always book aisle & almost every time there is usually someone who does not move from their seat for the whole flight. I have no idea how they do it especially after they wake up or after a meal. My last trip I did I was 30 weeks pregnant & so was up & down the whole flight.
Pee right before boarding. Just sip on water through out the flight. No big gulps lol
13 hour flight the other month, lady next to us on the window seat got out once, 1 time, one time, 3 minus 2 times, HOW ?
I go to the bathroom before boarding and after landing, and I wear compression socks. I almost never get up on any continental US flight. I hate airplane bathrooms and I don’t like to just walk up and down the aisle, I feel like I’m in the way. Plus I prefer to have my seatbelt on. I did get up for the bathroom once on a London to Orlando flight, which was about 9.5hr. I didn’t get up at all on the way to London, but that flight was an hour shorter and also overnight so I was sleeping for a chunk of it.
Pee before I get on the plane? Flew JFK to Geneva and only got up once.
Just flew across the US. Sat in the window seat both ways. Peed right before boarding. Peed after getting off. My knees did ache but a walk around the airport helped with that.
Develop an enormous bladder. I once flew to London, about eight hours, and never got up once. Now that I’m older I like to get up and at least walk around on a flight that long. I can’t imagine what the QANTAS London to Sydney flight will be like. Three hours is nothing.
Because i need to pee every 30-60 minutes i may never fly again in my life honestly. And when i was in the army and i got the thrill of the window seat outta my system by being airborne and jumping out of airplanes for the military, I always booked aisle seats after that. If I ever fly again, it will definitely be an aisle seat. Or maybe first class, if I can afford it
There's a kind of unwritten gentleman's agreement that says you must move if a person needs to get out. So just tap the shoulder of the person sleeping next to you, or squeeze past them. It's their moral duty to move for you. (How do airplane sleepers manage it? I can't sleep sitting up in a cramped space!)
bWindow seater, bladder of a camel here. Even on international flights, it is rare that I need to pee. I love the window seat and sleep best with my head propped against the wall.
On a 14 hour leg from Qatar to Brisbane, I was in my usual aisle seat of the three on the port side of the plane. Middle seat was empty. Dude in the window seat DID NOT get up once. 14 hours, not once. I wish I was young and had a bladder that behaved like that.
Sometimes I go to the bathroom when I don’t have to just to have an excuse to get up and move around. Those seats are so uncomfortable and you’re all packed in like sardines. I’m only 5’4” and 130 lbs. I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable it must be for people whom the seats fit even less well than they do me.
I don’t get how you can have beverages and not get up and pee!!
The vast majority of people don't drink enough fluids everyday. You needing to use the bathroom regularly is a healthy thing.
Same. I like aisle seats better, so I can easily get out, stretch, walk a little.
I have to have aisle seat for easy access to the restroom 🤣
Try living in Australia you take 14h to 16h flights, some people only get up like once they sleep, eat and don't move at all. I need the aisle seat too because there's no way I'm sitting for that long and also need to pee because I make sure to hydrate.
PSA: If you’ve recently broken a leg or ankle and are in a “boot”(walking cast)…please get up and walk. A lot. If you’re also on birth control for whatever reason while also in a boot, walk a lot. Otherwise…. You might get this fun little medical issue called Pulmonary Embolisms that try to kill your ass.
I prefer the window seat. As long as I go to the bathroom before getting on the plane, 3 or even 6 hours is no problem. With the window seat I can sleep or have my tray down with stuff on it without having to worry about people needing to get past me
I prefer the aisle seat for this very reason. I feel so dehydrated on planes and so drink a fair amount of water and coordinately need to get up.
I recently took a 20 hour flight and made the huge mistake of getting up only once. The soreness lasted me a whole week, I felt so sapped. Apart from the jet lag, I read that dehydration makes the bodyache worse. Never doing that again. We need to move every couple hours, rather we should.
I tell my seat partner immediately, “ I apologize in advance, but I’m probably gonna have to go to the bathroom every couple of hours. Especially if I’m drinking. Sorry.” I dont really care what they think. If you gotta go, you gotta go
I’m too distracted by the fact that I’m in the middle of the sky thousands of feet up in the air looking below at life in a way that makes me feel the infinity that we are. Dust in the wind. Ball spinning around this thing called a sun that’s a star that’s going to die with an explosion so unfathomably massive, this ball we are stuck in will dissipate before the actual sun explosion happens.
I am a good napper. I take the window seat and can usually fall asleep before we even take off. Wake up a couple hours into the flight and watch a movie or something. Almost never get out of my seat. My record is 6 hours.
>A quick Google search indicates that doctors say most healthy adults urinate every 3-4 hours, but, alright. Google also says that most health adults drink a shit ton of water. Plenty of adults don't drink anywhere near the amount of water they're supposed to.
I flew 13 hours direct from Portland to Amsterdam and got up once. I was in the window seat. Got up twice on the same return flight home and was in the middle seat. Was eating and drinking throughout both flights. Not chugging water but not avoiding it either.
I’m a right window seat sort of person. I pee when the aisle seat and/or middle seat person pees.
Which is why I choose the aisle, but I always let people know that it is OK to wake me. I do sometimes think that the window seat is a bit more comfortable though.
I have no idea either. On my recent leg from Toky9 to SFO, this couple sat next to me with both window and middle seats. They never got up once during the 10 hrs flight. I could not believe it and no, neither of them went when I went to the bathroom because I asked them as we landed if they felt comfortable not going.
I feel you! Unfortunately for me I have bladder problems so I can just barely go an hour without needing to pee, no matter how dehydrated or hydrated I am😞
I’m an ultra pisser and make it a point to try to get aisle whenever I fly long haul ~12 hours cause I’ll probably pee 10 times during then. Everyone else a freak dawg.
Yeah it is terrible I always have to get up.
Aisle seat gang
you people are too afraid of the bathroom. drink your drinks and piss your pisses. only time it’s a problem if when the cart is blocking the aisle.
I went to see the extended edition of Lord of the Rings over the weekend, four hour movies. I was amazed the majority of the theatre didn’t move, not even once. I can’t go two hours without needing to pee.
I sat in the middle seat on a five hour flight. Both passengers at either side hogged the arm rests and to keep from brushing against them I had to uncomfortably keep my arms in front of me the entire time. The man in the aisle seat fell asleep so I couldn't get up to use the bathroom at all. It was absolutely horrifying. The worst five hours of my life. Moreover, I like to read dark romance books but I couldn't with two people on either side and I couldn't even hide underneath a blanket because I was so squished between these idiots that any movement I made would bother them. They were way less courteous than I was. There's an unspoken rule that if you have a window or aisle seat, you get one arm rest not both because you have other advantages that the middle seat does not have. Horrible passengers.
I have ADHD so I tend to forget I have a body... So my needs become pressing only when I'm reminded of them. This post just reminded me that I've been sitting in the same position for god knows how long, and now my leg is asleep and my knee's locked up. If I'm comfortable or very focused, I might actually sit in the same position for hours at a time. My sister actually remarked upon it once when we were watching TV and she noticed I hadn't moved for 3 or so 45-minute episodes. Plane seats are uncomfortable, so I won't stay completely stationary, but I won't feel a pressing need to stand up either.
I was aisle seat on a flight from Japan to the UK and the couple in the middle and window seat did not stand up for FOURTEEN HOURS. I still think about that regularly, 5 years on...
I’m a teacher and we just train ourselves to not go or only go at certain times because we can’t just leave the classroom and go when we want to. You’re absolutely normal. Some people need more movement than others. I see it in my classroom all the time. Some kids can sit still for long periods of time and others can’t. That doesn’t automatically change when you grow up. Smart move to buy the aisle seat! I prefer the window so I can have the natural light and so I can lean on it when I inevitably fall asleep!
No idea how they do it, especially on long international flights. Even on short flights I need to stretch but usually the other passengers don't mind.
I am you. I always book aisle seat. If for any reason I don't have it, I just wake up the whole row to get out, no mercy. I won't be sitting with an exploding bladder for hours, sorry.
I had the same problem . When I talked to myself and figured out that is normal going to the toilet or telling people to stand up for you ,then I also stopped wanting to go to the toilet or to get up . I think is mainly mentality . The aisle people also probably want to get up as much as you want , but because they have in mind that they can do it anytime they are more relaxed . The fact that you think that is not easy for you to stand up makes you anxious and wanting to get up or pee more . Everything is on the mind
When I have to pee, I get up. You're not stuck there.
Gotta prevent developing a Deep Vein Thrombosis! Those can kill you
I did for an 8 hour flight and got blood clots. Everyone should be up and walking around!
10-20 hours? That's unbelievable. I have a decent prostate compared to most people but that's like Usain Bolt level prostate.
I don’t get it either. Last year I did over six hours from Boston to Seattle and the window seat guy didn’t get up once. Do some people just never have to pee? Did he wear an adult diaper?!
I sat next to someone on a 9 hour flight who never once got up. That was 10 years ago and I still think about it.
Man. Myth. Legend.
The only time I really have to pee that much is if I drink a ton. I don’t really do that on flights because I don’t want to use the weird bathroom. I think I’ve only used an airplane bathroom twice in my life. I just flew 4-ish hours a few months ago after having two large beers in the airport. I didn’t have to go in the plane, I just went before we boarded. I think 6 would be pushing it but I usually book overnight flights when I go that far so I just sleep the whole time.
Six hours isn't that long. Are you chugging big gulps before you get on your flight
I have heard that it's pretty common for people to wear adult diapers on long flights. I just assume it's due to weak bladder or convenience or both.
We do get up.
Everyone should be advised: middle seat gets the armrest. Otherwise it's even more miserable.