The Airplane Bathroom Secret Flight Attendants Don't Advertise

When nature calls at 30,000 feet, the airplane bathroom becomes unavoidable. In you go, diligently locking the door behind you — no one wants the added indignity of being walked in on. But behind the door lies a secret most passengers are unaware of, and flight attendants aren't exactly shouting about it from the rooftops. That cozy little bathroom might not be as private as you think as cabin crew can unlock the door from the outside.

How do they do this? The method may vary by aircraft, but YouTuber Sándor Tarnóczi demonstrated one way. If you flip up the metal "lavatory" sign on the toilet door, underneath you'll find the unlocking mechanism. Slide it across and the door unlocks! Before you swear off in-flight beverages for good, think back. Has a flight attendant ever popped into the bathroom unannounced while you were in there? We guess not. The cabin crew only unlocks the door from the outside in specific situations.

So, when might a flight attendant need to unlock the lavatory door from the outside? Well, imagine someone goes to the bathroom and gets locked in (the horror!). Or someone has a health emergency while in the lavatory and is unable to open the door themselves. Perhaps you're in the plane bathroom and turbulence strikes, injuring you. It's under these kinds of circumstances that the door will be opened.

If you need the help of the cabin crew while in the bathroom, how do you get their attention? There's always a handy feature: the flight attendant call button. Push that button and a flight attendant will come to your aid. If they need to, they'll pop the door open. When flying, listen out for the flight attendants' code word for bathroom and you might see this in action!

Now you know the secret airplane bathroom hack. But please, don't try this on your next flight! The only thing worse than using an airplane bathroom would be having someone walk in while you're doing your business.