Recently while traveling, I had the rare occasion to use an airplane restroom. I avoid that necessity whenever possible, always making a pit stop between connecting flights. People who know me well would tell you that I am tad phobic about public restrooms that are anything less than sterile (is that an oxymoron?), particularly on airplanes. But, regrettably, with my plane landing late and greeted by a "now boarding" sign on the monitor upon checking my next flight, there was no time to stop. I barely made my flight even at a full sprint. For those who have never changed planes in Phoenix, you can't know the terror of having to get from a "C" gate to a "D" gate in a short period of time. If you have ever trained for a half-marathon, then you may be prepared. For those of us who haven't, it feels like miles anyway.
I digress...after getting settled into my "back of the bus" seat because of my late arrival, I realized that it would be better to use the lavatory early in the flight. You ladies all understand. So, with a sense of dread, I made my way to the back to the lavatory. When using an airline restroom, it's a good idea to position yourself before entering the lavatory because once the door is closed, there's no turning around -- literally -- at least without touching all four walls. And that's the absolute last thing you want to do. It's a balancing act to be sure and, judging by the condition of the floor, others have not balanced so well. It occurred to me, in that moment, how unfriendly the skies really are -- most notably for children.
Take a look around. Literally everyone you see anywhere you go is either a child or was a child at some point in time. There are a couple of issues here. Anyone who is already a parent (or is female) can tell you that it's difficult to maneuver with children in public toilets anyway. Never mind not having enough room for one adult to function well. If your child is young enough to need assistance, good luck -- and make sure you have a packet of sanitary wipes on hand.
If you are the parent of an infant and you are flying four or five hours (or more), chances are that a diaper change will be in order. Oh, you do have options! You can change your child on your lap -- risking a mess and offending your neighbors. The tray tables are too flimsy to support the weight of an infant, and who wants to eat on a changing table anyway? Then you have the floor. The only floor space is in the aisle, which is just wide enough for your carry-on (not your hips unless you move sideways), unless you are in the front row, where you are not allowed to stow your belongings, so you won't have access to your diaper bag. Privacy is pretty much out the window in either of those two venues. That leaves the bathroom.
I challenge anyone (and some of us truly are expert diaper changers, even in a pinch) to find a way to balance a wiggly baby either on top of the closed toilet (yuck!), or on the 3 square inches of wet counter space provided. Of course, you do have privacy, even if you can't turn a full 360 degrees. But just how can you bend over in a closet not even hospitable to turning around? Here's hoping you can change a baby in space because you'll have to hold it up in the air and, in this case, gravity is not your friend.
That got me thinking -- When you hear about a plane being stuck on a tarmac for a couple of hours (or in a few cases many hours) due to weather or circumstances, what is a mother (or father) to do? Can you imagine either babies not being changed at all or being changed in a packed (think Southwest) plane? Bring on a problem with the ventilation or air conditioning and this is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
Adoptive parents are particularly vulnerable to these problems. More often than not, they must fly home with their newborn child. They may have several connections or may have to travel long hours internationally. There is no choice of whether to leave the baby at home with grandma. They're trying to get home. We can send astronauts to the space station, but we can't manage a kid-friendly bathroom on a plane? Women did not design these aircraft!
So here is my proposition. Are you a parent? Do you want to become a parent? Were you ever next to a child on a flight? Do you have a mother? That pretty much covers everyone. If so, write a letter. Copy it to as every airline you can find an e-mail or snail mail address for. Ask that they start taking everyone's comfort into consideration, as this affects everyone on the plane! Ask that there be a real changing table on every airline. Ask that they allow enough room for a parent and child to maneuver comfortably -- never mind that a handicapped person has no chance of being able to use the facilities as is (how do they get away with that?). Mention that you intend to fly only "family friendly" airlines. And while you're at it, make a pitch for seats that don't involve sharing your neighbor's personal space (okay, so that request has already fallen on deaf ears so never mind that). I want us to inundate the airlines with requests so that they will take it seriously. Post it on face book, share with friends, pass out a form letter or petition with multiple signatures. After all, it's a revolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment