The only thing worse than using an airplane bathroom is not being able to.
That’s something that TikTok user Heather (@aldridgeadventuresawaits) and over a hundred other Frontier Airlines flyers had to learn the hard way after a bathroom issue caused their flight to be diverted.
In a video with over 2.7 million views, Heather shared her story. Her tale revealed just how bad a flight without bathrooms can be.
What Went Wrong On This Frontier Flight?
According to Heather, she and her family were flying from El Salvador to Atlanta via Frontier. After they boarded, they were told the bathrooms didn’t work.
“We were informed when we got on that only one bathroom was working, even though there are at least 100 people on this plane,” Heather states. “We’ve now been informed that, halfway through our flight, someone has thrown up in the sink. It’s now a biohazard, and no one can use the bathroom.”
As the video progresses, flight attendants discuss possible solutions to the problem, including landing in Cancun or Fort Lauderdale.
How Did This Even Happen?
Across several follow-up videos, Heather recounts how her family ended up in this unfortunate situation in the first place.
According to Heather, her family had cleared normal airport security and decided to buy some drinks and snacks. However, when they got to the gate, they discovered another security line.
“They are taking everyone’s bags, purses, strollers, everything, and dumping them out on the table. All your underwear, your clothes, every single pocket. [They’re] checking for liquids—because no drinks are allowed on the plane,” Heather recalls. This is known to occasionally happen at several airports in Latin America.
In response, Heather and other passengers began chugging their purchased beverages. This turned out to be a big mistake, as once Heather, her family, and the rest of the passengers boarded their flight, they were informed that the airplane only had one working bathroom. To make matters worse, Heather said that this information was conveyed in English despite many of the passengers only speaking Spanish.
Things Get Worse
Once passengers realized what was happening, a long line formed for the bathroom. At some point, a passenger vomited into the sink—marking the lavatory as a biohazard and shutting it down entirely.
Heather says that, at this point, the captain polled passengers about who had to use the bathroom. He also asked who could hold it for the remainder of the flight. The total flight time was around four hours.
“[The captain]’s like, ‘Okay, so I can’t continue on with no working bathroom. So, we’re either gonna land in Cancun or Fort Lauderdale,’” Heather recalls. Eventually, the captain settles on landing in Tampa.
Even when the group got to Tampa, however, Heather says that the situation remained stressful. Heather says that, as the technicians fixed one of the bathrooms, pressure was applied to passengers who needed to use the toilet, with crew reportedly telling flyers, “We need to get in the air!”
Eventually, Heather and her family made it to their destination. While this experience soured Heather on the airline, she says she won’t discount using it again entirely. For her, the cost savings of using the airline can be significant enough to justify the risk of situations like these.
Is This Legal?
Surprisingly, yes.
According to an archived 2015 article in the Chicago Tribune, it’s up to the airline to decide whether they want to fly without functioning toilets. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the industry, allows the airlines to make their own decision about whether they want to cancel their flight or simply inform customers of the issue and fly anyway.
Thankfully, this is exceedingly rare. One study by the United States Government Accountability Office found that, in 2018, only 2% of flights were found to have non-functioning bathrooms. This category included not just non-functioning toilets but also lavatories that were excessively unclean or lacked running water.
When asked about how they handle flights with non-functioning bathrooms, airlines interviewed for the study said that passengers may be notified before boarding so they can use airport restrooms. If all lavatories on a flight are inoperable, the pilot, working with dispatch, must decide whether the aircraft can depart or, if the issue arises mid-flight, whether they need to divert, as shown in the TikToker’s video.
Still, the study underlined that flights with no operational lavatories are extremely rare.
Commenters Share Their Disgust
In the comments section, users offered their disbelief about how something like this was allowed to happen in the first place.
“I would be so mad at the person that threw up in the sink,” said a user. “Why would you do that to our only bathroom !”
“Today our captain demanded a new plane before our flight to CUN because he said ‘there’s no way I’m taking a full 321 to CUN with only 2 working lavatories and no WiFi. Save that for a RDU turn!’” recalled another. “And THOSE are the type of pilots I love flying with.”
“As someone with IBS, they would have had to restrain me because I am using that bathroom one way or another,” declared a third.
@aldridgeadventuresawaits We were told after boarding that only ONE bathroom was working for 100+ people. Then someone got sick… that bathroom shut down… and suddenly we’re emergency landing. #TravelNightmare #FrontierAirlines #TravelTikTok #FlightDelay #AirlineChaos @Frontier Airlines
BroBible reached out to Frontier and Heather via email.