Shrinking bathrooms

In fact, the Los Angeles Times reports that as airlines look to boost profits in a climate of rising labor costs and surging fuel prices, they’re turning to a new strategy: shrinking the lavatories to add an extra row of seats.

According to Gary Weissel, managing director of Tronos Aviation Consulting Inc., American Airlines could bring in an extra $400,000 a year for each seat it adds to a plane.

“Even with passenger complaints on these lavs, I don’t see airlines pulling them out,” Weissel told the publication. “The revenue generated from being able to get an additional row of seats in there is too great.”

Jimmy Walton, a pilot with the airline, calls the shrinking bathrooms “the most miserable experience in the world.”

“You’ve added 12 more seats, no more lavatories, and you’ve shrunk that lavatory to 75% of what it was before,” Walton said. “I can’t turn around in it.”

‘Super close to having an accident’

For Bo, her journey has become a logistical nightmare. She has to turn sideways just to shuffle down the aisle, careful not to bump into seats or passengers.

And she won’t use the bathroom, even if it’s an emergency.

“I can’t use the bathroom, and my maximum flight time is about six hours. I’ve never had a problem with that before except once I came super close to having an accident on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago,” the influencer said in the clip that’s been viewed by 2.7 million people. “There was some bad weather and my plane was rerouted; they tacked on an extra two hours to the flight and things got a little sketch.”

‘Aisles aren’t the problem’

Bo Berry’s bravery in sharing her story sparked a wave of mixed reactions online, creating a heated debate on whether personal size should dictate airline design – or if it’s reasonable to expect such sweeping changes.

“When you’re the only one on the plane affected by the narrow aisles, the aisles aren’t the problem,” one user writes on Facebook in response to Bo’s story.

“Diet and exercise seem a bit more logical than redesigning aircrafts,” shares a second, while a third adds, “Oh ok – let’s widen aisles – it’s easier than going on diet.”

Another writes, “We are not going to rebuild airplanes because someone refuses to do the work to be at a healthy and reasonable size. Childish, egocentric and selfish attitudes will argue and disagree.”

What’s your take on this issue? Have you experienced similar struggles on a flight? Join the conversation and let us know what you think!