When nature calls on your next flight, know the best time to go
Some of us can hold it; some of us can’t. In my case, no matter how short or long the flight, there’s an invariable travel truth: I will have to use the airplane bathroom. And while these windowless capsules aren’t places anyone wants to linger, they’re often especially unpleasant at certain times during the flight. That’s why it’s so important to know the best time to use an airplane bathroom. After all, no one wants to wake a sleeping seatmate or play chicken with a flight attendant pushing a beverage cart down the aisle.
You also have the occasional long line to deal with, and those airplane chimes telling you to get back to your seat. With those pitfalls in mind, we asked two flight attendants and a travel etiquette expert to share their insights on when to take your midair bathroom break. Here’s what they told us.
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When are the best times to use the airplane bathroom?
Whether your priority is to avoid a traffic jam in the aisle, a dirty bathroom, a talking-to from your flight attendant or all of the above, here are the best times to use an airplane bathroom.
Before beverage service begins
“Once the seat belt sign has turned off and before any beverage service has begun, this is a great window to sneak off to the lavatory,” says Nick Leighton, co-host of the etiquette podcast Were You Raised by Wolves? “Most people are still settling in to the flight, and the aisles are clear.”
Flight attendant Sherry Peters, who works for a major United States carrier and also runs Atlas + Wild adventure travel, explains that beverage service “usually starts at the top of our climb, within 15 to 20 minutes of takeoff, shortly after the seat belt sign is turned off.” So consider that your window!
And flight attendant Adrian Gaza says this is especially good advice on short-haul flights because once beverage service starts, the crew is rushing to get everyone served.
After food and drink service is concluded
From a flight attendant’s perspective, “the best time for you to use the lavatory is after we are done doing our cart service,” Peters says. “If you see carts in the aisle, that is not a good time to go.”
Depending on the length of the flight, attendants could be serving beverages, meals or after-meal coffees. “We try to do this as quickly and efficiently as possible so that passengers aren’t waiting forever for a drink or meal,” Peters says, adding that it’s very difficult “when we have to break our flow of service to move our very heavy carts over and over to accommodate people who go to the lavatory during the middle of service.”
But a twist on that advice comes from Gaza, who does suggest going to the bathroom during the meal service. (This tip assumes you can get out of your seat without knocking over your or your neighbor’s meal tray.) “Everyone waits until meal service is over and the trays have been collected to stampede toward the lavs,” Gaza continues. But then you’re stuck waiting in the aisles, which is often frowned upon.
Whatever you do, “just be sure to stay out of the crew’s way while they’re serving,” Gaza adds, meaning you should head to the bathroom at whichever end of the aisle the crew has already served.
While everyone is watching a movie
To find shorter lines on crowded long-haul flights, Peters says the best time to use the airplane bathroom is when everyone else is in the middle of their movies. “No one wants to pause their movie to go to the lavatory, and most people will wait until the movie has finished,” she says.
But Peters says after the movie is the worst time to go: “Because most passengers start watching their movie about the same time, everyone tends to get up around the same time to use the lavatory.”
When your neighbor gets up
“If you’re in a window or middle seat and the aisle person has gotten up to use the lavatory, this is a great time to also sneak out since it’ll be the least disruptive for everyone in your row,” Leighton says. Especially on a long-haul flight, your neighbor will probably appreciate having a few minutes to stand at their seat while they wait for you to return from the bathroom.
About an hour before landing
Try to time your last bathroom break as you approach the last hour of your flight, but before the captain announces that they’re preparing for arrival. “Once they make the announcement, everyone else will be jumping up, and the lines are usually the longest then,” Leighton says.
The worst times to use the airplane bathroom
Apart from avoiding getting up to use the bathroom during food or beverage service, Peters also cites these worst times to head to the loo.
When the seat belt sign is on
The seat belt sign isn’t just a suggestion. Even if you can’t feel any turbulence, your pilot knows a few things you don’t (thank goodness!). “Just because there is no turbulence at that very moment doesn’t mean we aren’t expecting it,” Peters says, adding that pilots get a heads-up from planes in front of you. “We have a seat belt sign on for a reason.”
When the flight attendants are buckled up
When the attendants have to sit down and fasten their seat belts, you should absolutely follow their lead. “Never use the lavatory when you see that all the flight attendants are seated in their jump seats,” Peters says. “We are either taking off, landing or the pilot has asked us to sit down, expecting turbulence.”
During the final descent
Rules are for everyone. If you’ve already been asked to stow your tray table, raise your seat to an upright position and buckle up, this is not the time to make a final bathroom run. “Only flight attendants should be walking around at this time,” Peters says, “because we know how much time we have.”
About the experts
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Sources:
- Nick Leighton, etiquette expert and co-host of Were You Raised by Wolves?; interviewed, October 2025
- Sherry Peters, international flight attendant and founder of Atlas + Wild; interviewed, October 2025
- Adrian Gaza, flight attendant for a major U.S. airline; interviewed, October 2025
