When Is the Best Time to Use the Airplane Bathroom? Flight Attendant Reveals the Two Ideal Windows

Few in-flight decisions feel as loaded as when to get up and use the bathroom. Go at the wrong moment and you’re stuck behind a meal cart or standing in a line that snakes down the aisle. Go at the right time and you barely wait at all.

Knowing the basics of bathroom etiquette on airplanes is mostly about reading these moments.

According to Sarah B., a flight attendant for a major international airline, there are two ideal windows to target. “The best time to use the lavatory is right after we’ve cleared the first meal service or just before the landing announcement,” she told Travel + Leisure.

Sarah B. goes on to explain that everyone rushes to the airplane toilet after the pilots’ landing announcement.

“They also run there right after eating, and they can get stuck behind the carts for clearing the meals, and it’s difficult for them to get back to their seats,” she told the outlet.

Here are answers to the most common questions about timing it right.

When is the best time to use the airplane toilet?

The best time is right after the first meal service or about an hour before landing, before the arrival announcement plays. Both windows give you an open aisle and a short line. The quiet, dimmed stretch when most passengers are asleep or watching a movie works well too.

When is the worst time to use the airplane bathroom?

The worst times are during cart service and any time the seat belt sign is on. Carts block the aisle with no easy way around them, and the seat belt sign can mean turbulence is coming even if the air still feels smooth. The rush right after the landing announcement is another one to skip.

Should I use the bathroom before boarding?

Yes. Using the restroom in the terminal before you board is the single smartest move. In fact, it lowers the odds you’ll need the airplane lavatory at all. Going right before beverage service begins, while passengers are still settling in, is a solid backup if you missed your chance in the terminal.

Is it okay to use the bathrooms on airplanes during meal or drink service?

No, this is one of the worst times to go. “If you see carts in the aisle, that is not a good time to go,” Sherry Peters, a flight attendant for a major United States carrier, told Reader’s Digest. A loaded galley cart is heavier than it looks and can wall off the aisle completely.

Can I use the airplane bathroom when the seat belt sign is on?

You should stay seated whenever the seat belt sign is on. It often means the crew is anticipating turbulence you can’t feel yet. The same goes for when flight attendants are buckled into their jump seats, which signals takeoff, landing or rough air ahead.

Which airplane toilet should I use, the front or the back?

Head to the back. Travel coach Rani Cheema told Travel + Leisure she goes all the way to the rear because forward-facing passengers can see the front occupancy sign and tend to line up for it. The rear lavatories often draw a smaller crowd as a result.

Why is there always a line for the airplane bathroom?

Lines form because passengers get up in waves, all at once after a meal, after a movie ends or the second the landing announcement plays. The crowding also feeds itself, since people line up assuming a line is inevitable. “I promise there will be a lull in the bathroom traffic,” Rich Henderson, a flight attendant at a major U.S. airline, told USA Today. Waiting a few minutes usually clears it.

Can I use the bathroom during takeoff or landing?

No. You should be seated with your seat belt fastened during takeoff, final descent and landing, when only the crew should be moving. Using the toilet while the plane is still on the ground is also bad airplane bathroom etiquette. If they’re servicing the lavatories, the water or flush might not work.