In the wake of the attempted bombing on the Delta flight, an absurd amount of ‘security theater’ has inevitably resulted. Steps that attempt to do nothing more than advertise ‘some kind of’ bureaucratic action.

By far the most absurd and insulting humanitarian inconvenience recently implemented is the inability of passengers to use the lavatory during the last hour of the flight – this is completely unacceptable.

Already, restrictions on when passengers can get up from their seats make some flights incredibly uncomfortable for passengers – especially children, the elderly, and those with incontinence or other medical issues.

Some examples are when a plane is held at the gate or tarmac before takeoff (up to two hours under new regulations), and passengers are not allowed to get up from their seats – once the plane takes off, it can be another 15 minutes or more before the seat belt lights go off and passengers are allowed to wait in line to relieve themselves.

But that’s in the best case – in some cases, turbulence is encountered upon takeoff which may last for an hour or more (a situation which often goes hand in hand with a tarmac wait for weather clearance).

For me, I have a limit – if I have to go, and there is no foreseeable end to the turbulence, I get up and go. In my past experience, flight attendants will protest and tell me to sit down, but they will not stop or report me. In many cases when the attendants themselves are allowed to get up, they will say nothing.

It can also be an issue when turbulence in encountered just before descent – again, passengers are in lockdown until the plane lands.

As far as managing the seat belt light, it varies widely from pilot to pilot, which is probably the most annoying variable. Some pilots – especially international pilots, in my experience – are very good about making sure that the seat belt light is off as soon as possible and not flipping it on with the slightest bump.

Other piltos are just oblivious that there are human beings in the cabin. I have been on flights where the turbulence had stopped for over an hour before the pilot turned off the seat belt light, and that was only after someone complained and a flight attendant called the cockpit to remind them.

It’s obviously impossible to completely deny passengers access to the restroom on flights, and its already a frustrating experience for the reasons mentioned. Making it even worse for passengers by keeping them in the seat for the last hour of the flight is a massive inconvenience for thousands of passengers every single day while offering nothing in terms of meaningful security.

Just drop it.