I Groomed Myself During A Flight And The Crew Went Into Anti-Terror Alert Mode
This happened a while ago while I was traveling to the US on a 9h flight from Europe. Context: I’m Greek / Lebanese and am a rather moderately hairy person, most of it on my face.
I had an important meeting to attend in the US that was happening a few hours after I land, so I had to freshen up and prepare while on the plane still. A few hours into the flight, I went to the bathroom to change my clothes, wash my face and freshen up, trim and maybe my beard, put on some deodorant, etc. I took my backpack with me since I’ve got everything in there.
After spending some 5 minutes in there, struggling to move around the tiny bathroom stalls on planes, someone knocks on the door. I don’t answer, I thought someone needs to use the bathroom but it was clearly occupied. Another 5 minutes go by and I start hearing chatter outside and could feel some people moving around. I hear a knock again, at this point I had my shirt off and my face was half shaven with mousse all over the other half. I open the door in this questionable state. To my surprise I see 3 flight attendants looking terrified standing around the door… Two women and one man.
So I laugh and ask them if there are a rule and a timer for how long you can use the bathroom or what exactly was going on. The man proceeds to tell me some passengers complained because they saw me go in with my backpack, and I stayed in there a while, so they were scared something was going down and reported it to the flight crew. Mind you it wasn’t even at the “questionable” beard or stage or anything… it had grown for some two weeks or more give or take. So I laugh some more and tell him I fully understand, but I had an important meeting upon landing hence freshening up, and that I’ll need a bit longer to just shave fully and finish grooming myself. He then excuses himself and we laugh a bit then he goes away.
Shortly after he comes back knocking and I open, this time in a new fresh shirt and fully shaved, and I ask what’s up? He tells me that some passengers are still concerned I’m shaving my beard and thought I was shaving my body too since I opened the door with mousse dripping on my face and without my shirt on.
I was very confused and at that stage started to get annoyed, just let me use the damn bathroom in peace there are many other people can use. Turns out that apparently some extremist Muslim groups do this before they “get up to no good” (aka sacrifice their lives in an act of holy retribution/terror/whatever the fuck you want to call it – paraphrasing what they told me). Something about going to heaven freshly clean… So at this point, I’m laughing too hard but I tell him I fully understand and that this is a good thing they check on such instances. I’d rather be safe than sorry. I then show him my meeting email with the time and date for the sake of their peace of mind. I also mentioned I was Christian born but not religious and that even as a Lebanese dude I had no idea terrorists were shaving before acts of terror, thanks for the information I didn’t really need.
We then had a chat outside with the rest of the flight crew, laughing and making jokes. I could tell they were still a tiny bit paranoid but 95% apologetic. They didn’t check my bag or anything and now that I think about it I should have shown them what was in the bag (snacks, iPhone cables, some books, clothes, and my toiletry bag).
TL;DR – I groomed myself on a flight and the flight crew along with some passengers went full anti-terror alert mode while fearing this was something more than just one beardy dude shaving and putting on fresh clothes.
For the many “why would you shave on the plane” queries – it was a special circumstance trip that I booked on a day’s notice and my beard grows too fast so shaving before we took off would mean I’d have some annoying stubble when we landed. I wanted to look as fresh as I could for that meeting and I did what I could with the given circumstances. I also groomed myself during a “lights off” time where everyone is asleep. Queues to bathrooms don’t form during that time. Remember, they offer you shaving kits on some business flights so to think anyone shaving on a plane is extreme is funny but understandable if you’re unaware. They have plugs for razors, hairdryers, etc in the plane bathroom stall. I mean they change poopy kids in there so think about that for a second Reddit.
I can’t believe this story blew up.
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Share on FacebookI'd be more concerned that someone was that much of a selfish douchebag to take up so much time in public airplane toilets. Take the time when the plane lands, or if you're really in THAT much of a hurry to get to your meeting shave before the flight.
He states that he used the toilet when most people were asleep.
Load More Replies...Naked by yourself in an airplane restroom. Dude, there is no such thing as the "half" mile high club
An airplane bathroom is one of 2 limited facilities for a few hundred people. This is so selfish. And, if you're going to do something like this, be prepared that people are going to wonder wtf you're up to. It's not their fault. You laughing and making jokes after is even more offensive to everyone who had to wait. Next time arrange for and allow time for this when you arrive. Even the airport bathroom would have been more suitable. This guy is just after attention with his dumbass post.
There are more than two on a long haul flight. More like six.
Load More Replies...Er, newsflash, it's not a bathroom! It's a WC, a toilet, to be used for urinating and defecating. It certainly should not be used to shave, or get changed!
Where the Law states: "you CANNOT shave in the Toilet"
Load More Replies...So, you got up "at night" with a backpack and locked yourself in the bathroom for a very long time and somehow you're surprised people called flight attendants?
Why the hell would you shower and shave before you took you’re flight? Not only would it be super uncomfortable to shave and freshen up in there but it’s super freaking rude and selfish!! Bathrooms on planes are for taking a p**s or dump not to f*****g get ready as if it’s you’re own personal bathroom at home!!
This is the epitome of being selfish and inconsiderate. Then for the pièce de résistance, he occupies the bathroom just a little bit longer in order to get a selfie. When somebody calls him on it, he plays the victim card. This guy is a piece of garbage.
I think it was an odd thing to do on a flight. There have been various 'attention getting' attempts related to air travel on social media recently. Like the guy who got his flight turned around because he claimed to have the corona virus. I think some people don't think(of the impact their actions have on others) before they pull these stunts. I for one, am not amused or impressed.
I'd like a Muslim to chime in on the ”freshening up” rumor. I know cleanliness in extremely important to that faith, but so are beards. I never thought about body hair in that regard.
I'm a muslim and I want to say that beards are actually not important at all. Beards are a choice that many make. The reason for that is that there are sayings that the prophet had a beard, and I guess people want to be as much like him as they can. Abt "freshening up" before doing acts of terrorism, I haven't heard of that either. I don't know. Those who do terrorism are psychopaths. I don't know why they do what they do.
Load More Replies...What kind of a monster shaves in the bathroom on an airplane? That is the most rude, inconsiderate thing I have ever seen. You taking FAR too long when there are limited facilities available. There is bound to be hair left in the bathroom no matter how much you try to clean up. You clearly have no regard for anyone but yourself. Unbelievably selfish. Even after you heard people knocking and assumed they needed to use the bathroom, you just toook your time. Biggest A-hole ever.
haha some of these comments are ridiculous. I always bring a toiletry bag with me on the plane on both long and short flights AND I USE IT. Traveling just makes you frumpy people. *also I'm Italian- just thinking about hair makes my hair grow back ugh
Toiletry bag is a lot different (and smaller) than a full backpack though.
Load More Replies...He did mention that he did this during the time when most other passengers are asleep. For the record, I've taken my bottled water into the facility with me to brush my teeth.
What an a*****e. Hair could really clog the tiny sink and render the bathroom unusable. The terrorist part is plain idiotic but that doesn't make him less of an a*s.
How selfish can you get? Aeroplane toilets are not personal grooming spaces, they’re for everyone. The reason it was so cramped was because it’s for using the toilet, not shaving themselves. Which begs the question, what was he even doing with a razor on the flight anyway?
To shave. he brought the razor the shave. Whether he should've brought one or not is another discussion.
Load More Replies...If I saw someone get up and take their backpack to the restroom, AND they are in the restroom for a while, I WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS TOO!!! We (the public) are now supposed to look for suspicious behavior and report it. Unfortunately, that's the world we live in now. Your behavior was VERY suspicious, and flight attendants went through alot of training to help them identify suspicious behavior. I respect my safety more than your feelings. Next time, plan better.
People on planes can get super paranoid. :D I had a dude approach me while going through the tunnel to get on my flight because I had a "remove before flight" tag on my backpack. You know, those mock keychain things, they've copied off of military missle tags? He was super jittery, like "excuse me, there's a remove before flight tag on your backpack? Should this, uhm..." Told him that the backpack is flying with us. Poor guy was pale as a ghost.
Its a shame that a small portion of extremists within a region of people ruin it for the rest. You see it with every group. Middle Eastern, Europeans, Americans, Christians, Catholics... you name it. But even as a ginger I had some bowel issues on a plane and was "interrogated" upon leaving the bathroom.
Poor little snowflake. I guess it was just literally impossible to shave your beard at any other time before you got on the plane? And it was definitely not possible to wait until after you got off the plane? Had to be done right that minute? Christ.
Everyone's getting on his case about getting ready in the bathroom. While I understand that such a cramped space that's meant for other people to use shouldn't have personal things done in it, that's not the message of this story. Whether he should've gotten ready in there or not is another debate. The real message here is how quickly people judge and assume things about others
I understand the need for emergency shaving, although hogging a toilet for a while is a d**k move, I understand. However, what I am failing to understand is, he said, "what was in the bag (snacks, iPhone cables, some books, clothes, and my toiletry bag)" so why not just take the toiletry bag with you? You go in the bathroom with a whole backpack, of course, there's going to be some concerns. One more thing, I thought any kind of razor was not allowed in carry-on luggage.
He knew the meeting was coming before the flight. He should have shaved the day before the flight, night before or get up early. It's not like he was surprised that a meeting was coming.
Isn't illegal to have a razor im the plane? They take all sharp objects from you, even a nail clipper. This sounds fake to me
I thought this too but I looked it up a few minutes ago and disposable razors are allowed in hand luggage. I had no idea and would have never risked trying to travel with one. Still wouldn’t, to be honest, disposable razors are cheap. Unless I was travelling to the middle of nowhere, I’d be sure I could pick up a pack of disposable razors on my arrival.
Load More Replies...To everyone complaining about using an airplane toilet for too long: if it was a long haul flight (as it clearly was, as they had switched off the lights for the passengers to sleep), there would be no problem using the bathroom for a few minutes more, as there would probably be 4-6 toilets available.
<>: Absolutely pure 100% condensed nonsense. The opposite of true --- most grow a beard to show how fanatical they are, interpreting a specific line as saying that shaving is wrong. There might be an instance where some dressed up as trendy and "western" as possible to blend in a specific place, but that doesn't seem to apply to an airport after you've already snuck in.
contained the quotation (not sure why it got removed?): Turns out that apparently some extremist Muslim groups do this before they “get up to no good”
Load More Replies...To all you guys complaining: Have you ever been on a long haul flight? There are more than one toilet. In fact, sometimes as much as six. And since it happened when most others where sleeping I don't see a problem in occupying a toilet for a few minutes more than usual. Everyone is complaining about a non-issue.
The last long haul flight I took had two bathrooms. For a couple of hundred people. It was an 18 hour flight with a refuel.
Load More Replies...Seriously, It's a 9 hour flight and multiple bathrooms are available. Calling him a "selfish douchebag" for grooming himself is BS. Maybe he should have boarded the plane in soiled sweatpants and flip flops like the majority of Americans do. Should we require every man and women that spends more than 5 mins in the planes bathroom to explain them selves to the entire plane?
I'm glad he was so understanding and the flight crew handled everything perfectly. Too often people are discriminated against and presumed guilty without a chance to defend their innocence.
sorry you had to be exposed to people paranoid racist ideas. - how would you even get something through all the checks in a normal bag anyways. keep taking it in good mood, kill them with kindness and turn them around. definitly looking good.
Oh my god, shut up... more like he needs to apologize to the person(s) that had to p**s while this dude was being a d**k because he wanted to shave and take selfies...
Load More Replies...I'd be more concerned that someone was that much of a selfish douchebag to take up so much time in public airplane toilets. Take the time when the plane lands, or if you're really in THAT much of a hurry to get to your meeting shave before the flight.
He states that he used the toilet when most people were asleep.
Load More Replies...Naked by yourself in an airplane restroom. Dude, there is no such thing as the "half" mile high club
An airplane bathroom is one of 2 limited facilities for a few hundred people. This is so selfish. And, if you're going to do something like this, be prepared that people are going to wonder wtf you're up to. It's not their fault. You laughing and making jokes after is even more offensive to everyone who had to wait. Next time arrange for and allow time for this when you arrive. Even the airport bathroom would have been more suitable. This guy is just after attention with his dumbass post.
There are more than two on a long haul flight. More like six.
Load More Replies...Er, newsflash, it's not a bathroom! It's a WC, a toilet, to be used for urinating and defecating. It certainly should not be used to shave, or get changed!
Where the Law states: "you CANNOT shave in the Toilet"
Load More Replies...So, you got up "at night" with a backpack and locked yourself in the bathroom for a very long time and somehow you're surprised people called flight attendants?
Why the hell would you shower and shave before you took you’re flight? Not only would it be super uncomfortable to shave and freshen up in there but it’s super freaking rude and selfish!! Bathrooms on planes are for taking a p**s or dump not to f*****g get ready as if it’s you’re own personal bathroom at home!!
This is the epitome of being selfish and inconsiderate. Then for the pièce de résistance, he occupies the bathroom just a little bit longer in order to get a selfie. When somebody calls him on it, he plays the victim card. This guy is a piece of garbage.
I think it was an odd thing to do on a flight. There have been various 'attention getting' attempts related to air travel on social media recently. Like the guy who got his flight turned around because he claimed to have the corona virus. I think some people don't think(of the impact their actions have on others) before they pull these stunts. I for one, am not amused or impressed.
I'd like a Muslim to chime in on the ”freshening up” rumor. I know cleanliness in extremely important to that faith, but so are beards. I never thought about body hair in that regard.
I'm a muslim and I want to say that beards are actually not important at all. Beards are a choice that many make. The reason for that is that there are sayings that the prophet had a beard, and I guess people want to be as much like him as they can. Abt "freshening up" before doing acts of terrorism, I haven't heard of that either. I don't know. Those who do terrorism are psychopaths. I don't know why they do what they do.
Load More Replies...What kind of a monster shaves in the bathroom on an airplane? That is the most rude, inconsiderate thing I have ever seen. You taking FAR too long when there are limited facilities available. There is bound to be hair left in the bathroom no matter how much you try to clean up. You clearly have no regard for anyone but yourself. Unbelievably selfish. Even after you heard people knocking and assumed they needed to use the bathroom, you just toook your time. Biggest A-hole ever.
haha some of these comments are ridiculous. I always bring a toiletry bag with me on the plane on both long and short flights AND I USE IT. Traveling just makes you frumpy people. *also I'm Italian- just thinking about hair makes my hair grow back ugh
Toiletry bag is a lot different (and smaller) than a full backpack though.
Load More Replies...He did mention that he did this during the time when most other passengers are asleep. For the record, I've taken my bottled water into the facility with me to brush my teeth.
What an a*****e. Hair could really clog the tiny sink and render the bathroom unusable. The terrorist part is plain idiotic but that doesn't make him less of an a*s.
How selfish can you get? Aeroplane toilets are not personal grooming spaces, they’re for everyone. The reason it was so cramped was because it’s for using the toilet, not shaving themselves. Which begs the question, what was he even doing with a razor on the flight anyway?
To shave. he brought the razor the shave. Whether he should've brought one or not is another discussion.
Load More Replies...If I saw someone get up and take their backpack to the restroom, AND they are in the restroom for a while, I WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS TOO!!! We (the public) are now supposed to look for suspicious behavior and report it. Unfortunately, that's the world we live in now. Your behavior was VERY suspicious, and flight attendants went through alot of training to help them identify suspicious behavior. I respect my safety more than your feelings. Next time, plan better.
People on planes can get super paranoid. :D I had a dude approach me while going through the tunnel to get on my flight because I had a "remove before flight" tag on my backpack. You know, those mock keychain things, they've copied off of military missle tags? He was super jittery, like "excuse me, there's a remove before flight tag on your backpack? Should this, uhm..." Told him that the backpack is flying with us. Poor guy was pale as a ghost.
Its a shame that a small portion of extremists within a region of people ruin it for the rest. You see it with every group. Middle Eastern, Europeans, Americans, Christians, Catholics... you name it. But even as a ginger I had some bowel issues on a plane and was "interrogated" upon leaving the bathroom.
Poor little snowflake. I guess it was just literally impossible to shave your beard at any other time before you got on the plane? And it was definitely not possible to wait until after you got off the plane? Had to be done right that minute? Christ.
Everyone's getting on his case about getting ready in the bathroom. While I understand that such a cramped space that's meant for other people to use shouldn't have personal things done in it, that's not the message of this story. Whether he should've gotten ready in there or not is another debate. The real message here is how quickly people judge and assume things about others
I understand the need for emergency shaving, although hogging a toilet for a while is a d**k move, I understand. However, what I am failing to understand is, he said, "what was in the bag (snacks, iPhone cables, some books, clothes, and my toiletry bag)" so why not just take the toiletry bag with you? You go in the bathroom with a whole backpack, of course, there's going to be some concerns. One more thing, I thought any kind of razor was not allowed in carry-on luggage.
He knew the meeting was coming before the flight. He should have shaved the day before the flight, night before or get up early. It's not like he was surprised that a meeting was coming.
Isn't illegal to have a razor im the plane? They take all sharp objects from you, even a nail clipper. This sounds fake to me
I thought this too but I looked it up a few minutes ago and disposable razors are allowed in hand luggage. I had no idea and would have never risked trying to travel with one. Still wouldn’t, to be honest, disposable razors are cheap. Unless I was travelling to the middle of nowhere, I’d be sure I could pick up a pack of disposable razors on my arrival.
Load More Replies...To everyone complaining about using an airplane toilet for too long: if it was a long haul flight (as it clearly was, as they had switched off the lights for the passengers to sleep), there would be no problem using the bathroom for a few minutes more, as there would probably be 4-6 toilets available.
<>: Absolutely pure 100% condensed nonsense. The opposite of true --- most grow a beard to show how fanatical they are, interpreting a specific line as saying that shaving is wrong. There might be an instance where some dressed up as trendy and "western" as possible to blend in a specific place, but that doesn't seem to apply to an airport after you've already snuck in.
contained the quotation (not sure why it got removed?): Turns out that apparently some extremist Muslim groups do this before they “get up to no good”
Load More Replies...To all you guys complaining: Have you ever been on a long haul flight? There are more than one toilet. In fact, sometimes as much as six. And since it happened when most others where sleeping I don't see a problem in occupying a toilet for a few minutes more than usual. Everyone is complaining about a non-issue.
The last long haul flight I took had two bathrooms. For a couple of hundred people. It was an 18 hour flight with a refuel.
Load More Replies...Seriously, It's a 9 hour flight and multiple bathrooms are available. Calling him a "selfish douchebag" for grooming himself is BS. Maybe he should have boarded the plane in soiled sweatpants and flip flops like the majority of Americans do. Should we require every man and women that spends more than 5 mins in the planes bathroom to explain them selves to the entire plane?
I'm glad he was so understanding and the flight crew handled everything perfectly. Too often people are discriminated against and presumed guilty without a chance to defend their innocence.
sorry you had to be exposed to people paranoid racist ideas. - how would you even get something through all the checks in a normal bag anyways. keep taking it in good mood, kill them with kindness and turn them around. definitly looking good.
Oh my god, shut up... more like he needs to apologize to the person(s) that had to p**s while this dude was being a d**k because he wanted to shave and take selfies...
Load More Replies...
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