travel

ANA asks passengers to go to toilet before boarding

47 Comments

All Nippon Airways is taking its weight-saving efforts to new heights, asking passengers on some of its flights to visit the restroom before flying. The unusual request is one of a number of measures being tried out by ANA to reduce fuel consumption.

ANA estimates that if half its passengers went to the bathroom before boarding, it could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 4.2 tons a month, said company spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka.

The airline will also recycle paper cups and plastic bottles, and use chopsticks produced from wood from forest thinning projects, as part of its efforts to become more environmentally friendly.

The measures are being trialed on 38 domestic flights and four international flights -- on the Tokyo-Singapore route -- during October.

The move follows earlier steps by airlines to reduce the weight of flights by trimming the size of in-flight magazines, slimming the handles of forks and spoons and using lighter drink trolleys and porcelain.

© Wire reports

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47 Comments
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Next, they will reduce the luggage weight per people. Next, ask people to pay accordingly to their weight, next, to take the train.

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The airline will also recycle paper cups and plastic bottles, and use chopsticks produced from wood from forest thinning projects

You mean they weren't doing that before? Well shame on them.

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Maria:

The airline will also recycle paper cups and plastic bottles, and use chopsticks produced from wood from forest thinning projects

You mean they weren't doing that before? Well shame on them.

My thoughts, exactly.

I myself always make sure I've emptied my bladder as much as possible before boarding, but also making sure I've drunk enough water too.

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I agree with Maria's comments on recycling too. Shocking that they weren't already doing it, everybody else recycles bottles and paper cups ffs.

Although I fail to see what using the loo has to do with airline carbon dioxide emissions, but I try to use the loo before boarding as I don't think you're supposed to use them on the tarmac because surely they empty downwards? Or maybe the ANA loos are different?

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Man, this limit on "carry on" items is getting crazy, now they even want to charge you for bring on things that are even INSIDE your own body....

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Some old people really want to go to toilet when they feel nervous about flying. Some might have some kind of sickness of bladder.

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Next step: laxatives when you check in, sauna-temperature waiting lounge, and you have to run against a conveyer belt to get there.

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ANA estimates that if half its passengers went to the bathroom before boarding, it could increase profits by .03%, said company spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka.

Fixed.

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Although I fail to see what using the loo has to do with airline carbon dioxide emissions, Wee and poo is heavy, so the plane has to use more energy to lift up its wee and poo filled passengers. This uses more fuel, which emits more carbon dioxide.

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Next they will be offering free haircuts at the gates to reduce weight.

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it is common sense so I think Ana thinks passengers are stupid and gives them orders as if all the passengers are 6 years old and cannot think with their heads.

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Not sure its common sense. whenever I go to airport toilets there is always someone there with very loud stomach problems. Its gross. I try and avoid airport toilets. But I will get over my fear of airport toilets in order to save the rainforests.

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Flush the toilet out of the airplane during flight. Problem solved.

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Thank you dbung10. I wasn't thinking quite so literally I'm afraid!

As for Ratpack's free haircuts, why not obligatory shaving of heads, faces, and maybe chests etc. too? Hell if they want to put people off using their flights they may as well do it properly. ;-)

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Ban all fat smelly pooh barrels from flights?

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This just sounds ludicrous. Recycling is fine but toilet training?

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I completely support this. It's win-win: less carbon, more profits, at little to no inconvenience to the passenger.

it could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 4.2 tons a month, said company spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka.

What's that in cold, hard cash? (To repeat Altria's point.)

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I'm with the posters above who suggest fatties should pay more.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

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We can use this little tip to save the environment in our daily lives.

Take a leak before you get in your Prius next time (in the garden to save water, of course)

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I always "hit the loo" right before boarding anyway. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember flying. The terminal's toilets are usually nicer than the ones in the plane. Unless you're flying out of LaGuardia or JFK.

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This is a stupid and offensive idea on the part of ANA.The notion of asking paying customers to go to the potty before a flight is preposterous. And an unnecessary one as most do go to the restroom before flights anyway. But this article mentions only this request being made before "some flights." I gather this is a trial bladder--I mean--balloon, then? This sort of thing may just be accepted by a normally passive folk. Would not be so in the West. Moreover, the point of this is not carbon emissions, it is just a very sleazy way for ANA to save a bit of money. I have a better idea for ANA: Why not inject each passenger with helium or better yet hydrogen before each flight and put in a call to Mary Poppins just to be on the light side. Passengers may also be required to open windows during flight and flap arms while scary guy up front pounds the drum. Ben Hur style.

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If anybody tried to tell me when I should go to the lavatory, they'd be given a demonstration of the offending point of egress. A disgraceful way to treat paying customers, but sadly I expect far too many people here will just give it the ols shoganai treatment.

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Who cares if they ask? As long as they have toilets on board.

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People will learn to go pee before checking in. Kind of like weighing in for a wrestling match and then getting a drink.

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You could follow this up and ask passengers not to eat anything for 24 hours before a flight.

This has to be a publicity stunt, though. Surely. ANA got to say this before anyone else, and so they reap the exposure.

(I remember some cases a year or two ago about aggressive passengers trying to use the bogs as the plane was lining up on the runway ready for take off. Maybe this is what started the idea.)

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This is extreme but I guess some will agree especially passengers in Singapore and Japan. Normally this ask will be ignored, it is just extreme, strange ,probably offensive.

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Is this some sort of bladder control discrimination problem? What if you can't hold a pee for several hours? Will you be charged for that?

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Nanda - ANA should ask passengers not only to not eat anything for 24 hours before a flight, but not to drink anything for 3 hours before the flight, and, of course, not serve any food or drinks during the flight.

I can't believe what this formerly great airline is doing these days. Idiots.

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"All Nippon Airways is taking its weight-saving efforts to new heights"

Good one.

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Are they actually going to make passengers go to the loo before boarding? I highly doubt it will be mandatory! From what I read above, it appears to be just a friendly suggestion and it would help to reduce the weight the plane would be carrying. Of course, it would reduce it by only a wee bit per flight, but that adds up each month. (And it is not like the policy is asking passengers not to go to the loo while on the plane.)

It is a simple, easy idea many of us could do and it would keep fuel consumption down. It would help cut carbon emissions and it would contribute to keeping fuel costs from rising. If this policy can help prevent the price of flying from going up, I have no problem with some of the ideas ANA wants to implement. I would have a problem with paying more for to travel. It's expensive enough already.

I would rather pee than pay!! :P

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will they insist you do a no.2 preferably as it weighs heavier?

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slimming the handles of forks and spoons and using lighter drink trolleys and porcelain.

How do you slim the handles of forks and spoons. And drink trolleys are aluminum....make them thinner and they break down more. Porcelain? Where...certainly not in the plastic toilet compartments.

Next we will be hearing that they are forcing the hiring of petite, slim, not so tall sexy girls as stewardesses...hmmm sound ok to me. I vote on that.

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it is common sense so I think Ana thinks passengers are stupid and gives them orders as if all the passengers are 6 years old and cannot think with their heads.

most of ANAs passengers are locals, so its easy to do the math

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It's much nicer to use the airport bathrooms anyway.

Kind of shocking they're only now just starting to recycle basic goods.

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Are they actually going to make passengers go to the loo before boarding?

Yes. Recalcitrant customers will be given three cups of coffee and a fifth of gin by way of encouragement.

Hmmm...I could get behind this.

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I'm all for saving energy and being eco-friendly but this is taking things a bit far. And, like other people have said, it's shocking that they weren't recycling before.

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Someone in Planning at ANA needs to re-prioritize his work goals.

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Asking people to use the bathroom before flying is fine. More like "reminding" them to do so I think. And if it does help the environment a bit, why not? I always go just before boarding anyway as it can always take longer than you think to get airborne and they turn the fasten seatbelt sign off...

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its so funny that people keep on saying save the environment, decrease carbon dioxide emmissions, its global warming and all that stuffs but when measures hits home, people starts to ridicue these policies. Its like Al gore going around the world pleading people to save the earth but he is not willing to decrease his electric consumption and other measures to save the earth. Yeah, easy talk. Airplanes are major carbon dioxide emitters. Yup, almost 20% of emitted CO2 are coming from planes yet Earth lovers go around by planes and say save the earth. Makes my day.

Anyway, only works if you think global warming is caused by CO2.

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ANA should give people a dose of ex-lax before boarding.

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Maybe they should change the name to APA.

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As long as they're not locking the restrooms off, this doesn't bother me. The last time I flew internationally (12 hours?) I only went twice. I'm in favor of suitcase weight restrictions, however. People try to bring half their worldly possesions on board.

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You know without all that extra weight people are carrying around might help ANA flights get better gas mileage lol. Not only that but people won't have to be annoyed by someone using the bathroom anymore. Next thing you know they will be asked to be weighed in before flying. Sorry sir you have reached our acceptable weight limit for carbon emissions for this flight. You will need to schedule another flight.

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I was bemused at first about ANA's approach to going green and the toilet issue; but ended up gaffawing. Since most flights inside Japan are manageable between pit-stops to the lavatory, knowing the Japanese not many if any will head for the head in the plane during the trip. They don't want to stick out from the crowd. I love Japan and this is one example of why.

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Amazing fact:Do you know that by going to the toilet before boarding, you can help to reduce green house effect?...kind of a suggestion will be more acceptable and get more co-operarion if passengers care enough to read the sign.

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It is common sense but how many times have you seen a Japanese person get up and go to the toilet after boarding and before the seat belt signs are turned off? For me that would be pretty much every flight - on my last flight which was a non Japanese carrier the Japanese lady got told to sit back down but Japanese attendants on Japanese flights don't seem to do that...

Not sure if this is a weight saving eco thing - sounds more like a safety thing

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As I'm reading this story there is an ad for Korean Air Lines beside it. I think it's trying to say something about this story.

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