Jaunted

The airline is putting up signs at airport gates asking passengers to go to the bathroom. So-called "loo attendants" stand guard as well, asking potential pee-ers if they need to take a trip to the restroom. Bathrooms will still be on the plane, of course, in case of emergency. But ANA hopes that its shaming tactics will cut down on passengers' overall weight... If the bathroom policy's four week trial is effective, ANA will continue it indefinitely.

The ostensible purpose of this inanity is to reduce fuel costs, because the water weight of passenger bladders is apparently cutting into ANA's profit margin. Ignoring for a minute how insane that is, we still don't think that "shaming tactics" are the best way to build customer loyalty. Given the choice between (a) enduring the physical pain of not going to the bathroom or (b) suffering the humiliation of having people glare at us for increasing costs, we would choose (c) we're never flying on this airline again.

Why not just start charging passengers by the pound? Airlines could even institute a kind of system for keeping travelers honest: passengers would be weighed before takeoff and after landing and, should they have gained weight mid-flight, they would be charged for the difference. If they lost weight sitting in the overcrowded cabin, of course, they would get a rebate. Fair's fair after all.

"Loo attendants?" Really? It's actually come to this?

[Photo: Scurzuzu / Flickr]

Related Stories:
· Airline Asks Passengers to Pee Before Flying to Save Energy [YYY]
· ANA Coverage [Jaunted]
· Bathrooms [Jaunted]