Jaunted

Tags: Airplane Lavatories / Airlines / Airline News / Oman Air / Toilets / → All Tags

Oman Air's New Toilet Is Set To Flush The Competition

If there’s one sign that the economy is on the rebound, it’s probably not the fact that the market topped 10,000 yesterday. The true test of economic recovery comes with crazy luxurious lavatories aboard commercial airliners. Back before the bust, Emirates was all about promoting their shower for the classiest of first class flyers lucky enough to travel the world on the A380. However, now Oman Air wants a piece of the action, and they’re going to do it with their toilet.

Details are limited at this point, but we’re suckers for their trap, and we want to know more already. The airline is ordering up some new Airbus A330-300 aircraft and they’re planning to install the swanky bathrooms aboard the new planes. Only the pilot and first class customers will have access to the lavatory that sits right behind the cockpit. Besides the toilet there will be a bidet, Amouage products, and plenty of other lotions, colognes, and perfumes to keep passengers so fresh and so clean.

more ›

Tags: Bad Ideas / ANA / Bathrooms / Toilets / Airline Fees / → All Tags

ANA Politely Requests You Pee Somewhere That's Not On Their Airplane

Among the many, many problems that arise out of Ryanair's ongoing success—they're up another 17% by the way—is that people start to think like Ryanair executives. Japanese airline ANA, perhaps inspired by the "we'll charge you for the bathroom" shenanigans of Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, has taken to trying to regulate the urination of its passengers by urging them to pee before they board. This can't be for real, right?

Sounds like it is, though:

more ›

Tags: Ayers Rock / Australia Travel / Toilets / Travel Health / → All Tags

Australia Says No To Pooping On Uluru

The last time we mentioned the big red rock that is Uluru, a major tourist attraction almost smack-bang in the middle of Australia, it was with the relatively reasonable question of should we climb it or not, given the apparent dangers and the feelings of the local Aboriginal people. This time though, Uluru is up for discussion because, unbelievably, some tourists are using the top of the rock as a toilet.

As Northern Territory boss Paul Henderson said this week: "It is outrageous and offensive that tourists are defecating on top of Uluru, an Aboriginal sacred site." You can say that again. A tour operator admitted that some tourists even took a roll of toilet paper with them, despite knowing that there were no toilet facilities of any kind at the top of the rock, and no soil or sand to dig in.

more ›

Tags: Airline Fees / Toilets / Airline News / Ryanair / → All Tags

Ryanair Will First Charge You To Pee, Then Take Away Your Toilet

It's back! Even though Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary would have us believe that their threat to begin charging to use the airplane bathroom never left the table, we still can't believe that this issue has resurfaced.

The pay-to=pee idea has returned because, after all of the laughing and "you're kidding, right?" died down, Ryanair has reaffirmed their commitment to bringing this incredibly miserly fee to the skies. Although no firm dates have been announced, O'Leary did say that it would be within the next two years, a time frame which could be moved up if Boeing quickly figures out a way to install credit card machines on stall doors.

more ›

Tags: Toilets / Travel Lists / Travel News / Bathrooms / → All Tags

Travel the World of Posh Public Bathrooms; Anyone For Lion's Head Sinks?

Remember the best-selling book 1000 Places to See Before You Die? You know, the tome everyone who enjoys travel received for Christmas in like, 2004? Perhaps the best part of that book was the ability to go through and count up all of the spots you've already hit and plot for the rest.

We recommend doing something similar with Cintas' list of America's Best Restrooms, all currently vying for the title with voting open through July 31.

more ›

Tags: Airline Fees / Ryanair / Travelzoo / Toilets / Travel News / → All Tags

Ryanair's Pay-to-Pee Policy Might Not Be as Reviled as We Thought

We thought that when Ryanair introduced the possibility of using pay-for-toilets on its airplanes, everyone would say it was an outrageous fee to force on passengers. However, thanks to a study done by Travelzoo, we've learned the sad news that 41 percent of Americans would be ok with giving up their restroom privileges if it meant saving more money on a flight. Yes, people would forfeit going to the bathroom for a cheaper flight. Is nothing sacred in-air anymore?

more ›

Tags: Ryanair / Airline Fees / Michael O'Leary / Toilets / → All Tags

Ryanair Might Charge You For Peeing In-Air

Could this contraption await you on your next Ryanair flight?

Has Michael O’Leary realized he’s gone too far? There we were thinking that by abolishing check in queues, Ryanair had gone just about as far as it could in its quest to be the most measly airline ever.

But then CEO Michael O’Leary went on TV this morning and announced that the airline was considering charging passengers to use the toilet on its planes. He told the BBC:

One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound ($1.43) to spend a penny in future

more ›

Tags: Toilets / Cafes / Bathrooms / → All Tags

Viennese Cafe With Easy Bathroom Access

In a city we expect better from, the usually-culturally-rich Vienna, someone's really let us down by creating a cafe with a bunch of toilets lining the walls.

The theory is that if the male customers can sit on the toilet while drinking their coffee--they're not functioning toilets, in case you're freaking out--they'll be more rested and happier and, we presume, more likely to come back and buy their next coffee in the same spot.

The name now translates to "A Quiet Place" and we're thinking it's an appropriate name. Watching other customers sitting on the toilet is not our idea of high culture in Vienna, so we'll be staying away and leaving the cafe nice and quiet.

Related Stories:
· Cafe Loo-ses the Plot [Ananova]
· Phil Café and Store in Vienna [Jaunted]
· Vienna Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ananova]

Tags: Airport Lounges / British Airways / T5 at LHR / Toilets / → All Tags

British Airways Has Bidets In Their First Class Lounge

Since we're doomed to spending our lives outside of first class airport lounges, we hungrily roam the internet drooling over the places we'll never see inside. Today we're curious about the British Airways first class lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5.

It's pretty swish looking, as any brand new first class lounge should be. And then there's the bathroom.

This is a fully-equipped bathroom, as you can see, complete with bidet. We don't usually expect this kind of cleaning service from the Brits. The really scary thing is that there's a little voice in the back of our mind saying, "If they've even got bidets, they must have fantastic WiFi."

Related Stories:
· The First Class Lounge at Turkish Air is Rather Palatial [Jaunted]
· Security Guards in Qatar's First Class Lounge Won't Allow Any Pictures [Jaunted]
· Heathrow Terminal 5 Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: garybembridge]

Tags: Train Travel / Cell Phones / TGV / Toilets / Bathrooms / → All Tags

Trapped in the Water Closet

Firefighters in France cut a passenger out of a train bathroom after his arm got stuck in the toilet. Yes, really.

The traumatized traveler was apparently fiddling with his cell phone when it fell into the toilet bowl. When he tried to fish it out, his arm got sucked into the plumbing, causing a two-hour delay for the TGV making its way to La Rochelle from Paris. Said a witness:

He came out on a stretcher, with his hand still jammed in the toilet bowl, which they had to saw clean off.

A spokesman for SNCF, which operates the TGV, called it "an unlikely accident," though unlikely makes it sound like it's happened before. Considering the state of most train bathrooms we've seen over the years, we'd gladly sacrifice a phone before sticking our arm in the plumbing.

Related Stories:
· Frenchman Delays Train After Getting Arm Stuck [Telegraph]
· Man's Arm Trapped in Toilet [BBC]

[Photo: FaceMePLS]

Tags: Toilets / Bathrooms / Rolf Potts / Books / → All Tags

The Rolf Potts Virtual Book Tour: The Cross-Cultural Ramifications of Wiping Your Ass

Long-term travel guru and po-mo hero Rolf Potts has been doing the travel blog circuit for the past week and a half, talking about travel writing, travel writing and, well, travel writing. So we put that topic aside and asked him to tell us a funny story from his new book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There. Thus this tale of pooping in India:

Chapter 5 of Marco Polo Didn't Go There is entitled "Something Approaching Enlightenment," and this story recounts a grand misadventure that transpired in the Indian Himalayas a few years ago.

By the time this tale ends, I have endured detainment by the Indian army, survived an attack by a giant mastiff dog that ripped my pants to shreds and spent a long night stuck in a town where the only place to sleep was a room occupied by three drunken, porn-obsessed Indian road engineers.

What I never included in the original story, however, is a small, tangential detail that can functionally serve as a little parable about the cross-cultural ramifications of wiping your ass.

more ›

Tags: Architecture / Design / Toilets / Bathrooms / → All Tags

Luxury Overdose: Even More Golden Toilets in Hong Kong

Swisshorn Watches thought it would be a good idea to do some sort of over the top public relations stunt to help introduce their brand into the Asian market. So with the help of the Hang Fang Gold Technology Group, they built a massive palace entirely out of gold.

The Swisshorn Gold Palace in Hong Kong is 650 square meters of the stuff. Everything, including the desk, the bed, the couch, the carpet and, yes, even the toilet is gold. The project took five years to complete at the cost of $50 million. Other features include an entrance lobby, dining room, living space, bedroom and a bathroom.

The space is inspired by the legend of Emperor Han Wu, who promised his wife Ah-Jiao a palace of gold. That being said, for some reason it was designed with a "European architectural feel."

The palace is open daily, and admission is a mere $3. With about 2,500 visitors expected every day, they should recoup their costs in no time.

Related Stories:
· Swisshorn Gold Palace [Official Site]
· A Legend of Gold [DeZona]
· A Golden Throne in Hong Kong [Jaunted]
· Hong Kong Travel coverage [Jaunted]