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Senior flight attendants recommend that if you have to get up to go to the toilet on the plane, it is okay to politely wake your seatmate and never step over a sleeping passenger; If the other person does not respond, you should ask for assistance from the flight attendant.
When flying, if you are sitting in the middle or window seat and want to go to the toilet, but find that the passenger next to you is sleeping, should you wake him up? Senior flight attendants explained that passengers can politely wake up their companions if needed and there is no need to apologize for disturbing the other person’s rest, but do not try to walk over a sleeping passenger to avoid accidents.
Senior flight attendant Aura E. Martínez said that if you need to use the restroom or have to leave your seat for other essential reasons, it’s perfectly acceptable to wake up your sleeping seatmate, travel media Travel + Leisure reported. “No one should have to suffer their problems just because the person next to them is sleeping,” he said.
Martinez explained that if you choose an aisle seat, you’ll have to endure the possibility of other passengers moving in and out of the seat and being disturbed, so passengers don’t have to feel guilty about needing to use the restroom.
Some may think that walking directly over a sleeping passenger would be less disturbing, but Martínez strongly advises against it. The space between airplane seats is narrow, and passengers can easily lose their balance when passing over others. Not only can they get injured, but they can also injure each other, and no one wants to wake up to a stranger walking all over them.
The best approach, she suggests, is to softly say, “Sorry,” or “Sorry to wake you up, I have to go out for a while.” If the person doesn’t respond, tap lightly on the shoulder or upper arm, but don’t shake the person, touch their face, or raise your voice.
If the person doesn’t wake up after tapping, Martinez recommends pressing the service bell and asking a flight attendant for assistance rather than pushing or shaking the passenger. He said flight attendants can help wake up the passenger and confirm whether the passenger is difficult to wake up due to physical conditions. If this occurs, it must be controlled by the crew. Don’t forget to thank your neighbor after successfully leaving your seat.
As for passengers sitting in aisle seats, Martínez also suggested that before going to bed, you can actively say to your neighbor: “If you need to go out, you can wake me up.” So that the person in front does not have to worry about disturbing you.
