Ever wondered why there’s specific times during your air travel when you can’t use the toilet on-board? Now pilot Steve revealed the ‘dangerous’ reason behind it…
Christine Younan Deputy Editor Social Newsdesk
07:07, 20 Sep 2025Updated 08:06, 20 Sep 2025
There’s a reason you can’t pee when the plane is sometimes stationary(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It can be frustrating to sit strapped to your seat on the plane then all of a sudden, nature calls. There are secret areas passengers aren’t allowed anywhere near, but the toilet, surely not?
But if you’re a regular air traveller, you kind of know the deal by now. The cabin crew talk you through the safety, then you’re asked to fasten your seatbelt. This might all be familiar to many, but occasionally what happens is, we need to use the loo. Now one pilot revealed the ‘dangerous’ reason this is not always allowed in a post which went viral on TikTok.
American Airlines captain Steve, who boasts 401,000 followers on the platform, has been doing a Q&A series with his many fans.
Recently one person asked: “Why can’t I pee while the plane is stationary on the ground?”
The pilot explained the reason and it’s mainly because if one person does it, everyone follows…
Content cannot be displayed without consent
He said: “Well, LAX tie 23, because if you get up to go to the bathroom, then everybody else is going to get up and go to the bathroom.
“And we’re taxiing on an active runway or taxiway and one of the most dangerous times of flights is actually during taxiing, because if I have to hit the brakes and you’re standing up in the aisle, you’re going to fall.
“You’re going to hit your head on something. If you’re in the bathroom, good things are not going to happen in there.
“Have I had people get up and have to go use the bathroom? Yes, sometimes nature calls and you can’t hold it off anymore.”
He also explained how the pilot would usually have to stop until the traveller comes out of the bathroom and returns to their seat.
“It holds up the entire airport. It’s really a hassle when that happens,” he concluded.
Further on in the video, the pilot then began discussing safety briefings and making jokes with colleagues.
But since he shared the information on the toilet trouble, many people fled to the comments section as the post racked up nearly 2,900 likes.
One said: “Thank you for your wonderful, informative post!” Another added: “I’ll admit I’ve done that before… I was on a Southwest flight and we were holding before the runway and I had to pee…”
A third commented: “Take it from an FA. That’s so true.”
A self-professed ‘germaphobe’ says she’s been left alarmed by her husband’s ‘vile’ behaviour during a long-haul flight, and now fears she may never get past the serious ‘ick’ she’s been left with
She’s now struggling to get past her husband’s ‘vile’ behaviour (Stock Photo)(Image: Getty Images)
A woman says she was left so “horrified” by her husband’s behaviour during their first long-haul flight together that she is struggling to get over it.
According to this disturbed wife, she and her husband travelled domestically together across the US on a number of occasions, apparently without issue.
In an anguished agony aunt letter, penned to MailOnline’s Jane Green, the traveller recalled how, after positioning his eye masks and neck pillow, her husband then proceeded to make himself really at home by removing his shoes and socks.
Admitting that the incident has given her a “huge ick” that she’s struggling to move on from, the wife, who went only by the pseudonym ‘Turbulent Romantic’ wrote: “I was horrified as I then watched him also take a trip to the restroom without bothering to put anything on his feet. Yuck!
“I am a total germaphobe and would never remove my shoes – let alone my socks – to walk around on an aeroplane. It must have been because the trip was so long, but it made me wonder how I have never realised his vile uncleanliness.
“Worse, when we got off the plane and arrived at the hotel, he refused to shower before going to sleep. Is there a way to move past this?”
In response to Turbulent Romantic’s desperate plea, Jane sympathised with her shudders, confessing that she herself lives with “footphobia”. However, the wise agony aunt appeared optimistic that the couple could move past this episode, which they may well look back on in time as a “funny story”.
Offering her suggestions, Jane advised actually opening up to her husband about her “ick” rather than letting it fester, adding that some compromise on both sides may be needed on this occasion.
She urged: “Talk to him and explain that you are a germaphobe – that you have a real problem both with his walking around a plane barefooted and with his refusal to shower before getting into clean sheets.
“He may laugh. He may find you ridiculous. But all marriages are about compromise. If you have a serious issue with this – and the fact you are writing suggests this is indeed serious – then he ought to listen.
“Of course, we can never guarantee what anyone will do, but if he is engaging in behaviour that upsets you, the loving thing to do is find a compromise. Perhaps he uses socks that are reserved only for when he’s on aeroplanes?”
‘Do you think I’m going to be cold?” asks my friend Ellie as we navigate the winding roads of Mosedale, on the north-eastern reaches of the Lake District, while rain batters against the windscreen. It’s a fair question. Both the Met Office and Mountain Weather Information Service are clear – being in the Lakeland hills will not be pleasant this Friday night, due to a sudden cold and wet snap. But there’s another reason she’s asking. I’m taking her to stay in her first bothy – that’s a mountain shelter left open, year-round, for walkers, climbers and outdoor enthusiasts to use, free of charge, with no way to book.
Unlike mountain huts in other parts of Europe and the world, they weren’t built for this purpose. They are old buildings left to ruin in wild places – former coastguard lookouts, gamekeepers’ cottages, remote Highland schoolrooms – before the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) began to maintain them, offering shelter in a storm. And during this particular storm, shelter is definitely needed.
Fording a nearby stream. Photograph: Phoebe Smith
Before we left, Ellie was worried about what to pack, and well she might be. Despite a bothy having four walls, a roof, windows and a front door (they range from tiny, one-room affairs to sprawling, multi-bedroom structures), they are still very basic. There is no running water (there’s usually a stream nearby for this), no toilet (each has a bothy spade so you can dig your own) and no electricity (tealights and a headtorch are a must), and the one we are heading to, Great Lingy Hut, doesn’t even have the usual bothy stove for warmth.
Yet it’s precisely for these reasons that I’ve chosen it to be Ellie’s first. I know that because of the bad weather it’s unlikely we’ll have to share with anyone else. We park at the base of Carrock Fell, where the River Caldew is now a raging torrent. It is past dusk; the rain has eased to a mere mizzle and we can just make out the shape of the building on the skyline. With backpacks shouldered we begin uphill, keeping our eyes open for signs of walkers who may have potentially beaten us to it.
“Visitor numbers have definitely gone up in recent years,” the chair of the MBA, Simon Birch, tells me when I speak to him the night before. “Of course, back in the day they were kept a secret – some old documents I was going through have ‘confidential’ written across them. But people can’t keep secrets like this.”
Phoebe (left) and Ellie keeping warm in the unheated bothy.
It was in 2009 that the MBA decided to publish grid references to its 100-strong network on its website – despite some internal protests. After that, the “cat was out of the bag”, says Birch. When the MBA celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2015, I asked and was granted permission to write the first guidebook about bothies – as a love letter to them, rather than a definitive guide. There was a lot of pushback, though. When The Book of the Bothy was published, I experienced online trolling (from MBA members and others), abusive emails, complaints to my publisher and even threats. But at the same time, one of the MBA’s co-founders, Betty Heath, told me how much she loved my passion; Birch told me that younger members began to sign up (when there was a real danger of membership ageing out); and now there is even a female thirtysomething trustee.
Out of the 105 bothies they currently look after, only two are owned by the MBA. All the others are on leases. “Ultimately, we could lose all our bothies, if the owners decided to take them back,” says Birch – which proves just how special the network and ethos of bothies is.
The hut we head to in the Lakes was originally used by miners at the nearby and now disused Carrock Mine (which dates back to the 16th century). It was relocated to its higher location on the moor as a shooting box. During the 1960s it was leased to the “Friends” Quaker boarding school in Wigton as an outdoor base and was fitted with a sleeping platform. When that school closed in 1984, it became an open shelter, and eventually the Lake District national park took responsibility for its maintenance before handing it over to the MBA in 2017.
We were at peace, away from the madness of our day-to-day lives. Photograph: Phoebe Smith
We pass the mine workings under a starry sky, so they appear only as silhouettes. We ford the stream with the help of walking poles and mutual words of encouragement. Finally, we reach the door and experience the anticipatory few seconds that anyone who’s ever stayed in a bothy will know – when after hours of walking you knock on the door with mild trepidation, to discover if anyone else has beaten you to it. The door swings open. It’s empty. We have it to ourselves.
“The biggest change has been the impact that the growing popularity of long-distance trails has had on the bothies,” Simon tells me. “Some of the spots are incredibly well used, and we now have a sanitation officer in the MBA.”
I give Ellie a brief rundown of bothy etiquette. Put candles and the camping stove in the designated area so as not to cause a fire risk. Use the spade for the toilet – well away from the building and any watercourses. Set up a bag for waste. As a countryside girl, she has a good idea of the code – but Birch says a problem the MBA is facing in its 60th year is that content creators are showing people the bothies on social media but not teaching good practice. As such, in a very modern move, the MBA is seeking creators to collaborate with it, to demonstrate responsible bothying.
We settle in, heating a pre-made tagine and making hot chocolates to keep us warm. I also fill hot-water bottles. We chat for hours, me regaling Ellie with stories of previous bothy visits – including the time I inadvertently crashed a stag party in Scotland.
The wind whistles through the cables that hold Great Lingy Hut down, but despite this, as mothers of young children, we both sleep well away from the madness of our day-to-day lives.
Recent figures put the MBA membership at 3,800 – with many more users who don’t pay the annual £25 donation to join. We’re staying at one of the newer buildings in the network, but Birch tells me there are no plans to take on any more.
We enjoy our breakfast beside the window, where a lifting fog offers tantalising views down this little-visited valley.
As we leave, I feel hopeful for the next 60 years of bothies in Britain. We pack not only our own rubbish but empty packets and used candle holders left by others. “I love it,” says Ellie, “leaving it better than we arrived.” She may have begun this adventure worried about feeling cold but, thanks to the magic of bothies, is leaving as many do, warmed by the whole wild and wonderful experience.
Have you ever been in a situation where you needed the toilet but could not go?
The bus driver took to Reddit to tell all(Image: Monty Rakusen via Getty Images)
We’ve all been at work when all of a sudden you need the toilet. And whilst you often don’t need to panic, the situation is different if you can’t go straight away.
When nature calls, and forces us to make a speedy retreat, most of us can easily break off, unless you’re mid-presentation. But it’s a whole other story for bus drivers – at least if they want to pop to one common place to head to the loo.
For drivers of London’s public transport services, loo breaks have to be taken seriously, because opportunities for relieving oneself are few and far between. In a Reddit forum, a London bus driver happily answered questions from the public about the dos and the don’ts of the job, and one question touched upon this very subject, reports MyLondon.
Opportunities for loo breaks must be taken seriously by drivers(Image: Alexandr Spatari / Getty Images)
A reader asked them what we’ve all often thought: “How do you handle bathroom breaks?” The answer? Go to the toilet anywhere – but not in a pub.
The driver said: “We have toilets at either end of the route usually, but if you’re caught short, you can call the controller over the radio and they know of spots across the routes for you to hop out and use – usually a bookies or McDonald’s.
“Interestingly, drivers years ago could use a boozer. However, understandably, people were getting worried when their drivers were hoping out mid route and popping in the pub for 5 minutes, so now we’re forbidden to enter a pub in any uniform.”
The driver also shared pearls of wisdom when responding to other queries from the public. One person asked, “What do you do when a stinky rider gets on?”
The driver responded: “Open the windows and carry on.” Another person asked: “Has anyone ever defecated on your buses?”
“No, however it’s usually a daily occurrence for people to chuck up their kebabs on a night shift after a heavy one,” answered the driver.
And his biggest pet peeve? Motorists attempting to undertake buses before they pull into stops.
Have you ever been in a situation where you needed the toilet but could not go?(Image: Getty)
The bus driver explained: “Seriously, it’s so dangerous to undertake any vehicle but even more so a vehicle that’s 35-40 foot long and weighs 11 tonnes. My first accident was because some boy racer tried to undertake me and got crunched against the curb whilst I was pulling into a bus stop, we have mirrors but they don’t solve the huge blind spots.
“For cyclists, I’d rather they didn’t go round me at a bus stop because it’s an absolute mission to go round them, and you just end up leapfrogging each other. However, we must share the road so do what you want I suppose.”
Transport for London has been approached for comment.
The Ryanair passenger, a 21-year-old man, was removed from the flight destined for Spain after he was accused of committing an aviation offence, causing a two-hour delay
05:55, 05 Aug 2025Updated 05:55, 05 Aug 2025
Police were called to the aircraft after an alarm was allegedly set off by a passenger(Image: Jam Press/@itstristanjames)
A Ryanair passenger who allegedly vaped in the plane toilet was marched off a plane by six police officers.
The 21-year-old man caused a two-hour delay to his flight after it is said he puffed on a vape in the loo before the plane was due to take off at Edinburgh Airport. Police stormed the aircraft and detained the young man on suspicion of breaching aviation laws.
Mr Walker said the man on his flight was bundled into a police van amid their delay. Authorities have confirmed the 21-year-old suspect has been charged in relation to an aviation offence.
Police stormed the flight(Image: Jam Press/@itstristanjames)
Speaking yesterday about the footage, shot on July 3, Mr Walker said: “A young lad in a group happened to set the alarm off for apparently vaping.
“The pilot then came out after the air stewardess explained what happened, and then the pilot stated he would be removed from the plane. The young lad waited for over six police officers to come on board.
“He was taken off, he was very calm, didn’t argue or anything, no drama. We then happened to bump into him on Benidorm’s famous strip and he told us he just got a caution and was banned from Ryanair.”
A representative for Police Scotland said: “Around 7.55 am on Thursday, July 3, 2025 were called to an aircraft at Edinburgh Airport. Officers attended, and a 21-year-old man was charged in connection with an aviation offence. A report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
TUI passengers on a flight home from Mexico faced chaos after a couple on board the plane started smoking in the toilet and then began fighting
TUI’s Cancun to Gatwick flight was forced into an emergency landing due to the smokers(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
British holidaymakers returning from a sun-soaked break in Cancun, Mexico, found themselves unexpectedly stranded in the considerably chillier US state of Maine, after two passengers on their flight refused to quit smoking and sparked a brawl.
The pilot of the TUI transatlantic flight bound for London Gatwick was compelled to make an emergency landing on Tuesday, following the discovery of two passengers “smoking in the toilet.”
Despite UK airlines having enforced a smoking ban for the past thirty years, the duo stubbornly continued to light up, even when the pilot threatened to land the plane if they persisted.
Irate passengers aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight informed the New York Post that the unidentified smokers seemed to be a couple, whose in-flight chaos subsequently spiralled into a fight. “They were obviously drunk, and he basically assaulted his partner,” one fellow passenger revealed.
Cancun’s warm weather and white sands have made it a top tourist destination in Mexico(Image: Getty)
All 267 passengers from Cancun were then subjected to an unplanned stopover in Bangor, Maine. Flight recordings disclose the pilot communicating with air traffic controllers, stating: “Cockpit is secure, and there’s two passengers fighting, and the crew has pretty much gotten them under control.”
Within moments, air traffic controllers had rerouted the flight and by 9.30pm, the TUI flight was grounded in Maine with airport officials escorting the pair of smokers off the aircraft.
The travel chaos only intensified for their fellow passengers, who endured an unplanned overnight stay in Bangor before catching another flight home.
They would be waiting until 3pm on Wednesday to recommence their transatlantic trip, eventually touching down safely at Gatwick later the same day.
The two troublemakers who sparked the chaos dodged any charges by US Customs and Border Protection officials, who resolved to send them back on separate flights.
An official from the border agency commented: “This incident involved a foreign-to-foreign flight that was diverted due to an in-flight altercation between two passengers.
“Upon arrival, CBP officers removed both individuals from the aircraft. Although no criminal charges were filed, CBP processed the two subjects for expedited removal.”
MIAMI — Worms in the food. Toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with fecal waste. Days without a shower or prescription medicine. Mosquitoes and insects everywhere. Lights on all night. Air conditioners that suddenly shut off in the tropical heat. Detainees forced to use recorded phone lines to speak with their lawyers and loved ones.
Only days after President Trump toured a new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” these are some of the conditions described by people held inside.
Attorneys, advocates, detainees and families are speaking out about the makeshift migrant detention center that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration raced to build on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. The center began accepting detainees on July 2.
“These are human beings who have inherent rights, and they have a right to dignity,” said immigration attorney Josephine Arroyo. “And they’re violating a lot of their rights by putting them there.”
Government officials have adamantly disputed the conditions described by detainees, their attorneys and family members, but have provided few details, and have denied access to the media. A televised tour for Trump and DeSantis showed rows of chain-link cages, each containing dozens of bunk beds, under large white tents.
“The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,” said Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which built the center.
A group of Democratic lawmakers sued the DeSantis administration for access. The administration is allowing a site visit by state legislators and members of Congress on Saturday.
Descriptions from attorneys and families differ from the government’s ‘model’
Families and attorneys who spoke with the Associated Press relayed detainees’ accounts of a place they say is unsanitary and lacks adequate medical care, pushing some into a state of extreme distress.
Such conditions make other immigration detention centers where advocates and staff have warned of unsanitary confinements, medical neglect and a lack of food and water seem “advanced,” said immigration attorney Atara Eig.
Trump and his allies have praised this detention center’s harshness and remoteness as befitting the “worst of the worst” and as a national model for the deterrence needed to persuade immigrants to “self-deport” from the United States.
But among those locked inside the chain-link enclosures are people with no criminal records, and at least one teenage boy, attorneys told the AP.
Concerns about medical care, lack of medicines
Immigration attorney Katie Blankenship described a concerning lack of medical care at the facility, relaying an account from a 35-year-old Cuban client who told his wife that detainees go days without a shower. The toilets are in the same space as the bunk beds and can’t handle their needs, she said.
The wife, a 28-year-old green card holder and the mother of the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, who is a U.S. citizen, relayed his complaints to the AP. Fearing government retaliation against her and her detained husband, she asked not to be identified.
“They have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop,” the woman told the AP. “They eat once a day and have two minutes to eat. The meals have worms,” she added.
The woman said the detainees “all went on a hunger strike” on Thursday night to protest the conditions.
“There are days when I don’t know anything about him until the evening,” she said, describing waiting for his calls, interrupted every three minutes by an announcement that the conversation is being recorded.
No meetings with attorneys
The detainees’ attorneys say their due process rights are among numerous constitutional protections being denied.
Blankenship is among the lawyers who have been refused access. After traveling to the remote facility and waiting for hours to speak with her clients, including a 15-year-old Mexican boy with no criminal charges, she was turned away by a security guard who told her to wait for a phone call in 48 hours that would notify her when she could return.
“I said, well, what’s the phone number that I can follow up with that? There is none,” Blankenship recalled. “You have due process obligations, and this is a violation of it.”
Arroyo’s client, a 36-year-old Mexican man who came to the U.S. as a child, has been detained at the center since Saturday after being picked up for driving with a suspended license in Florida’s Orange County. He’s a beneficiary of the DACA program, created to protect young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and to provide them with work authorization.
Blankenship’s Cuban client paid a bond and was told he’d be freed on a criminal charge in Miami, only to be detained and transferred to the Everglades.
Eig has been seeking the release of a client in his 50s with no criminal record and a stay of removal, meaning the government can’t legally deport him while he appeals. But she hasn’t been able to get a bond hearing. She’s heard that an immigration court inside the Krome Detention Center in Miami “may be hearing cases” from the Everglades facility, but as of Friday, they were still waiting.
“Jurisdiction remains an issue,” Eig said, adding “the issue of who’s in charge over there is very concerning.”
Salomon and Payne write for the Associated Press. Payne reported from Tallahassee, Fla.
In another emotional instalment, two people who are foundlings, tell Davina and Nicky their stories and hope to trace family
06:00, 18 Jun 2025Updated 06:08, 18 Jun 2025
Davina McCall and searcher Simon Prothero in Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace(Image: ITV)
Every single story from Long Lost Family could be turned into a daytime sobathon movie in its own right. Pretty much every episode leaves viewers weeping into their wine, and this show is the perfect example of a cast-iron format that nails it every time. Davina McCall is walking along a coastline in a coat we all want to buy immediately.
She tells us the sad story of someone searching for their relative. Cut to said person’s kitchen and Davina has news. Pause. She produces a photo. Maybe even a letter. Everyone is in floods of tears, and that’s before the reunion even happens. Kleenex anyone?
Elsewhere, Nicky Campbell is providing a shoulder to cry on, while someone spits into a test tube. The spin-off series, Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace (tonight June 18, ITV, 9pm) focuses on foundlings, people left as babies, often in the most extraordinary places and in the first hours or days of life. We’ve heard about babies left in cardboard boxes, on doorsteps, at churches, in hospital car parks, and in one case a London phone box and even under a hedge.
Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell help people find loved ones
In tonight’s emotional episode, Simon Prothero tells how he was found as a newborn in the summer of 1966 in the outside toilet block of a children’s home in Neath, Wales. Simon, who was adopted and grew up 10 miles away, says: “I don’t know where I was born, when I was born, what the circumstances were. I don’t know who my mother is.” As the team cracks into action, it’s especially sad as we learn that Simon’s adoptive parents and his wife Helen have died, but a DNA search connects to a large family from North Wales. Watch out for the moment Simon discovers his birth mother is alive and in her 80s, though she’s not yet ready for contact.
In another story, Lisa Dyke tells how she was discovered as a newborn in May 1969, just a few hours old, outside a health clinic in Christchurch, Dorset. She’d been put into another baby’s pram. She says: “Why was I left in another child’s pram? Who left me? I just want to know the truth.”
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace is airing on ITV tonight at 9pm.
There’s plenty more on TV tonight – here’s the best of the rest..
RACE ACROSS THE WORLD, BBC1, 9pm
It’s been emotional, as five intrepid pairs have taken on the 14,000km race of a lifetime, from the Great Wall of China to the southern tip of India. In the end, mother and son Caroline and Tom took first place in a hard-fought win. Six months later, the contestants meet for the first time in this reunion episode, sharing their greatest highs and agonising lows. The teams reminisce about being forced out of their comfort zones and traversing the two most populated countries on earth.
For former married couple, Yin and Gaz, it’s a chance to learn who has won the race. Brothers Brian and Melvyn look back at how the race enabled them to make up for lost time, while sisters Elizabeth and Letitia tell how the adventure changed them. Teenage couple Fin and Sioned, who were catapulted into the deep end for their first backpacking experience together, share their future plans. An intimate insight with behind-the-scenes insights and unseen moments. “I wish we were starting it all again,” says Caroline.
THE BUCCANEERS, APPLE TV+
For anyone not familiar with ‘The Buccaneers’, they are a group of fun-loving young American girls, who exploded into the tightly corseted London of the 1870s, setting hearts racing. Now, the Buccaneers are no longer the invaders – England is their home. In fact, they’re practically running the place.
Nan (Kristine Froseth) is the Duchess of Tintagel, the most influential woman in the country. Conchita (Alisha Boe) is Lady Brightlingsea, heroine to a wave of young American heiresses. And Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) is on every front page, wanted for the kidnapping of her unborn child.
All of the girls have been forced to grow up and now have to fight to be heard, as they wrestle with romance, lust, jealousy, births and deaths. Last time we got a taste of England. This time we’re in for a veritable feast. Also starring Christina Hendricks as Nan’s mum Patti, this is an addictive culture-clash historical romp.
EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm
Getting increasingly frustrated with his motorbike, Bear snaps and threatens Kammy. Paddy sees this from a distance and puts a stop to it. Paddy and Mandy are dumbfounded when Bear later acts as if nothing has happened. Bear becomes irritated by their questioning and heads away upstairs, leaving Paddy and Mandy to fear that things are getting worse. Vinny continues to give Kammy the cold shoulder. Vanessa tries to get through to Tracy, but Tracy’s not interested in her excuses.
EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm
Kat doesn’t feel any better following her conversation with Alfie and feels that he isn’t being completely honest with her. The drinks start flowing at Elaine’s divorce party. As the night gets steadily messier, Elaine shocks Linda by declaring that the Prosecco is on the house all night. Later, a tipsy Elaine offers to book Priya a singles cruise, saying she can pay her back later. Linda is then horrified to see £5k leave the business account and confronts Elaine.
CORONATION STREET, ITV1, 8pm
Glenda and Sean hand out leaflets advertising the Rovers’ Drag Night. Todd suggests to Theo they should go. When Debbie admits to Bernie that she finds it hard being in the same room as Ronnie, Bernie suggests they head to her hotel. Dee-Dee opens a letter stating that Laila is due for her vaccinations but when Michael tells her that James is in Leeds, she realises that she’ll have to take Laila herself. Kevin gets ready to leave for his chemo session.
Two Belgian men have claimed they hid in a toilet at Munich’s Allianz Arena for 27 hours in order to watch last weekend’s Champions League final for free.
Neal Remmerie and Senne Haverbeke told Belgian broadcaster VRT News they managed to get into the ground the day before the match then emerged to watch Paris St-Germain’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan.
The pair uploaded a video, external on the social media platform TikTok which showed them sticking a homemade ‘out of order’ sign on two toilet cubicle doors before they waited in silence for more than a day as stadium staff used the facility.
“We had a backpack with snacks and we played around on our phones to kill time,” Remmerie said.
“The lights were on all the time and the sitting position was uncomfortable, so sleeping was almost impossible. That made it physically and mentally difficult.”
As soon as the duo heard fans using the toilets on matchday they emerged from the hiding place and made it past another ticket check before taking a seat in a stand.
“We looked carefully at which security guard was paying the least attention. While on the phone and with food in our hands, we just walked on, and suddenly we were inside,” Remmerie added.
“PSG won 5-0 and we were also in the supporters’ section of the winning team. It was the most beautiful football match we have ever seen.”
BBC Sport has approached the Allianz Arena and Uefa for comment.
A survey of 19 airport hotel brands has revealed those at the top and bottom of the table when it comes to customer satisfaction and value for money – with one in particular proving to be a ‘disappointment’
Milo Boyd Digital Travel Editor and Commercial Content Lead
00:01, 16 May 2025
BLOC Hotel was named the worst in the Which? survey (Image: DAILY MIRROR)
Despite their handy proximity to the terminals, many airport hotel brands are failing to provide good value for money and quality food and drink, according to a new ranking of the best and worst in the country.
In a survey involving over 1,600 participants, 19 airport hotel chains were judged on aspects such as customer service, cleanliness and value for money. Which? also sent undercover inspectors to two of the listed hotels – DoubleTree by Hilton and Thistle – to see if their experiences matched the survey results.
DoubleTree by Hilton – with locations at Edinburgh Airport, London Heathrow, Manchester and Newcastle – was the most impressive to travellers. The chain bagged five stars for cleanliness, bed comfort and location, achieving an impressive overall customer score of 80 per cent.
On the other end of things, Bloc Hotel at Gatwick shows that proximity to a departure lounge does not mean everything. Depite being right next to the South Terminal check-in desks, it still scored poorly on the survey with 64% overall, earning a meagre two stars for value for money, bedrooms, bathrooms, and customer service.
Have you had a bad hotel stay and want to share your story? Email [email protected]
Double Tree by Hilton was top of the list(Image: Laser1987 via Getty Images)
The average price per night is £142. Guests complain about overpriced tiny rooms, some without windows, with one survey participant noting: “The room was too small for two people. The bed was against the wall, so one person had to wriggle out to use the loo. And the bathroom was a wetroom, so the toilet area flooded when you used the shower”.
A spokesperson for BLOC Hotel noted that the survey’s conclusions “are drawn from such a small and unrepresentative sample size – which seems to be just 42 reviews. At Bloc Gatwick, we achieve a customer service score of 91% across major platforms including Booking.com, Google, TripAdvisor, and Expedia, based on more than 8,000 verified reviews over the past 12 months.”
Contrastingly, the Mirror’s own travel editor, Nigel Thompson, stayed at BLOC Hotel and praised it thoroughly, awarding it a score of 9.5 out of 10.
Travelodge has emerged as the most affordable choice in a recent survey, boasting an average nightly rate of a mere £74. Despite its modest pricing, the hotel chain only managed to secure a customer satisfaction rate of 65 per cent, earning itself a middling three-star rating for most features like value for money and its bedrooms and bathrooms.
However, it fell short in the food and drink department, scraping by with just two stars. Dissatisfied guests didn’t mince their words, one commenting: “Most of the items on the menu were unavailable. What was available was clearly poor quality and microwaved.”
Strategically positioned near major UK airfields such as Cardiff Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and London City Airport, Travelodge still remains a convenient option.
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Which?’s incognito inspectors visited the DoubleTree by Hilton at Newcastle airport and gave it high marks. Highlights included warm cookies given to guests upon arrival, room service until the early hours, and a generous midday checkout time.
Guests can also enjoy a continental breakfast from as early as 4.30am. The inspectors also praised the spacious rooms, blackout curtains and plush king-size beds.
The Thistle in London Heathrow Terminal 5 was the second hotel to which Which? sent undercover inspectors. With a score of 72 per cent in the survey, Thistle received a Which? Great Value award. Despite its dated decor, the inspectors found the hotel clean and convenient, offering excellent deals for park and stay. The hotel had a fairly comfy bed and a decent shower, and is just a five-minute pod ride from the airport.
At just £78 with a buffet breakfast, it was considered a bargain. Thistle also has a hotel at London Luton Airport.
Travellers seeking an airport hotel are prioritising convenience for terminal access, with a whopping 87% in a consumer survey claiming it’s essential. Luckily, food is less of a big deal.
None of the hotels surveyed scooped up more than three stars for their culinary offerings. An individual recounting their airport hotel experience grumbled: “‘I ordered a sirloin steak and it was as tough as old boots. My wife ordered a pizza and it had to go back.”
Nonetheless, airport hotels are proving invaluable to passengers travelling by car. Special package deals coupling a one-night’s stay with extended holiday parking can be surprisingly economical.
For example, Thistle at Heathrow Terminal 5 offers secure, CCTV-monitored on-site parking. An August booking for a night plus seven days of parking is priced at £210—a savvy saving of £52 compared to booking a separate hotel room and opting for the adjacent official T5 Pod Parking.
