Airline Answers Burning Question About Plane Toilets: 'Suction'

A video of a KLM flight attendant explaining what happens to human waste during a flight has gone viral on social media.

In the TikTok clip, which can be seen above or here, the Dutch airline said it was "answering the important questions" about how bathrooms work during a flight.

Myths about what happens to human waste have persisted for decades, including the assumption that it is simply dropped from the aircraft.

The 43-second clip KLM dispels the myth, revealing that the answer is a little more complicated.

The clip begins with a "passenger" asking herself: "If I do a number two, where does it go?"

Seconds later, a KLM flight attendant emerges from a plane toilet and says: "Pretty good question, if you ask me. Well, it's not that difficult. Your number one and two go through the pipes fitted throughout the plane

"It then goes into a tank that contains chemicals to break down your…you know what. This way, more waste fits into the tank and it relieves the stench."

The flight attendant added: "The waste tank is eventually emptied after arrival. Also, you've probably noticed that toilets on the plane do not contain water. This is because the waste tank uses a vacuum system when flushing, also known as the suction sound.

"This has a few advantages. For example, less water is used, so more suitcases and passengers can be taken on the plane."

An article on aircraft website Aerocorner explains that the small amount of blue liquid in the toilet bowl is cleaning fluid. "When you flush the toilet, the vacuum effect is utilized and all of the toilet's contents, including the blue water, is trapped within a special tank or closed waste system."

In the 2022 World Airline Awards, the prize for the cleanest airline went to ANA All Nippon Airways, followed by Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines.

The Skytrax awards are based on customer satisfaction surveys and the cleanest airline category considered seat areas, tables, carpets and cabin panels, as well as plane washrooms.

Since KLM posted its video on January 9, it has been watched more than 2.5 million times and garnered some 137,000 likes.

Some commenters shared their surprise at the explanation. TikTok user J Schmoney wrote: "My entire life I thought they just dumped it out mid-flight."

Others were more troubled by the "suction sound." BR posted: "I hate the airplane flushing sound so much that I open the door before flushing so I can run."

Slayyyyyyyy said: "When a toilet is flushed on a plane it scares me lol so I have to wash my hands first and then run for my life."

Newsweek has contacted KLM for comment.

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