Airport bathrooms

The unexpected enemy of the airport traveler is the bathroom door. It might not be evident, but travel enough and you will curse every architect or designer (or whomever is responsible for designing bathroom doors) who designs a bathroom door that is a) narrow and b) opens to the inside of the stall. Inevitably you are traveling with some sort of luggage. If it is just a large bag, then getting it in a narrow door is annoying. If it is rolling, then manouevering into a narrow stall is more annoying. If you are manouevering your roller case into a stall that is both narrow and the door opens into the stall, you want to cry as you heft your bag closer and closer to the toilet and scoot yourself around the bag and the toilet to close the stall. And scoot everything again when the bathroom door keeps grazing your luggage and not closing. Repeat when finished bathrooming. Sometimes I sit on the toilet for a few extra seconds just to avoid having to get up and do this again. But, ah, the sweet ease of a toilet stall whose door opens outward. Oh sure you have a slight risk of bumping someone as you exit. But who cares? You just rolled your bag and self into the stall with one fell swoop and closed the door around you. *relief* I plan on reporting here the airports who do and do not have said doors, but i need to revisit many of them to be sure :) I know for sure San Diego is an offender, since it is my home airport.


Good:
San Jose

Bad:
San Diego
Chicago O'Hare--but at least you can just wave your hand at the sensor and get a new plastic cover for your toilet and don't have to worry about freaking hoverers and their spillage. ALso, O'Hare has bathrooms that open outward for the disabled. SO someone was thoughtful, but alas for just a moment.