[Ryan N]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/...014090,00.html

Innovation to cut toilet queues in air
By John Beveridge April 18, 2008 12:00am

AIRFARES may be skyrocketing with the oil price but at least the airlines are still keeping an eye on how to spend a penny.
The latest innovation in passenger jets is the one-man urinal, which is designed to take pressure off lofty toilet queues and save money.

The new units – which could start appearing in commercial planes from next year – are more compact and use much less water than the full toilet alternative.

Made by German manufacturer Dasell Interiors, units are being made to fit the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 as well as many other common planes.

Flying urinals have been a standard feature on military planes for many years and installing them on commercial jets is seen as a logical way to cut costs and queues at the same time.

Given the weight of water, any usage reductions will immediately cut fuel consumption per passenger.

Norbert Runn, Dasell's head of business development, said the urinals were logical given that men made up the majority of economy class passengers.

The idea is to turn one or two toilets into men-only urinals and another into a washroom with no toilet, allowing passengers to freshen up in a more hygienic area.

Women should benefit too from shorter queues at the toilets and perhaps a cleaner scene when they arrive there.

So far consumer reaction to the idea has been fairly positive.

But some men are not too keen on publicising whether their visit is a number one or a number two.

And those who have used the military version say that aerial aiming can be challenging, particularly if the plane hits some rough air.