Airplane bathrooms can be easily unlocked from the outside by simply lifting the metal plate that says lavatory and flipping the hidden latch mechanism underneath.

A closer look

Airplane bathrooms can be easily unlocked from the outside by simply lifting the metal plate that says lavatory and flipping the hidden latch mechanism underneath. Flight attendants use this secret feature for safety reasons, in case a passenger experiences a medical emergency or decides to join the mile-high club and refuses to exit. It completely shatters the fragile illusion of privacy you feel when you lock that flimsy folding door to do your business at cruising altitude. While you are in there, desperately trying to balance over a terrifying vacuum toilet during a bout of heavy turbulence, just remember that the only thing standing between your most vulnerable moment and the rest of the packed economy cabin is a poorly hidden switch that literally anyone who has ever watched a viral internet video knows how to instantly bypass