Travel Lover Gives Tour of a Lufthansa Airbus With a One-Of-A-Kind Layout

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Nobody really likes going to the airplane lavatory (not gonna touch upon the few people who try to join a certain 1.6-km-high-club in them- they're a special case). Not only is it awkward shuffling past a full aisle of people, but then you've gotta do your business in a room smaller than a broom closet. If you're lucky, you might literally get some extra elbow room on an international flight, but that's about it.

But every once in a while, a few aircraft will come along that try to shake up the typically-miserable airplane bathroom experience, at least a little. A Canadian travel vlogger flying with Lufthansa on June 3 realized that his plane was one of those rare examples as he explored its very unique layout.

Vlogger @downielive said he was flying on an Airbus A340-600 operated by Lufthansa. The jet, while large, was not a jumbo jet, nor a double-decker like the Boeing 747 - which is why @downielive was surprised when he learned that the plane had a "downstairs" area. Walking down a flight of stairs, he discovered a small, quiet hallway line with airplane lavatories , secluded from the crowded aisles and attendant galleys above. The bathrooms weren't much bigger than the usual plane lavatories, but the addition peace and privacy were a very nice touch!

Related: Man Flies in 'Most Luxurious' First-Class Suite in the Sky and the Cost Is Surprising

I would disagree with @downielive's assertion that the Airbus A340-600 is just a "normal commercial airplane," though. According to the Lufthansa Group, the Airbus A340-600 is the world's second-longest passenger aircraft at 75.3 meters (the current longest one, according to Simple Flying , is the Boeing 747-8) . While the Lufthansa versions seat 297 passengers, Airbus claims that A340-600 models can accommodate anywhere from 320-370 passengers (or 475 in high-density seating, but I can't imagine any air travelers would want to sacrifice any more seat pitch than they already have to).

Addressing a Valid Accessibility Concern

The downstairs bathrooms @downielive discovered are a pretty enticing feature. Personally speaking, I can only imagine that this would be perfect for grabbing a much-needed moment to yourself on a long international flight . Viewers on TikTok admired how convenient, private, and space-saving the arrangement was too (and yes, there were tons of jokes about " joining the club " in one of these secluded lavatories). For all the praise these bathrooms got, however, a few people voiced an admittedly valid concern.

"What about people with mobility issues?" asked @leadersplay2win, worried about the stairs.

"Accessibility is not a thing in this airplane." critiqued @a30043.

I don't blame their skepticism. The commercial air travel industry has historically not been kind to passengers with mobility issues , particularly wheelchair users. CNN reported that over 11,000 wheelchairs were lost or damaged by airlines in 2023 alone, and it's become such a problem that the DOT unveiled a new proposal expanding the rights of passengers with disabilities, including steep fines for airlines that damage or destroy wheelchairs. Flyers with mobility issues already have enough problems to deal with, even before considering bathroom breaks.

I think these commenters and others like them have a valid concern. Lufthansa's A340-600 seat maps show upstairs lavatories in first and business class, but the bathrooms for premium economy and economy are all downstairs. While I'd imagine that any reasonable flight attendant would allow disabled economy passengers to access the upstairs bathrooms, the apparent lack of a dedicated handicap-accessible bathroom in the economy seating area strikes me as troublesome, to say the least. It's an unfortunate flaw in what is otherwise a very cool, very unique airplane layout.

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