# 13 hours. 26 passengers with norovirus. 8 toilets. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142 "2013-08-02T09:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/1 "2013-08-02T09:55:46Z")
Any way you add it up, those numbers don’t look good. [Qantas passengers struck down with gastro on flight from Chile](http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/qantas-passengers-struck-down-with-gastro-on-flight-from-chile-20130802-2r2wh.html) > [@](#): > > Twenty-six passengers on a Qantas flight from Santiago to Sydney were struck down with a gastro intestinal illness midflight on Thursday, resulting in a mass vomiting and diarrhoea episode… > > The teenagers and several of their teachers were experiencing vomiting and diarrhoea throughout the 13-hour flight from Chile to Australia on the Boeing 747-400, which has fewer than 10 toilets on board. NSW Health said their symptoms were consistent with norovirus infection. In terms of unpleasant flights, that has to be up there with the best/worst of them. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/2 "2013-08-02T10:52:40Z")
And many of the people who weren’t sick on the plane are probably going to start feeling a little barfy themselves in a few days. Norovirus is a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/3 "2013-08-02T11:07:21Z")
Good thing they had someone up there who could not only fly the plane, but who didn’t have fish for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/4 "2013-08-02T11:17:08Z")
Why would they report “less than 10” toilets? How hard is it to count the exact number? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/5 "2013-08-02T11:31:56Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > And many of the people who weren’t sick on the plane are probably going to start feeling a little barfy themselves in a few days. Norovirus is a bitch. Yeah, if it was noro and I was on that flight then I’d be staying within touching distance of a bathroom for a few days. All those lovely infectious droplets recirculating through the air for 13 hours. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/6 "2013-08-02T12:12:27Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Why would they report “less than 10” toilets? How hard is it to count the exact number? Well, do you want to go in and count a bunch of toilets that have been barfed and pooped in (and around) by a group of 20-plus teenagers for 13 hours straight? They probably won’t even clean the plane, they’ll just nuke it from orbit. Like they do with camp sites after rock festivals. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/7 "2013-08-02T12:20:27Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Why would they report “less than 10” toilets? How hard is it to count the exact number? Maybe they weren’t sure whether or not to count the two empty Folgers cans? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/8 "2013-08-02T12:34:39Z")
A nice bit of [ad placement](http://i.imgur.com/lmOu9CL.jpg) on a news story about this. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/9 "2013-08-02T12:58:07Z")
I fear Quantas’ record of never having had a crash may be in jeopardy. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/10 "2013-08-02T15:26:26Z")
Well, this just added to my fear of flying. I have no fear of dying in a plane crash or of being that far off the ground, but the thought of being trapped in a glorified tuna can with 2 dozen multi-spewing humans makes me want to run screaming from Santiago to Sydney. We really need an :urp: smiley for threads like this. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/11 "2013-08-02T16:58:18Z")
Holy shit. What’s the incubation period or whatever you call it for norovirus? I had no idea it could be that fast. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/12 "2013-08-02T18:35:53Z")
Gee, and I thought my attack of indigestion last night was bad. Poor passengers. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/13 "2013-08-02T19:38:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Holy shit. What’s the incubation period or whatever you call it for norovirus? I had no idea it could be that fast. 24-48 hours according to the article. They had symptoms before they boarded. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/14 "2013-08-02T20:50:16Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > 24-48 hours according to the article. They had symptoms before they boarded. :dubious: Oh, just great. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/15 "2013-08-02T23:25:19Z")
Someone vomited on me on a plane once, and I got sick exactly 36 hours later. Lost six pounds though. Those poor passengers… ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/16 "2013-08-02T23:51:47Z")
Come along now baby! Whole lotta Jake-in’ goin on! Yes, I said come on out now baby, You best not be sittin playin’ Pong! We ain’t fakin’…! Whole lotta Jake-in’ goin’ on!!! Well, I said shake it, baby, shake it, I said shake it, baby, shake it I said shake it, baby, shake it I said shake it, baby, shake it Come out now baby, whole lotta Jake-in’ goin’ on! > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > :dubious: Oh, just great. Goodness Gracious, Great Calls of Ire…! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/17 "2013-08-03T00:21:18Z")
OK, _this_ is flying ugly. Forget every single complaint about legroom, overhead storage or fees. Some people in there would probably not have minded a sudden depressurization. Yikes. > [@Smeghead](#): > > Why would they report “less than 10” toilets? How hard is it to count the exact number? The person writing the brief probably looked up some reference where various different configurations of 747 they fly appear and may have been unable to nail down what was the specific variation on this one. Or just asked whoever was available around at Quantas who said, “well, I don’t know the exact number on this one but I’m sure there were no more than ten lavs available”. Though it sounds like they’re referring only to the main coach cabin lavs. All the 747-400 versions I’m looking up in [seatguru.com](http://seatguru.com) show me _no less_ than 10 and as many as 14 lavatories total if you count First/Business classes and the upper deck. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/18 "2013-08-03T04:16:12Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > the upper deck. 😃 Not. Going. There. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/13-hours-26-passengers-with-norovirus-8-toilets/665142/19 "2013-08-03T08:45:34Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > The person writing the brief probably looked up some reference where various different configurations of 747 they fly appear and may have been unable to nail down what was the specific variation on this one. Or just asked whoever was available around at Quantas who said, “well, I don’t know the exact number on this one but I’m sure there were no more than ten lavs available”. It is Qantas, no “u”. Originally Queensland And Northern Territory Air Services.