Plane passenger shares 'secret' bathroom compartment that can save 'cursed experience'

Nobody enjoys going to the toilet on a plane, yet you might not be aware that a secret compartment in most airplane bathrooms holds vital protection in the event of a period while traveling.

While certain health apps can help women track their periods better these days – although those also come with some complications in the current political climate – it can be unpredictable when exactly one will strike each month, and they can sometimes arrive at the most unfortunate times.

Many people have learned to be prepared for these eventualities, but there are some situations where it proves to be more difficult than expected, with a period while flying serving as a nightmare scenario for most.

One passenger shared a game-changing piece of advice for anyone else suffering from a similar 'cursed experience' on a plane, however, and this particular PSA could save you from a tricky situation in the future.

Secret bathroom compartment saves the day on a plane

Film director Sophy Romvari shared her vital discovery on X, writing: "PSA for if you get your period while on an airplane 🫠 a cursed experience to begin with but I only recently discovered this secret door."

Accompanying the post is a video of Romvari opening a compartment underneath the toilet roll dispenser, where Maxithins pads popped out to save the day.

It's not something that most people would even think to check before they travel, opting perhaps to take pads with them in their carry on luggage as a form of preparation, but it's good to know that it's there as a backup just in case you need it, especially for a particularly long flight.

One user in the replies shared an experience that would have benefitted from this knowledge, declaring: "The way I have bled through my pants and onto the seat cause I didn't have more tampons and the bundle of toilet paper I shoved down there was not cutting it..."

Another added that "THIS INFORMATION COULD'VE BEEN SO USEFUL FOR ME, dang I was in this exact scenario once."

Do all planes have this?

Unfortunately not every airplane has this emergency-preventing feature in their bathrooms, but replies to Romvari's post have suggested that a number of U.S. based airlines do feature sanitary supplies in some form.

"I've seen it in American Airlines, Frontier, United, Alaska, and Iberia," illustrated one user, and there's guaranteed to be more across the world that offer similar services.

It appears to be something that you have to rely on less for budget airlines, with full-service options being more consistent, although one thing you do have to watch out for is stock numbers as there might not always be enough there to serve you for the whole flight.

They also might not always be in the same place if they are stocked, so ensure that you check around the bathroom and perhaps even ask a flight attendant for advice if you are struggling on the journey.