Seat belt sign abuse
The seatbelt sign was on for 95% of the flight
Asking that customers keep their seat belts fastened, while seated, is one thing. Using the seat belt sign as a means of avoiding inconvenience to the cabin crew is inexcusable. Absent a legitimate reason to have the seat belt sign on (bad weather, etc.) customers, particularly on a long haul flight, deserve ample opportunity to access the lavs.
I've seen this issue come-up before, not necessarily on this board. The DOT needs to issue somes rules. If pilots knew they might have to justify use of the seat belt sign for, nearly, the entire flight more responsible use of this device might result.
And, in anticipation of the howls from the idiot squad--the airline stooges on here: If a pilot get his kicks by keeping the seat belt sign on for a one hour flight I guess it doesn't matter that much. I can also understand the reason for keeping the sign on during the flight of a relatively low-flying commuter aircraft such as a Beech 1900. I'm not even sure if the latter HAS a lav!
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